The winter season definitely comes with its perks. Hot chocolate, winter clothes, and cozy settings. A perfect scenario for a bookworm ready to throw on their blanket and cozy up with their next book. However, with the TV specials and cheesy movies also comes the unexpected tightness in someone’s chest and feelings of loneliness can kick in in the worst moments. At times like this, we have your back with some fun recommendations to scare away the winter blues.
A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber
Hallmark movies are a staple of the coldest season and are perfect when you want a cozy, feel-good story to lift your holiday spirits. A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber features Hailey Morgan, an assistant band teacher in Portland. As the holiday approaches, Hailey dreads facing her family, especially her meddlesome mother, who is bound to ask about her love life.
However, when a friend offers her family’s empty cabin for a holiday getaway, Hailey seizes the opportunity for a solo retreat. Unfortunately, her arrival in the small town of Podunk, Oregon, is anything but peaceful, as wild animals have taken over her cabin. Fortunately, the handsome and charismatic Jay, the son of the town’s main store proprietor, is more than happy to help. A former musician, he encourages Hailey to follow her dreams. Soon, they become inseparable.
Why I Recommend It:
This book is an easy read, perfect for feeling the Christmas spirit any time of the year. The vivid descriptions of the environment surrounding the protagonists immerse you in a charming Christmas town in the heart of winter. It’s a heartwarming, clean Christmas romance filled with family drama.
A Trinket for the Taking by Victoria Laurie
A Trinket for the Taking by Victoria Laurie surrounds Davy Van Dalen, a 200-year-old Mystic tasked with recovering magical artifacts from the human world. On her 200th birthday, Davy had a wonderful day planned, but her boss had other ideas in mind. She tasks Davy to retrieve an artifact from the human world that has been causing havoc among the rich and powerful Ariti family. They have been suffering a string of suspicious deaths with no signs of foul play. However, all the members died in the ways that they feared the most. Dovey must find answers to this case and retrieve the mysterious trinket. However, she would need to cooperate with FBI detective Grant “Gibs” Bartholomew, who has taken control of the scene. How will she hide her abilities and true identity from a man who uncovers deceptions every day?
Why I Recommend It:
Mystery thrillers involving magic and supernatural objects always allow readers to immerse themselves in the story through world-building and magic used for unexpected plot twists. This book is the first in a new series by Victoria Laurie and it establishes the world in which the story unfolds, which means a lot of information and descriptions, which can be distracting at the beginning but ultimately, serve as a reminder to the reader of the world they are in and how it works.
Death by Caramel Macchiato by Alex Erickson
What’s the best way to feel better during some winter blues? Exactly! Coffee! And why not pair it with some mystery? Get your blanket and dim lights because this book is bound to keep you until late at night.
In the book Death by Caramel Macchiato by Alex Erickson, an inter-town murder mystery roleplay game is hosted in Pine Hills Ohio where several teams are excited and ready to spring into action when the game claims its first real victim at the location assigned to café owner Krissy Hancock and her team. The game comes to a halt and an investigation starts to find the killer. Despite warnings from Detective John Buchannan and her boyfriend Paul, also a policeman, Krissy’s curiosity gets the best of her. With the help of some friends, she sets out to investigate the complex relationships between the actors and members of the detective teams hoping it will reveal the killer. So, cozy up with a good caramel macchiato and follow Krissy and her friends’ journey to uncover the murderer.
Why I Recommend It:
This book is part of a series of books centered around a coffee shop and its owner Krissy Hancock. Book series are always a fun read. Like weekly episodes of a TV show. Even if you haven’t read the other books you will get a pretty good description of the characters and the background of certain situations that will help you understand their overall backstory. The story’s pacing is good and quite balanced so it’s an easy and digestible read. It’s a good story to cozy up to.
Sex Lives of Superheroes by Diana MacCallum
When you are feeling down, nothing helps more than a good laugh, and what better source of comedy there is than wondering about your favorite superheroes’ sex lives and how their superpowers affect that? Would sex with the Hulk technically be a threesome? Is Flash also the fastest man alive in other aspects, too? Has Wonder Woman never faked an orgasm? Find the answer to all these questions in this collection of comedic essays titled Sex Lives of Superheroes by Diana MacCallum. This book draws on biology, physics, psychology, and other fields to explore hypothetical scenarios involving the wild sex lives of heroes. Its in-depth analysis will answer your questions and help you overcome any blues.
Why I Recommend It:
Although I often laugh at the jokes made about The Flash being the fastest man alive and not getting a date because of it, I never really pondered about my favorite hero’s sex lives, so imagine my surprise when I found multiple essays about the subject, research and all. It was a fun surprise. The essays are well-researched and balance comedy and technicalities very well. A good read if you want to have a good laugh and question everything you thought you knew about your favorite protectors.
Herringbone Harbor Mystery by Sally Goldenbaum
In the book Herringbone Harbor Mystery by Sally Goldenbaum, the tourist season is approaching in seaside Massachusetts, and shops are getting ready to receive new guests. The Yarn Studios Seaside Knitters have their hands full with new classes for vacationers and testing each other’s originality by creating a single blanket together. Birdie’s teenage granddaughter is visiting for the season and planning to start a dog-walking business. Everything appears to be going smoothly until Birdie notices a fire near Cass’s lobster business.
The next morning, we learn that the blaze occurred at a small house in Fisherman Cove, where a well-known fisherman has tragically died. Now, the knitters — Izzy, Birdie, Cass, and Nell — must uncover hidden secrets and dispel false accusations before the killer strikes again. Enjoy the subsequent books in the Sea Knitters Society series as you delve into this gripping murder mystery.
Why I Recommend It:
Although I have personally not read this one, it looks like the next addition to my TBR list. The reviews seem to be quite positive with only a few bad apples here and there. But whodunits with emotional backstories are among my favorite winter reads, and if you are like me, this book is a must-read to chase away seasonal sadness.
Books are windows to other worlds that take us on new journeys and exciting adventures with characters that we have yet to meet. And what better way is there to combat the sadness that often comes with cold weather than with intriguing murder mysteries or incessant pondering over which hero may give you the best time in bed? So, take this chance to cozy up in bed with a warm cup of your favorite beverage and dive into your next adventure.
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Find more books to shoo away the winter blues on our Comforting Cozy Mysteries to Curl up With bookshelf on Bookshop.org.
