As falling leaves turn to snow, there’s no better way to pass the time indoors than to brew a cup of tea, curl up on the couch and get lost in a good book. But rather than reaching for the latest Colleen Hoover, why not broaden your horizons with a beloved classic?
If you don’t know where to start, fear not! Below are five cute and cozy titles perfect for the holiday season:
“Tess of the D’Urbervilles” — Thomas Hardy
“But, might some say, where was Tess’s guardian angel? Perhaps he was sleeping and not to be awaked.”
Starting off strong with one of my all-time favorite books, Hardy’s masterpiece follows the life of naive country girl Tess as she navigates the wacky worlds of love, class and murder.
After being taken advantage of by the worst guy of all time (her own cousin, Alec), Tess somehow falls in love with and marries an even worse guy (ironically named Angel), who flees to Brazil upon finding out that Tess is no longer a virgin (despite not being one himself, either… come on now).
If you want to feel better about being single this cuffing season, I’d definitely give this one a read!
“The Shining” — Stephen King
“‘Monsters are real. Ghosts are too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win.’”
Hoping to finally complete his manuscript, Jack Torrance relocates to the warm and inviting Overlook Hotel as a winter caretaker. His literary hopes are ultimately dashed by an eccentric band of ghosts, demons and hallucinations — not to mention his pesky wife and son! This heartfelt tale about the trials and tribulations of fatherhood is one of King’s most well-known works.
“The Road” — Cormac McCarthy
“We’re not survivors. We’re the walking dead in a horror film.”
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Continuing on with the theme of fatherhood, “The Road” follows a father and son as they embark on a delightful road trip through the apocalypse. They meet many new friends along the way, including — but not limited to — a coterie of robbers, baby-eaters and human-farmers. The chilly weather will surely immerse you in McCarthy’s cozy descriptions of the gray, bleak, unforgiving landscape – highly reminiscent of Ohio winters!
“Wuthering Heights” — Emily Brontë
“‘Be with me always — take any form — drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!’”
I’m sure you all know this one! The beautifully dramatic, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers tale of Heathcliff and Cathy Earnshaw, two young children coming of age in the mysterious and haunted English moors.
However, when Cathy settles for (the much less cool and attractive) Edgar Linton, Heathcliff conceives of a decades-long scheme to win back Cathy’s heart, ultimately settling his longstanding dispute with the Lintons and bringing two families together (aww!).
Fun fact: Kate Bush’s iconic 1978 single of the same name actually tells the story of Cathy and Heathcliff!
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” — Oscar Wilde
“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.”
My actual favorite novel of all time, “Dorian Gray,” follows the titular character as he navigates the perplexing beauty standards of 19th-century England. Along the way, he becomes tangled in a passionate love triangle with his two (alleged) homosexual lovers, Henry and Basil.
The prose is intricate and lyrical, interwoven with Wilde’s signature witticisms. If I could choose to smoke a blunt with any historical figure, I’d definitely pick Wilde.
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