Senior Editor Samantha Roehl's Winter Must-Reads

By: Samatha Roehl

There are many things I dislike about the winter: it gets dark far too early and the cold always finds a way to seep into my skin. 

But, in spite (or perhaps because) of the downsides, winter is the perfect time to curl up with a good book and hot cocoa. In the winter, I always find myself drawn to darker, heavier books. Books dusted with magic. Books that drag you in and don’t let you go until the last chapter. 

I hope these books do the same thing for you. 

Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson (Young Adult)

Ellingham Academy, a prestigious boarding school in the mountains of Vermont, was the site of one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in America. In the 1930s, founder Albert Ellingham’s wife and daughter were kidnapped. His wife’s body was found — but his daughter, three-year-old Alice, was never recovered. The killer left a note signed “Truly, Devious.” 

Present-day, Stevie Bell is accepted into Ellingham Academy. She is an amateur detective who plans on solving the long-cold case. But her plans go horribly wrong when students start dying on campus. 

This book rekindled my childhood love of mysteries. I had forgotten how mysteries, when done well, sweep you up in their drama and mystique. And Truly, Devious does it well. 

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (Adult) 

Zachary Ezra Rawlins saw a door painted on a wall when he was a child. If he were a different child, he would have walked through that door to a magical world. But he didn’t. He lived a nice, ordinary life. He grows into a nice, ordinary man. And then, when he’s in graduate school, he finds a book that tells stories about a secret world with acolytes and archivists. A book that tells stories about him. He makes his way to this world, a couple of decades late, and unravels its mysteries. 
This book feels like a book of fairytales sandwiched between an RPG. This book sometimes trades more in aesthetics than plot. But with these aesthetics — books, candles, ships, bees, stars, ballroom, keys, honey, sword, ribbons — I cannot complain. 

Sadie by Courtney Summers (Young Adult) 

Sadie practically raised her little sister, Mattie. So when Mattie is murdered, Sadie goes on a hunt to find her killer. The story is split between her perspective and that of West McCray, a radio personality who hosts a podcast called “The Girls” that tries to retrace Sadie’s steps. 

Not only is this book absolutely heart-wrenching, but it is also very cleverly produced. The team behind Sadie actually recorded the episodes of “The Girls” and they are available on podcast apps. This is one of the most immersive reading experiences I’ve ever had. 

Sadie haunts me. 

(Word of warning: this book talks a lot about child sexual abuse and absent/abusive parents. Please be careful going in.) 

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire (Adult)

Seanan McGuire is one of my all-time favorite authors. Her Wayward Children series is a charming interrogation of portal fantasies. But Middlegame has a gravity to it, a depth that made me feel the need to add it to this list. 

Roger and Dodger are twins, not quite human and not quite gods. They were created by James Reed, an alchemist/mad scientist who believes he can harness the childrens’ powers. (That was his first mistake.)

Middlegame is full of secret alchemy societies and children grown in labs and double-crosses and psychic links. It is full of grief and loss and fights that need to be won — but it is also full of hope. 

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (Young Adult)

Elatsoe, a Lipan Apache girl who can raise the ghosts of dead animals, lives in a world where folklore from all cultures coexist. When her cousin is murdered, she decides to get to the bottom of it, even as the town he lived in tries to cover it up. 
This book is a perfect mix of magical world-building and commentary on race in America. 

(Did I plan to have three murder mysteries in a five-book list? No. But in my defense, winter is the perfect time for murder mysteries).