Five Books to Make You Feel Cozy

A list of books to get you through the cold, winter months

Photo by Jas Min on Unsplash

I thrive in the winter. I love the cold, I love the excuse to stay home, I love doing cozy things, like drinking hot cocoa and eating popcorn while reading a good book or watching a good movie. I’m guessing, if you are reading this, you might be that way too. So today, I want to share a few books for you to read if you are feeling the need to get cozy.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

While some may argue that this classic mystery book is too scary to be on the list of cozy reads, I must insist that it imparts serious, British, cozy vibes. Sure the (unnamed) protagonist marries Maxim de Winter, a recent widower, on a whim and goes to live at his estate, Manderley, with him. Sure there’s a creepy, unwelcoming housekeeper named Mrs. Danvers. Sure everyone looks afraid whenever someone brings up Max’s previous wife, Rebecca, and no one talks about how she dies. But despite all this, it’s definitely a cozy read.

Daphne du Maurier is a master of writing atmospheric novels and she makes you fall in love with the Cornish weather (seemingly always damp and cold, even in the summer) and with Manderley.

When I first read this book, I loved the scenes in the library, where Max and Rebecca had tea every afternoon with the fireplace blazing, dogs draped on comfortable arm chairs, and tea carts laden with hot tea, tea sandwiches, and cakes.

Movie lovers: Hitchcock made a movie of Rebecca. There’s also an adaptation on Netflix, but see the Hitchcock first. It’s the best!

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Set in the Alaskan wilderness in the 1920s and based on a Russian folktale, The Snow Child is the perfect winter read. Middle-aged Mabel and Jack, head off to Alaska to homestead after burying their infant child. One day, playfully, they build a snow child. The next day, the scarf and mittens they put on the snow child are missing and a child’s footprints are found nearby in the snow. That’s when the fairy tale begins.

Ivey’s books are always filled with magical realism and folklore and The Snow Child will leave you wondering if the couple were sinking into grief and cabin fever or if a folktale came true.

The Bookshop of the Corner by Jenny Colgan

This book makes the list of so many cozy reads and rightly so. A few years ago, I spent a long morning reading the whole thing, piled under blankets, reading Colgan’s descriptions of cozy interiors and food. Who cares if the title on the American release has nothing to do with the story?

Nina is a gifted librarian who can always match a reader to their perfect book. After losing her job in the big city, Nina decides to buy a van and head to a tiny town in Scotland to serve as their bookmobile. (I told you there was no bookshop on the corner!) Of course, she meets two charming men she must choose between, lives in the most darling of apartments, and eats delicious farm-to-table food. If you haven’t joined the Jenny Colgan fan club you should. She writes the perfect books to escape to when the world gets to be too much.

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Published in 1853, this is the oldest book on my list and proves that cozy books are timeless.

The book has no real plot but is rather a hodgepodge of stories about the characters in a Cheshire town. It is a village primarily filled with genteel, older women who cling to the rules of society despite living on the edge of poverty. The book is filled with tea parties and whimsical, small town characters, while still managing to explore modern challenges as the Age of Industrialization takes hold.

I think, despite the fact that this book was published 172 years ago, we can all understand that feeling right now, can’t we? The fear that technology just might change everything we loved about the good old days and society is going to hell in a hand-basket?

Television Lovers: Cranford was made into a charming BBC series, staring Judi Dench.

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

I like to read food descriptions almost as much as I like to eat, so this book was a treasure. It’s about a cooking school, tucked into the kitchen of a charming restaurant housed in an old house. Once a week, a group of students meet to learn to cook dishes that are full of flavor and affect each student’s life in different ways.

One of the reasons I love Bauermeister’s books is because she is so good at including all the senses in her writing. (In fact, I even took a writing class taught by her about that very thing.)

While I read The School of Essential Ingredients, I was transported into the cozy kitchen, smelled the lemons and herbs, felt the warmth from the stove, heard the students’ stories, and tasted what they cooked. It was the coziest.

I hope this list gives you some inspiration next time you need a cozy read. Or maybe this will inspire a gift idea? Get a box of tea, a thick blanket, and one of the books and give it to a book lover in your life. If you know a foodie, The School of Essential Ingredients, along with some cooking gadgets would much loved.

Be sure to leave your recommendations for cozy books in the comments!

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Today’s post is part of a Book Beveling’s monthly link party, so head over to her Substack and see the other participants’ recommendations for more cozy books.

If you are new here, visiting from the link party, welcome! If you have read or are intrigued by my list of cozy reads, I bet we’ll be fast friends!