Ever since I started college, I am rarely able to find time for leisurely reading. Reading is literally one of my favorite things in the whole world, so it sucks when I don't have even a few hours that I can dedicate to reading.

I think that's one of the reasons I love winter break so much: ample time for reading! When I go home, I don't really do much but hang out at my house and hang out with the family so I have all the time in the world to submerge myself in a good book.

If you're like me, you might have a hard time deciding what book is worth your time next. I'm 100% a mood reader and what I want to read changes with the seasons. I've read a lot of books over the last few years so in case you're thinking about picking a few up to read this winter season, I've put together a list of my top five favorites. All of these are perfect for reading during the winter, but you can definitely read them any other time, as well!

1. "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

One of my favorite historical fictions. I think historical fictions are great to read during the winter because, for some reason, they just make you feel nostalgic and contemplative. As said on Goodreads.com, "World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the "Wilhelm Gustloff."

Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety. Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people adults and children alike aboard must fight for the same thing: survival."

2. "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon

This is my absolute favorite book in the entire world. If someone would let me, I could rave about this for hours. Here is the synopsis: Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles.Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "Outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch.She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

3. "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

Another fantastic historical fiction read for the winter months. This book has a very interesting narrator; Death. There is also a movie adaptation! The synopsis on Goodreads.com says, "Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist – books.

With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau. This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul. "

4. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K Rowling

Y'all should already know that this book is on this list! I didn't get into Harry Potter until I was in high school but I am 100% a part of the fandom now. It's just such a cute book for all ages and as a lot of it is set in the colder months, it is the perfect read for this time of year.

The back of the books says: "Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined. "

5. "Illuminae" by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This is another fiction/sci-fi book that I absolutely adore. I actually read it over last winter break and I am almost finished with the second book in the series! Goodreads.com writes its synopsis as, " This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

BRIEFING NOTE: Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes"

Those are my top five books that I think you should give a try this winter season! Even if you're not much of a reader, these books each have something interesting and unique about them that will draw you in from the very beginning.