Welcome back for another round of recommendations!
Last season, we had cozy autumn books but now we must prepare for the “harsh” winter. Here are some winter book recommendations, and once more we have some extra content at the end!
Alone by Megan E. Freemen
Synopsis
“When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.
With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten.
As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?”
About Alone
Alone is a fast paced novel written in verse and really makes you think about life as you know it. Alone is unlike many novels about people surviving in isolation, as it’s quite realistic as to what it would be like. This book doesn’t have power, mysterious food appearing from nowhere, or an ending that doesn’t make sense. Alone explains every facet of our main character’s life, including her internal struggles. This book has been recommended for people who enjoyed Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell (both of which are great books which I recommend as well).
Ratings
GoodReads rating: 4.14/5
Personal rating: 5/5 stars
Age rating: 10+
White Fox by Chen Jiatong (Translated by Jennifer Feely)
Synopsis
“A young white fox called Dilah returns home to find his mother gravely injured. Before she dies, she tells him about a treasure with the power to make animals human. The clues to its location are contained in a moonstone buried beneath their den. But wicked blue foxes seek the treasure too and Dilah must race to find it first. Along the way, he meets all sorts of other creatures: a friendly seal, an ancient tortoise and a fierce leopard – but can he stay one step ahead?”
About White Fox
White Fox takes place in the arctic & follows an adorable fox named Dilah. This book is surprisingly captivating for a children’s book, and if you read my last book recommendation, you’d know that I don’t usually enjoy books written for younger audiences. This book, even though it’s written for middle grade, does not shy away from mature topics such as death and human’s impact on the environment. White Fox is a book that grows with you. Everytime you reread it, you notice a new thing and understand the subtle details’ intentions as you mature.
Ratings
GoodReads rating: 3.83/5
Personal rating: 5/5 stars
Age rating: 9+
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Synopsis
“Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why — or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.
To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man’s touch — and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he’s determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather’s last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.”
About The Inheritance Games
Although I feel this book’s fast pace could be interpreted as more of a spring mood, I think The Inheritance Games is perfect for a cozy winter night. Its plot will keep you engaged and guessing every page and every (VERY short, one of the book’s many benefits) chapter. The Inheritance Games is also a great book for those who want to get into reading, as it is so engaging. This is definitely one of those books that anyone could read in a day.
Ratings
GoodReads rating: 4.15/5
Personal rating: 5/5 stars
Age rating: 12+
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Synopsis
“A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love in the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series.
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party–or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, and the Fair Folk.
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.
But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones–the most elusive of all faeries–lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all–her own heart.”
About Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedie of Faeries is the first installment of the fantasy Emily Wide series. This book describes everything so enchantingly, you’ll want to be in Hrafnsvik yourself! Heather Fawcett so perfectly describes the winter weather & snowy scenery that it feels like you are there yourself. She is definitely the perfect role model for any writers practicing imagery. The only complaint about this book is that its entire trilogy is not out yet. But don’t fret! Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands has already been released and Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Tales is releasing in January.
Ratings
GoodReads rating: 4.01/5
Personal rating: 5/5 stars (Fun fact: this is my 2nd favorite book of all-time)
Age rating: 12+ (Writing can occasionally be difficult to understand)
Dog Driven by Terry Lynn Johnson
Synopsis
“McKenna Barney is trying to hide her worsening eyesight and has been isolating herself for the last year. But at the request of her little sister, she signs up for a commemorative mail run race in the Canadian wilderness—a race she doesn’t know if she can even see to run.
Winning would mean getting her disease—and her sister’s—national media coverage, but it would also pit McKenna and her team of eight sled dogs against racers from across the globe for three days of shifting lake ice, sudden owl attacks, snow squalls, and bitterly cold nights.
A page-turning adventure about living with disability and surviving the wilderness, Dog Driven is the story of one girl’s self-determination and the courage it takes to trust in others.”
About Dog Driven
Dog Driven is a surprisingly deep book that seems like it’s just about a girl & dog sleds, when in reality it is so much more. Terry Lynn Johnson captures the feeling of trying to prove your worth to others & the urge to show people that you are more than your disability. Dog Driven also brings awareness to the lesser-known disability Stargardt’s disease, which causes partial blindness.
Ratings
GoodReads rating: 4.24/5
Personal rating: 4.5/5 stars
Age rating: 10+
For the Adults (and Mature Readers):
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
Synopsis
“A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.”
About These Violent Delights
These Violent Delights in its simplest form is an Asian retelling of Romeo and Juliet. The quiet references to the original Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare make this book even better. I’m not exactly sure how to explain it, but the main villain of this book makes me feel physically cold, just as a winter night would. In my opinion, what makes this book super winter-y for me is its tone. Somehow, this book just feels like winter. Although technically a young adult book, I would recommend this to people 15+. It has quite a bit of violence, but also has hidden meanings that I think adults can grasp better than the average young adult reader, but if you have been reading the genre for quite a bit and can enjoy some figurative language, this is a perfect read as an intro to the adult genre! I recommend consulting a parent/guardian before picking up this novel.
Ratings
GoodReads rating: 3.83/5
Personal rating: 5/5 stars
Age rating: 13+
Extras
Once again, here are some other books that have caught my attention that the internet deems “winter-like” that most of I have yet to read (unfortunately).
Middle Grade/YA
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
- A Winter’s Promise by Christielle Dabos
- Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi
- The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Classics
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Adult
- Beartown by Fredik Backman
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- The Shining by Stephen King
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (Great book, 100/10)
