Pair this list of books that feel like winter with a warm steaming mug and a cuddly soft blanket! (Snow is optional!)
(This post is about books that feel like winter.)
Do you love reading during the winter? When the outside chill and the early sunsets keep us all inside, there’s nothing better than snuggling up with a great book.
This booklist brings all the moody, wintry vibes. You’ll discover a book series featuring picturesque winter settings, cabins shrouded in snowfall, a new release, a little romance, and perhaps a magical plot twist or two.
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Fiction Books That Feel Like Winter
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Wintery Reads That Also Feature Christmas
If you didn’t have time during the holidays to relax with a book, these wintry reads capture the magic of Christmas in ideal wintry settings!
The Winter Street Series by Elin Hilderbrand
Take a trip to Nantucket and book a stay at the Winter Street Inn, where you’ll encounter the owner, Kelly Quinn, and his four grown children, who are all visiting over Christmas and experiencing varying degrees of dysfunction in each of their lives.
As a fan of bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand, I enjoy her entertaining storytelling. This four-book series takes you through the struggles and triumphs of four Christmas seasons with the Quinn family.
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The Winter Series by Joanne DeMaio
Each book in this seven-book series shares a common setting: Addison Cove, a small, pretty coastal Connecticut town. In each story, you’ll discover a heartwarming romance.
If you’re looking for a cozy read, her new release, Winter Road, shares a story of a friendship that makes a rocky transition into a romance – which is always fun to watch play out!
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Thrilling Mystery Books with Wintry Settings
Sometimes drifts of snow hide more than the ground below. Sometimes it covers up a mystery! If you’re in the mood for suspense, you’ll find it in these bone-chilling books!
Mountain Resort Mystery Series by Shannon Work
This five-book mystery series will keep you guessing and turning pages! The mountains of Colorado set the scene. In the first two books, Now I See You and Everything to Lose, the luxury ski resorts in Aspen and Vail create the perfect winter settings to solve a murder.
They’re fast-paced, suspenseful, and sure to help you kick the winter blahs!
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The Ocean in Winter by Elizabeth de Veer
The Emery sisters, haunted by their mother’s suicide, now struggle to move on. Alex, the oldest, took care of Colleen and Riley as children. But now Riley has become estranged from the family until she unexpectedly appears at Alex’s doorstep during a storm.
As mysteriously as she appeared, seemingly under impossible conditions, Riley disappears again. Determined to reconcile and confront their past, Alex and Colleen search for Riley, worrying they may only uncover more of her secrets. (I’m so intrigued, I’m adding this one to my “want to read” list!)
Alone in a Cabin by Leanne W Smith
On Maggie Raine’s fiftieth birthday, she gets a surprise she never wanted. Her husband reveals that he got his young assistant pregnant. Following their divorce, Maggie stumbles upon an advertisement for a 19th-century cabin marketed as an ideal place for writers.
Wanting to pursue her long-held dream of becoming a fiction writer, Maggie rents the cabin from Christmas to New Year’s, hoping for inspiration. However, instead of the story she envisions, the cabin sparks a different tale for Maggie. (Hint: Her new love interest at the cabin may be a ghost!)
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
With their marriage in trouble, winning a trip to Scotland might be the help they’ve desperately needed. However, Adam suffers from face blindness, making it difficult for him to recognize his own wife. This weekend getaway may save their relationship, but they both know someone is lying. Did they really “win” this trip?
This exciting domestic thriller has unexpected twists that’ll keep you riveted until the end!
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Family Fiction Sagas with a Love Story (and All the Winter Vibes)
The dark days of winter just seem to match family drama. However, the love story in these books may warm things up a bit!
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Two sisters who couldn’t be more different, Meredith and Nina Whitson, reluctantly come together when their father becomes seriously ill and asks their unsupportive mother, Anya, to finish a story she had started years ago.
As Anya unravels a captivating tale spanning decades and war-torn Leningrad to present-day Alaska, the sisters embark on a journey that unearths a shocking secret, challenging the core of their family and identities.
This novel may start slow, but stay with it for a sweeping love story!
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The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman
When middle-aged Sonny Dunes, a meteorologist from Southern California, loses her job to a virtual meteorologist, she returns to her northern Michigan hometown, moves in with her mother, and faces past traumas, including the death of her younger sister.
To distract herself, she throws herself into covering various winter events and forms a connection with a widower. However, someone is trying to sabotage her career, forcing Sonny to confront her past and open her heart to find a true home.
You’ll laugh and cry with this entertaining wintry read!
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Books-a-Million
Magical Realism and Fantasy Winter Books
These books are like waking up to an unexpected snowfall that seemingly magically transforms your surroundings.
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
In 1920s Alaska, Jack and Mabel struggle in their childless marriage as they fight the elements to establish their homestead. Despite drifting apart, they enjoy a fleeting moment of fun while building a snow child – only to see it mysteriously disappear the next day.
Shortly after, they encounter a young girl named Faina, who seems to have a fascinating connection to the wilderness. As they try to understand her, they grow to love her as their own daughter. However, they soon discover that there is more to Faina than meets the eye!
Get ready for a beautiful story that seamlessly blends reality and magic!
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The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
In this fantasy novel, at the edge of the Russian wilderness, Vasilisa and her siblings enjoy listening to fairy tales by the fire during the long winter nights. Vasya is particularly fascinated by the story of Frost, a feared winter demon.
However, when Vasya’s widowed father brings home a devout stepmother from Moscow, she forbids the family from honoring their household spirits, causing misfortune to befall the village. As her stepmother becomes harsher and determined to reshape the village, Vasya must tap into hidden powers to protect her family from the evil that arises from her childhood’s terrifying tales.
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Books-a-Million
Bonus! Winter Books Featured on Past Posts
You may have missed these great winter reads featured in my previous posts. But, score, you can check them out here.
Beartown Series by Fredrik Backman
I wrote about Beartown in 15 Best Book Series for Adults to Read Now. I read the series and can confidently tell you it’s the perfect moody winter read!
Beartown is the story of a small town in Sweden, their obsession with their local hockey team, and, most of all, the story of the players, their classmates, and their families. The book series literally starts with a “bang!” and doesn’t let up with emotional plot twists that bang out one after the next.
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble |Bookshop.org | Books-a-Million
Winter Soltice by Rosamunde Pilcher
Last month, I added Winter Solstice to my annual roundup of the Best Holiday Books to Read this Christmas.
Despite their troubles, five unlikely characters come together at a dilapidated mansion near a Scottish fishing village to celebrate Christmas. This odd gathering forms friendships as the story unravels, capturing the spirit of the holiday season. This British novel offers a comforting and enjoyable reading experience, especially on a cold winter night!
Buy on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Books-a-Million
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January Book Prompt for the 2024 Reading Challenge
This year’s reading challenge is only beginning with this post that doubles as January’s book prompt: “Books That Feel Winter,” but you can check out booklists from the last two years for more entertaining reading recommendations!
Plus, if you haven’t yet, sign up for the Book Lovers Newsletter to receive each month’s booklist delivered to your inbox. Then you can look forward to reading inspo at the top of each month!
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