I'm going to be spending a lot of this break reading and writing, and I figured I'd share some of the books that I have either read and loved or am looking forward to reading. Share your thoughts and favorites!

NOTE: These aren't winter or Christmas themed persay, but there's no reason not to read them while you can!

1. Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - these I have read and will probably reread. Six incredibly diverse and complicated characters, a fantasy world that's built to capture you and last, and a plot that pulled me back into reading in general. I could not possibly praise this duology enough, so I hope you take the time to read it.

2. Replica by Lauren Oliver - I saw Oliver speak at the Southern Festival of Books, and realized that she has a lot of depth to her that I didn't anticipate. She also discussed her newest book, and the concept of having two books in one (and having to flip the tome over to read the next one) was really exciting. The plot sounds awesome too, people who are bred for human testing, making comments on how we test animals? The stakes are high.

3. Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley - Another author I met at the Southern Festival of Books, she as a person is full of passion and great style. This novel, the first in a series, didn't seem that interesting to me when I initially picked it up, but the more I heard her talk, the more I knew that I would have to love the book because she's just so fabulous.

4. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman - I'm still trying to catch up to his decades' worth of bibliography, but when someone told me that my writing reminded them of this novel, I knew that it had to be next on my list. I've read Coraline, American Gods, Stardust, The Graveyard Book, and am working on the Sandman comics right now, and I just can't get enough of Gaiman's writing. I'm expecting the same lovely prose in this book.

5. The Girl With The Dragon Tattooby Stieg Larsson - Reading this has been years in the making, even after I saw the original film as a preteen. I know lots of people who have gotten through the series, and I decided at this point I might as well. I'm nearly 200 pages in and it's not exactly picking up the pace the way I imagined, but it's laying down the details in a solid manner that makes me believe that by the time I hit that end cover, I will be changed.

6. The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis - Am I the only one that thinks this series is definitely a winter read? Maybe it's because The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe stands out to most people. But I think it's a worthy series read, and it would be best to explore the world when you don't have school to worry about. My personal favorite has to be Voyage of the Dawn Treader which was just a really marvelous book.

7. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - Theoretically I could put the entire Lord of the Rings series in this one entry, but I think that The Hobbit stands by itself as a journey worth taking. I have read it several times over, and each time I've grown as a person and can appreciate it a little more.

8. The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce - The world that Diane belongs to is strange, and the creatures that inhabit it are by far some of the most unique. Who knew that I would get desperately attached to a character whose only human characteristics were a head, torso, and wit? The rest was all metal wings and talons. There were also griffins, dragons, romance, strong female characters (SO MANY) and an interesting plot. She has a spot in my heart for being my favorite fantasy writer, and so I'll recommend the Mastiff series as well.

9. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - I specifically recommend this if you haven't already read it, both in anticipation for the television show and because it's just so interesting. It's decades old and the struggle of women to achieve and maintain autonomy is still alive in modern society. The book doesn't hold anything back, and we're forced to see this main character, Offred, turned into something that might seem less than human. But she stays alive, she perseveres. Whether or not she wins is still up for debate, but I think that reading this will inspire you.

10. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and The Hours by Michael Cunningham - Read these together! You will not regret it! Mrs. Dalloway, a Modernist piece from just after WWI, gives us complex characters through a steam of consciousness point of view and maybe we miss some of the importance of these events the first time through. Then read The Hours which, yes, is a movie now. He takes scenes from the former and turns them into emotional, relevant events. I am astounded by the parallels I can draw between the two in characters and scenes, without it seeming like a flagrant ripoff. It is its own work and that's so very admirable.

11. Don't Ever Change by M. Beth Bloom - I haven't even been able to get my hands on this book, but to quote the Goodreads page, "Eva has always wanted to write a modern classic... she has realized she can't "write what she knows" because she hasn't yet begun to live." This is something that really relates to me! I'm excited to see how this is handled. I'm actually a sucker for art that talks about being an artist. For instance, I love Whisper of the Heart (movie) because the main character wants to write a novel. So who knows, it could be terrible. But it could be amazing!

12. The Princess Bride by William Goldman - Another thing that you can pair with a video (the movie), this book is actually more extraordinary than you might imagine. The way Goldman weaves his own narrative with the actual story, and so much of the dialogue we know and love comes directly from the novel itself. It's a little hefty to get through but I absolutely love it.

13. George by Alex Gino - This isn't a hard read, but it got a lot of attention this year and I personally really want to read it. It's about a very young trans girl and I think it will really change some kids' lives.

14. I Am Malala by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai - Honestly if you haven't read this book yet, you need to. And then go watch Yousafzai's father's TedTalk video but don't forget the tissues. Malala was the youngest person to ever get a Nobel Peace Prize, and that's because she was stopped on the bus on her way to school and shot, point blank, in the head. And she survived. That's a miracle, perhaps. But then, she continues to advocate for female education, the very thing that made her a target in the first place. She has made such an impact on our world, and reading this book was incredibly insightful. Young people especially should read it.

15. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - This may be considered a children's book, but it will always have a special place in my heart as my favorite book. I loved the idea of characters that literally brought to life the words on their tongues, I loved the theme of words having so much power, even if you don't have that unnatural ability. I loved the fire eater, and his young apprentice. I loved how Mo and Meggie could talk to one another by writing Elvish. I loved the entire series, honestly, but when I open the book to "Rain fell that night, a fine whispering rain. Many years later, Meggie had only to close her eyes and she could still hear it, like tiny fingers tapping on the windowpane" it is not her house that I see. It's me, in my red bunk bed, hiding my late night reading from my parents. It changed my life, and even though I've grown out of it in part, it still means the world to me.

16* Webcomics - I could go on and on about the webcomics I love. Questionable Content, Wilde Life, Strong Female Protagonist, Satan and Me, Tigress Queen, Dragon Husbands, Demon House, Dents, and Newman are all ones that I check either daily or weekly, and I think it's a good way to pass the time. Questionable Content specifically has THOUSANDS of strips for you to enjoy; I would say it takes a solid 24 hours to get through all of them, if you take no breaks whatsoever. It's a hobby worth getting into. Just beware the Patreon.