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When the weather outside is chilly, I sometimes like reading books to match! I searched for nine books that had a winter theme and included words like cold, blizzard and snow. Have you read any of these? What did I miss?
Until the Robin Walks On Snow by Bernice L. Rocque
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)
This is a story set in 1922 and is about an immigrant family and their midwife as they struggle to save a tiny premature baby. Apparently, it was inspired by real events in Norwich, Connecticut. The description also says that there is chapter describing the family’s Polish and Lithuanian Christmas Eve traditions. Sounds really interesting!
In Winter’s Kitchen: Growing Roots and Breaking Bread In the Northern Heartland by Beth Dooley
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)
One reviewer described this book as “almost an Omnivore’s Dilemma for the Minnesotan.” It explores how the local food movement can thrive even in areas where the soil freezes for months of the year. I’m sure this book will include recipes and I’m excited for the inspiration.
A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France by Caroline Moorehead
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)
From the description: “They were teachers, students, chemists, writers, and housewives; a singer at the Paris Opera, a midwife, a dental surgeon. They distributed anti-Nazi leaflets, printed subversive newspapers, hid resisters, secreted Jews to safety, transported weapons, and conveyed clandestine messages. The youngest was a schoolgirl of fifteen who scrawled “V” for victory on the walls of her lycée; the eldest, a farmer’s wife in her sixties who harbored escaped Allied airmen. Strangers to each other, hailing from villages and cities from across France, these brave women were united in hatred and defiance of their Nazi occupiers.” Eventually 230 of these women were hunted down, imprisoned and ultimately sent to Auschwitz. This book contains their story.
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)
At over 400 pages, this book is a big one. I’m not entirely clear about its premise, except that it deals with an island north of Puget Sound, a murder, and the memories of how Japanese residents were treated there during World War II.
The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin
(amazon // bookshop)
In January 1888, there was a freak blizzard that seemingly came out of nowhere, “threatening the lives of hundreds of immigrant homesteaders–especially their children.” I read the nonfiction version of this sad historical event in 2020, so I’m excited to try this fictional account.
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)
How about a chick lit/romance/women’s fiction book? Many of my friends on Goodreads have read this one and enjoyed it, but have warned that the beginning is really slow.
Cherries in Winter: My Family’s Recipe for Hope in Hard Times by Suzan Colon
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)
I was immediately drawn to this description: “When Suzan Colón was laid off from her dream job at a magazine during the economic downturn of 2008, she needed to cut her budget way, way back, and that meant home cooking. Her mother suggested, ‘Why don’t you look in Nana’s recipe folder?’ In the basement, Suzan found the tattered treasure, full of handwritten and meticulously typed recipes, peppered with her grandmother Matilda’s commentary in the margins. Reading it, Suzan realized she had found something more than a collection of recipes—she had found the key to her family’s survival through hard times.” Sounds interesting.
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)
This historical fiction novel is another chunker at over 400 pages. It is about a wounded Confederate soldier as he walks away from the ravages of the Civil War and heads home to his prewar sweetheart. From the reviews, this looks like the type of book that you either love or hate due to its slow pacing and atmospheric writing. I wonder where I’ll end up.
Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink
(better world books)
Written in 1968, this middle grade novel is about a family (run down from the Great Depression) and how they borrow a summer cottage during the winter and welcome a host of visitors. This one looks to be long out of print, but I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for a deal!
I read Winter Garden after The Nightingale and loved it. Slow maybe, but lovable characters and good writing.
I tried reading both Snow Falling on Cedars and Cold Mountain, but couldn’t get into either. I think the timing was just wrong on Snow Falling on Cedars (I’m excited if you read it since it takes place in my neck of the woods!) but with Cold Mountain, the writing is very old fashion if I remember correctly and it put me off.
Last year I listened to Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher, and oh my goodness it was a delight to listen to. Like a charming story being read to while you sit by the fire. Just all the wintery goodness you can imagine.
Such good information, thank you! I’ll have to add Winter Solstice to my wishlist – sounds like the perfect book for the next couple of months.
I’d thought of reading Snow Falling on Cedars, but a friend on Goodreads flagged it for a ton of explicit sexual content, so just be aware of that.
In Winter’s Kitchen sounds totally fascinating and right up my alley — off to go check it out right now!
Thanks for the heads up! I always like to be aware of those types of things before investing time in a book.