The Best Books to Read on a Snow Day

Hey hi hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog!

It's Snowmageddon here in Flagstaff. We are expected to receive up to twenty-four inches of snow tonight! With all that snow and nowhere to go, I thought it would be the perfect time to share with you my favorite books to read on a snow day! So sit back, grab a cup of hot chocolate, and enjoy this list of some amazing books.

1. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

A book that takes place literally the dead of winter, set over the course of a decade or so, Vasya Petronova is a young girl that can communicate with the household gods and spirits of her small village in the Russian tundra. Not only is this a beautiful story, full of magic and monsters, but the way Arden captures the tone of a Russian winter makes the cold seep into your bones and take root there. You won't be able to put this book down, I guarantee it.


2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Another book set over the course of many years, The Night Circus follows two young magicians set in a contest of skill, to prove to their mentors who is the best once and for all. However, something happens between Celia and Marcus that their mentors never would have predicted: they fall in love. Now they are in a race against time and energy to delay the inevitable and, perhaps, keep their circus running for the rest of the days to come.


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

I don't think I need to explain this one, do I? The Pevensie children find themselves in the magical land of Narnia after stumbling through a large wardrobe in the house they were sent away to. Once there, they discover that they are the children of a prophecy, one that will bring about the end of the winter that has plagued the land for over one hundred years. This book perfectly encapsulates the whimsy and innocence of childhood, while also delving into the deeper and darker subjects of war and sacrifice. Plus, it's a very wintery book and a quick read, perfect to pick up while curled up against your window watching the snow fall.


4. Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins by Emma Donoghue

Emma Donoghue sucks you in with this beautiful fairy tale anthology, one that focuses on the love women have for themselves as well as each other. This is one of my favorite witchy books of all time, and one that I highly recommend to anyone who is wishing to find a new perspective on an old story.


5. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

It would not be any book list of mine if I didn't include a Stiefvater book, sorry not sorry. Shiver is the story of werewolves living in the woods that separate Canada and Minnesota, and a girl who longs to be one of them. This is not your average werewolf story. It's a book about love, and sacrifice, and humanity. And all three of the books in the Mercy Falls trilogy have this underlying motif of winter and snow. As someone who grew up listening to her father's stories about the Boundary Waters and the woods around them, I have to say that this book series makes me feel at home.


6. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

If you're looking for something a little more dark and twisted, look no further than The Hazel Wood. Another fairy tale story, it follows a teenager named Alice whose estranged grandmother is famous for writing a collection of dark fairy tales. When she gets word her grandmother has died, and her mother disappears a day later, Alice takes it upon herself to go to her grandmother's estate called The Hazel Wood, to find out exactly who she is.


7. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

If dark and twisted isn't your style, and you're more in the mood for something emotional and deep, this is the book for you. Set over the course of winter break, We Are Okay follows the story of college student Marin as she has to confront her recent past when her best friend Mabel comes to visit. This beautiful, heart-wrenching novella is perfect to curl up with on a snowy day, but I would definitely advise you to have a box of tissues on hand.


8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

I bet you thought I wasn't going to put this book in here. Sike! The Sorcerer's Stone in particular encapsulates winter perfectly. I know that this is a book most people read either during Halloween or Christmas, but Harry Potter is a book series you can read at any time, at any age.


9. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

This is a perfect example of the "story within a story" trope. After the disappearance of her father, Meggie discovers that there are people who can bring things and people out of books, and put other things and people into them in return. And her father is one of them. Now she has to break him out of a prison that a book character created for him, and she might even discover some secrets of her own along the way. This book is one that I first read over ten years ago, and it has still stuck with me, despite having never reread it. If you're looking for a fully immersive fantastical story, I would definitely go with Inkheart.


Okay, those are all the books I have for you guys today! I was going to make it an even ten, but I'm tired and the snow outside isn't really making me feel super productive. In fact, after this I'm probably going to make some soup and curl up in my bed with a movie. It doesn't look like I'm going to have school tomorrow, anyway.

Until next time!