Snow has started to fall, Thanksgiving is over, and December is here! You know what that means—time to curl up under a warm blanket with hot chocolate and a good book. While I don’t limit what books I read each season, I do make an effort to pick books that will really get me in the mood for whatever time of the year it is. Here are a few of the books on my to-be-read list, or TBR, this winter:
How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow
I have seen the author promoting her book on TikTok too many times to not be curious! The cover features two girls walking an adorable Corgi on a snowy day, which is already a good enough reason to pick it up. How to Excavate a Heart is about Shani’s winter break in D.C. where she’s snagged an internship to study extinct fish with her academic hero. The break starts, however, with her and her mother nearly running a girl over with their car—the same girl who Shani ends up dog-walking for. Heartbroken from a recent breakup, Shani has vowed not to date anyone but her convictions soon weaken as she and the girl, May, warm up to one another. This book is described as a sweet and emotional Jewish holiday rom-com set in December, making it a perfect choice of reading for the month.
Okay, confession: I’ve already started reading it. How could I resist? So as an added incentive to anyone interested in this book, it happens to have a chapter named for Al Roker!
Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun
I’m back at it with another sapphic holiday rom-com. Kiss Her Once For Me features Christmastime fake dating as Ellie and her landlord pretend to be engaged to help her financial situation and help the landlord secure his recent inheritance. Only, as they spend the holidays together with the landlord’s family, it’s not him that Ellie takes an interest in—but his sister. The twist? A year ago, Ellie had a whirlwind romance on Christmas Eve with a woman who ultimately betrayed her, and now she learns that that woman is her landlord’s sister. Between a fake engagement and the resurfacing of feelings for the woman who broke her heart, Ellie is in for an eventful holiday season.
Winter, White and Wicked by Shannon Dittemore
I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf taunting me for at least three years. I bought it because it has a gorgeous cover (in real life it’s shiny and metallic-looking!), plain and simple, and I’ve been telling myself to read it every winter since I got it. Unfortunately I keep forgetting, and I’m determined to read this in the winter that I refuse to pick it up any other season. Third time’s a charm, as they say! According to the blurb, Winter, White and Wicked is about a fantasy world cursed with constant winter and a rig driver who travels the icy roads. When Sylvi’s best friend takes up with a group of rebels, she must set out in search of her alongside a ragtag group of smugglers. I remember thinking it reminded me of the podcast Alice Isn’t Dead, which I loved, so I hope I enjoy it just as much!
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
I became interested in this book after seeing it in two types of BookTok recommendation lists: books about female friendship and infatuation, and books featuring women being gay and committing crimes. I’m not sure if the women at the center of this book are friends or lovers, but boy am I intrigued! It’s described as a chilling story set in the dead of winter as a woman working in a local boys’ prison becomes complicit with her new coworker’s crime. Moshfegh is known for her unique and depressing writing style and her focus on complicated, brooding female protagonists, so I’m looking forward to giving one of her books a try.