As the cold weather persists, cosiness is encouraged. Nothing beats the level of cosiness felt while being wrapped up in a warm blanket, drinking hot tea and reading a lovely book in the wintertime. That is why we’ve compiled a list of books that can get you through this gruelling winter.
Welcome to a new series on The Daily Vox: #TDVFridayRecommends. It’s the Friday Recommends series. Every Friday, we are going to be sharing something we would like to recommend or unpack to our readers. This could be a book, movie, restaurant or even an event.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a perfect choice for winter because in many ways, it is quite literally about hibernation. The book follows a protagonist who, despite living a life shrouded in privilege, decides her life is so unbearable that she must sleep for an entire year at least. Set in New York in the year 2000, Moshfegh writes this unusual story with brevity and dark humour. Her characters are, at best, complicated and at worst, downright awful human beings. Reading this is like the urge to peak at a car crash – utterly morbid but entirely fascinating.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation is available for purchase at Exclusive Books.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
If you’re looking for a light read and enjoy a romance, Normal People might be the book for you. It follows the love story of Cornell and Marianne, two high school friends whose feelings for one another are complex and follow them over many years. Rooney is well-known for being able to accurately portray the intimacies and intricacies of love, and her skills are on display in this novel. It is a critically acclaimed book and has been adapted into an Hulu limited series that is streaming locally on Showmax.
Normal People is available for purchase at Exclusive Books.
Love by Toni Morrison
In terms of getting up to speed with your modern classics, Morrison is a must-read author. Her stories are often told in a non-linear and poetic fashion and Love is no different. It is about Cosey, a hotel owner, and the lives of women who knew him and loved him. As with many works by Morrison, the story takes place over large stretches of time. This means that the narrator is able to access the voices of the living and the dead which makes for an exciting perspective. Morrison’s works are always so well-observed and profound – Love is not the exception to this.
Love is available for purchase at Exclusive Books.
Past #TDVFridayRecommends
#TDVFridayRecommends: Simu Liu’s We Were Dreamers
#TDVFridayRecommends: What Love Island Says About Desirability
#TDVFridayRecommends: Queer Films for Pride Month
#TDVFridayRecommends: White Chalk and Yinka, Where Is Your Husband
