It Was A Dark and Stormy Night...

by Callie

As the temperature drops and the nights get longer, my desire to curl up in front of a fireplace with a good book or movie gets stronger. Whether it be a gripping thriller, a compelling historical fiction, or a cozy romance, there are certain things that just pair well with the long, winter nights. Hopefully, some of these recommendations should make the long wait for the springtime a little easier to bear.

The baker's daughter : a novel

Sarah McCoy

FICTION Mccoy Sarah
Historical Fiction

A routine interview between a reporter and an elderly baker brings out memories of darker times: her life in Germany during that last bleak year of WWII. As their lives become more intertwined, all are forced to confront the uncomfortable truths of the past and seek out the courage to forgive.

Nothing fits better with a cozy night by the fire than a great historical fiction book. Past and present collide in this book to make you engrossed until the very last page.
- Callie

A quiet place

DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Quiet
Science Fiction, Thriller

In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.

The perfect eerie movie that will have you fully invested in the characters' well-being.
- Callie

Night film : a novel

Marisha Pessl

FICTION Pessl Marisha
Thriller, Suspense

A page-turning thriller for readers of Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and Stieg Larsson, Night Film tells the haunting story of a journalist who becomes obsessed with the mysterious death of a troubled prodigy—the daughter of an iconic, reclusive filmmaker.

A deliciously devious thriller that weaves cult-horror movie culture, murder, and hard-hitting journalism.
- Callie

Stalking Jack the Ripper

Kerri Maniscalco

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Maniscal Kerri
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Young Adult

A gothic murder mystery set in gritty Victorian-era London, where an intrepid society girl finds herself embroiled in the investigation of a serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.

The mixing of old Whitechapel London, family secrets, and a killer on the loose gives off the perfect recipe for a dark, atmospheric who-dun-it mystery.
- Callie

The proposal

DVD MOVIE COMEDY Proposal
Romance, Comedy

High-powered book editor Maggie is everyone's worst nightmare: ruthless, driven, and tactless. When she finds herself faced with deportation back to Canada, she coerces her much younger assistant into marrying her. However, when the government becomes suspicious, they embark upon a charade in order to make the marriage seem legitimate.

When thinking of a movie that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, this movie instantly comes to mind. The comedic chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds makes this film just as fun to watch every time I pop it on.
- Callie

And then there were none

Agatha Christie

eAUDIO
Mystery, Suspense

Ten strangers are invited to an island by a mysterious host, and start to get killed one by one. Could one of them be the killer?

The full-cast audiobook adds to the atmospheric aura of this classic mystery.
- Callie

Vicious

Victoria Schwab

SCIENCE FICTION Schwab Victoria
Fantasy

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates-- brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

This book can be summed up as a dark story of how superheros and super villians rise and fall. An eerie novel that blends reality and fantasy will have you forgetting about the blustering cold outside in favor of the rich storytelling between these pages.
- Callie

No exit : a novel

Taylor Adams

FICTION Adams Taylor
Thriller, Suspense

On the way home to Utah to see her sick mother, college student Darby Thorne is stranded by a blizzard at a highway rest stop in the Colorado Rockies. She'll have to spend the night in a rest stop in the middle of nowhere with four complete strangers. Then she stumbles across a little girl locked inside an animal crate in the back of a van. There is no cell phone reception, no telephone, no way out because of the snow, and she doesn't know which of the other travelers is the kidnapper ...

Stranded in a blizzard with a killer on the loose...this book will leave you shivering from more than the cold.
- Callie

The luxe

Anna Godbersen

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Godbersen, Anna
Historical Fiction, Young Adult

In Manhattan in 1899, five teens of different social classes lead dangerously scandalous lives, despite the strict rules of society and the best-laid plans of parents and others.

Beautiful dresses, deceptive suitors, and high-society galas...what more could you need?
- Callie

The running man

Richard Bachman

FICTION Bachman, Richard
Horror, Dystopian

A desperate man attempts to win a reality TV game where the only objective is to stay alive in this #1 national bestseller from Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman.

This is one of my favorite Stephen King (written under the Richard Bachman pseudonym) novels. His take on the dystopian genre is thrilling, gritty, and shows what one man is willing to do to help his family.
- Callie