Cold Weather Reads

Last week it seemed like Spring was just around the corner in beautiful Lexington, Virginia, but on Sunday Mother Nature surprised us with some last minute Winter weather.  As I sat inside sipping Mint tea, eating peanut butter M&M’s, and watching the snow fall, I got to thinking about novels that are best read when it’s below freezing.

I made a short list of criteria for these novels.  A good cold weather book must be engrossing.  The story must transport you from your present dreary “winter wonderland” to sometime or someplace that is extraordinary.  In these books, it is not necessarily the physical landscape that matters, but the novel’s emotional landscape is definitely important.  Some of my favorite winter reads are Persuasion by Jane Austen, Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre.

When reading during cold and dismal weather it is also essential to choose books that have happy endings.  Nothing is worse than reading a depressing book when the outside conditions are equally disheartening.  I once read Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic tale, The Road during a particularly gray, rainy week and I was miserable.  So pick your cold weather books wisely!  In short, curling up with a good book is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable activities imaginable!

What are your cold weather reads of choice?  Do you have certain books that you read during other seasons?


Senior at Washington and Lee University. Originally from Chattanooga, TN. Majoring in English.