Top Ten Tuesday

TTT – Winter Themed Books

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Top Ten Tuesday used to be a weekly post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. “It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” This is definitely something I can understand and want to participate in.

This week’s topic is a holiday/seasonal freebie! Unfortunately, I haven’t come across 10 books with a Chanukah theme. I’ve found two, and one was basically just a Christmas book with a ton of unflattering Jewish tropes and a Hanukkah themed … title. So I’ve decided to go with a topic that I could find 10 books for: WINTER THEMED BOOKS! This is perfect, since I love the winter.

[winter is coming]
  1. The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi — this highly anticipated book takes place in Russia during winter. The ice palace sounded so incredible, and I totally wanted to be there!
  2. A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas — I know a lot of people didn’t love this little novella, but I liked it. Everyone in Velaris is kind of getting their lives back to normal during the winter solstice, and I think it was a nice little end to the first set of books. 
  3. The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black — this is one of those series that I loved, but you knew there was going to be something about the snow just based on the cover. And there was that one scene in the snow which I can’t tell you about because … spoilers. But if you’ve read this, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t read it, you really should!
  4. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo — okay, so I happen to absolutely adore this book, and I’m definitely due for a reread at some point in the near future, but there’s definitely a wintry theme for a good part of the story. Like the ENTIRE HEIST ASPECT? Brrrrr!
  5. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden — this book, and the whole series in fact, makes me feel cold and totally embodies the spirit of winter. Set in old-timey Russia in the dead of winter, there’s deep snows, freezing temperatures, and the frost king. Is there anything else that says “winter” better than this?
  6. Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel — taking place in an ACTUAL ice age, do I really need to say more?
  7. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater — this one is set in winter, in Minnesota. While I haven’t been in Minnesota for a winter, I’ve got friends who live there, and I can tell how cold it is. The descriptions make me want to wrap myself in a cozy blanket and make a hot cup of tea.
  8. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin — with a motto like “Winter is Coming,” and a setting with deep snows where the dead walk, how could this one not make the list? 
  9. A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon — we may think winter is cold, but imagine winter during the 1700s! This book made me realize how much we take for granted, and made me count my blessings that I can just turn up the heat on a cold night, and don’t have to chop wood and start an actual fire.

What are some winter themed books that you love?

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46 replies »

  2. Love the ‘winter is coming’ gif! I also really enjoyed a Court of Frost and Starlight and loved seeing how everyone was dealing with life after the war. TBATN is an all time favourite series of mine and gives off massive winter vibes. Great list Leah ☺️

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    • Thanks! I don’t know why I’m always surprised how much we have in common book-wise when I really shouldn’t be. I feel like Frost and Starlight gets so much shade, but I like how things are calmed down and everyone is healing in their own way. And the Winternight trilogy is incredible!

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  6. Six of Crows is a great pick for the wintery theme. I really want to re-read that one too some time. Maybe I should read Crooked Kingdom first tough. I keep putting it off haha. Also I kind of want to re-watch some of the earlier seasons of Game of Thrones.

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  8. I should go back and try to finish The Bear and the Nightingale. I’d borrowed it from the library but couldn’t finish it before it was due back for the next patron.

    My post.

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  10. WINTER IS COMING!!! Awesome picks, Leah 🙂 TBATN is an awesome winter read and I hope to re-read that at some point to finish the Winternight trilogy! I also have Shiver (actually the whole trilogy) on my shelf and I can’t wait to finally give Stiefvater’s books a try!

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  15. I love this list! I’ve only read Six of Crows and Queen of Nothing so far but I enjoyed them both. So many other stories I want to read, especially The Bear and the Nightingale!

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  18. YES to Clan of the Cave Bear! I can’t imagine living alone in a tiny ice cave for two months, let alone as a kid! And I love how, when she returns, she’s so completely covered in snow that the Clan thinks she’s a supernatural beast. 😄

    The Winter Long, by Seanan McGuire, is basically about an evil Snow White.

    Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, is a middle-grade twist on The Snow Queen.

    The Egypt Game, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, ends at Christmas.

    I honestly can’t remember that many winter- or even Christmas-themed books that I’d consider favorites…

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    • I was honestly waiting for you to come through with the Clan of the Cave Bear comment! Ayla was the original feminist character and she’s stuck with me as one of the most memorable characters. Haha I forgot about the part where they think she’s a supernatural beast! I’m going to have to check out The Winter Long – it sounds great.

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      • Yes, she’s one of my favorite girl-powered characters in literature, and at this point in the series she gets to be a human badass rather than the ur-Mary Sue whose only flaw is that she’s too selfless.

        I’d recommend reading the previous books in the October Daye series before you get to The Winter Long, to get the biggest impact…except that I started in the middle of the series myself, so I can’t really talk. 😅

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      • Understandable! I started in the middle (technically with book 5.1, which is the selkie novella that comes after book 5) because I didn’t want to wait for the one with all the mermaids, but it did take some of the impact away from a big revelation.

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  19. It’s such a shame that there aren’t more Hanukkah themed books that are readily available. Have you heard of Miracles and Menorahs by Stacey Agdern? It’s a romance that was released back in October and it looks fantastic. I have a copy waiting for me to finally get around to it, but … well, too many books, too little time!

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  21. Pingback: The Would You Rather Book Tag – Kerri McBookNerd

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