Books to Curl Up With This Winter

1. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey — In 1920s Alaska, a childless couple builds a girl out of snow only to find a real girl on their land the next day. This is a magical tale of loss, longing, change, and the mysteries of winter.

2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis — Four siblings discover a magical world hidden inside a wardrobe, where an evil witch has cast the land into eternal winter. With the help of a noble lion named Aslan, they must fight to bring light and hope back to Narnia. A timeless fantasy full of adventure, wonder, and heart.

3. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton — A man stuck in a loveless marriage falls for his wife’s cousin. Set in a snowy New England town, this story about longing and regret is tragic.

4. Things I Don’t Want to Know by Deborah Levy — A memoir about the author’s life, her struggles as a writer and woman, and the personal stories behind her political beliefs. Inspired by George Orwell.

5. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky — A young man murders someone and tries to justify it, but is later consumed by guilt and paranoia, leading to his mental breakdown as he confronts his conscience. The novel explores themes of morality, free will, justice, redemption, and the psychological torment of guilt. 

6. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson — A teenage girl struggles with anorexia and grief after her best friend dies. Told in a poetic, fragmented voice that reflects her mental state.

7. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh — A lonely young woman working at a boys’ prison in the 1960s meets someone new and gets caught up in something dark. 

8. Kafka’s Diaries — A collection of diary entries from Franz Kafka, revealing his thoughts on writing, identity, anxiety, and daily life. 

9. Snow by Orhan Pamuk — A Turkish poet travels to a small, snowy city to investigate a series of suicides among young women. As a blizzard shuts the town off from the world, he’s pulled into conflicts over religion, politics, and love. 

10. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey — In 1885, an army officer explores the Alaskan wilderness while his wife stays behind, documenting her life through journals and photographs. Told through letters and diary entries, this is a beautifully written story about adventure, love, and survival in a frozen land.

11. Bones and All by Camille DeAngelis — A teenage girl with a craving for human flesh runs away from home and sets out on a road trip, trying to understand who—and what—she is.

12. One Day in December by Josie Silver — Laurie locks eyes with a stranger at a bus stop, but he’s gone before she can meet him. A year later, she’s introduced to him…as her best friend’s boyfriend. Sweet, wistful, and heartwarming, this is a story about love, timing, and missed chances.

13. The Shining by Stephen King — Snowed in at a haunted hotel with no escape, a family slowly descends into madness. This chilling psychological horror is a winter classic.

14. Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May — A reflective nonfiction pick about embracing the metaphorical winters in our lives and finding peace in stillness.

15. White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky — Short, romantic, and melancholic, White Nights is for readers who want to romanticize being sad in the snow. If you love intensity, yearning, and quotes you’ll underline a hundred times over, this classic is for you.

16. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera — You’ll cry. You’ll text someone immediately. You’ll think about how you’re living your life. This is the ultimate winter read: hopeful and heartbreaking all at once, but worth every tear.

17. Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au — A mother and daughter travel through a rainy, dimly lit Tokyo. Told in crystalline, almost hypnotic prose, this short novel explores memory, distance, and what we’ll never really know about each other.

18. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley — A group of friends snowed in at a Scottish estate, where one winds up dead. It’s a locked-room mystery with lots of secrets and messy friendship drama.