Warm and Cozy Winter Book Recommendations

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog! 

Alright, today is the final seasonal book recs post! I've done Spring, I've done Summer, I've done Fall, and now it's time for Winter! If a book is a Winter read for me, it's usually fantasy or historical fiction (or both!) and it's something that makes you feel cold. Like while you're reading it, you want a cup of hot chocolate or hot cider, and fuzzy socks, and a heated blanket. I also gravitate toward slower, character-driven reads this time of year: I like to take my time while reading in the Winter, like I'm absorbing the words. 

So today I have a list of ten perfect books to read in Winter. None of these are particularly new, in fact they're all pretty backlist titles (a few years old or more), but I hope with this list you'll be able to find something new to you, or maybe even a book for a friend or family member that would be perfect to gift this holiday season! There is a mix of young adult and adult novels here, and I will specify which ones are YA.

Okay, let's get into the recs!

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The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

If you've ever looked up "Winter Book Recommendations" I guarantee that this book was on all of the lists you found. It's really the quintessential Winter read, and for good reason. This series (aptly named the Winternight Trilogy) follows a woman living in the Russian tundra during the Christian revolution. This was a time in history where Christianity/Catholicism/monotheistic religions swept through the world and shoved out the polytheistic/pagan religions that were originally in the area. When Vasya's stepmother declares their household a Christian (Catholic? I'm not sure if there's a distinction in this novel, actually) one, all of the older household gods that Vasya has always been able to see and interact with begin to disappear. 

There is so much more happening in this story, but that's essentially the bare minimum. If that interests you at all, I highly recommend this series. It's the kind of imagery that creeps down into your bones, where you can feel the winter chill through the pages. 

White Stag by Kara Barbieri

We've got another Winter folklore story, but this time it's Germanic/Scandinavian in origin. This is a retelling of the Erlking poem (which is absolutely fantastic in it's own right, you can find it for free online) that kind of asks "what happens after?" 

White Stag follows Janneke, a seventeen-year-old prisoner in the goblin realm after her entire village was destroyed by the very beings who now hold her captive. She's in direct service to Soren, who has ambitions to be the next Goblin King. If you like stories with a central hunt/game, this is absolutely the book for you. And there's a sequel, Goblin King, if you find yourself needing more from Janneke and Soren in your life. Personally, I found this YA series fun and interesting, and I loved all of the folklore references. 

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

This is such a hard recommendation for me because I truly recommend going into this book knowing nothing about it. But how exactly can I promote this book to read if I don't tell you what it's about? It's a conundrum, I tell you. 

Anyway, this book doesn't technically take place in Winter, but it feels like a Winter read to me because of the slow, character-focused themes. There isn't much of a plot, but the narrator's observations and philosophical and poetic waxing's make up for it, in my opinion. The language in this book is simply ethereal. There's really no other way to describe it. I do have to say, however, that there are a lot of reviews that mention this is inspired by Greek mythology, and it really isn't. So if you picked it up expecting a retelling of a myth, please adjust your expectations accordingly, because it's such a wonderful story but I don't want people to come away disappointed because they read something about it that didn't turn out to be true. 

The Silence of Bones by June Hur

If you're a fan of mystery and thriller novels, then this is the perfect pick for you this Winter! The Silence of Bones by June Hur is a historical fiction mystery novel set during the Joseon era of Korea, a 500 year period from 1392 to 1910, though this particular story happens in the year 1800. At this point in time, police departments had to employ (more like indentured servitude) female servants for the explicit purpose of handling female bodies, such as murder victims or witnesses. 

In this novel we follow one such servant, a 16-year-old named Seol who came to the capital city looking for her brother. After one of the wealthiest women is murdered, Seol becomes wrapped up in the mystery of the century, full of conspiracy and betrayal. Keep in mind this is a YA novel and therefore won't be very graphic, so it's perfect for any budding detectives out there!

Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata

This is the only classic on this list, but honestly you can find so many classic novels perfect for the Wintertime. But we're only talking about this one today! Snow Country is a Japanese novel originally written in the 1950s following a small isolated village on the side of a mountain, and a love affair that happens there. 

Like most literary fiction from Japan, it's rather straightforward in its description, there's no meandering or anything left up to interpretation, but I actually find that writing-style refreshing every once in a while. I do have to say that the depictions of women aren't great in this novel, as is also the trend with Japanese literature, but sadly I think that's just something you have to swallow down with a grain of salt (or is it a spoon of honey? Which one makes it easier? All of these food analogies are getting away from me these days). 

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

I think this is the first book on this list that I ever read. It's been years (I must have read it back in 2018), so please forgive me if I make any mistakes while describing it. My memory is not what it used to be, that's for sure. 

We Are Okay is a hard-hitting YA contemporary novel following Marin, a college student who was raised by her grandfather in San Francisco after the death of her mother. She refuses to come home for winter break after her first semester of school, so instead her best friend Mabel, who Marin hasn't spoken to since she moved to New York, comes to her. They spend the first few days of the break in Marin's cold dorm room, rehashing old hurts and discovering new things in the process. It will leave you feeling raw and open, like you've bared all your wounds for the world to see. It's nice and short too, so this is a perfect book to read in a day. 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this is the most popular book on this list. It seemed to be everywhere when it was released, I couldn't go ten feet without seeing an ad about it or seeing someone promote it on their socials. Now that it's been a couple of years since it came out and the hype has died down, I feel more comfortable recommending it than just saying "Everyone's reading it so you should, too!"

This book is the poster-child for slow character study novels. It chronicles the life of Addie LaRue, and it's a very long life indeed. In 1714, Addie runs away from a marriage and gives her soul to an old forest god in order to live forever. The only problem is that she is erased from the memories of everyone she ever meets. As soon as the person she's speaking to turns away from her, they forget she ever existed. Until one day, 300 years later, when someone remembers her. And that's it, that's the story. It's very similar to Piranesi, in that there isn't much plot but it's more about the relationships and conversations that Addie has than anything else. It's definitely not for everybody, but I personally really loved it. 

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys 

Sometimes you just need to lie down and have a good cry, and the Winter can absolutely exacerbate that feeling. And crying is totally therapeutic in some instances! But if you need a jumpstart on that moment, maybe something to propel those tears forward, then Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys is the perfect book for that. Seriously, if you read this book and don't end up bawling your eyes out, you deserve some sort of award because you've got tear-ducts of steel. 

This is a YA historical fiction novel that recounts the sinking of the MV Wilhelm Gustloff, a German military transport ship that sunk in the Baltic Sea on January 30, 1945, while carrying refugees from Lithuania, Prussia, Poland, and other Eastern European countries fleeing the war. There were an estimated 10,000 souls on board the ship when it sunk, and only 1,239 registered as survivors, making this the worst maritime disaster in history. All I'm saying, is make sure you've got a box of tissues nearby if you're going to read this book. 

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood-Hargrave

Another historical fiction, hooray! I'm telling you, Winter is when I read the most historical fiction more than any other season. And bonus, this one is sapphic! A point for the lesbians! 

Okay, being a bit more serious. The Mercies is another historical fiction novel that recounts a real event in history. In 1617, a huge storm on Christmas Eve destroyed the fishing boats and consequently, all of the able-bodied men in the Norwegian village of Vardo, leaving the women, small children, and elderly to fend for themselves in the upcoming winter. And for the next three years, they manage to survive and slowly build their community back up around the hole wrenched in it. However, in 1620 a witch hunter arrives in Vardo and sees a land ravaged by the Devil and untouched by God. The resulting witch trials didn't end until over 100 women and men were convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death. It's a horrible moment in history, but Kiran Millwood-Hargrave manages to give these women their names and stories back through her fictional recounting of it. 

The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton

This is by far the slowest book on this list, but it's worth it. I've seen so many people negatively review this book by saying that it's slow-paced, but to me that's actually a huge pro for this kind of novel. This is (as I said) a very slow, atmospheric character study. It's a retelling of King Lear by Shakespeare, but without the blatant misogyny. In fact, this book made me appreciate the play so much more. 

I also always say that this is a wonderful representation of witchcraft. While it is fictional with magic and such, it hits all of the points of practical witchcraft that modern-day witches use: the connection to nature and the earth, getting down on your knees and feeling the soil and creating that bond between caster and medium. It took me a really long time to read this book, but it was absolutely phenomenal. I'm actually hoping to reread it soon, so I can get to the sequel (Lady Hotspur - it's not a direct sequel but there is some overlap with characters). 

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Alright, that's all for today! Tell me, what is your favorite book to read in the Winter? Let me know in the comments or tweet at me @AllyEmReads.

Until next time!