Winter is the best time to be a reader because no one tries to force you to go outside and be “active,” leaving you with plenty of time to cuddle up with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book. Below are a few of our favorites to get all snuggly with, and the perfect place to read them!

Darius the Great Is Okay by Adib Khorram

Where to Read: This is the perfect thing to read curled up at the library with a friend…because basically you’ll want someone nearby to hug.

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

Where to Read: Jandy Nelson’s lyrical exploration of love, art, and the ties that keep people together is a must read, especially when you’re curled up nice in tight in your bed so no one can see you weep.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Where to Read: This book is coziest when you’re snuggled in a blanket fort you built with friends. Hazel Grace would approve of the fairy lights you decided to hang up to light the inside, too!

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Where to Read: This beautiful tale of grief and hope is meant to be read in front of a roaring fire with a box of tissues.

Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegmund-Broka

Where to Read: This is a classic, heart-warming cuddle book. Join Megan for a hysterical theatrical adventure as she stumbles into the lead role of Juliet in her school play…and may have even found herself a real-life Romeo. Find a cozy room and fill it with bookish candles and pillows and settle in for a nice long read.

I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman

Where to Read: Pick your favorite out of the ordinary reading nook (a window seat, a classroom desk, a bean bag at your best friend’s house) and join these three teens for an emotionally cathartic story of losing love, finding love, and dis­covering the person you are meant to be.

Layoverland by Gabby Noone

Where to Read: in a warm car on a road trip (it’ll make you extra grateful you aren’t traveling by air!) From debut author Gabby Noone comes a darkly hilarious and heartfelt twist on the afterlife about finding second chances, first loves, and new friendships in the most unlikely places.

Devil Darling Spy by Matt Killeen

Where to Read: Somewhere you don’t have to move from for a while. Generally, if you’re curling up to read a book, you want something you’re gonna read straight through. Devil Darling Spy is compulsively readable, following Sarah during World War II as she chases a rogue German doctor to Central Africa, only to find he may be weaponizing a deadly disease. If you pick this one up, don’t expect to put it down until you’ve turned the last page.

Rebelwing by Andrea Tang

Where to Read: Anywhere you get stuck bored! Sometimes it’s easy to feel like you’ve been sitting too long, especially in waiting rooms…so pick up Rebelwing for some cybernetic dragon riding and live vicariously through Pru!

The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly by Meredith Tate

Where to Read: Calling all armchair detectives! This is the book to curl up with in your favorite armchair as you unravel the mystery: what happened to Autumn Casterly?

The Small Crimes of Tiffany Templeton by Richard Fifield

Where to Read: This book is full of small town secrets, layered characters, and is the perfect travel read! Take this book with you to keep you company the next time you hop on a train.

The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte

Where to Read: Anywhere with a buddy! Grab your best reading buddy and dive into Astrid Scholte’s next twisty mystery revolving around two sisters and one dangerous secret.

A Phoenix First Must Burn, edited by Patrice Caldwell

Where to Read: Cuddle up with your pet (because fluffy reading buddies are the best to make comments to as you read) and pick up A Phoenix First Must Burn for a series of fantastic, magical stories and a break from the snow outside. These authors have woven worlds to create a stunning narrative that centers Black women and gender nonconforming individuals, and you’ll definitely want to stay in to read it all the way through.

LOOK by Zan Romanoff

Where to Read: Get ready to take this with you on vacation, because it has everything you need to make you want to put down your phone and forget about social media for a while. It’s a deceptively glamorous, feminist, emotionally complex, utterly compelling, queer coming-of-age novel about falling in love and taking ownership of your own self–your whole self–in the age of social media.

Looking for more recommendations? Check out these places you can escape to without leaving your cozy spot!