Curl up with a good book as the weather starts to get chilly. Try these cozy winter Western reads.
So, what makes a Western book cozy? Gunfights and outlaws don’t necessarily invoke feelings of snuggling up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa. But, a book doesn’t necessarily have to be light and fuzzy to be a good candidate for a nice holiday read. Descriptions of vast winter landscapes, thought-provoking odysseys, and family explorations can put you in the holiday spirit just as well as a cheery Christmas song can.
Whether you’re trying to kill some time in between travels or using the holiday to unwind with some reading and relaxation, fill your holiday season with these winter Western books.
Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
While many western fans remember cozying up around the TV to watch the Little House on the Prairie TV show, which aired for nine seasons from 1974 to 1983, the book series is the perfect winter reader’s companion. A loosely autobiographical narrative, the original nine-book series details Wilder’s experience growing up in the American Midwest between 1872 and 1894. You can hunker down and take on the whole series or read just one to whet your reading appetite, such as The Long Winter or Farmer Boy.
Too Long the Winter: A Western Frontier Adventure by Robert Peecher
This 2018 instant classic drops you in the snow-covered mountains of Colorado Territory in 1872, where the winters are “too long.” Driven mad by grief and isolation, mountain trapper Old Bear Le Vrette kidnaps a 12-year-old girl and takes her into the mountains. Now, a posse of outcasts — a U.S. Marshal, the child’s desperate father, and mysterious mountain man Luther Corbett — must venture out into the harrowing Colorado mountains and overcome the dark side of nature (both animal and human) to save the young girl. Less reminiscent of traditional Western tales and more so of mountain men tales of the old Mountain West, Too Long the Winter is a tale in which nature becomes a central figure, forcing the characters to confront themselves within the snowy abyss.
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
A fast-paced contemporary thriller, this 2020 novel by Indigenous author David Heska Wanbli Weiden follows a jaded vigilante on a dangerous quest to stop the poisoning of his people. Virgil Wounded Horse, a local enforcer on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, takes matters into his own hands when local authorities and the tribal council refuse to act after a sudden influx of heroin infiltrates the reservation. Enlisting his ex-girlfriend for help, Virgil dives into the underworld of organized crime, confronting issues of money, power, and what it means to be Indigenous in the 21st century.
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
A story of love, longing, and loss amid the carnage of the American Civil War, Charles Frazier’s National Book Award-winning Cold Mountain follows Confederate deserter W.P. Inman on his Homer-esque odyssey back to his home in Cold Mountain, North Carolina, to reunite with the love of his life, Ada Monroe. Inman’s treacherous journey through the snowy rural South is interspersed with flashbacks that unfurl a love story unlike any other.
The Lost Cowboy by J.B. Zielke
Full of riveting adventure and heartfelt musings, this memoir explores what it really means to be a cowboy. J.B. Zielke takes his reader across six continents to explore cowboy traditions around the world. As dangerous as it is fun and fulfilling, the cowboy profession varies wildly from country to country, but the cowboy state of mind remains the same. J.B. Zielke’s autobiography — with a forward from none other than Colter Wall — is great for the travel reader who loves to learn about new cultures.
Cloudbursts: Collected and New Stories by Thomas McGuane
If you’re a fan of bite-sized adventures, legendary author Thomas McGuane’s short story collection is a great way to unwind. Set in several hallmark Western landscapes — from Key West to Big Sky Country — McGuane introduces his reader to characters on the fringes of society as they navigate their own twisted pasts, loneliness, familial dysfunction, and more, against unforgiving Western landscapes.
Whiskey When We’re Dry by John Larison
Set in spring of 1885, this Old West adventure is a great read toward the end of winter as the ice begins to thaw. Whisky When We’re Dry follows 17-year-old Jessilyn as she finds herself orphaned on her family’s homestead. In order to protect herself, she cuts her hair, saddles her mare, and takes on the persona of Jess — a gunslinging cowboy. She sets out to find her outlaw brother, Noah, under the employment of a violent governor and his militia. As Jess fights her way through the Wild West, she wrestles with questions of family loyalty, identity, and morality in an unforgiving landscape.
Gilded Mountain by Kate Manning
While you won’t find much gunslinging in this one, Kate Manning’s story of corruption and revolt is a winding journey full of action and emotion. Sylvie Pelletier, a young woman working for a rich marble-mining family in early 1900s Colorado, discovers a vast discrepancy between the lofty philosophical speeches of her employers and the unfair working conditions of her fellow employees. As winter sets in, the quarry workers of Moonstone decide it’s time to rise up against the robber barons who have controlled their lives for too long, leading to a tale of clashing personalities, family history, conflicting loyalties, and social unrest.
HEADER IMAGE: Yellowstone Bison in Winter by Julie Barrick
