Winter Solstice Reads: Short Days Call for Tiny Heroes, and Long Nights Call for Heavy Hitters
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It’s the shortest day of the year and the longest night here in the Northern Hemisphere, and it’s only natural for there to be a little seasonal depression as our sunlight dwindles. The good news is that now that we’ve hit the shortest day, there’s nowhere to go but up. The other good news? There are lots of great books to keep your spirits up. Whether you’re looking for titles to keep you company during the short days or the long nights, we’ve got you covered with tiny heroes to read in one short sitting and heavy hitters to last you for the entire duration of the daily darkness.
Tiny Heroes
{{ product: 9780063280519 }}This short story from Madeline Miller is a bold reimagining of Galatea and Pygmalion. All about Galatea’s determination and love for her daughter, this is great to curl up with on a day when you want to fly through a short book. Ringing in at only 64 pages, Galatea is the perfect story to get you through this winter solstice day.
This series is best served with a hot cup of coffee alongside each book. As whimsical as it is charming, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is about a magical café that grants its customers the ability to travel through time, and each new addition to the series gives the perspective of four new customers and their adventures with the café. The beauty of Kawaguchi’s writing will immerse you fully in these novels, and you’ll find yourself looking for a seat at this quirky café.
{{ product: 9780802160140 }}Claire Keegan is a highly acclaimed author, and this contemporary classic is a must-read for fans of literary fiction. This novella rings in at 128 pages, and Keegan’s mastery is on full display with this story of emotional depth centering childhood, loss, and love.
Ever wanted to pick up a memoir but wasn’t sure you could commit to the length of a standard 300 paged book? Well, this memoir about therapy provides the intimacy of a memoir but in only 208 pages. Even recommended by BTS, this is the perfect book to help anyone going through times of darkness to feel a little less alone in their struggles.
Another Clair Keegan for the list, Small Things Like These was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize (as the shortest book ever considered for the prize), and at 128 pages, it’s the perfect read leading up to Christmas since it takes place in the days leading up to the holiday. This is a story of hope, heroism, and empathy that will warm hearts in cold weather.
Bliss Montage is exactly that, a montage of eight wildly different short stories in which the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred. These 240 pages can be devoured in one sitting or taken story by story to fully digest each piece of the whole.
The Fractured Fables series by Alix E. Harrow is a twist on Sleeping Beauty and will keep you captivated as the tale you know gets flipped on its head. Plus, each book is less than 200 pages, so they’re fast reads that will be perfect read by the fire while the daylight dwindles!
{{ product: 9781786071958 }}A beautiful story that juxtaposes the burden of the past with the redemptive power of friendship, Sweet Bean Paste is the perfect cozy short read to sweeten up your wintery days with only 224 pages and a story that you’ll lose yourself in.
Heavy Hitters
{{ product: 9781982131814 }}Alice Elliott Dark wrote you the perfect book to help you get through the long, dark nights with Fellowship Point. There is an undeniable comfort that comes with childhood friendships that last through adulthood, but does that mean they are unbreakable? Beautifully told from the perspective of two longtime best friends, this is a spectacular novel of love and friendship, secrets and loss. If you’re a fan of The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney or Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane, you need to add this to your TBR.
Okay, fans of Dune get ready because not only is there a deluxe edition out, but we got an exclusive edition of the deluxe copy! So, to start, the deluxe edition already has an iconic new cover, stained edges with illustrated endpapers, a redesigned world map of dune, and an updated introduction by Brian Herbert, which is awesome! BUT, we took it a step further! Our exclusive edition has its very own exclusive cover, illustrated endpapers, and stained edges all exclusive to US!
At 992 pages, this book might take you through quite a few long nights. This sweeping novel was on the longlist for the 2022 National Book Award, and it follows the rise and fall of a messianic religious leader across eighteenth-century Europe. With new ideas and unrest sweeping the continent, Jacob Frank’s charisma attracts a fervent following, and this book is narrated through the perspectives of those around him during his time regardless of how they feel about him.
The Tomb of Sand is the winner of the 2022 International Booker Prize, and translated from Hindi, it’s a must-read. A blend of fantastical elements into contemporary northern India, this novel is a masterpiece that transcends borders and gender as the fateful journey of the family’s octogenarian matriarch turns the family’s understanding of themselves upside down.
This two-volume pairing of novels that deals with humanity, grief and consciousness contains The Passenger and Stella Maris. The Passenger is the story of a salvage diver who is ensnared in a conspiracy outside of his control after investigating the wreck of a plane crash. The threads of his life are entwined with those of his sister’s — a brilliant mathematician diagnosed with schizophrenia. Stella Maris further unravels the story of his sister and is McCarthy’s only novel to solely focus on a female protagonist. Pairing these two together results in a 608 page reading endeavor perfect for long nights.
This is the book that people already can’t stop talking about. Perfect for fans of The Godfather, this novel will enthrall readers as they read this crime thriller and family saga taking place in New Delhi. Easily bingeable and utterly intoxicating, make sure you set aside an entire weekend to binge-read this masterpiece of a novel!
From beloved, prize-winning author Anthony Doerr comes his first new novel in over six years: Cloud Cuckoo Land. A welcome read that is a celebration of both resilience and hope told from the perspective of children set worlds (and times) apart. This is an unforgettable epic from a master storyteller at the top of his craft. Our paperback exclusive edition has elegant French flaps and a special back cover design. Slightly larger than most paperbacks, this edition is certain to stand out (in the best way) on your shelves.
While this one will be coming out closer to when the days get longer again, we’re already recommending this 560-paged novel of survivors on a hidden utopian island. On this island called Prospera, its citizens enjoy their lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms to measure their health and psychological well-being drops below 10% when they are retired and sent on a ferry ride to restart their life. Proctor Bennett enjoys his career as a ferryman, helping people to the process, but all is not well with him, and soon he finds himself desperately trying to uncover the truth.
A dystopian epic, Deluge is one that will captivate readers as it interweaves multiple lives together into a breathtaking climax about what they’d be willing to sacrifice to salvage the future of humanity. Timely and gripping, Stephen Markley has our heads in the clouds with this stunning work that’s being hailed as a “once-in-a-generation” novel.