BOOKS YOU SHOULD BE READING THIS WINTER

Librocubicularist: someone who reads books in bed

For Kids

Whether you’re reading to your kids at night before bedtime or they’re snuggling up on their own, these stories are ideal.

• Wilson Rawls’ “Where the Red Fern Grows” is a quaint tale of puppy love (literally) and adventure that any child will adore (especially if they are fond of animals).
• While the “Eloise” books by Kay Thompson are illustrated and for young children, the sassy little girl who lives in the Plaza is an aesthetic for young teens or tweens as well. Inspired by Liza Minnelli, Eloise loves to hang out with her pug, Weenie, while galivanting about causing mischief with a pink bow in her hair.
• Ursula K. Le Guin is the name on everyone’s lips for genre fiction when it comes to supernatural fantasy. Ideal for children about ten years old and up, her books create imaginary worlds and situations that are lyrical and transformative. Start with “The Beginning Place” or “The Lathe of Heaven.”
• Of course, Full Cycle Publications’ “Spartan and the Green Egg” is a wonderfully educational, informative, and, most importantly, fun series of books for children. The series focuses mainly on fantastical travel around the world. Comprised of six titles, these stories take the reader all over the globe—from the Reefs of Mindoro Island to Tiger Mountain and Calabria.

For Young Adults/Teenagers

There’s nothing more confusing than being a teenager and finding your place in the world. Looking to books for insight and understanding is an age-old tactic because it works! As James Baldwin said, “Yo

u think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was Dostoevsky and Dickens who taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or whoever had been alive.”

• JD Salinger is the ultimate anti-hero writer because he created Holden Caulfield, the maladjusted young man on his own personal odyssey. “The Catcher in the Rye” is the premier exercise in teenage angst and a great read for teenagers.
• Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” is, by far, the pinnacle of absurdist transformation literature. We are always changing and growing, especially during late adolescence, and the world can feel like an isolating and frightening place. With one of Franz Kafka’s greatest works, you can feel exactly what Gregor Samsa is going through when he metamorphoses into a giant cockroach.
• Cheesy softback Harlequin romances are wonderful templates for short, breezy fiction that can be gobbled up like candy. Instead of scrolling on your smartphone, try reading this on the bus and get captivated by easy fare that’s flirty and frivolous.
• Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar” is the greatest in sad girl literature and is essential for all young women who may be interested in writing. Because it’s partly autobiographical, any fan of Plath’s poetry will be intrigued by this personal look into her complex life.

For Adults

• “Moby Dick” is one of those books that may feel like a hard slog but, if you’re a true bookworm, will feel like easing into a hot, relaxing bath. Simply sink in and revel the winter away. One of the greatest novels about obsession, Melville’s Moby Dick is very long and will keep you occupied and delighted throughout the winter. It’s a big book to hibernate with, basically. It’s such a favorite in the literary community there are readings of the entire book given (by numerous people) at New Year’s Eve parties that last the entire day.

“Whenever I’m asked why Southern writers particularly have a penchant for writing about freaks, I say it is because we are still able to recognize one.” -Flannery O’Connor

• • Sometimes, short fiction or a great novella is your best bet. The collected short stories of Eudora Welty or Flannery O’Connor will astonish. For those familiar with this brand of Southern fiction, you’ll be surprised again and again by rereading your favorites, and for those who are new to the genre, buckle up. O’Connor truly invented the term “Southern Gothic” because her stories are so completely formed, so masterfully told, and deeply unsettling in their honesty, as well as her dedication to depicting the misfits and what she called “freaks.”

• “The Shining” by Stephen King: creepy stories aren’t just for Halloween! One of life’s great treats is curling up by the fire on a cold night to read a horror novel. Set at the Overlook Hotel during a snowstorm, the snow plays as much of a character as the demented protagonist, Jack Torrance. By making the setting so integral to the plot, the reader truly feels they are trapped in the maze or in the extreme and dangerously deep snow drifts.
• 
  Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History”: every year, this book is mentioned on one list or another as a must-read, namely by the New Yorker or the Times, because it’s everyone’s favorite deeply intellectual contemporary novel by a Pulitzer-winning recluse. It is the pattern from which the “dark academia” aesthetic has taken shape.
• For all you romantic girlies out there obsessed with Bridgerton, why not try true period drama in all its fantastic longing and elegance with Jane Austen’s oeuvre? “Pride and Prejudice,” “Sense and Sensibility,” and “Emma” are all rife with intrigue and charming gentleman callers.

To learn more about Full Cycle Publications and the titles of Spartan and the Green Egg mentioned above, click the following links and visit the websites.

https://www.spartanandthegreenegg.com/product/spartan-and-the-green-egg-book-2-the-reefs-of-mindoro-island-hardcover-graphic-novel/

https://www.spartanandthegreenegg.com/product/spartan-and-the-green-egg-book-4the-poachers-of-tiger-mountain-hardcover-graphic-novel/

https://www.spartanandthegreenegg.com/product/spartan-and-the-green-egg-book-6-the-hives-of-calabria/