As far as I'm concerned there is just no point in going outside during the winter months. It's cold and dark and mysteriously always wet, even when you're sure it hasn't actually been raining. So of course the only thing to do is to stay indoors until spring comes, and the best thing to do while you're keeping warm indoors? Read. Here are a few of the books I plan to read this winter.
A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which reads: 'A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.'
A childish practical joke? Or a hoax intended to scare por Letitia Blacklock? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out... (x)
There is no better time for a good old fashioned murder mystery than these long, dreary, winter nights, and as everyone knows, Christie is the queen of murder mysteries. Having only read one other of Christie's works,
Murder on the Orient Express, I'm definitely looking forward to reading another this winter and
A Murder is Announced sounds completely fascinating!
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
When Lyra's friend Roger disappears, she and her dæmon, Pantalaimon, determine to find him.
The ensuing quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the North, where armoured bears rule the ice and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies - and where a team of scientists is conducting experiments too horrible to be spoken about.
Lyra overcomes these strange terrors, only to find something yet more perilous waiting for her - something with consequences which may even reach beyond the Northern Lights... (x)
Everything I've heard about this novel over the many years since I first got this copy makes it sound like the perfect winter read. Even just the description! What is more wintery than armoured bears and frozen skies? Nothing I know about. Hopefully this will finally be the winter when I actually read this children's classic.
The Graces by Laure Eve
Like everyone else in her town, River is obsessed with the Graces, attracted by their glamour and apparent ability to weave magic. But are they really what they seem? And are they more dangerous than they let on? (x)
It's seems as though every other book blogger on the internet has already read
The Graces this year, apart from me. I don't actually know a whole lot about the story but I think maybe that's for the best. It adds to the mystery of it! All I do know is that there are witches involved, and a little bit of spooky magic is just the right thing for a dark winter's night.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price - and no one knows better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone... (x)
Another book that everyone else on the internet seems to have already read, apart from me. I'm actually hoping to read both
Six of Crows and the sequel
Crooked Kingdom this winter, hopefully back to back so I can really get as much of that fantasy adventure vibe as humanly possible.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever. (x)
Yet another book that I seem to be the last person in the world who hasn't read it. There's a theme here.
The Secret History sounds suitably dark and a little bleak. Perfect for the misery of winter weather. Definitely one I'm excited about getting to.
What books are on your winter TBR?
