There’s a Japanese word for the quiet joy of buying books you fully plan to read someday: tsundoku. It describes the gentle accumulation of unread books: stacked by the bed, on the coffee table, maybe even in a slightly judgmental corner of the room. Tsundoku isn’t about neglecting books; it’s about possibility. Each unread spine represents curiosity, hope, and the belief that there will be time to slow down and sink into a good story. This winter book list lives happily in that space -- part intention, part aspiration, and completely okay if it grows faster than it gets finished.
Not everything needs to be "new year, new me." It's a new year, and here we are: still reading. Here are some of our favorites that are piled up on our nightstand this winter.
Winter 2026 Book List
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid (if you know, you know)
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Take a peek at what else is in Elsie's Library.
Elsie's Library | Winter Reading List