Five Happy Things
Books Perfect for Winter
This week I wanted to pull together favorite books set in the deep, dark, brittle cold of winter. These books are perfect for reading with a cup of hot tea in front of a toasty fire.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - That cover exactly captures the vibe of this book, all sharp edges and icy blue. On the surface it’s a retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, but it’s so much more. I loved the two settings - a medieval-ish Russian-ish village and also a glittering, frozen fae court. (Amazon link, Bookshop link)
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware - a twisty psychological thriller set in a remote cabin in the woods in the middle of winter. The cabin is super modern, with a huge wall of glass facing the dark woods. The author did such a great job of making me feel like I was there that I think I read the whole thing with my shoulders hunched against the sense that I was being watched from those woods. Get some curtains, people! (Amazon link, Bookshop link)
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - one of my favorite Poirot mysteries! I can’t talk about wintry settings without mentioning this classic about a train stopped by a snowstorm - with a murderer aboard. If you’ve never read an Agatha Christie, this is a fine one to start with. They don’t need to be read in order. (Amazon link, Bookshop link)
Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin - another classic! Set on the planet Gethen (where it is always winter), this book made me realize how much of our life on Earth - religion, culture, industry, stories, gender roles, and so much more - is rooted in the basic fact that we live on a planet with seasons. I’ve only read this book once, decades ago, but Genly and Estraven’s long, slow trek across a frozen waste is still incredibly vivid in my mind. (Amazon link, Bookshop link)
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder - This was my favorite of all the Little House books. I have no idea why because it’s all hardship, deprivation, isolation, and freezing, freezing cold all the time. The whole town is cut off from supplies of food and fuel, so Laura and Pa spend all day every day twisting handfuls of hay into sticks to burn them like firewood. Really fast-burning, almost-no-heat firewood. I read this book over and over and over again when I was a kid. (Amazon link, Bookshop link)
What are your favorite books with a cold and wintry setting? Tell us in the comments!
You can find past newsletters with book recommendations here.
Enjoy!
Best,
Wendi
❤️
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I am reading The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylvainen set in 1850 Scandinavian tundra. There’s so much snow, and darkness and it makes me feel so cold that I am almost wearing gloves to read the book!
Ugh, you're so good at the categories. I just... read like inhaling, and it never occurs to me some books are better for, like, some times...
BUT. That being said, I thought about it and laughed out loud at the first book that came to mind. MURDER MOST ACTUAL by Alexis Hall was a BANGER of a winter read. This couple is on each other's nerves. One is a true crime podcaster and her wife thinks she's a weeee bit obsessed and needs to get other hobbies... Meanwhile, they're trying to reconnect by going to this luxury Scottish hotel in the dead of winter (aaaand, if you've been in the Highlands in the wintertime, you know it does not PLAY when it comes to that punishing cold), and of course, winter really pulls a fast one and they get stuck there.
And then, murder. Because, obviously.
I had forgotten about this book, which came out in 2021, but I ADORED it.
Another T. Kingfisher is THE RAVEN AND THE REINDEER which is a retelling of The Snow Queen, a fairytale I usually loathe, but this retelling has all the winter vibes plus all of the cozy, withe the ones doing the saving being stronger together, which I always love.