It’s dark outside and raining steadily, which is perfect for the start of winter. It’s the ideal day for snuggling up inside in a cosy armchair with a soft blanket, a giant cup of fresh tea, and a gorgeous new book to deep dive into.
When you want to tap into that part of you that wishes you were a cat. Or if you want to wrap yourself up like a toasty human burrito.
Here are some of my favourite books for winter reading, when you just want to treat yourself and escape.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
This can seem like a big story if you’ve never read it before, but it is well worth it. It is essentially about love and a strong woman at its core, set in Russia through the late 1800s. Anna is miserable in her loveless marriage and finds joy and escape by refusing to accept what society expects her to be. Lovely and heartbreaking all at once, this is a wonderful book.
You might also love: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Shining by Stephen King
A more modern classic, and a completely different genre, but an absolutely cracking read. King is the king of creating worlds that you can easily fall into as well as showing us the dark side of things that make us gloriously spooked. The Shining tells the simple (and yet not at all simple…) story of a family who decides to caretake an empty hotel in the mountains through winter so the father can write his novel.
You might also love: Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis
Winter is the perfect time to rediscover one of your childhood delights, and I highly recommend sneaking away into this particular wardrobe for a few hours (or days…). This is the beautiful story, first in a series, about four children who find a sumptuous alternate world inside an old cupboard, which has been trapped endlessly in winter.
You might also love: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
When you want to curl up in a blanket and bring the box of tissues with you, this is the story to lose yourself in. Set in feudal Japan, this is a devastating and gorgeous love story between a geisha and a wealthy dilettante. It will break your heart, but you will enjoy the experience so much, you will want to read it all over again.
You might also love: Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima
Miss Smilla’s Feelings for Snow by Peter Høeg
Heading into more recent times again, this is a cool and sophisticated noir mystery set in Copenhagen. Smilla who was raised in Greenland and has an intuitive knowledge of snow befriends a child in her building who then suffers a tragic death, which Smilla believes is no accident.
You might also love: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Whether you have seen the television series or not, if you like fantasy, you will adore this book. This is the first of an (as yet unfinished) series of novels set in a cold, violent and treacherous land that is so incredibly rich with characters, plotlines, and details you will struggle to put it down and come back reluctantly to the real world.
You might also love: The Vorrh by Brian Catling
Sula by Toni Morrison
This is a gorgeous book that will wrap you in a big warm hug. Written in 1973 by Toni Morrison, very early in her career, it tells the story of Sula and Nel, friends who grew up in the 1920s in a black neighbourhood in Ohio. It’s a lovely tale filled with rich characters and strong women, and the challenges of being different.
You might also love: Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
There is no better time than now to discover, or rediscover the joy that is Sherlock Holmes. As you are spending so much time indoors, beginning with this introductory novel, you can then collapse most contentedly into the world of this fantastic detective, and read story after story. These are joyous reads which are easy to devour and fun to try to solve.
You might also love: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
While it’s not Christmas for everyone in winter, if you want to hide in a world of snowy, wintery delight you can’t go past this classic. This is a fun read and will totally transport you to another place and time, full of ghosts, love, regret, and turkey. This is a beautiful, heartwarming story and work of art.
You might also love: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Not a traditional winter’s novel, but a wonderful story told by memorable characters that you simply must introduce yourself to. This is a stunning book, gorgeously told, and you will happily be drawn into the world through Scout’s eyes, as she learns from her father, lawyer Atticus Finch - one of the greatest heroes ever written.
You might also love: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Okay, I am definitely stretching the concept of ‘classic’ here as this novel came out in 2011, but if you haven’t discovered this magical place to hide from the world, I cannot recommend it highly enough. This is the story of two warring magicians engaged in a decade's long bet, which may sound familiar, but I promise you, is unlike anything you’ve read before. This is one you won’t be able to put down, and that when you are done, you will want to read again and again.
You might also love: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende
No one ever tells a story quite like Allende. She has written dozens of novels over the years, but this is her first and arguably her very best. Again this novel is not set in winter but spans across four generations of one family in Chile at the start of the 20th century. You will fall in love with the characters, the setting, the emotions and the tiny, magical, unforgettable details.
You might also love: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquival