What You Need for Cozy Winter Reading

Winter is here. Unfortunately, so is the pandemic. But as we try to get through these next few months, let’s try to make time to relax and read. How can you make your indoor reading space as cozy as possible? Here’s what you need for cozy winter reading!

Five Must-Haves for Cozy Winter Reading:

I’ve been spending the last nine months trying to be as cozy as possible, so I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Here are my must-haves.

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Soft Snuggly Blanket

The soft snuggly blanket is a must for year-round coziness. You can use it for reading, you can snuggle under it while watching TV, you can grab it in the middle of the night when you suddenly get cold.

For me, the perfect cozy blanket must be machine washable. Who wants to dry clean a blanket, especially in a pandemic? Also, you might drip or spill snacks or drinks on it, or maybe that’s just me.

Be sure to pick carefully (and read reviews) because you also don’t want a blanket that sheds or pills. (If you have pets, beware of knit blankets as dog and cat nails snag on them!)

I personally love the throw blankets that feel like a cross between fleece and velvet. They are SO soft and they wash and dry beautifully and are pet friendly and pretty indestructible. Here are my picks for the best snuggly soft blankets:

Target usually has a great selection of throw blankets. I love this Primalush one for only $17 – it comes in cream and sage.

On Amazon, I like this one for $22. It comes in pale grey and pale pink, which are so pretty.

If you already have a fuzzy blanket, here’s something else I love: the blanket basket. My favorites come from The Container Store. If you love pastels like I do, I recommend this one! It has a nice smooth weave so it won’t snag your lovely blanket! It’s about 16″ by 13″ and you can just toss your blanket in there when you’re not using it.

Delicious Hot Drinks

I have a friend who never drinks hot things. She only drinks iced tea and coffee all year round. I think she’s missing out, but okay. Because most of us love a cup of hot tea, coffee, or hot chocolate in the winter. Hot drinks are a must for winter coziness.

If you’re a tea drinker, I HIGHLY recommend an electric kettle. It’s affordable and can make you hot water in minutes. If you’re really about the hot drink life, you can get hot water boiler/thermoses that keep water at the perfect temperature for tea all day long. But they run in the $75-100 range, so I don’t have one. If you do, I’m super-jealous!

For an electric kettle, Amazon has this one in the $20 range:

Make Hot Drinks Extra Fancy

Here’s another affordable way to make your hot drinks special: get a battery operated frother. I have tried fancy cappuccino/espresso machines and they are great, but a PAIN to set up and take apart and clean. I have had a simple battery powered frother for years and I LOVE it. It froths milk, oat milk, and almond milk and can be cleaned in 10 seconds with a dish brush and dish soap.

This frother is only $10 and would make a great small gift. And you don’t need a fancy pitcher – just heat your milk in a glass measuring cup in the microwave and froth away. You can also froth right in your mug. Just make sure to leave room in the cup for the foam you’re going to make!

The Perfect Mug (or water bottle) for Cozy Winter Reading

We all have a cabinet full of mugs. At least I do.

But this past fall, I’ve been reading more outside and came to appreciate thermal mugs SO much. Even when reading inside, there are times when you get really involved in your book, and then grab your mug and … your drink is cold. These thermal mugs keep your drink hot for HOURS!

This thermal mug is $13.99 and comes in so many pretty colors. It’s made out of stainless steel, so no scrubbing out stains. Dishwasher safe! Has a lid for travel (or so you won’t drip cocoa on that fuzzy blanket.)

My favorite candles for cozy winter reading

There’s just something magical in the freezing winter about watching a dancing flame. I wish I had a fireplace, but sadly, I do not.

There are a lot of great bookish candles out there, but I can’t buy a candle without smelling it. I’m SO sensitive to perfume-y stuff and I have issues with a lot of candles. I absolutely love these candles. They are SO affordable, they are soy based, lead-free, cruelty-free, smell great, and they don’t give me a headache. They burn evenly for about 35 hours, and then you can recycle the jar. You might be able to find them at your local grocery store, or Target too.

What if you don’t want any smell or mess or stress? I used to sneer at battery powered candles, but now I’m a fan. They have become so realistic looking and are so low maintenance. This one is only $8 and has great reviews.

A Book Cart

Once you’re cozy, you don’t want to get up to refill your drink or grab a new book. A cart makes the perfect rolling book storage. Or you can use it to set up a hot drink station, with teabags, hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, and your favorite mug. How cozy is that?

This cart is from The Container Store and is $34 – I love the sage color. Michael’s also has a three tier cart that comes in a ton of colors and is $30.

What Are Your Must-Haves for Cozy Winter and Holiday Reading?

Tell me in comments!

Need more Cozy Winter Content?

Are you looking for some great winter-themed books? Check out this post on Five Books To Get You Into a Winter Mood:

And need a cozy indoor winter activity (besides reading) check out my popular post on Great Puzzles from Small Businesses!