Five Winter Reads

A list of mysterious books that take place in winter

Photo by Yuliia Tretynychenko on Unsplash

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’re having a mild winter, and I have to admit I’m a little disappointed about it. The first year we moved to Washington state from Southern California there was record-breaking snow, ice, and freezing temperatures that kept us locked in our house for over a week. That was a little extreme-by the end of that week I was saying things like, “I’m starting to understand The Shining a lot better now…”, which caused a few worried looks from my husband.

While I’m not wishing for that much snow again, I would love just one or two good snow days. You know, so I can stay inside and read, guilt-free. Until that happens, here’s a list of books I recommend reading if you are wishing for a little snow too.

Five Books that Feel Like Winter

Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Høag

I thought I would start with an older book. Smilla’s Sense of Snow was published back in 1992 and I have a strong memory reading the entire novel on an airplane. I can’t remember where I was going, but I do remember not being able to put this book down. This book was my first introduction to Nordic Noir (a genre of crime fiction that is set in Scandinavian countries) and led to my love of police procedural television series. It’s about a snow scientist who works to solve the mystery of child’s death.

To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

In last month’s booklist of Five Cozy Reads for Winter, I listed one of my favorite books, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. This month, I’m adding another one of Ivey’s books, To the Bright Edge of the World.

In the winter of 1885, a Colonel leaves his young wife at the Vancouver, Washington barracks to lead an expedition to find the Northwest Passage in Alaska. As typical of an Eowyn Ivey book you’ll find plenty of beautiful, Alaskan wilderness, magical realism, and folklore between the pages of this novel. It’s told through letters between the Colonel and his wife and journals that are being gathered for exhibit by a modern-day museum curator.

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

As I assembled this list of winter reads, I must have been feeling nostalgic because this is the second book I’m recommending that was published in the early 1990s. But some of you weren’t even born yet and some may have been too busy raising families and building careers during those days, so why not recommend them?

Lately, I’ve been going back and rereading books and it’s a different experience to read something in your mid-fifties versus reading it in your mid-twenties so even if you have read these, I do recommend a second reading.

Snow Falling on Cedars was published in 1994. It takes place on a fictional island in the Puget sound. (I also seem to be heavily recommending books that take place in my beloved state of Washington.) It’s another mystery, this time set in 1954 and deals with the anti-Japanese sentiments that followed WWII.

It’s misty and wintery and atmospheric and is the perfect read for not just winter, but for these divisive times we seem to have found ourselves in again-a reminder not to repeat history.

Sleeping Giants by Rene Denfeld

I’m going to go all in on recommending books that take place in my beloved Pacific Northwest because all of our rain, fog, and occasional snow just lends itself to the winter theme.

Sleeping Giants takes place on the Oregon coast. A young woman, Amanda, was adopted and has no idea she had an older sibling until she tries to find her birth mother. In the process of looking for her brother, she discovers he drowned off a beach in a small Oregon town. While she tries to untangle what happened to him, she meets retired-police detective, Larry Palmer and together they uncover the cruelties that foster children endure as well as their own pasts.

I’m not going to lie. It’s a dark book but beautifully written with an important social message about our need to do better for children who are vulnerable.

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

This historical fantasy is set in England in the 19th century. It’s about a drowned girl, pulled from the wintery Thames. After her body is brought back to the local pub, she comes back to life.

The theme of storytelling is beautifully woven throughout the story and the river itself is such a strong symbol that it almost becomes a character in the book.

And with that, I will leave you with this quote:

“It was better to tell such stories close to the river than in a drawing room. Words accumulate indoors, trapped by walls and ceilings. The weight of what has been said can lie heavily on what might yet be said and suffocate it. By the river the air carries the story on a journey: one sentence drifts away and makes way for the next.” -Diane Setterfield, Once Upon a River

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Today’s post is part of the Five on Five monthly link party. This month’s host is Audry Fryer of Bookish AF so click here to see her recommendations for more wintery books and be sure to look in the comments where you’ll find even more reading inspiration.

I’ll be the host on February 5th and we’ll be doing recommendations for Five Romantic Reads for Valentine’s Day. I’d love it if you would join in the fun. Here’s more information if you want to participate.

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