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Some books just stand out as perfect for cozying up by the fire and passing long winter nights. These picks are all stories I love to escape into when the days are short and the nights are cold.
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
From the prologue on, I was drawn into Katherine’s descriptions of winter and the parallel to how we all face our own internal winters, and how important it is to honor and lean into them and show ourselves compassion through them. I recommend this book to friends who enjoy memoirs and recognize the importance of looking after their own mental health.
All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle
One of the best books I’ve read and one I’d recommend to everyone. The main character, Hubert Bird, couldn’t be more delightful. I love all the topics this book addresses and the theme of fighting the loneliness epidemic we all face to some degree, especially in today’s tech-connected world. This story and its characters had me smiling and at one point, crying in the hotel gym. A full five stars from me. The audio is the way to go on this one! If you loved “A Man Called Ove,” you may love this one even more.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
A book about jumping into different variations of your life by sifting through books in a magical library? Yes, please. This book drew me in from the beginning and gave me a lot to think about. It housed thoughts about existentialism in an entertaining plot and characters that made me want to keep coming back to the story. If you like stories of parallel universes like Sliding Doors, What Alice Forgot, and Kate Morton, I think you’ll enjoy this.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
V.E. Schwab’s writing was poetic and entrancing, and the story felt fresh and engaging the whole way through. I loved the complexity, mystery, and appeal of Luc’s character and his relationship with Addie. It had the vibes of Meet Joe Black, The Book Thief, and The Age of Adeline. It made me think more deeply about our intrinsic human need to be acknowledged, to belong, to be valued, and to be remembered.
This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick
A must-read if you want to feel more attached to the place you live. I was kind of amazed at how much this book helped me recognize how much I love where I live.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
It’s the account of a therapist, her experience with her patients, and with her own therapist. It was poignant and entertaining. It reminded me that we all have more in common than we think. We ALL have backstories and things to work on, and this book made me feel less alone in mine.
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
The Giver of Stars is a historical fiction novel about an English woman who meets a handsome Kentuckian and moves to his hometown, but soon realizes she’s traded one stifling town for another, and her new husband isn’t who she thought he was. She finds purpose when she joins the Packhorse Librarians, a band of women who deliver books on horseback in response to Eleanor Roosevelt’s call for a traveling library during the depression. (True story!) The women provided books to more than a hundred thousand rural inhabitants of Eastern Kentucky, one of the poorest places in the U.S. This book gets five stars from me.
