Winter Reads to Cozy Up With: A Sunbury Press Book List

Winter invites us to slow down, settle in, and lose ourselves in a good book. Whether you’re curled up under a blanket and missing the sunshine, happily watching snow fall outside, or simply craving a story that fits the season, the right read can make winter feel a little warmer.

To help you find your next favorite, we’ve curated a Sunbury Press winter reading list featuring five books across different genres- each offering its own kind of escape, inspiration, or intrigue.

1. A Winter Romance

For readers who love emotional connection, heart, and warmth

When the days grow shorter, romance stories shine a little brighter. This selection offers the kind of heartfelt storytelling that reminds us why connection matters- perfect for long evenings by the fire or quiet moments before bed.

Our January Romance Pick: 

The Immigrant’s Wife by J B Harris

“Not all men who abandon their families are scoundrels. A story of love and perseverance set when consumption ravaged America. Anna Patrinos is deserted by her husband. What she doesn’t know is he anonymously exiled to a TB sanatorium to protect her and their unborn baby from the deadly disease and the ruinous cost of his care. Anna’s battle with ostracism, starvation and assault to keep herself and her child alive interweaves with Charles’ fight to survive and return home to his family, which is complicated by his one night of indiscretion. Reunited, Anna and Charles confront what it means to belong and whether love is enough to heal their devastated lives and start anew. Harrowing but ultimately hopeful, The Immigrant’s Wife is a compelling story of self-sacrifice, resilience and devotion.”

*NOW AVAILABLE as an Audiobook read by Julia Whelan!*

2. A Mystery or Thriller

For readers who want to stay up just one more chapter

There’s something about winter that makes suspense even more irresistible. Darker nights and quieter days are the perfect backdrop for gripping mysteries and page-turning thrillers.

Our January Thriller Pick: 

Dead of Winter by Sherry Knowlton

“A lighthearted morning trip to test a new drone turns deadly for attorney Alexa Williams and two close friends when they find a stranger’s bullet-riddled body in a remote field in rural Pennsylvania. Next to the dead man is a note that declares: Allahu Akbar.

Trying to shake the gruesome discovery, Alexa returns to her busy law practice and personal life. She’s representing a Syrian refugee family whose son has been bullied at school. Old love, Reese Michaels, is back from Africa and living in nearby Harpers Ferry. He and Alexa are tiptoeing through a delicate dance as they rekindle the spark between them. Alexa is also taking Krav Maga classes at a local studio for self-protection. The studio owner, the widow of a soldier killed in the Iraq War, is fast becoming a friend. If that’s not enough, Alexa’s parents are pulling her into a flurry of social commitments as they host an International Fellow at the U.S. Army War College, an Iraqi General, and his colleague, a decorated American Colonel.

When another man is found executed near Harpers Ferry, Reese becomes a suspect and Alexa wonders just how much he’s changed since working in Africa. After a third murder, an improbable fear of Islamic terrorism spreads like wildfire through Alexa’s small Pennsylvania town. When the police arrest the oldest son of the refugee family for the murders, her Syrian clients become the focus of mounting anti-Muslim rage, and a dangerous militia group targets Alexa.

One dark night in the dead of winter, Alexa discovers how all these threads intersect, and she must race to stop an attack that could kill hundreds. If she fails, she could lose everyone she loves.”

3. A Nonfiction Pick

For readers who love learning, reflection, or real-world stories

Winter is a wonderful time for thoughtful reading. Whether it’s memoir, history, or an inspiring true story, nonfiction offers depth and discovery when the pace of life slows.

Our January Nonfiction Pick: 

Failure Factory by Chris Papst

“How Baltimore City Public Schools Deprive Taxpayers and Students of a Future

“Educational institutions have evolved into a new bureaucracy. Chris Papst demonstrates the courage to challenge powerful bureaucracies by holding those at the top accountable.  He deeply explores topics such as grading, promotions, discipline, school safety, and violence.  Failure Factory raises the question, are children failing school or are schools failing children?"—Barbara Dezmon, Ph.D.: Maryland State Conference NAACP 

Baltimore City Public Schools is one of America’s largest and most funded school systems. Yet, historically, it is among the lowest performing. In 2024, despite a $1.7 billion budget, just 10% of students tested proficient in math.  Investigative journalist Chris Papst follows the money to uncover why students continue to fail within a school system that’s failing Baltimore. 

Failure Factory shines a critical light on America’s public education system by exposing what’s really happening inside classrooms and behind administrative doors. Reporting for Fox45 News in Baltimore, Papst spent eight years investigating public schools. What he learned is shocking. 

A significant realignment has recently occurred in public education. The focus has shifted to value data and funding over students and futures. Failure Factory highlights this transition by exposing how academic outcomes are manipulated, while students are promoted through the grade levels without receiving the education they need. When students fail classes, their grades are often changed to passing. If schools appear dangerous, arrests and suspensions are no longer recorded. If graduation rates decline, academic metrics are adjusted - making it easier to receive a diploma. 

For many, a career in education remains a noble calling. But a growing number of educators now view public schools as a means to acquire wealth. As Baltimore’s student enrollment has plummeted, budgets have surged. Taxpayers are funding staggering increases in six-figure salary jobs, as declining student outcomes cripple entire neighborhoods. 

What’s happening in Baltimore schools is not unique; it’s ubiquitous. That new educational mindset, which prioritizes data over students and funding over futures, is quickly spreading across the country with equally dire consequences for local communities. Is your school system next? This book is your warning.”  

4. A “Summery” Escape

For readers who want to mentally travel somewhere warm

Not every winter read has to feel chilly. Sometimes the best antidote to cold weather is a book that transports you somewhere sunny, nostalgic, or joyfully alive.

Our January Summer Pick: 

When the Only Light is the Moon by Rita Wilson

“- Four women, four stories, and a chance encounter that changes everything.

Still reeling from a recent breakup, Demi, a Greek-American banquet manager, joins her mother, aunt, and cousin on a trip to Greece, hoping to clear her head, heal her heart, and take a break from an unfulfilling job.  Her plans for a relaxing holiday are derailed when their rental car breaks down on their way to the coast; that is, until they are rescued by a villager and her charming grandson, Stavros. While Demi navigates this unexpected romance, her mother, aunt, and cousin examine their own fears, hopes, and dreams, aided by Charles, a witty British author who endears himself to them with his good humor and sage advice. Demi’s whirlwind romance ends abruptly when she returns to the States despite Stavros’s pleas for her to stay with him.  Upon her return, she must confront her feelings for Stavros and her impossible job situation.  With Charles’s advice in mind, the ladies tackle their issues. 

Demi gets a job opportunity that would take her away from Pittsburgh, and she must decide whether to leave her family for a fresh start or stay where she has always been comfortable.  The situation becomes more complicated when rekindling the romance with Stavros becomes possible. When fate intervenes, along with Demi’s ex, her path becomes even more tangled.

Set in a charming Greek village, When the Only Light of the Moon follows two sisters and their daughters as they navigate individual journeys of self-discovery through the unexpected help of strangers. The crystal blue Mediterranean skies and silvery olive groves provide a magical backdrop for this lively story of romance, realization, and renewal.”

5. A Historical Fiction Favorite

For readers who love stepping into another time

Historical fiction blends rich storytelling with the sweep of history, making it a perfect companion for long winter evenings. These novels invite you to travel across eras and experience lives shaped by another world.

Our January Historical Fiction Pick: 

The Conductor by Roger A Smith

“Rule #1 of the Underground Railroad: If someone doesn’t need to know something, don’t tell them.

Philadelphia, 1835. The journey begins.

Kicked out of her third school for fighting, 11-year-old tomboy Rian Krieger gets an unanticipated education in her father’s factories. The City of Brotherly Love is a roiling stew of rivalry, prejudice, and change that pits German artisans, Irish immigrants, and the largest population of free Blacks in America against one another.

Steam engines choosh throughout the city. Workers dig ditches for new gas street lights. The fledgling railroad industry hints that change will soon come even faster.

Rian is swept into this racial and economic turmoil by three charismatic mentors. Foreman Jules Freeman, one of the few Black men in Philadelphia placed in charge of whites, introduces Rian to the Underground Railroad.

Rian’s Irish cousin Seamus strives to prove himself amidst the hostility of Otto’s German workers and launches a new fire brigade with a controversial mission. Next-door neighbor Lucretia Mott finds her voice as a stirring abolitionist.

Rian befriends Olivia Tucker, the daughter of slave owners from Charleston who summer in Philadelphia. Together, they plot to free Olivia’s mammy from enslavement. Secrets pile up. Rian finds that she must apply Rule #1 to many parts of her life.”

Find Your Winter Read

Whether you’re craving romance, mystery, insight, sunshine, or history, there’s a Sunbury Press book waiting to keep you company this winter. Great stories don’t depend on the season- but winter might just be the best time to discover a new favorite.

Looking for more? 

Explore our full collection here and find the perfect book for your winter reading list.