Into Thin Air, by John Krakauer
If you’ve ever been curious about what it would be like to ascend Mount Everest, this book will make sure that you never want to climb it yourself. It is a first-hand account of the 1996 Mount Everest Disaster, in which a deadly storm trapped several expeditions at the peak. It is a harrowing page-turner that is perfect to read under a blanket, warm and snug, as you imagine the one hundred-mile-per-hour wind and ice buffeting the oxygen-deprived climbers. I couldn’t put this book down when I started it and ended up finishing it in a single day.
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Recommended by Harry Nowotny
Murder on the Orient Express: Agatha Christie
Thirteen passengers, and one dead man inside of his locked compartment. Each character has an alibi and a motive. How did this murder occur, and who really did it? Detective Hercule Poirot must suss out the culprit in time before their train reaches its destination and each suspect flees the scene. Maybe it’s not the best mystery out there, but it’s undoubtedly fun. I think I’ve revisited this story at least ten times in various forms, and it never disappoints! (The only thing I suggest is to watch the 1974 movie if you must and stay about five miles away from the 2017 version.)
Recommended by Anonymous
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
The novel Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil follows the stories of three women and their fanged lifestyles (yes! They are vampires). This novel is filled with dark luscious prose exploring themes of choice and power as the story follows the history that led our three protagonists to encounter one another. A captivating novel like this is, in my opinion, best read beside a crackling fire with a warm hot chocolate in hand to best ward off the creatures that prowl about at night.
Recommended by Alyssa Perez.
Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
An epic tale about the Tarahumara (also known as the Raramuri), Born to Run is a story about some of the greatest ultramarathoners ever known to mankind. The Tarahumara is a quiet tribe located in the Copper Canyons of Mexico. They have epic parties leading into three day marathons in the treacherous wilderness beyond in rubber sandals. McDougall explores this remote tribe and the mechanics of running. He came to the conclusion that we are all born to run.
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Recommended by Sophia Pirruccello
Diary of a Wimpy Kid #10: Old School by Jeff Kinney
Middle school drama meets the great outdoors in this exciting book, with laugh-out-loud substories in peak Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Greg Heffley feels like there is a great divide across his generation and the generation of parents before him. His brother, Rodrick, takes a hard dose of adulthood when he lands his first job at an ice cream parlor. Greg finds himself struggling to survive at Hardscrabble Farms camp. This novel literally involves the characters being surrounded by a warm fire, and it definitely beckons the readers to get comfortable as Greg and his friends run into all sorts of trouble in a world where technology is nonexistent.
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Recommended by David M. Chien
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Book Thief draws you in with the warm, flickering glow of a fireplace, one of the few places where Liesel finds safety in a world darkened by war. Around that small hearth on Himmel Street, she learns to read, discovering the power of words as her foster father gently turns pages beside her. The fire becomes a symbol of comfort and rebellion, its light contrasting the destructive flames of Nazi book burnings outside. In those quiet moments by the fireplace, you feel the heartbeat of the story: hope surviving against overwhelming darkness. If you want a book that wraps you in warmth even as it breaks your heart, The Book Thief is one you won’t forget.
Recommended by Alejandra
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
For fans of dystopian societies and fantastical powers, Ignite Me is a perfect book to reach for when bundled up by the fire. As the third book in Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series, mysterious secrets unravel, frozen hearts defrost, and Juliette’s powers burn stronger than ever before. Mafi’s poetic writing intertwines the nostalgic feelings of finding yourself with perfectly placed sarcasm to create characters you can’t help but care about. Let your mind escape into Juliette’s fight against The Reestablishment and watch as the fire next to you isn’t the only thing that is ignited.
Recommended by Kayla Durocher
Rose by Li-Young Lee
If you’re looking for the perfect poetry collection to read over break, and you haven’t picked up Rose by Li-Young Lee, then what are you waiting for? Rose is Lee’s very first collection; it’s intimate, evocative, and will leave you with a new appreciation for life’s simplicities. Lee finds serendipity in the minute details, in the value of fruits, in nature, in day-to-day chores, and in family. He carefully examines the weights and warmths of peaches, persimmons, sweetness, and of life’s little wonders. His minimalistic style forces you to recognize the intentionality behind every word that is written as much as what is unsaid. The power of being present, of noticing, and of savoring every last drop of what Life has to offer us and never letting the taste leave our memory; that’s what fireside is all about.
My personal favorites:
From Blossoms
The Weight of Sweetness
Persimmons
I Ask My Mother to Sing
Rain Diary
Recommended by Anonymous
Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler
Bloodchild is a short, beautiful science fiction narrative with an overarching theme of slavery. Beyond that though, is the more unsettling theme of sacrifice of one’s innocence and body for a loved one. Bloodchild’s sci-fi setting builds a complex world as you try to piece together what is happening in just a chapter's worth of reading. The imagery of the aliens' eerie form, pairs incredibly with its deceptive maternal role with the narrator. I believe the most powerful part of this story is the false sense of bodily consent given to the narrator as he explores the choices he is proposed with. Of course, this story isn’t for everyone, but I say definitely give it a go if you’re at all interested in dystopian-esk stories!
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Recommended by Obie Garza