This is only my second ever post for Top Ten Tuesday, which is a freebie this week. So I thought I’d throw together a collection of books with wintery vibes. These books might feel wintery because of their cover or because the story occurs during the colder seasons. Regardless, I don’t plan to think to hard about it! š
Top Ten Tuesday was created byĀ The Broke and the BookishĀ in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Books With Wintery Vibes
THE CITY OF STARDUST by Georgia Summers: I know the standard edition cover doesn’t look wintery, but the Fairyloot special edition certainly does! Plus there are descriptions about a snow-covered city that stick in my mind. It also has major fairytale vibes, which evoke wanting to curl up with a blanket in front of a fire. Find my review here.
THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden: Can you believe it that I still haven’t read this?! Regardless, the synopsis itself mentions winter, plus the book cover clearly looks chilly. “Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon.”
NORTH IS THE NIGHT by Emily Rath: I haven’t yet read this because, well, it’s not yet published! But just like Arden’s book above, the cover looks rather cool. “Two bold young women defy the gods and mortals, living and dead, in this darkly mythical, Finnish folklore-inspired fantasy duology.”
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE NORTH by Philip Pullman: I read this via audiobook a couple months ago and loved the narration. It’s a novella related to Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy centered on Lee Scoresby, the hot air balloon pilot.
THE NORTH WIND by Alexandria Warwick: I read this when the author self-published/independently published it. Now a traditional publisher picked it up and republished it. So I assume more editing ensued and it’s slightly different. My review of the self-published version is here. “Inspired byĀ Beauty and the BeastĀ and the myth of Hades and Persephone, this lush and enchanting enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Scarlett St. Clair.“
NORTH QUEEN by Nicola Tyche: I feel like this self-published/independently published fantasy trilogy doesn’t get enough hype. The political maneuvering in this is great. I have just the third and final book to read. My review of NORTH QUEEN is here.
MIDNIGHT IN EVERWOOD by M.A. Kuzniar: Yet another book I bought a couple of years ago and have yet to read! “In the darkness of night, magic awaits…It was a rainy day that the magic came, and once magic has entered your life, you stay in its glittering clutch forever.”
KINGDOM OF SWEETS by Erika Johansen: This is a dark retelling of The Nutcracker with plenty of scenes of wintery weather. Full review is here. “This gloriously transportive reimagining ofĀ The NutcrackerĀ tells the tale of twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against each another one fateful Christmas Eve.“
HOW THE PENGUINS SAVED VERONICA by Hazel Prior: This is a sweet tale about found family after personal hardship and learning to let others in. Full review is here. “A curmudgeonly but charming old woman, her estranged grandson, and a colony of penguins proves itās never too late to be the person you want to be in this rich, heartwarming story from the acclaimed author ofĀ Ellie and the Harpmaker.“
LEDGE by Stacey McEwan: This is a fast-paced dark fantasy romance that takes place in a cold, barren land. Full review is here. “After being randomly selected as a human sacrifice, instead of death, Dawsyn finds herself on a quest to save her people from their icy prisonā¦”
And there you have it for books with wintery vibes! Have you read any of these? And what books would you pick for this list?
The Bear and the Nighthingale is so worth it!
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2024/12/03/top-ten-tuesday-2024-backlist-books-final-check-in/
If if makes you feel any better I only got around to reading the Winternight series earlier this year. I highly recommend checking it out though. I’m over the moon that North Is The Night is included here as well as City If Stardust that I also adored. I agree that fairytale vibes work wonderfully for winter. A couple of the others are on my TBR but I imagine I’ll get to The North Wind first out of those ones. And I’m off to add the penguin one š I still need to read it but The Bright & The Pale also have a very wintery cover and premise.
Yesss so I’m not the only one who waited forever to read anything Winternight related! There’s another book by the penguin one that looks good, too…can’t remember if it also has penguins in it, but it looks just as cozy/heartwarming as the penguin book.
I hope you enjoy them š„° ooh I looked the author up and that ones a trilogy so maybe it was one of the sequels? Although I’ve also added an otter one by them to my TBR š
I love how often the word “north” appears in these titles, I guess it really is colder there! Great selection. I still haven’t read The Bear and the Nightingale either!
I thought the same thing! So many books with “north” in their title! I suppose it’s not too surprising! And yes…someone else who hasn’t read THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE!
Ahhh, yes! These are the vibes I’m feeling as I was out freezing today. It was snowing and like 15 degrees! haha
It was also quite cold here in the DC area, so a fitting post for many all around, it seems! š
Great list! I love the winter and wintry vibes, so I obviously had to add more books to my TBR. The Bear and the Nightingale is an incredible series, and The Kingdom of Sweets was perfect for this list, even if I didn’t like it as much as I hoped to. City of Stardust gave me winter vibes too, and I enjoyed it.
Thanks! Happy to add to your TBR! š I also didn’t enjoy THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS as much as I hoped, but yea, it still fits here! š
The cover is so pretty.
These do have winters vibes. How the Penguins Saved Veronica sounds like a cute read.
HOW THE PENGUINS SAVED VERONICA was a cute and heartwarming read!
My mom and I just did a buddy read of MIDNIGHT IN EVERWOOD! I published our discussion today, haha. I didn’t care for it much but it is definitely a good winter-themed read. I would rather nudge you towards THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE š I loved reading those books each winter as they were released.
Oh dearā¦well, hopefully Iāll like MIDNIGHT IN EVERWOOD more than you & your mom did? š«£ I knowāIāve heard good things about Ardenās trilogy. The first book doesnāt look that long, so I should just start it buuuuut you know how that goesā¦so many books!