Join us for the Winter Reading Challenge!
Our Winter Reading Challenge is well underway. Staff at Rosanna Library have collated a list of cosy books to snuggle up with and get reading.
These are books that pare well with a hot chocolate, a thick blanket, or a crackling fireplace. We’ve also found that the armchairs at Rosanna are very cosy when it’s raining outside and you can see the gumtrees swaying through our big windows while you stay nice and dry inside the library – a perfect reading spot.
Mistletoe and Murder by Robin Stevens
Don’t be put off by this being a children’s title. Reading a children’s book can be perfect to get back into the routine of reading and introduce you to fantastic new worlds and strong, exciting characters. Set in Cambridge University in a snowy Christmas, Hazel and Daisy confront the sexism of 1930s universities, uncover a secret society, and face off against a rival agency.
Well worth reading by adults too, especially fans of Golden Era crime, atmospheric settings, plucky girl detectives who know better than the grown-ups and delicious tea breaks. Although this is part of a series, you don’t need to read these in order.
Available as eBook and eAudio also!
The Killer Question by Janice Hallett
This twisty epistolary crime novel is full of intriguing characters, hidden pasts, and heated pub quizzes. (Yes, pub quizzes can be heated!). Perfect for people who love epistolary novels (novels told in letters, transcripts, text messages, etc. instead of normal prose), cosy-ish crime, and never fully being able to guess what will happen next. Janice Hallett is an incredible crime writer and while all her books are worth a read, this is the best one so far (in Lydia’s opinion).
You may enjoy if you like: stories told through letters, like The Correspondent, or unconventional detectives like Thursday Murder Club.
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
This is a book that stays with you. If you're not a historical fiction reader but wish you were, this book is for you. If you've heard about this book but have been hesitant to pick it up, this is your sign.
Based on the true story of the last woman to be executed in Iceland, Kent's harsh rural landscapes seep into your bones. The characters are real, imperfect and heart breaking. You love them and hate them and see the whole spectrum of humanity from them.
Be warned, this book is slow and bleak. There is a tension throughout that builds and at points you won't be sure you're enjoying the book. But please stick with it. You'll be thinking about Agnes and the freezing Icelandic winter for a long time to come.
Bonus: this book is available as an ebook, eAudio, and physical book through YPRL, for however you’d prefer to read.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Short and sweet, the Monk and Robot duology explores what happens when a tea monk on a search for meaning encounters the first robot to speak to a human for centuries. What follows is a gentle journey through a rich solar punk world, full of reflections on what brings life meaning and what people need. This is the kind of book you can read in one sitting, will think about for a long time, and want to return to when you’re feeling lost.
It's not too late!
Come and visit us in branch and ask about how you can get started!