Perfect winter reads

The ultimate winter reading list: 14 books that hit harder in the cold

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Silence, a crackling fire, crisp cold air outside… Winter has a way of slowing everything down. And isn’t it the best time of the year to curl up with a blanket and a highly-recommended book? Whether you’ve already enjoyed some of the classics in this list or whether they are all new to you, surely you’ll find some valuable recommendations for the next few weeks!

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Let’s start the list with the obvious! In this Christmas classic, Dickens shaped the way the modern world imagines the season. It’s a slim novella that once revived fading Victorian holiday traditions.

It feels like a warm drink after coming in from the cold. 'Tis the season to read it, if you never have!

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Some books feel like returning home, and Little Women is one of them. Alcott’s portrait of the March sisters, with their ambition, frustration, hope, and heart, has charmed readers for more than 150 years.

The Civil War looms in the background, but the story itself is full of small, tender scenes: homemade plays, winter illnesses, Christmas morning sacrifices. Snow is practically another character.

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Have you read the tale that inspired Disney’s movie Frozen? This is Andersen at his most mysterious in one of his longest stories.

This tale sends young Gerda across forests, rivers, and frozen kingdoms in search of her friend Kai, whose heart has been pierced by an icy shard. Its wintry imagery is unforgettable.

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Conan Doyle’s most atmospheric mystery thrives on cold, empty spaces and the suspense that comes with them.

Sherlock Holmes navigates superstition and science while the landscape itself sharpens the tension. It all works beautifully when read on a winter evening. Especially if the wind is howling a little.

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Joyce’s collection of short stories moves through everyday Dublin life, capturing small disappointments, brief joys, and the stubborn weight of routine.

But it’s "The Dead," the final story, that cements its place on any cold-weather list. In it, snow falls over the city, softening everything… And by the end of the story, you’ll understand why!

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In this novel, Edith Wharton’s New England is pure sharp winds and quiet despair. It tells the story of a man whose life has narrowed to duty and silence, and whose one chance at happiness arrives in the snow… in the dead of winter.

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Some books feel like stepping into a snow-covered folktale, and this one does it with breathtaking ease.

Arden blends Russian mythology, medieval history, and a fierce young heroine who sees spirits others deny. Winter dominates every page.

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Tender. Haunting. And quietly mesmerizing. Set in 1920s Alaska, this novel takes inspiration from a Russian fairy tale about a child made of snow who may or may not be real.

Ivey’s prose beautifully captures the way winter can feel both punishing and strangely hopeful.

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Yes, it is a stormy autumn novel in spirit, but winter suits it even better. Brontë’s wild moors, icy winds, and stark isolation intensify the story’s fierce emotions. And the landscape becomes a character, unforgiving and unforgettable.

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At first glance, this might seem like a spring story, but winter is what shapes its magic. Burnett’s classic begins with cold corridors, silent rooms, and a desolate estate where everything feels dormant.

The transformation that follows (of the garden, the characters, and the house itself) is more powerful when you begin in frost.

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Open the wardrobe, and everything changes: A frozen kingdom and a witch who thrives on cold. Lewis’s beloved tale drops readers straight into a land ruled by winter, where snow crunches underfoot, and the air feels enchanted and dangerous.

It is a simple story at heart: four siblings, one prophecy, and their wholesome struggle between fear and hope.

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Few mysteries trap you as elegantly as this one. Christie sets her hero, Hercule Poirot, aboard the luxurious Orient Express just as it becomes stranded in a snowdrift.

The result is a locked-room puzzle with icy tension and razor-sharp precision. Every passenger hides something. Every detail matters. You won’t be able to put this one down until you know the ending!

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The Call of the Wild follows Buck, a kidnapped dog thrust into the brutal world of the Yukon Gold Rush, where snow, instinct, and survival rule the day.

The prose is direct, muscular, and unforgettable, and the wilderness feels alive in a way few books manage. Readers keep coming back because the story taps into something primal.

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This is a novel of grand emotions and quiet winter moments. Tolstoy moves between high society and rural life with astonishing detail, and many of the book’s most striking scenes unfold against snowy Russian landscapes.

Lovers meet on frosted streets. Trains roar through drifting snow. Characters search for warmth in a world that often feels cold in more ways than one.

Furry facts

10 amazing facts you probably didn’t know about dogs

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Dogs have walked alongside humans for thousands of years, earning them the title of "man’s best friend." But loyalty and love aren’t the whole story. Behind every wagging tail lies a bundle of quirks and special skills that most people never notice. Some of these traits are downright funny, others almost unbelievable, and a few might even make you see your own pup in a brand-new light. From secret talents to curious habits, here are 10 surprising facts about dogs that prove they’re far more than just companions.

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Believe it or not, dogs can favor one side of the body over the other. Very much like humans, pups often show a clear preference when it comes to their paws. This phenomenon is called "lateralization," meaning individuals stick to their "dominant" paw for most activities. Whether they’re batting at a ball, stepping off the couch, or greeting you with a shake, dogs consistently go left or right. In other words, they can be natural "lefties" or "righties," just like us.

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What may look like nothing more than a damp snout is actually a built-in ID card. If you take a closer look, every dog’s nose is etched with a maze of ridges, swirls, and tiny bumps, all arranged in a completely unique pattern. Much like snowflakes, no two are ever alike. In fact, a dog’s nose is as distinctive as a human fingerprint. Some researchers suggest that one day, nose prints could become as reliable as scanning a thumb, offering a surprisingly scientific way to tell every pup apart.

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Emotions may be invisible to us, but to a dog, they practically float like a scent trail in the air. When your heart races with nerves or your mood lifts with joy, your body releases chemical signals. Thanks to their supercharged noses—armed with more than 220 million scent receptors—dogs pick up on those shifts instantly, often before you’ve even noticed them yourself. To your pup, stress has a specific smell, happiness another one, and so does calm. It’s almost like they’re emotional mind-readers, guided not by divination, but by an extraordinary sense of smell.

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Picture this: a blazing summer afternoon, the kind where the air feels heavy and the shade doesn’t give much relief. Your dog trots across the kitchen tiles, leaving a trail of little damp spots behind. At first glance, you might think you’ve spilled water somewhere. But if you look closer, you’ll discover tiny sweat prints, released straight from the pads of your dog’s paws, one of the few places where canines actually perspire. It’s their built-in way of cooling down, imprinted right onto your floor.

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Back in the 1930s, tales spread far and wide about a remarkable Australian cattle dog named "Bluey." Season after season, he rounded up livestock, worked alongside ranchers, and showed the stamina of an animal half his age. His energy seemed endless, and his loyalty never wavered. By the time he finally slowed down, Bluey had reached the astounding age of 29. That’s more than double the typical dog’s lifespan, and even today, his record still stands as the gold standard for canine longevity.

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Did you know a newborn Dalmatian doesn’t look like the spotted star of storybooks? In fact, every puppy arrives in the world completely white, its coat as blank as a brand new canvas. As the weeks go by, something magical happens and dark spots begin to appear, one by one, across their fur. Some cluster close, others scatter wide, giving each pup a unique pattern, almost like fingerprints. By the time they’re old enough to tumble around the yard, their trademark black or brown polka dots are in full bloom, as if nature itself had been painting in slow motion.

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Cheetahs may be the kings of speed, galloping across the savanna at nearly 70 miles per hour; yet, that lightning burst burns out fast. In less than 30 seconds, their muscles overheat and they have to stop, leaving them panting in the shade. Greyhounds, on the other hand, are built for the long run. With their lean bodies and powerful lungs, they can race at 45 miles per hour, keeping the pace far longer than their feline counterparts. Put the two in a sprint and the cheetah wins every time; switch to an endurance race, and the graceful greyhound takes the crown.

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Here’s a mystery that still leaves scientists scratching their heads: when dogs pause to relieve themselves, many instinctively line up north to south. There’s no command from their owners, no obvious reason, it’s just a quiet ritual repeated across countless backyards and parks. Researchers suspect it’s connected to Earth’s magnetic field, suggesting that every pup carries a tiny compass tucked inside its body. If only ancient explorers had known about this! The exact reason remains unsolved, but it’s a reminder that our four-legged companions harbor instincts as enigmatic as the planet itself.

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It may sound like something from a sci-fi tale, but a dog’s ears are truly tuned for super-hearing. While human ears pick up around 20,000 hertz, a dog can catch pitches soaring to nearly 65,000. That incredible range means the faint squeak of a toy, the groan of a floorboard, or even the high whistle of a kettle miles away might reach them as sharply as if it were right next to them. For us, silence is easy, but for your pup, the air hums with hidden notes, an invisible orchestra of sounds we’ll never get to hear.

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Ever seen your pup snooze and suddenly start twitching, whimpering, or kicking its paws? That’s a dream unfolding. Just like us, dogs also slip into REM sleep, the stage where minds fire up and replay the day’s adventures. A quiet nap on the couch might transform into a romp through the park, a splash in a puddle, or a tug-of-war with their favorite toy. Sometimes you can even notice their ears flicking or their tail giving a sleepy wag. In dreamland, there are no leashes, no fences, no bedtime, but endless freedom to chase, play, and explore the world.