By: Bethany Porter, Collection Development Specialist.

Christmas time is a good time to reflect, give, and believe in magic. But if you don’t celebrate Christmas (or want to put your cheer on hold for a moment), it can be an exhausting time of year. Here are a few winter reads that do not revolve around Christmas, because we all need a break occasionally!

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Jan Brett has a few winter story staples, and this one is my personal favorite. This story teaches children friendship and how to share, and even about being kind to the environment. Follow this story with making homemade bird feeders.

The 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

Smith’s writing is delightful, and if you have seen the Disney version of this story, you’ll love the original. Think about that scene in the movie where Lucky says “I’m tired, and I’m hungry, and my tail’s froze, and my nose is froze, and my ears are froze, and my nose is froze…”
Now imagine a grown woman saying that for an entire Ohio winter. That is me, and there’s nothing that sounds better to me than curling up by a fire with a cup of tea and reading some Dodie Smith. When you’re done with this one, try out “I Capture the Castle.”

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

I have read all of the Chronicles of Narnia, but this is the only one that I revisit frequently. I reread it once every winter. I love the idea of a winter with no Christmas – it is the ultimate dystopia, dealing with freezing weather with no hope of a joyful celebration. Reading this book makes me cold, and reminds me that too much of a good thing – Turkish Delight, in Edmund’s case – makes it not so delightful anymore.

Winter by Marissa Meyer

Ok, so this one isn’t technically about Winter-the-Season. It’s about Winter-the-Person. This season is a great time to revisit a favorite series, and I’ll be spending some time rereading the Lunar Chronicles. These books are long, (“Winter” is the final book in this 4-book series, and it’s over 800 pages long), but they’re fast-paced and exciting retellings of a cyborg Cinderella and her friends. This is a perfect series to binge-read as the weather gets colder, and as the Holidays approach to try to make your life more stressful. I can’t wait to dive in and suspend reality for this series again!

 

We have more than 100 J/YA books about winter.

Want to purchase books about Winter holidays other than Christmas? Check out this Marketplace list.