
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.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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!
- 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!
- 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?
- Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel — taking place in an ACTUAL ice age, do I really need to say more?
- 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.
- 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?
- 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?
Categories: Top Ten Tuesday
Ahh Winter is Coming! I did consider putting in A Song of Fire and Ice! And The Bear and the Nightingale is just so good!
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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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Haha yes! I get that it’s not all action and angst like the rest of the series, but I liked how she slowed it down and just showed us some domestic/family scenes.
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Great list! The Bear and the Nightingale made my list this week, too, and I really want to give Clan of the Cave Bear a try. 🙂
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Thanks! Clan of the Cave Bear is such a great book and I loved the series!
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Don’t know why Game of Thrones didn’t come to me earlier. https://pmprescott.blogspot.com/2020/12/ttt-120820.html
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I’m starting The Bear and the Nightingale next week and I’m so excited! It seems as though everyone loves it.
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I hope you join the fan club!
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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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Crooked Kingdom kind of broke my heart, not gonna lie. And the show has nothing on the books – you should totally read them instead of watching the show!
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I wonder if all of the Game of Thrones books take place during winter?
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
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They don’t – there’s parts that take place in warmer settings!
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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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You definitely should! For some reason, your link isn’t working 😞
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The Bear And the Nightingale is the perfect wintery book. I’m constantly recommending it!
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Me too! A friend recommended it to me, and I can’t stop raving about it.
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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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Yay! They’ll all give you winter vibes even though you don’t even have that season where you are. 😂 I hope you like the Shiver series!
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I love Six of Crows, one of my favourites! The Silvered Serpents and A Court of Frost and Starlight are both on my TBR and were both on my list this week too, I did wintery covers for my topic!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2020/12/08/top-ten-tuesday-293/
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Thank you! I’m so glad to see how many people did a wintry theme, since I have a hard time relating to Christmas books (having not read any of them) 😂
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I feel the same way, I’m not read a Christmas book reader, I’m much more familiar with Christmas films, so a wintery theme fit me much better!
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I kind of turn into the grinch around this time of year 😂
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Fair, I love Christmas, Christmas books just tend to be romances and I’m not really a romance reader.
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I love this choice! I finally read Six of Crows this year, and I can’t wait to reread it. I also read A Breath of Snow and Ashes this year. Loved it, too. I still need to read The Bear and the Nightingale. Great list!
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Thank you! This list was so much fun to put together because winter is my favorite season. TBATN is one of my favorites!
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A Game of Thrones is like the ultimate winter read. How can we not think of it when “Winter is coming.” is now a staple of our society. Great picks today!
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Thank you!
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It’s too bad there aren’t more books about Jewish holidays. I’m not Jewish, but I enjoy learning about religions and cultures different from mine. I’d be up for a Chanukah book or two!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
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Recommended for You by Laura Silverman was the only book I’ve found that portrayed Chanukah well.
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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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Thank you! I hope you get to read more of these (and love them as much as I do!)
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Great list! I’ve been meaning to read Shiver for sooo long…
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Thank you! I really enjoyed the Shiver series.
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So many great books on this list!
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Thank you! 😊
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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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So true! I’ll have to look into the October Daye series, especially since I’ve heard you mention it more than once. I hate starting a series in the middle 😬
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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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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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It just popped up on my radar this week – I’m going to have to see if I can find a copy! I do wish there were more Chanukah books around.
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I just got Six of Crows yesterday! I’m so excited to finally read it and see what the hype is about.
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Yay! I hope you love it!
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