Books Set in Antarctica and the Arctic

by Laura Galloway
Setting: Norwegian Arctic Tundra, 2010s

This book is part-memoir, part-travelogue and the incredible story of how Laura Galloway’s life changed after an ancestry test to find her roots. When the test revealed shared DNA with the Sámi people, the indigenous inhabitants of the Arctic tundra, she was inspired to learn more. Along the way, a relationship with a Sámi reindeer herder led her to leave New York for the tiny town of Kautokeino, Norway.

However, when the relationship ended after six months, Laura wasn’t ready to leave the remote community behind. She stayed for six years, trying to learn the language, but also trying to make peace with her difficult childhood and to discover what it means to truly belong.

The Book Girls Say…If you’re looking for a book that brings heart-warming qualities to the cold environment, readers say this charming book is similar to Eat, Pray, Love or Wild, but with a more likable protagonist.

by Gay Salisbury
Setting: Remote Alaska to Nome, 1925

In 1925, the remote town of Nome, Alaska, suffered a severe diphtheria outbreak. While scientists had created a lifesaving serum, it was located 1000 miles away, and there was no clear transport route. Roads didn’t exist, and planes couldn’t fly in the harsh blizzard conditions. But without the serum, death was inevitable for those affected.

Inspired by the annual Iditarod race, sled dog teams were called upon to make the long treacherous journey. While you may know about one of the dogs, Balto, this is a deeper look at the whole event and journey.

The Books Girls Say…This non-fiction account of The 1925 Serum Run to Nome reads like an adventure tale in some portions but can feel more like a textbook in others. However, you’ll get new insight into native cultures in Alaska, sled dogs, and the history of the diphtheria epidemic.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Robyn Mundy
Setting: Svalbard Norwegian Arctic, 1930s

Young widow Wanny makes a bold choice to enter the male-dominated field of trapping in Norway. It’s 1932, and she has to prove to her trapping partner, Anders, that she’s perfectly fit for the task ahead. She travels to Svalbard, a Norweigan archipelago in the Arctic Circle, on the hunt for Arctic fox.

For four months of frigid polar darkness, Wanny, Anders, and their dogs encounter dangers from polar bears to blizzards as they hike. Along the way, Wanny must make sure her deceptions aren’t exposed.

Along with the story of the trappers, you’ll read the poignant story of one young blue Arctic fox called Little Blue as he learns to survive winter and escape the traps laid by hunters.

The Book Girls Say…This historical fiction novel is based on the incredible true story of the first female trapper in Svalbard, Wanny Woldstad.

by Greer Macallister
Setting: Arctic Expedition, 1850s

This historical mystery is based on the true story of Lady Jane Franklin's quest to find her husband, who went missing during an arctic expedition in the 1850s. She convinces adventurer Virginia Reeve to lead 12 women on a secret quest through impossible terrain and conditions.

A year later, only 5 of the original 12 women are back home, and Virginia has been charged with murder. This compelling novel covers both the expedition and the court case, combining a tale of adventure with a legal drama. We can't wait to read this arctic novel to see how it plays out!

The Book Girls Say... This book begins with quite a bit of backstory before the Arctic adventure begins, but it's well worth it, and the importance of the long introduction becomes apparent as the story comes together.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
96% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Thomas J. Sims
Setting: Nome, Alaska, early 1970s

The author graduated from medical school amid the Vietnam War, but on eve of being drafted into the Army to serve as a M.A.S.H. surgeon in Vietnam, he was offered a commission in the U.S. Public Health for assignment in Anchorage, Alaska. Once he arrived in Anchorage, he discovered he was being transferred to a remote outpost over 500 miles northwest in Nome.

In addition to covering the frontier town alone, he was responsible for the care of 13 Eskimo villages in the Norton Sound area. Equipment and supplies were sparse, nothing like his time learning on state-of-the-art equipment in school. Additionally, he was seen as an outsider and not trusted by those he served. This memoir tells about his time serving patients on the icy shores of the Bering Sea.

The Book Girls Say…Last year, one of our readers enjoyed another memoir sharing a female doctor’s story about her time in Antarctica called Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole.

by Kristin Hannah
Setting: Remote Alaska, 1974

When a Vietnam POW returns home, he carries new anger and impulsiveness. Determined to stand by her husband, his wife agrees with his plan to move his family to Alaska to live off the grid. Soon after arriving, the harsh reality of rural Alaska sets in for 13-year-old Leni and her mom. For a while, things are better with her dad as they prepare for their first Alaskan winter, but she fears his more balanced self is only temporary.

The Book Girls Say... While only northern Alaska is officially part of the Arctic circle, we think this book deserves a place on our list of arctic fiction because it provides an intimate look at life for families who live in extreme environments. They have to be very intentional with preparations to survive long winters. It was a five-star read for both of us!

WARNING: This book includes descriptions of domestic abuse.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
98% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Alice Henderson
Setting: Canadian Arctic, present-day

If you’re a fan of action-packed thrillers, you might enjoy this Arctic mystery about a wildlife biologist. Alex gets an opportunity to study threatened polar bears in the Canadian Arctic with a small team of researchers. She spends days flying over remote areas by helicopter, using a tranquilizer gun to temporarily freeze the bears so she can get close to them.

As the study continues, enough unfortunate events occur that it’s clear someone doesn’t want her to complete her work. From missing equipment and the sudden resignation of her pilot to late-night intruders, it’s clear she isn’t welcome. Things escalate when the helicopter catches fire mid-flight, trapping the team on the frozen ice far from civilization.

The Book Girls Say…This is the 2nd book in the Alex Carter series, with the first taking place in Montana and Manitoba as Alex studies wolverines.

by Robert Specht
Setting: Remote Alaska, 1927

This is the true story of Anne Hobbs who arrived in harsh and beautiful Alaska in 1927, at the young age of nineteen. She quickly discovered that running a ramshackle schoolhouse would expose her to more than just the elements.

After she allowed Native American children into her class and fell in love with a half-Inuit man, she learned the meanings of prejudice and perseverance, irrational hatred, and unconditional love.

“People get as mean as the weather,” she discovered, but they were also capable of great good.

The Book Girls Say... Reviewers say that this YA memoir reads like fiction, which is the sign of a great story!

WARNING: The language and attitudes toward indigenous people reflect the racism Anne Hobbs experienced.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
96% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Ruta Sepetys
Setting: Siberia & Lithuania, 1941

Lina is a typical 15-year-old Lithuanian girl who loves painting, drawing, and boys. But one night in 1941, Soviet officers burst into her home, tearing her family away from their comfortable life. She and her mother and brother are forced onto a train with no idea where they are headed.

Under Stalin's orders, they are sent into a work camp under the cruelest and coldest conditions. Just getting to the camp requires crossing the Arctic Circle But, somehow, Lina finds comfort in her drawings. She depicts the scenes she witnesses daily in hopes that they'll provide proof of all they are forced to endure.

The Book Girls Say... This YA novel deals with the very grim realities of a Gulag and will introduce you to a side of WII that you've probably learned little about. Some readers didn't enjoy the audio version of this book as much as the printed version.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
97% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Charlotte McConaghy
Setting: Greenland to Antarctica, "near future"

Franny packs up her research gear and talks her way onto a fishing boat in Greenland to follow the Arctic terns on what could be their last migration from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica.

Set in an unspecified date in the future, this novel has dystopian qualities. As the boat travels farther from civilization and safety, it becomes clear that Franny's journey is as much about running away as it is about following the birds. Franny's tale and journey are equally heartbreaking and breathtaking.

The Book Girls Say... Reviewers warn that this story may make you uncomfortable and that you might need some Kleenex, but that you won't regret being consumed by Franny's story and the beautiful writing.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
95% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Katherine Arden
Setting: Russian Arctic, 14th century

Set in medieval times at the edge of the Russian arctic wilderness, this magical fantasy tale draws on the history of Russian fairytales.

Vasilisa spends the long, cold winter nights around the fire with her siblings, listing to her nurse's fairy tales, and her favorite is that of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. The nurse teaches them to honor the spirits of the house and yard and forest to protect their homes from evil.

When Vasilisa's mom dies, her husband remarries a woman from Moscow who forbids the children from honoring the household spirits. Soon signs of evil are all around - crops are failing, and misfortune strikes the village. Vasilisa must defy the people she loves and call on her hidden and dangerous gifts to protect her family from a threat as frightening as any in her nurse's fairytales.

The Book Girls Say... This book particularly appeals to those who enjoy the fantasy genre. Be sure to take note of the glossary at the back of the book, which will make the story much easier to follow.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
90% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Christoffer Petersen
Setting: Greenland, present-day

When a spy satellite crashes in Greenland, the elite Sirius Sledge Patrol’s first female patroller, Fenna, has to survive the Arctic conditions and a team of mercenaries to retrieve it. After her partner is killed during the mission, she becomes the first patroller to be tried for murder.

After her arrest, a deep fog isolates the village from the outside world, and she must decide who to trust in this thriller.

If you enjoy The Ice Star, there are two additional books featuring Fenna, which are also set in Greenland.

All three books in this series are included with Kindle Unlimited as of 11/17/22.

by Tété-Michel Kpomassie
Setting: Greenland, 1960s

In the tiny West African nation of Togo, when the author was a teenager in the 1950s, he discovered a book about Greenland. He immediately connected with the Arctic environment, so different than anything he had seen.

For almost a decade, he worked his way north, never changing his goal of making it to Greenland. When he arrived in Greenland in the 1960s, the native population was so welcoming that he just had to knock on a door, tell the owners he was a traveler, and he’d be welcomed in for days or even weeks.

At each home, Kpomassie tried to embrace the lives of his hosts, giving him, and in turn us as readers, a deep view into daily life in different villages and Intuit culture.

The Book Girls Say…For a modern memoir about Greenland, try This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland.

by Nora Roberts
Setting: Lunacy, Alaska, early 2000s

Nate Burke needs a change after watching his partner die on duty as a Baltimore police officer. When the remote town of Lunacy, Alaska needs a police chief, Nate packs up his life and heads to the tiny frontier town.

While he was looking for an escape to a low-crime area, his detective skills are soon needed. The body of someone missing for 15 years is found, and it's clear he has been murdered. Soon, there is another town death, which appears to be a suicide and confession, but Nate isn't buying it.

Along the way, Nate develops a complicated relationship with Meg, the daughter of the murder victim. You'll be drawn into this town's characters, the beautiful scenery, and of course, the mystery!

The Book Girls Say... This book weaves together adventure, romance, and suspense. The descriptions of the cold landscape will have you reach for a blanket as you dig into the story.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
97% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Mark Adams
Setting: Alaska, present-day & 1899

In 1899, railroad magnate Edward H. Harriman organized an epic trip. He converted a steamship into a luxury “floating university” and invited some of the brightest scientists and writers to join him on a journey through Alaska’s beauty.

Author Mark Adams retraced this journey more than 100 years later. He traveled three thousand miles, following the itinerary north through Wrangell, Juneau, and Glacier Bay, then continuing west into the colder and stranger regions of the Aleutians and the Arctic Circle.

Along the way, several unusual characters are encountered, and Adams examines how lessons learned in 1899 could apply today. While this non-fiction travelogue is often humorous, it’s also a realistic look at how Alaska’s resources are being depleted and endangered.

by Tanya Tagaq
Setting: Canadian Arctic, Nunavut territory, 1970s

While Split Tooth is a work of fiction and uses magical realism and fantasy, it does pull from the author’s journals and experiences in her Intuit village. The book tells of a girl growing up in the far north Nunavut territory in the Canadian Arctic. Set in the 1970s, the lyrical book explores all the good, bad, beauty, and violence surrounding her. Then, she becomes pregnant and must learn to navigate all the opposing aspects of hard life in her small arctic town. 

The Book Girls Say…This book will not be for everyone. In fact, you'll probably wonder what you are reading at some point.

However, if you love lyrical poetry or want something really far outside your comfort zone, readers say this Indigenous work is completely memorizing. Consider picking up the audio version, which is read by the author and contains her Intuit throat singing between chapters.

WARNING: This book contains scenes of sexual abuse along with other graphic sexual and brutal situations. It's a very tough, but powerful read highlighting what really happens in very remote Arctic towns.

by Hazel Prior
Setting: Antarctica & Scotland, present day

Eighty-five-year-old Veronica is estranged from her family and searching for a cause worthy of inheriting her estate. After seeing a documentary about penguins being studied in Antarctica, she contacts the scientists and tells them she's coming to visit—and she won't take no for an answer.

After traveling from Scotland to Antarctica, she convinces the reluctant team to rescue an orphaned baby penguin. Veronica's curmudgeonly heart can't help but be warmed as the penguin becomes a part of everyday life at the base.

Veronica's grandson, Patrick, travels to Antarctica to make one last attempt to get to know his grandmother. Together, Veronica, Patrick, and even the scientists learn what family, love, and connection are all about.

The Book Girls Say... This book is charming and funny, but it's also more profound than it first appears, thanks to a series of diary entries from WWII. We highly recommend the audiobook because the narration and accents add to the story!

We loved this book so much that we interviewed author Hazel Prior and she was delightful! You can see the replay here.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
97% Would Recommend to a Friend

If you enjoy this book, another humourous novel for the region is Where'd You Go, Bernadette. It's not listed separately because much of the book takes place in Seattle before moving on to an Antarctic cruise, but we both enjoyed the book and the movie, which does a great job showing the cruise portion!

by Julian Sancton
Setting: Antarctica, 1897

In 1897, a polar expedition went terribly wrong. The crew of the Belgica was ready for adventure when they set sail on a three-year expedition to uncharted Antarctica and the magnetic South Pole. However, they hadn’t even cleared South America yet when everything seemed to be going wrong. But they pushed forward into freezing water, chasing glory for Belgium.

That decision led to the Belgica and her crew becoming stuck in the ice for an entire sunless Arctic winter and being driven to the brink of madness. The author tells this compelling non-fiction tale with extra detail thanks to exclusive access to the ship's logbook.

The Book Girls Say…In 2021, this book was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for History & Biography. One of our most trusted readers selected it last year for Antarctica month and rated it 10/10.

by Alfred Lansing
Setting: Antarctica, 1914

This is one of the most highly-rated books about polar expeditions and is considered one of the greatest true-life adventure stories of the modern age.

In 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance bound for Antarctica, where he would cross the uncharted continent on foot. Several months later, just a short distance from its final destination, the Endurance became locked in the ice and crushed between two ice flows.

Forced to abandon the ship and ultimately crossing the dangerous Drake Passage in an open boat, their arduous survival journey takes over a year with death-defying odds at every turn.

The Book Girls Say... This is a fast-paced non-fiction that will hold your attention. Many of our readers highly recommend the audiobook version because of the wonderful narrator.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
94% Would Recommend to a Friend

If you've already read and enjoyed Endurance, consider picking up South, which is Shackleton's memoir of the trip.

by Emily Silver
Setting: Antarctica, present-day

Bea is feeling a bit stagnant in life. In an effort to get out of her comfort zone, she books a trip to see the penguins in Antarctica. While she was prepared for cute penguins, she wasn’t prepared to meet a sexy stranger and be trapped on a cruise ship with him for two weeks.

Vacation flings aren’t part of her normal DNA, but the heat between them is threatening to melt all the ice! Could her risk in booking a solo trip pay off in ways she never expected?

The Book Girls Say…One of our readers found this steamy Antarctic rom-com last year and enjoyed it. We love having lighter options on each list for those months you’re not up for a heavy read!

Between the romance, this one will give you a great look at what it’s like to take an Antarctic cruise through the drake passage. Many reviewers mention adding this trip to their bucket list after reading.

This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of 11/17/22.

by David Grann
Setting: Antarctica, 2008

In 2015, at age 55, Henry Worsley set off on an adventure that he had been dreaming of almost his entire life - walking across Antarctica alone. The British special forces officer had long idolized Ernest Shackleton and felt a strong connection to his story, perhaps because he was related to one of Shackleton’s men. 

In 2008, Worsley visited Antarctica with two other crew descendants. Despite the harsh environment they experienced, he knew he wanted to spend more time in this fascinating region and planned his even more extreme solo trek. This biography is the perfect mix of history, adventure, and geography as the author takes you through each step of Worsley’s journey. 

The Book Girls Say…If you’re short on time this month but still want an all-encompassing view of Antarctica, this 160-page pick might be perfect!

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
93% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Jon McGregor
Setting: Antarctica, present day

At an Antarctic research station, Robert 'Doc' Wright is reminded that even veteran surveyors can have their life changed in an instant by unexpected storms. He’s separated from his trainees, and communication is largely lost.

In the first section of the book, Lean, you’ll need to bundle up in a blanket as the team tries to remember how to survive in unthinkable circumstances. Themes of communication will continue as you follow the aftermath of this experience through the Fall and Stand sections. 

by Midge Raymond
Setting: Antarctica, Present Day

For two weeks each year, Deb and Keller leave the frustrations of their separate lives behind to study the habits of penguins in Antarctica. Set against the landscape of glacial mountains, icebergs, and frigid waters, this is where the two feel at home, and where they share a brief romance each year.

This year, however, Keller doesn't show up on the expedition ferry to their research destination. When the ferry receives a distress signal from a sinking cruise liner in the icy waters of the Southern Ocean, she learns that Keller is aboard.

This novel of love and loss dives deep into the wonders of Antarctica and the human heart.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
90% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Robyn Mundy
Setting: Antarctica, 2000s

Australian photographer Freya is visiting Antarctica to retrace Frank Hurley's iconic photographs. However, she’s also there to escape a fraying relationship at home. As she spends more time at the remote, cramped, Davis Station, she finds her world changing in unexpected ways.

The poetic writing is a mix of adventure, introspection over the end of a marriage, and new love, all set in a well-described Antarctic landscape. One reviewer says that it accurately captures some of the nuances of station life and made her feel like she was back in the Antarctic.

The Book Girls Say…While this book is contemporary fiction, it includes vivid recreation of Douglas Mawson's ill-fated 1911–1914 Antarctic expedition. The book also includes photos by Frank Hurley to start each chapter, so this one might be better in print or Kindle over audio.

by Jesse Blackadder
Setting: Antarctica, 1930s

This historical fiction novel is based on a little-known story of the first woman ever to set foot on Antarctica.

In the early 1930s, a ship setting sail from Cape Town carries three women, each vying to become the first woman to set foot on the icy continent. Ingrid is the wife of a Norwegian whaling magnate who has dreamed of traveling to Antarctica since she was a young girl. Lillemore tricked her way onto the ship. And Mathilde is a grieving widow brought aboard the ship by her calculating parents-in-law.

This book was published in Australia, and the paperback version appears hard to get your hands on, but it's available for a good deal on Kindle.

The Book Girls Say... This book is the perfect mix of an entertaining character-driven story with historic, fabulous descriptions of what it took to get to Antarctica in the late 1930s, especially as a woman. And really, what it took to be a female adventurer, not content to stay home with children, in this period. It would make a fabulous movie!

There's a great author's note at the end covering the places she took liberties with the story and which parts were fact-based. She definitely did her research, including travel to Antarctica and Norway, and wrote the book as her doctorate project in creative writing.

WARNING: One of the travelers, Ingrid, is married to a wealthy ship-owner and whaler. A large portion of their money came from whale oil, and the ship they traveled on was refueling the whaling factory ships and collecting the oil from them. This process of whale hunting and harvesting is discussed in intense and graphic detail, which is necessary to understand the women's experience and further develop characters, but that section is rough to read. This book should be skipped by sensitive readers.

Book Girls' Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
92% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Ashley Shelby
Setting: Antarctica, 2000s

Thirty-year-old Cooper had a promising career as a painter, but a recent family tragedy has her feeling lost. After answering 500 obscure questions, she's been deemed sufficiently resilient for polar life and accepts a place in the National Science Foundation's Artists & Writers Program in Antarctica.

She joins a group of other misfits also deemed capable of surviving at South Pole Station, with an average temperature of -54°F and no sunlight for six months a year.

The arrival of a fringe scientist who doesn't believe in climate change draws Cooper and the other "Polies" into the center of a worldwide controversy.

The Book Girls Say... In addition to providing a realistic (NOT feel good) look at life at the South Pole research station, this novel also provides a fascinating examination of the interplay between politics and science. Although Cooper is the central character in this novel, numerous chapters are told from other characters' perspectives (some of which are uncomfortable), providing deeper insights and understanding.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Catharine Hartley
Setting: North & South Poles, 2000s

Catherine was a 34-year-old Chardonnay-loving city girl from London with no previous polar experience, but in January of 2000 she became the first British woman to reach the South Pole by foot. Then, just a year later, she pulled a sled to the even more challenging North Pole.

With little more than her willpower, Catherine was among the first group of amateurs to have the opportunity to attempt such a journey, which previously had been reserved for scientists and experienced explorers. This humorous memoir is a departure from the typical male account of polar adventure.

by Gabrielle Walker
Setting: Antarctica, 2000s

Antarctica is the only continent on Earth where humans could never survive unaided. Many books have come out of our fascination with the frigid region, but this one strives to truly capture the whole story.

Drawing on her broad travels across the continent, science writer Gabrielle Walker weaves all the significant threads of life on the vast ice sheet into an intricate tapestry, illuminating what it feels like to be there and why it draws so many different kinds of people.

We witness cutting-edge science experiments through Gabrielle, visit the South Pole, lodge with American, Italian, and French researchers, drive snowdozers, drill ice cores, and listen for the message Antarctica is sending us about our future in an age of global warming.

Book Girls' Reader Review: "I love this book! Was exactly what I was hoping for - tells about the land, the people who work there, about their work, about early explorers. Utterly fascinating!"

by Beryl Bainbridge
Setting: Antarctica, 1912

This novel provides a fictionalized account of Captain Scott's doomed Antarctic expedition in 1912. The Captain and four members of his team - "The Birthday Boys" - each narrate sections of the story. These men despise professional expertise, and "their cocky optimism is both ghastly and dangerous."

As the book progresses, you'll also come to realize that these men may not be reliable reporters...

by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Setting: South Pole, 1901-1904

This classic book recounts Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. The author was the youngest member of Scott's team and one of three who survived the notorious Winter Journey. In this book, he draws on his firsthand experiences as well as the diaries of other team members to provide a detailed account of this legendary expedition.

The Book Girls Say... This book gets pretty technical at times, but it's great for readers who appreciate the details.