Wrap yourself in Leo Tolstoy, brew a Bronte Sisters, add two Jack Londons to the fireplace, and put Andersen on the record player. Winter has arrived, and let your provisions be books.
Hidden corners have always given me pleasure since my childhood. Pantries lined with rows of jam jars, attic spaces illuminated by flashlights, mothball-scented closets, tents pitched under the shade of a tree, tiny window niches hidden behind library shelves… Books read in winter also resemble secret places. They are warm havens where you can immerse yourself and forget the coldness of the outside world.
That’s precisely why winter books create a feeling in me that’s similar to stockpiling supplies when the end of the world is near. As soon as the weather starts to cool down, I go to the bookstore and buy books for myself like I would do groceries. Doesn’t that also mean winter? The thickest Tolstoy keeps me warm throughout the winter. I drink a pot of Bronte Sisters every morning for breakfast. I throw two Jack Londons in the fireplace and offer little Kafkas on an antique tray to my guests. Arabian Nights are playing on the turntable. That’s what winter means to me. Just as animals hibernate in the winter, I need books to burrow into during cold weather.
When I try to write about winter books, it’s more of a feeling than a name that comes to mind. Whether it’s a thick hardcover novel read while snuggled up on the couch with a blanket, or on a steamy ferry with fogged-up windows, I don’t know why winter books always turn out to be the most enduring, and they always make me feel like something between a children’s book character and a cranky old woman at the age of sixty. Perhaps it’s related to winter rituals. The most alluring places to snuggle up with a book are those where we can use all of our senses, accompanied by a pot of tea, cinnamon cookies fresh out of the oven, a dog that cuddles up in our lap and keeps us warm, thick coats, and woolen socks. Books are the most enticing places to retreat into our souls. As the world surrenders itself to the darkness of long nights, cold, storms, and snow, you can find comfort and security in books where you can burrow like a blanket.
The language of winter fairy tales
“Dark and stormy night,” most novels start this way. This is one of the most commonly used opening sentences to this day. When I think about why, I feel that winter has its unique language. It’s a magical language that speaks in the thinnest frequency between life and death. It’s like children’s language. It transforms into an image in the cold wind blowing from the mountains, the yellow light of the candle, the steaming windows, and the sleeping cat in front of the fireplace. That’s precisely why winter books begin with fairy tales.
Winter speaks the language of fairy tales, and the German and Scandinavian fairy tales are probably the ones that use this language best. These are the books of Hans Christian Andersen and the Grimm Brothers, set in dark forests and frozen lakes, where you can hear the roar of cold winds. Like the snow-covered roads in winter, fairy tales drag people’s imaginations towards a lost world that is not on the map. The words of fairy tales touch people’s souls like the long-forgotten magical sentences of the past…
It’s time to bring out the winter gear.
Winter is synonymous with traditions. It’s cinnamon-spiced sahlep, cozy plaid blankets, and warm cookies. A person surrounded by traditions can challenge themselves with difficult books. For example, they can read an author’s entire collection or tackle brick-sized books. When it comes to brick-sized books, Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina comes to mind, resembling a grand winter symphony. Following that is Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. Jack London’s books, including White Fang and The Call of the Wild, take place in winter settings. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre build winter like an architectural masterpiece, and invite us into that cold and oppressive castle. It’s hard to resist such an invitation. However, be careful with the books you read during winter. Whether it’s a fairy tale or a murder mystery that reveals all of the world’s truths, winter books are also dangerous places like winter itself. The books you read during winter can change you for the rest of your life.
Delal Arya 
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