Wonderful Winter Reads

Cuddle up this winter with these nine chilly reads. They might not keep you warm, but they'll dig you deeper under your blankets. Which books do you like to read during the cooler months? 










1. The Riddle by Alison Croggon 

Just looking at the cover of this book makes me crave a hot cup of tea! It's the sequel in the Books of Pellinor high-fantasy series, so make sure you read the first novel before jumping into this one. The entire four-book series is magical and worth exploring.

2. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie 
Warm up by solving a mystery on the Orient Express while stuck in the mountains on your way to fairer weather. There's a reason this is one of Christie's most popular books. Once you finish reading it, go watch the old or newest version of the movie. 

3. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Confession: I haven't actually read this book yet. However, I've loved everything I've read by Stiefvater, so I have full confidence that this book will live up to the others. Also, it's about humans turning into wolves, so it must be good. 

4. Bleak House by Charles Dickens 
This is one of my favorite Dickens books, most likely due to the real, blood-beating characters and plot surprises. Despite its bleak title, it has a happy ending. 

5. Winter by Marissa Meyer 
The season is in the title, so of course it's a delight to cuddle with on the couch in these cold months. Be warned: it's the last of the Lunar Chronicles series, so be sure to read the other fantastically fun books beforehand. You can read my full review of the book here. 

6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 
Nearly everyone loves the story of the humble, lovely Jane Eyre. What better way to spend the long evenings than with an old favorite?

7.  Bloomability by Sharon Creech
I loved this book growing up. The main character, Dinnie, travels with her aunt and uncle to Switzerland to attend a boarding school. This is the first time I realized such an enchanting, dangerous place (there might be an avalanche in the book...) existed, and I've longed to take an actual trip there ever since.

8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 
This book is the other reason that I long to go to Switzerland. I actually prefer to read Frankenstein in the autumn months, since Shelley wrote the story as a ghost story, but the majestic snowy peaks of the Alps and Frankenstein's own bleak despair does have a certain appeal in this austere season. 

9. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Winter-the perfect time to drink tea and eat crumpets with sweet Mr. Tumnus and dear Lucy. What a great book to remind us that winter will not last forever; Aslan is on the move, and spring will come again! 

Reading Challenge 2019

Do you ever find yourself, especially at the beginning of a new year, gazing at your to-read list (because all cool people have one of those) and wondering, "What in the world should I read? Where do I even begin?" I often have this terrifying problem, and I frequently get stuck in a rut of reading the same kinds of books or authors over and over again. 

So, in order to help you and I figure out what books on our lists to read and to help unearth some treasures that we might not typically come across, I've developed a 2019 Reading Challenge. Over the course of this next year,* read a book in all of the following categories. If you're feeling especially ambitious, try to devour as many as you can in each category. Books that you've read before count, but only if you actually re-read them. 

Categories for 2019: 
Read (or listen to) a novel: 
1. With a (mostly) blue cover. 
2. That takes place in a country not your own. 
3. That begins with the letter, 'L' 
4. That was a gift from someone 
5. With a title relating to eating (it can be one word of the title)
6. With a child (not a teenager) as the main character 
7. That has giants
8. By an author who shares your first name
9. By an author who has the same letter in his/her first and last name (Ex. Salazar Slytherin) 
10. That is at least 200 pages long (this is your freebie!)
11. That contains maps 
12. That is 100 years old or older
13. That you've always wanted to read but haven't yet 
14. About books
15. Written by a local author
16. Possessing leaves on the cover 
17. That is a true story
18. That takes place in space 
19. That has a fox on the cover (because foxes are just so cute) 
20. About someone traveling to a new place 


In a year, I'll post what I've read in each of these categories, and I want to see what you've read too, so keep track. Happy reading! 

*I might at some point make this a timed challenge (with less categories), but I don't need that extra pressure right now. Let me know what you think in the comments below. 

Best Books of 2018

Happy New Year! It's once again that time to list my favorite books I read this past year. I enjoy going back through my list and remembering all the worlds I had the privilege of entering, but it's always hard to choose the best. Surprisingly, since I thought I had less time this year than the previous one, I read a total of 44 novels. Woohoo! 

Best Classic
Of the four I read, the one that lingered the longest is Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I'm inching my way through her books, and though this novel wasn't my favorite of hers, it reminded me why she's so renowned today and why I should continue traveling to 19th century England. Who knows? Perhaps another of her novels will pop up here next year. 

Best Adult Fiction 
Brandon Sanderson's Elantris barely beats Neal Gaiman's Stardust for this spot. They're both fascinating, fantastically-written fantasy series, but the mystery of the god-like Elantrians who are now destined to rot forever in a desolate city seized me and wouldn't let go. I've loved every Sanderson novel I've read, so if you enjoy fantasy, please check him out! You won't regret it. 
*This novel could also be considered young adult due to a lack of more mature concepts. 



Best Young Adult Fiction 
Though I'm no longer a young adult, I still adore these books and devour them like a two-year old with a stocking full of candy on Christmas. I read many delightful ones this year, too many to choose between them. So, forgive me, but I'm going to choose two. Like Sanderson, I've relished everything that Maggie Stiefavater has written and that I've had the opportunity to read. This year it was her magical-realistic novel, All the Crooked Saints. This tale explores the darkness found within every human and how we can conquer those shadows, together. 

The other book I was torn between is Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein. Although I also loved her award-winning, Code Name Verity , I empathized more with the characters in the former book, loved its exotic Ethiopian setting, and the happier notes written throughout. But I'm still very much looking forward to perusing Rose Under Fire, the partner to Code Name Verity, this year. 





Best Children's Fiction 
This was an easy choice, as I only read one book in this genre. A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck is sassy, hilarious, and just plain fun. I shared this quick, easy book with several family members, and they all loved and laughed through it. 

Best Non-Fiction 

If you want to travel without the cost and annoyance of airports, then A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle is your ticket. This novel follows a year of Peter and his wife's new life in Provence, France, in a witty, charming way. What makes it even better is that it's all true! 





Best Re-Read 
I reread Marissa Meyer's Cinder and Scarlet to prepare for the next books in the series: Cress and Winter (more terrific young adult books that I had to choose between!). It was nerve-tingling and laugh-inducing to hang out with these unique, raw characters again. I definitely feel like I'm good friends with both the protagonists in Cinder and Scarlet, and it was a joy to observe the threads of their story twine together into a beautiful, unifying piece of art.