by María José Alvarez Toribio (‘27)

During the snow season, it can be difficult to find entertaining activities to do indoors. Whether it’s too hot or too cold outside, there are a lot of great books to choose from to pass the time. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The story revolves around Basil, an Irish painter who makes a portrait of Dorian Gray, a handsome young man. When Dorian meets one of Basil’s friends, Lord Henry Wotton, he is troubled with his way of thinking. Henry is an aristocrat who believes that beauty and money are all that matter. Dorian is suddenly hit with the realization that his beauty is nothing but temporary, and he will do anything to keep it.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn 

This book is a modern adaptation of an Arthurian story. When 16-year-old Bree, a student at the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill, gets in trouble, she is assigned a peer mentor named Nick to keep her from getting into trouble again. While walking around campus, Bree finds out Nick is part of a secret society and a direct descendant of King Arthur. After infiltrating into the secret society, Bree also discovers a part of herself she had never considered existed—a part of herself with magical abilities.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

In a fantasy world, a drug called Jurda Parem is developed. This drug amplifies the magical Grisha powers and is highly addictive. When this drug falls into the wrong hands, six teenagers from Ketterdam, the capital of the fictional country Kerch, must plan a heist to abduct the only person who can cure addiction to Jurda Parem to gain millions of kruge, which is the Kerch currency. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie was a shy freshman in high school, but when he befriends a group of seniors, his life is changed forever. Throughout this novel, he writes letters to someone whom he names ‘dear friend’. Charlie becomes close with his English teacher due to their shared passion for literature. Even though he is a ‘wallflower’, he manages to get through the struggles he faces with himself, as well as those of an average high school student in 1991.

Trigger warnings: depression, suicide, homophobia, alcohol and drug use, sexual assault, and violence.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

This story follows a young woman named Catheryn Pinkerton and how she came to be the Queen of Hearts. The book takes place in Wonderland, a magical place with smiling cats and singing flowers. Catheryn is being forced to marry the King of Hearts, but she already has her eyes set on living a happy life with the king’s jester. 

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

This detective story follows the iconic detective Hercule Pirot. Detective Poirot is on vacation on a boat along the Nile when he is approached by heiress Linnet Doyle née Ridgeway, who asks him to investigate the reason why her former best friend Jaqueline de Bellfort is stalking her. After Linnet marries Jaqueline’s ex-fiancé, she is found dead in her quarters during her honeymoon, and if Detective Poirot was not interested in her case before, he surely is now.