20 supremely cozy books and movies for hibernation season
11. Harry Potter
What would this list be if it didn’t include the massive Harry Potter franchise? Come on. It’s got hidden worlds, magical intrigue, a fantastical castle, and adventurous kids, to name just a few plot points. And while it does get pretty heavy towards the end — main villain Voldemort is one seriously bad guy, to say the least — this series is so incredibly popular and familiar that you can’t help but be transported back to the first time you read it.
The first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’s Stone, in some countries) starts off with, well, Harry Potter. He’s in a pretty rough situation: orphaned and living with his relatives, the Dursleys. His Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and cousin Dudley aren’t exactly the most welcoming family. They’ve grudgingly taken on the care of their young relative, but do little to make him welcome. Harry gets the last of everything and is forced to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs.
That all changes when owls begin to arrive at the Dursley home. They come bearing letters for Harry, from a strange place called the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Though Uncle Vernon tries his hardest to escape the increasingly ridiculous number of owls, it’s no use. A friendly, though massive man called Hagrid tracks them down and takes Harry into the world of magic. He’s got to get to school, after all.
That’s only the beginning. In due course, Harry makes fast friends with Ron Weasley, a young boy from a large, if a little ramshackle, wizarding family. They eventually team up with Hermione Granger, who turns out to be one of the greatest girl characters in all fiction. Together, they must fight against the rise of the Dark Lord, the aforementioned Voldemort. He’s like all of history’s worst people merged into one, and with magical powers to boot.
All of the books in the series are worth your time. Depending on how much you’re into Harry Potter, you may want to skip the first couple of movies, which are fairly unremarkable and showcase child actors just learning the ropes (sorry, Daniel Radcliffe, but you did get a lot better). The third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, is where things get arguably more interesting, film-wise.