As the temperature drops and snow starts to fall, there’s nothing quite like curling up with a good Book to escape into a world of warmth and comfort. Cozy winter books have a magical ability to transport readers to enchanting settings, filled with crackling fireplaces, steaming mugs of hot cocoa, and heartwarming characters.
Whether you’re looking for charming romances set in snowy small towns or thrilling mysteries that keep you on the edge of your seat, these must-read cozy winter books are sure to ignite your imagination and make this winter season truly unforgettable.
If you want to bring your books on vacation with you, a Kindle is essential. With a Kindle Unlimited Subscription, you could get the majority of these titles at a much lower price than buying them individually. You can find all of these on Amazon.
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The Snow Child- Eowyn Ivey
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is a captivating and enchanting novel that takes readers on a journey into the Alaskan wilderness. Because of its wintry setting, magical elements, and theme of love and loss, The Snow Child is one of the best books for winter.
“Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart — he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season’s first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone — but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.
This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.”
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The Great Alone- Kristen Hannah
Continuing our theme of books set in Alaska, The Great Alone tells the story of a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in human nature.
“Alaska, 1974. Ernt Allbright came home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes the impulsive decision to move his wife and daughter north where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.
Cora will do anything for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown. Thirteen-year-old Leni, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, has little choice but to go along, daring to hope this new land promises her family a better future.
In a wild, remote corner of Alaska, the Allbrights find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the newcomers’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources.
But as winter approaches and darkness descends, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own.”
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Winter Solstice- Rosamunde Pilcher
Rosamunde Pilcher’s novel Winter Solstace shows the strange rippling effects of a tragedy that will brings the characters together in a large, neglected estate house near the Scottish fishing town of Creagan. The isolated town with ensemble cast of characters looking to each overcome their own personal troubles is the perfect recipe for cozy winter books to read.
“Elfrida Phipps, once of London’s stage, moved to the English village of Dibton in hopes of making a new life for herself. Gradually she settled into the comfortable familiarity of village life―shopkeepers knowing her tastes, neighbors calling her by name―still she finds herself lonely.
Oscar Blundell gave up his life as a musician in order to marry Gloria. They have a beautiful daughter, Francesca, and it is only because of their little girl that Oscar views his sacrificed career as worthwhile.
Carrie returns from Austria at the end of an ill-fated affair with a married man to find her mother and sister sharing a home and squabbling endlessly. With Christmas approaching, Carrie agrees to look after her sister’s awkward and quiet teenage daughter, Lucy, so that her mother might enjoy a romantic fling in America.
Sam Howard is trying to pull his life back together after his wife has left him for another. He is without home and without roots, all he has is his job. Business takes him to northern Scotland, where he falls in love with the lush, craggy landscape and set his sights on a house.”
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Read Also: Edinburgh Literary Travel Guide
Murder on the Orient Express- Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie, renowned as the “Queen of Crime,” has captivated readers for decades with her ingenious detective novels. Among her most iconic works is “Murder on the Orient Express” which is one of the most perfect cozy murder mystery books set in winter. Published in 1934, this masterpiece takes readers on a suspenseful journey aboard the luxurious Orient Express train as the famous Hercule Poirot attempts to solve yet another mystery.
“Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Without a shred of doubt, one of his fellow passengers is the murderer.
Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man’s enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again.”
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The Secret History- Donna Tartt
Donna Tartt’s The Secret History actually made my list of cozy books for fall but I just had to include it on this list as well. With its gripping narrative, complex characters, and exploration of themes like morality, guilt, and obsession, The Secret History has become an instant classic in contemporary literature.
“Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries. But their search for the transcendent leads them down a dangerous path, beyond human constructs of morality. The New England college setting is so cozy and warm, it almost reminds you of Gilmore Girls.”
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Read More: Best Cozy Books to Read in Fall
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe- C.S. Lewis
Published in 1950, it is the first book in “The Chronicles of Narnia” series and has captivated readers of all ages for decades. The magical setting combined with the snowy, wintry atmosphere puts this towards the top of the list of the best classic winter books that give cozy vibes to escape your day-to-day.
“Four adventurous siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book in C. S. Lewis’s classic fantasy series, which has been drawing readers of all ages into a magical land with unforgettable characters for over sixty years. This is a stand-alone read, but if you would like to explore more of the Narnian realm, pick up The Horse and His Boy, the third book in The Chronicles of Narnia.”
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The Hunting Party- Lucy Foley
The Hunting Party is a thrilling and suspenseful novel written by Lucy Foley that takes place in the remote Scottish Highlands. Foley skillfully weaves together multiple perspectives and timelines to create an intriguing narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Each chapter offers insights into the thoughts and motivations of different characters, painting a complex picture of their relationships and hidden secrets. For those looking for one of the best winter books, look no further.
“During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.
The trip begins innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps, just as a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.
Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead. . . and another of them did it.
Keep your friends close, the old adage says. But how close is too close?”
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Last Christmas in Paris- Hazel Gaynor, Heather Webb
Truly one of the best Christmas books, Last Christmas in Paris is a heartwarming historical fiction set against the backdrop of World War I.
“August 1914. England is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as everyone does—that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris.
But as history tells us, it all happened so differently…
Evie and Thomas experience a very different war. Frustrated by life as a privileged young lady, Evie longs to play a greater part in the conflict—but how?—and as Thomas struggles with the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal battles back home where War Office regulations on press reporting cause trouble at his father’s newspaper business.
Through their letters, Evie and Thomas share their greatest hopes and fears—and grow ever fonder from afar. Can love flourish amid the horror of the First World War, or will fate intervene?Christmas 1968. With failing health, Thomas returns to Paris—a cherished packet of letters in hand—determined to lay to rest the ghosts of his past. But one final letter is waiting for him…”
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Read More: Bookish Holidays and Literary Traditions
All The Light We Cannot See- Anthony Doerr
Another historical novel set in Wartime Paris, this time WWII, All The Light We Cannot See, takes readers on an emotional and captivating journey with beautifully crafted prose and intricate storytelling. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has captured the hearts of millions of readers worldwide and is truly one of the best non christmas winter books (or just books) of all time.
“Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris, and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.
In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the Resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.”
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Jane Eyre- Charlotte Brontë
Considered a literary masterpiece, “Jane Eyre” written by Charlotte Brontë is a timeless classic that continues to captivate readers around the world. This novel not only showcases Brontë’s exceptional storytelling skills but also challenges societal norms, addresses themes of love and identity, and presents a strong female protagonist ahead of her time. Whether you’re looking for a new winter themed books for book club or just want to get into more literary classics, don’t overlook Jane Eyre.
“A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre has dazzled generations of readers with its depiction of a woman’s quest for freedom. Having grown up an orphan in the home of her cruel aunt and at a harsh charity school, Jane Eyre becomes an independent and spirited survivor-qualities that serve her well as governess at Thornfield Hall.
But when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him whatever the consequences or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving her beloved?”
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Read More: Books to Read Before Visiting the U.K.
The Wonder- Emma Donoghue
The Wonder, written by Emma Donoghue, is a compelling historical novel that takes readers on a journey to 19th-century Ireland. Inspired by true events, this gripping story explores themes of faith, doubt, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Set in the mid-1800s during the aftermath of the Great Famine, The Wonder follows the life of Lib Wright, an English nurse who is hired to observe and monitor an eleven-year-old girl named Anna O’Donnell. What makes Anna’s situation peculiar is that she claims to have not eaten anything for four months and yet remains alive and seemingly healthy.
As Lib delves deeper into her investigation, she becomes increasingly puzzled by Anna’s survival without food. Is it possible that Anna possesses some extraordinary power or is there something more sinister at play?
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