Some books are best read when it’s dark by half past four. These are well-loved classics set in snow, frost or the depths of winter. Many are short enough to finish over a few evenings, and they make good gifts too. We’ve kept to established titles and avoided spoilers.
For a Christmas mood
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843)
The original ghost story for Christmas Eve: Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by Marley’s ghost and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. It’s short enough to read in an evening, and it’s still remarkably funny and moving.
Look for:A Christmas Carol – Charles DickensThe Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973)
On the eve of his eleventh birthday at midwinter, Will Stanton discovers he is one of the Old Ones. The story unfolds over the twelve days of Christmas in a snowbound English village. It’s a children’s classic that many adults reread every December.
Look for:The Dark Is Rising – Susan CooperThe Box of Delights by John Masefield (1935)
Kay Harker travels home for the Christmas holidays and is entrusted with a magical box, setting off an adventure full of snow, villains and wonder. It’s a much-loved British Christmas story.
Look for:The Box of Delights – John MasefieldHogfather by Terry Pratchett (1996)
On Discworld it’s Hogswatch, the Hogfather has gone missing, and Death steps in to deliver the presents. It’s a witty, surprisingly thoughtful take on why we need stories, and a good entry point for new Pratchett readers.
Look for:Hogfather – Terry PratchettFor snowy mysteries
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (1934)
A snowdrift stops the famous train, and Hercule Poirot must solve a murder among the passengers before help arrives. It’s the perfect wintry locked-room puzzle.
Look for:Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha ChristieHercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie (1938)
A tyrannical family patriarch gathers his relatives for Christmas, with predictably murderous results. It’s a festive country-house mystery.
Look for:Hercule Poirot's Christmas – Agatha ChristieFor winter adventures
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (1950)
Four children step through a wardrobe into Narnia, a land under the White Witch’s spell where it is “always winter and never Christmas”. It’s a classic to share with children or revisit alone.
Look for:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C. S. LewisWinter Holiday by Arthur Ransome (1933)
The Swallows and Amazons series heads into a hard winter, when the lake freezes over and the children plan an expedition to the “North Pole”. It’s full of the pleasure of a proper cold snap.
Look for:Winter Holiday – Arthur RansomeFor short, cosy reads
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (1908)
It isn’t a winter book throughout, but its snowbound chapters, with Mole and Ratty lost in the Wild Wood and then sheltering in Badger’s warm, rambling home, are some of the cosiest scenes in English literature.
Look for:The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth GrahameLittle Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)
It opens just before Christmas with the March sisters’ famous complaint, “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents”, and follows the family through the years. It’s warm, funny, and best read under a blanket.
Look for:Little Women – Louisa May AlcottMake it a gift
Wrap one of these with a candle, a hot chocolate and some warm socks for a ready-made night in. For more ideas, see cosy Christmas gifts for book lovers. To set up the perfect spot to read them, see small reading nook ideas for UK homes.