Winter Reading List

Winter. The dim days of earth's sabbath are before you. You will be housebound, chilly beneath your blanket. You will sip hot beverages and warm your hands up at the gas stove. You will catch the cold and spread it on to your friends. You will be bored, and perhaps lonely. But you will have books. A good book on a winter's day will make your heart warm, your imagination alive, and your afternoons better than boring. Here is a reading list of five books worth looking into if you need some ideas.

The winter season (that is, in the Northern Hemisphere) is kicked off by the celebration of Christmas. There is plethora of Christmas fiction out there, but this book is truly worth reading.

Skipping Christmas is a very funny story about a couple who decides to skip Christmas altogether. They shun Christmas trees, decorations, and parties, and instead they plan on spending their holidays floating away on a Caribbean cruise. Little do they realize how difficult it really is to skip Christmas, and in the process of avoiding the holidays, they learn a little bit of what Christmas is about. John Grisham's Skipping Christmas was made into a film titled “Christmas with the Kranks.”

One of my favorite literary Christmases is in this book. It starts on page one. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are discussing what they will buy for themselves for Christmas, only to remember all the things they could give to their selfless mother.

Little Women is one of the most beloved books of all time. The four March sisters struggle through poverty, missing their father, and the harsh realities of life as they grow up in the sometimes frigid New England. Louisa May Alcott based much of this story on events and people in her own life.

Unless you live in a tropical climate like I do, a cold mainland winter is the only time of year to read this book. The book’s setting is very gray and cold. Even I, living in eternal summer, could feel the chilliness that seeps out of this book.

The Road is a very powerful tale about a father and his son on a journey of survival through post-apocalyptic America. Together they face harsh weather, loneliness, hopelessness, and the basest form of inhumanity. McCarthy’s writing style is very concise, and every little word counts. It is no wonder that this novel won the Pulitzer Prize.

If you want to read something sad and lonely this winter, read this book. It is not necessarily winter-like, but I always think of wet, cold afternoons when I think about this story. Catherine is one of the most unique heroines in English literature.

Washington Square tells the story of Catherine Sloper, an heiress whose only worldly charm is her money. She is not sociable, she is not pretty, but she has a good heart. When Morris Townsend starts paying his attentions to her, Catherine’s father is strongly opposed to their attachment. Catherine stands firm however, but the point remains undecided: Is Morris after Catherine or is he just after her money?

This thirteen-book children's series is well worth the reading, even for adults. All the books are humorously depressing and very entertaining. Perfect for a dull, chilly afternoon.

A Series of Unfortunate Events follows the wanderings of the Baudelaire orphans who are always attempting to escape from Count Olaf and his evil plans to steal their family inheritance. Snicket is a unique author whose love of books, words, and the ridiculous aspects of life becomes very evident in his writing.