Top 5 Winter Reads

Fed up with gloomy Britain? Don’t worry, so are we. Which is why we’ve gone all dreamy and decided visit some magical climes in our book choices, heading off to lands of cyclops, giants, magic and large, very smiley cats…. all of which are available at our very own Books Iconica.

The Odyssey – Homer

An epic, whose verse and legacy has endured the passage of over a thousand years, written by Greek poet Homer. It follows the story of Greek hero Odysseus as he attempts to make his way home, ten years after fighting in the Trojan war. Battling against monsters, the odds and the wrath of a few Gods, this poem – though it’s a poem like you never seen one before – has a little something for everyone and still features themes applicable to the present day. If you exclude the cyclops that is….

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll

Fall down the rabbit hole with Alice this winter and fall in love with a reality – as the Cheshire Cat says – that is just different than yours. In Lewis Carroll’s most famous novel, we see our own world distorted by magic realism, full of larger than life characters such as the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the Red Queen.

The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling

Forget the Disney film… and pick up a copy of the book that inspired it; a collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling that feature animals (that can talk, obviously). Don’t worry, you’ll still meet all of the famous faces from the film such as ‘man-cub’ Mowgli, Shere Khan and Baloo the bear. However, this is all about teaching moral lessons guys – no fluffy stories here…

Arabian Nights

Like to hear tales that have been handed on through hundreds of years? Get folked with this collection of stories that have been taken from Middle Eastern and South Asian folklore. A little like the Bible (though less preachy) these stories were collected from travellers, translators and authors across the Middle East. Highlights include ‘Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp’, ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’ and ‘The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor’.

The Hobbit – J R R Tolkien

Follow Bilbo Baggins on his accidental quest across Middle Earth to reclaim the homeland of some dwarves he met just the week before. Sound far-fetched? It is, as Bilbo leaves his comfort zone far behind and meets a whole host of weird and wonderful creatures, venturing beyond the parameters of his hometown for the first time. We’re sure a few people could learn a lesson or two from that!

For more info about Books Iconica and where to find them, click here.