Shorter days, snowfall, frosty weather and Christmas– these are the things that many people associate with winter. For me, winter is connected to my favorite thing in the world: reading. I can’t imagine a better feeling than to sit in my armchair next to the window, watching the snowflakes dancing outside, a scented candle lit, cuddling up under a cozy blanket, a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows in my hand and an awesome book in my lap. Therefore, I collected not only my favorite books but my favorite trilogies for you to read this winter, because why read one book when you can read three (or in one case, even four)? I promise, there is a trilogy for everyone this winter.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Trilogy:
This one is probably well-known only for its first part because Netflix enchanted us with a movie version this fall. I guess it’s safe to say that we all fell in love with the romantic story of Lara Jean and Peter Kavinski. For all of you who didn’t see the movie, the first book follows high school student Lara Jean Covey, who writes love letters to her crushes, which are accidentally sent to them, changing Lara Jean’s life immensely. The next two books follow Lara Jean as she gets into senior year and must decide which college to attend, as well as her relationship with Peter (and another one of her crushes). They are without a doubt equally as cute. I devoured the whole trilogy in less than a week just because it’s such a cute story about romance, friendship and family and about growing up and how hard it can be. The books are also funny and left me with such a happy feeling.
For: Romance lovers, people who want to know what happens with Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky, and fans of lighter fiction.
Inkheart Trilogy:
This trilogy is really an ode to books, and one of the most imaginative series I’ve ever read. The plot follows Meggie, who lives in a little town with her father Mo, a bookbinder.One day a stranger, named Dustfinger, enters their life, seeming as if he doesn’t really belong to this world. Suddenly everything changes: Meggie and Mo move to Italy, into the house of Meggie’s Aunt Eleanor, which is full of books. When the house is attacked, Meggie learns that her father can read people or objects out of books or into them but can’t control this ability. This is how Meggie’s mother disappeared. The first book is all about finding Meggie’s mother and fighting the villains that came out of Inkheart, the second and the third book are set in the world of Inkheart, which is a world full of fairies and mythical creatures and worse villains. It’s amazing how Cornelia Funke created a whole new world, which really comes to life, and sometimes you feel like Mo has read you into the book. If you worry about the length of the books, here’s a quote from the first book about that: “Books have to be heavy because the whole world’s inside them.” For this trilogy, this is more than true.
For: Book lovers, people who love fantasies and people who love to get lost between the pages
Millennium Trilogy:
This trilogy is not for the faint-hearted, as it contains graphic descriptions of violence, rape and murder. Despite this,t it’s an awesome trilogy with dark twists. The author, Stieg Larsson, who died before the books came out, is considered one of the best crime/thriller writers of our time, and for good reason. The first book is about the journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who, convicted of slander, takes a job far away from Stockholm on a little snowy island called Hedeby. On the outside he seems to be writing the family biography, but his real mission, given by Henrik Vanger, is to solve the riddle of the disappearance of Harriet Vanger 40 years ago. Thereby he gets help by Lisbeth Salander and together they discover a dark family secret. The second book focuses more on Lisbeth Salander, as she is the prime suspect in a murder case connected to sex trade in Sweden. Blomkvist is the only one who believes in her innocence and tries to help her. In the third and final book we learn a lot more about Lisbeth Salander and another huge secret affecting the Swedish Security Service is revealed. Lisbeth Salander is all but normal and I have a strong admiration for inventing such a strong female protagonist. She has low social skills, a photographic memory, is a hacker and doesn’t really care about conventions. This series has such a wide range of themes like rape and violence against women, the importance of journalism, hidden government affairs and so much more and also great characters, who develop throughout the series, which is why it is a definite must-read this winter.
For: crime and thriller lovers, people who like a strong female lead
The Neapolitan Novels:Okay, it’s more of a tetralogy (I had to look that word up, sounds odd right?) because it contains of 4 books, but I couldn’t resist putting it onto this list. The series is written by Elena Ferrante, which is a pseudonym, and no one really knows who she is. The story is about the childhood friends Elena and Lila, who grow up together in a poor quarter of Naples in Italy. It follows both of them and the different paths they take in life. It’s a beautiful story about the importance of friendship and how it can survive the twists of fate, about how hard it is to find your place in this world. It’s also a great piece to understand Europe after the Second World War and the standing of women in that time, and to learn about the Italian culture. It’s beautifully written and you can totally get lost between the pages, feeling like you’re in Italy in the second half of the 20th Century and reliving the struggles of young women trying to find their places. It’s also soon to be turned into an HBO series. Exciting!
For: Novel lovers, more sophisticated readers.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy:
We all know the storyline, but even if you have seen the movies (one of the best movie adaptations in my opinion), you surely will be surprised by how much more you can discover through the books. J.R.R Tolkien understands how to really catch the reader and you will learn so much more about Middle Earth and have a whole new knowledge after reading the books. (Also on the next LotR marathon you can be the annoying “In the books…” one). And if you are done with this trilogy and don’t want to stop, there’s always The Hobbit (which is waaay better than the movies in my opinion)
For: Nerds and people who aspire to become one, Lord of the Rings lovers and people who aspire to become one, fantasy lovers.
These are my favorite trilogies for this winter and I hope I could inspire some of you to grab a book to get you through those long winter days, read it and explore the magic that a story can bring into your life.