ShipLibrary Blog

Exhibit: Winter Reading Recommendations

Todays post was written by Student Library Worker Ruby Tilder

Winter break is just around the corner, and with over a month of excess free time and most students without classes, many will begin a search for activities to pass the time. With the coming cold and dreary weather, the student workers at Lehman Library have suggested their favorite snowy-day books: the kind of immersive books that are perfect to read on boring, cold winter days.

• Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Joanes- Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on.
• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery- This novel follows the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl, who is sent by mistake to two middle-aged siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had originally intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in the fictional town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way through life with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.
• A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L’Engle- A Wrinkle in Time is the story of Meg Murry, a high-school-aged girl who is transported on an adventure through time and space with her younger brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin O'Keefe to rescue her father, a gifted scientist, from the evil forces that hold him prisoner on another planet.
• Verity by Colleen Hoover- Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.
• The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg-When seventeen-year-old strangers Aaron and Tillie meet on the George Washington Bridge with the intent of jumping, four timelines emerge: first, Aaron refrains and Tillie jumps and dies; second, Tillie resists and Aaron jumps; third, they both jump; and fourth, they both abstain.
• The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller- The Paper Palace tells the story of Elle and her affair with a childhood sweetheart. It slowly tells the tale of the 24 hours after the incident but, more importantly, and more interestingly, the life that led Elle to make this decision
• My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult- This book tells the story of thirteen-year-old Anna Fitzgerald, who sues her parents for medical emancipation when she is told to donate a kidney to her elder sister Kate, who is gradually dying from acute leukemia. Anna was born as a savior sister specifically so she could save Kate's life through the donation of her umbilical cord blood. At first it is successful, but the cancer continues to relapse throughout Kate's life.
• Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch-  A summer in Italy turns into a road trip across Tuscany in this sweeping debut novel filled with romance, mystery, and adventure. Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn't in the mood for Italy's famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape.
• The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling-The main story arc concerns Harry's struggle against Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic and subjugate all wizards and Muggles (non-magical people).
• One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus-One of Us is Lying follows the gripping story of Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, and Cooper as suspects in the murder of Simon Kelleher. Each of the high school students have secrets that they would do anything to protect, so how far would they go to make sure they're kept out of the spotlight?
• The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter- The Gallagher Girls is an exciting YA spy series by Ally Carter, with plenty of plot twists, drama and subterfuge. Gallagher Academy is a front. Purporting to be a school for geniuses, it is actually a training ground for world-class spies.
• Other Words for Smoke- Other Words for Smoke by Irish author Sarah Maria Griffin is about witches, a haunted house, a mysterious “other” world, Ireland's history of abusing unwed mothers, and the seductive allure of power.
• The Special Ones by Em Bailey- Esther is one of the Special Ones: four young spiritual guides who live in a remote farmhouse under the protection of a mysterious cult leader. He watches them around the clock, ready to punish them if they forget who they are—and all the while, broadcasting their lives to eager followers on the outside.
• The Uglies series by Scott Westerfield-  In the post-apocalyptic future society where Tally lives, teenagers, upon reaching their sixteenth birthday, undergo a surgery to mold them into a so-called “Pretty.” When Tally's new friend Shay runs away to the Smoke, a secret refuge for those who oppose the city's government, the future of Tally's own operation becomes uncertain.
• The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster- This story follows a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth that transports him to the once prosperous, but now troubled, Kingdom of Wisdom. Along with a dog named Tock and the Humbug, Milo goes on a quest to the Castle in the Air seeking the kingdom's two exiled princesses, named Rhyme and Reason. As Milo learns valuable lessons, he finds a love of learning in a story full of puns and wordplay, such as exploring the literal meanings of idioms.
• Witch Baby by Francesca Lia  Block-This short novel follows the adventures of Witch Baby, a young purple eyed girl who lives with Weetzie Bat, My-Secret-Agent-Lover-Man, and the rest of their crazy clan. Witch Baby is trying to find her place in the world and trying to understand the world around her, while trying to find a place in her own family.
• House of Stairs by William Sleator-This dystopian novel from the 1970’s  follows five teenaged orphans who are abducted and placed in the house of stairs as an unethical experiment in social dynamics. The teenagers band together to find out the truth about the place where they are being held in captivity.