Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Cozy, Wintry Reads

The stockings are hung, the trees are lit, the bells are silver, and Elvis is blue: you know what time of year it is! Bring on the holidays and hot cocoa, because I'm fully ready to ensconce myself in my sweaters, scarves, and post-Thanksgiving blubber, and not leave home again until it's time for Christmas Eve Mass.

Then again, if I'm spending so much time tucked inside, I'm going to need something interesting to keep me entertained. And if it's going to keep raining like it usually does around this time in Washington, I'm going to need it to be as cozy as possible, to contrast with the chilly weather outside.

So, here are my Top Ten picks for warm and wintry read this December! 

1. The Snow Child, Eowen Ivey
Sure, it seems like an obvious pick, because of the title. But the bleak Alaskan wilderness described in this work of magical realism, might just make your own winter weather feel downright balmy! You might be inspired to try your hand at building a little snow girl of your own... but be sure that you're ready for parenthood.

2. East, Edith Pattou
Again, you can't go wrong with a cover that displays a fully grown polar bear and a fur-wrapped girl traipsing through a landscape of white snow. But its that really a polar bear? And is this your average fairy tale retelling? (The answer to both questions is obviously no.)

3. the Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling
While one might argue that these books fall more into the Fall or October-y category of reading material, I think they serve just as significant a placeholder here. The winter and Christmastime scenes served as some of the most aesthetically pleasing and plot-catalytic for the series as a whole... and yes, I'm still better I never found an Invisibility Cloak in my own pile of presents.

4. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
What just might be the greatest ghost story ever told, is also my favorite Christmas story of all time. Did you know that the stereotype of spirits rattling chains - a Scooby Doo staple, honestly - derives from this book specifically? If you doubt my genre classifications, then check out the first sentence of the whole story... trust me, it doesn't exactly exude Christmas cheer like you remember, but give Scrooge time. He'll get there eventually.

5. Vicious, V. E. Schwab
Sure, it might be cold outside. But you know what else is a dish best served cold? Revenge. And murder. And superheroes. Okay, I made up those last two, but believe me: there's plenty of all three in this action-packed installment, that will keep your blood pumping so fast, you wont even need to turn the fireplace on.

6. the Great and Terrible Beauty series, Libba Bray
This series was a favorite of mine back in my middle school days - because who wouldn't be immediately invested in a boarding-school story of teenage girls with access to a magical realm, right? - but I forgot about it until recently, until my sister and I listened to about five hours of the second installment, Rebel Angels, on a drive to Portland and back. If you've got a holiday road trip to make this year, try your hand at these, in audiobook form!

7. the Game of Thrones series, George R. R. Martin
Sure, winters are long and hard. But so are... swords. But even if you aren't the biggest fantasy fan, there's enough action, political intrigue, and... swords... in this series, to keep you entertained long after March's winds pass. Leaving you fully prepared for the final season of the hit HBO show this Spring!

8. Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie
What better to distract you from the chilly landscape, than a bone-chilling murder? This work is among Christie's finest, and the grand reveal at the end, one of her most expertly crafted. Do yourself a favor, and forgo watching the Kenneth Branagh version if you haven't read it yet. That way, you can judge the movie on its own merits when you're finished... and there's a freebie snow day activity for you! Two for one!

9. the Grisha trilogy, Leigh Bardugo
Nothing gets quite as snowy and dramatic as this YA Fantasy series, inspired by works of Russian folklore. Trust me, once you get into the groove of this fast-paced, masterfully-constructed series, you won't be paying attention to the rain outside.

10. the Narnia series, C. S. Lewis
One of my friends is in the process of rereading this series for a wintertime treat, and honestly, I can't think of anything cozier. Sure, barring the incredibly off-putting rosewater taste of Turkish Delight, I might be convinced to take a trip back to Narnia this winter. Provided, of course, that Prince Caspian's around.

What's in your Top Ten? Let me know, in the comments below!