The Reading Lounge: Favorite Reads With Winter Vibes

10 of my all time favorite books with winter vibes ❄️

Hello❄️

I’m a huge seasonal reader and despite being a bit “over winter” here in the midwest, I’m still in a winter reading mood. For me, that means books set in cold locales where there’s snow, ice, and/or just an overall chilly atmosphere. Over the years I’ve read some stellar books that had a variety of winter vibes and I’ve rounded up ten of my very favorites for you today. Some are mystery/thriller, others are literary and historical fiction. All were unputdownable.

Favorite Books With Winter Vibes

• The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf Bookshop

  A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstorm in this chilling thriller

  This story is a wild ride to say the least. And wow the snow storm was an intergral part of this story. I felt cold just reading those sections. This was excellent atmospheric writing with 3 separate mystery timelines that came together seamlessly. It did take a little time for me to get the details of each timeline straight, but I was literally on the edge of my seat reading. I picked this up at 10:00 at night and planned on reading an hour and when I put it down and looked at my phone it was after midnight- time literally flew I was so engrossed!

• An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway . . . but when the storm hits, no one is getting away

I enjoyed this winter setting mystery. I thought the writing was engaging, the chapters were short which kept the pace moving quickly and the characters were well developed considering there were so many. It felt very Agatha Christie like at times and I didn't have it figured out which is always a plus. I listened to part of it on audio and the narrator was excellent. Highly recommend if you like locked room mysteries with many possible suspects.

• A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson

The first book in a thrilling series featuring a wildlife biologist who courts trouble as she saves endangered species . . . and a mysterious killer who buries his dead in the land she helps preserve

Set in an old ski resort in the remote Wyoming wilderness, Alex, the wildlife biologist sent to the resort on a new job, finds herself in danger as soon as she arrives. Snow and cold are integral setting details and Alex’s isolation creates added tension. I enjoyed getting to know Alex, as well as learning about wolverines. There was plenty of action, good writing, and a chilly atmosphere

• What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson

Jack Morton has nothing left. Except his younger brother, Matty, who he'd do anything for. Even die for. Now with their mother gone, and their funds quickly dwindling, Jack needs to make a choice: lose his brother to foster care, or find the drug money that sent his father to prison. He chooses the money

This book surprised me in every possible way. I thought the characters were layered and interesting —told from both Ava and Jacks perspective- I couldn’t help but be pulled into their story as both had families who were not there for them.

The twists and turns were plenty and I was surprised at how propulsive this read. I binged it in one day! At times it was very thriller like and at other times it was focused squarely on the the characters, and the good and bad that humans inflict on one another. I loved that this ended up being a bittersweet story. Bravo to the author for creating a book that navigated hard themes with characters and a story I will remember. I loved it and can’t wait to see what Cory Anderson writes next

• In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende

What begins with a minor traffic accident will become the catalyst for an unexpected and moving love story between two people who thought they were deep into the winter of their lives.

The story takes us from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil. The audio is excellent, there are 3 narrators so each character has a distinct voice and languages which helped to make me feel like they were each telling their story to me. I loved this genre mashup and if you also enjoy a mix of historical fiction, mystery, romance give this a try

• The Deep Deep Snow by Brian Freeman

In an intense, emotional mystery that spans a decade in the life of a small town, an unforgettable heroine discovers that the dead may sometimes be easier to rescue than the living.

I was surprised by how much I loved this book. I felt connected to Shelby from the start and for me that’s important in a mystery/police procedural. This was well plotted, perfectly paced, and a spider web of creation as far as the different threads of secrets and lies that were introduced and then explored throughout the story. The writing was great, and I loved that the author allowed me to attempt to solve the puzzle. Alas, I couldn’t figure it out and I was happy with that

• The Current by Tim Johnson

With one of the most chilling and tension filled opening scenes I’ve read; Tim Johnston introduces us to two young women who decide to leave their college campus in the dead of winter and drive north to Minnesota. After stopping for gas at tiny gas station far from the exit and late at night, they experience a situation that has them fleeing in a hurry. However, it isn’t long before they find themselves in an even more terrifying predicament involving the icy Black Root River. One of them will not come out of it alive. What happened was no accident, and news of the crime awakens the community's memories of another young woman who lost her life in the same river ten years earlier, and whose killer may still live among them. With stellar writing, a dual timeline mystery, and themes of grief, family, and resilience, this story is must read literary suspense.

• The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

An unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet librarian who becomes history’s deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story

This was my first read of Kate Quinn’s and I loved every second of the listening experience. The story alternates between the snowbound city of Kiev and Washington DC. I found the main character Mila to be a fascinating, determined character and I was so invested in following her story.

• The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld

  From the opening page I was drawn into the world of Naomi, a dedicated, bordering on obsessed child finder, who's come back to her home state of Oregon to search for Madison, a little girl who's been missing for three years. Madison and her parents had drove to the mountains to cut down a Christmas tree and in the blink of an eye a blizzard was upon them and Madison had vanished. Naomi is the last resort for Madison's parents as she has been for so many others and she combines her skills as an investigator with her own life experience of knowing what it feels like to be found.
  
  The plot flows and evolves brilliantly with the use of alternating POVs of Naomi and "The Snow Child" as well as thankfully short ones from Mr. B...you'll have to read to find out who he is! It's very hard for me to put into concise words everything I loved about this story and the writing. The way Denfeld paints a picture with words... of the forest and snow, the fascinating use of imagination to survive, the intense feelings of hope and despair, the longing to belong and experience love when pain and fear have been so prominent. She created an almost dreamlike quality with her writing that enabled me to get through what I will say were some tough aspects of this story as far as abuse, neglect, and child trauma goes. At no time, however, was any aspect "in your face" or gratuitous; rather, it was an element of the story that couldn't be avoided. All this being said, this is a wonderful and unique part mystery, part thriller, character driven novel that I couldn't put down

• Beartown by Fredrik Backman

  I'm going to be honest, the first half of the book is what you might call a character/setting set up and what I mean by that is the author takes you to Beartown...you are there in the frigid outdoors of a small isolated town in the forest as kids exhaust themselves playing hockey in an effort to not only make something of themselves and their future but also to save the town. These kids are aware of what a victory in the semi-finals means for Beartown and they will literally use their blood, sweat and tears to try to make it happen. As a result, we get to know some remarkable characters and their parents and others who infiltrated my heart and mind, and that's just what Backman wants to happen because by the time the second half of the book rolls around, I was so obsessed with these characters, this town, and this story that...you guessed it...I was up until at least 2:00am reading!
  
  I won't tell you anything else about the plot except to say that of course there's a pivotal, life altering, tragic event that happens that not everyone you've grown to love will recover from and the way Backman has this play out in the second half of the book is brilliant. I was so captivated by the writing and the story I didn't care that I lost significant amounts of sleep for 2 nights...it's just that good! And if you've read other reviews and/or blurbs about this book you might know that it's often compared to Friday Night Lights which, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest tv shows EVER, and it most definitely reminded me of that small Texas football obsessed town.

  

  Are you a seasonal reader? What books with winter vibes have you enjoyed? Let’s chat in the comments…