The five-week winter break provides students with a reprieve from the never-ending onslaught of discussion posts, projects and papers. All of this free time leaves students with a gap to fill — and what better to do during your break from coursework than read?
Whether you’re curled up by the fireplace, baking cookies for a holiday party or escaping the terrors of the midwestern winter, these 12 texts are perfect for winter reading.
**Some titles may contain adult content.**
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“The Bear and the Nightingale” by Katherine Arden
Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award, this historical fiction novel spins an entrancing tale of mythos and loyalty. Set in historic Russia, the plot follows a young girl on a quest to save her family from Frost, a fabled winter demon from childhood tales.
Met with high acclaim, this 319-pager sets a grand tale for a winter fable.
“A Game Of Thrones” by George R.R. Martin
George R.R. Martin’s masterwork is not only cold and snowy but also a great read for when you have a lot of time on your hands. With dragons and knights, this multi-narrative fantasy novel is the first of five published books in this ongoing series. It is set in a fantastical world and follows a lively cast of characters trying to save the future of their people through politics and prophecy.
This 835-page book is a hefty read but perfect for the days you want to fall into another world.
“The Romanovs: 1613-1918” by Simon Sebag Montefiore
For the inquiring minds that come to college for knowledge, Montefiore’s 2016 nonfiction monolith is just the right size to tote around. This text documents almost 300 years of Russia’s reigning royal family, from the Middle Ages to the end of their line.
At 784 pages, this is certainly no quick read, but it’s a great pick to get lost in the recesses of history.
“The Snowstorm” by Leo Tolstoy
This is a classic winter tale written by one of Russia’s most iconic writers. Tolstoy’s work follows an unnamed main character lost in a snowstorm, dealing with 19th-century morality. Though short and somewhat ambiguous, this tale has prominent themes of closure and reflection.
With only 48 pages, this quick read is perfect for a cold and dreary day.
“The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey
Chilly by nature, this Alaskan tale puts the reader in the shoes of two 1920s homesteaders and their mystical daughter.
After the child they built from snow seemingly comes to life, Jack and Mable must determine the best course of action to protect their little family. Throughout the book, things may not be as they seem, and greater evil may be lurking in the snowy shadows of their life.
At 423 pages, this book is a perfect light fantasy tale to place yourself in while watching the snowfall.
“One Day in December” by Josie Silver
For those who indulge, willingly or not, in wintertime Hallmark movies, a romance novel may be just the thing to warm the heart. Set over 10 years, “One Day in December” follows two people who believe they are destined for each other. The universe seems to have different plans, separating them by circumstance and poor timing. Will love prevail?
With the central feature of fate, this 393-page romance is easy to fall in love with.
“Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom
Though not a wintery read in theory, this touching nonfiction narrative follows its main characters through the last months of college professor Morrie Schwartz’s life. Written and told by one of Morrie’s former students, this novel focuses on a major theme of how to live life.
At 210 pages, this isn’t a particularly long read and is perfect to scratch a reader’s more philosophical itch.
“The Hunting Party” by Lucy Foley
For a more fear-seeking reader, this 2018 horror novel veers away from the holly jolly nature of most wintery stories. Set in a secluded vacation rental in the Scottish Highlands during a blizzard, this story follows a group of college friends on a not-so-idyllic vacation. When one of them winds up dead on New Year’s, the group must work to figure out the murderer and the motive before it’s too late for all of them.
This thriller comes in at 406 pages and is certain to chill the reader to the bone.
“Ice” by Anna Kavan
Another novel straying from the merry and bright is this post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel. True to the neo-decadent 1960s, the reader follows two characters on a quest to discover more humanity in a post-nuclear frozen wasteland.
At only 158 pages, this book is a quick read that might leave the reader more perplexed than they were coming into it.
“The Road Not Taken and Other Poems” by Robert Frost
If winter melancholy has the reader in its grasp, what better escape is there than indulging in the existentialism of poetry? Despite his seasonally fitting name, this collection by Robert Frost will leave the reader feeling cozy and warm. Frost’s lyrical poetry comments on day-to-day life and connects the reader to a greater sense of the world
Only 49 pages, this quick collection is a balm to the frosty soul.
“Looking for Alaska” by John Green
Stepping into the gloom of the chilly season, the reader can find their desired dose of tear-jerking despair in John Green’s 2005 Printz Prize winner, “Looking for Alaska.”
Following a teenage boy adjusting to a new life at the boarding school that his father graduated from, this novel sets up a tale of love and loss. Falling into the mold of many of Green’s other novels, the main character falls in love with his best friend, only for tragedy to strike. Recovery may be harder than acclimation ever was.
All 221 pages of this novel, broken into three sections, suck the reader in and make for a story that’s hard to put down.
“The Giver of Stars” by Jojo Moyes
Based on a true story, this novel is set to inspire hope in the heart of the reader.
Set in mid-1900s rural Kentucky, the English-born main character learns to navigate her new life as the wife of a wealthy American businessman. However, she finds a greater calling to join the traveling librarian women who break the period-typical gender norms.
At 390 pages, this uplifting novel spins a tale of womanhood and friendship.
