Best Book Club Books to Read in Winter
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.If your book club is looking for winter book club books with discussion-worthy topics and wintry settings or moods, we have you covered! Each of our picks below includes both a book summary and details of why the novel will lead to great conversations.
Many of the picks are backlist titles that may be easier to access without a wait at the library. We’ve divided this list into sections to help you find the perfect read for your club, but keep in mind that many books cross multiple genres, so it’s worth checking out the full list.
When available, we’ve also included our readers’ ratings for books featured within our annual reading challenges.
Snowy Historical Fiction Book Club Books
Does your club enjoy learning something new about history through its picks? These are the books for you!
When the World Fell Silent
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
While Nora’s sister is content being a wife and mother, Nora had different plans for her own life. She becomes a lieutenant in the Canadian Army Nursing Corps.
Charlotte lost her husband in the trenches and now lives with his relatives, who treat her like the help instead of like a mourning family member. But baby Aileen drives her to work toward a better life.
Nora and Charlotte’s paths cross in an unexpected way when an explosion rocks Halifax Harbour, changing both of their lives forever.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
In the winter of 1917, an enormous explosion in Halifax Harbour killed nearly 1800 and injured another 9000. This novel uses the event, which was one of the biggest tragedies in Canadian history, as a backdrop to a broader discussion on women’s rights. Your club will have endless discussion possibilities after reading!
One of our readers says, “I loved both Nora and Charlotte’s stories. It made me realize how lucky we women are today to have choices and opportunities”.
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
94% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
With no other settlers around for more than twenty miles, the Bemis and Webber families have always relied on one another. All of that comes to an end when Ernest Bemis finds his wife in a compromising situation with the neighbor. With survival on the frontier the last thing on his mind, Ernest makes an impulsive decision that lands him in prison.
The women left behind, Cora and Nettie Mae, have no choice but to set aside their rage and remorse and come together to survive. They share the duties of working the land and raising their children, including Nettie Mae’s son, Clyde, and Cora’s daughter, Beulah. When love blossoms between Clyde and Beulah, their mothers’ bond will once again be tested.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
This is a great pick if your club likes character-driven historical fiction with a stark winter setting and complicated female characters. The lyrical prose in this novel will whisk you away to the Wyoming prairie, with all its beauty and hardships, as the neighbors lean on each other to survive the harsh season.
Note: Reviewers warn that this book includes a lot of animal death, including chickens, sheep, and coyotes. While this might be expected during life on the prairie, it could be difficult for some to read.
Fireflies in Winter
Book Summary
In the winter of 1796, Cora arrives from her home in Jamaica to a drastically different climate in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She finds that most people are staying bundled up in their own homes. When she thinks she sees a shadow dart through the trees outside, she can’t believe anyone would really be there, but then she sneaks outside herself and discovers footprints.
Agnes is on the run from her old life. While she knows what it takes to survive, she also knows she can’t afford to make any mistakes. So, she’s concerned when she sees another young woman in the woods. Thankfully, she discovers that Cora is not a threat. But Agnes’ past is never far from her thoughts.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
Before finding this book, we were unaware of the history of Jamaican “Maroons” living in Nova Scotia, so this may be a new aspect of history for your club members as well.
In addition to the historical aspects, you’ll find plenty of plot points to discuss, including Cora’s experiences moving from Jamaica to a dramatically different life in Canada and her friendship with mysterious Agnes.
The Magnolia Palace
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Lillian was one of the most sought-after artist models in New York City, with statues of her figure gracing famous landmarks throughout the city, from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. After losing her mother to the Spanish Flu outbreak, however, Lillian feels lost in the world.
Her work has mostly dried up, so when she’s offered a job as a personal secretary at the Frick mansion—a building that, ironically, bears her own visage—Lillian is eager to accept the opportunity. Working closely with Helen Frick, daughter of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, pulls Lillian into a privileged world and a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that might prove life-or-death.
Five decades later, in the 1960s, Veronica, an English model, is working in the former Frick residence, which has since been converted into one of New York City’s most impressive museums. After being dismissed from a Vogue shoot, she finds herself snowed in at the mansion. When she and a young art curator stumble upon a series of hidden messages in the museum, they might discover the truth behind a decades-old murder.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
If your club members enjoy art, this book that sees the 1960s characters snowed into a historical home, could be an excellent pick!
Fiona Davis based the character of Lillian Carter on the real-life figure model Audrey Munson. Munson, America’s “first supermodel,” was a famous early-20th-century artist’s model who earned the nickname “Miss Manhattan” because so many statues of her adorned the New York City skyline. We recommend printing out photos of some of the real monuments she adorned to pass around during your book club chat.
Women of a Promiscuous Nature
Book Summary
Ruth is a young, unmarried woman who has never shared more than a kiss with a man. But one day, she’s walking through town to her diner job when she’s stopped by the local sheriff, who insists that she accompany him to a health clinic. By the end of the day, she is one of dozens of women suspected of being “promiscuous” held at the State Industrial Farm Colony for Women.
Dorothy is the colony’s Superintendent and believes she is transforming degenerate souls into upstanding members of society. And she creates these transformations through her strict rule book and harsh consequences for anyone not staying in line.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
Does your book club prefer brand-new titles? This January 2026 release covers a real, but little-known, aspect of history that will have you hiding under the covers.
The questions about eugenics that arise when learning about the early-20th-century ‘American Plan’ policies (linked to the Chamberlain–Kahn Act) will give your club plenty to discuss. It’s a great pick for clubs that had good discussions about Take My Hand.
Salt to the Sea
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
93% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
When you think of maritime disasters, the Titanic is probably the first that comes to mind. But the deadliest disaster at sea occurred in 1945 when a Soviet submarine sank the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner, in the Baltic Sea.
As WWII drew to a close and the Red Army advanced on Germany, a massive evacuation effort began to ferry civilians, soldiers, and equipment to safety. The Wilhelm Gustloff, which had a capacity of 1,800, was packed with more than 10,500 passengers. More than 9,000 people lost their lives when the ship sank, including 5,000 infants and children.
This historical fiction YA novel tells the stories of four passengers: 21-year-old Joana, who is fleeing her native country of Lithuania; Florian, an artist from East Prussia; 15-year-old Emilia from Poland, who is pregnant; and Alfred, a pompous 17-year-old German soldier.
When tragedy strikes, each of them, regardless of country, culture, or status, must fight for their survival.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
The tragic sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff happened on January 30, 1945, setting this book squarely in winter on the frigid Baltic Sea. This is a perfect fit for clubs that like The Book Thief or All the Light We Cannot See, but want a shorter winter read.
While it is a YA title, it’s meticulously researched. Between the tie-in to a real historic event and the POV’s of four different characters, you’ll have plenty to talk about.
Another Great Winter Pick By This Author
Between Shades of Gray is another deeply winter, discussion-worthy read by Ruta Sepetys. It’s also set in the 1940s, but is about a Lithuanian girl and her family being taken from their home by Stalin and sent to a remote gulag in Siberia. While it’s also classified as YA, it’s not an emotionally easy read, but it provides an in-depth look at another aspect of WW2 your club probably hasn’t read about.
Indian Horse
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Saul Indian Horse wants peace. After hitting rock bottom with alcohol and entering an inpatient treatment facility, he discovers that healing must come through telling his life story as a member of the Ojibway tribe. Throughout the book, you’ll walk through Saul’s history, which includes being taken from his family and sent to a residential school, which was a common tragedy for many Indigenous children. His heritage was again attacked as he got older and experienced harsh racism.
While the book will open your eyes to the challenges faced by Indigenous people in Canada, it also shares Saul’s joys along the way and describes the landscape of northern Ontario in detail.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
Melissa and her husband both read and highly rated this novel after Angela’s Canadian friends had been raving about it and the Clint Eastwood-produced movie of the same name. They say it should be required reading for all Canadians, and Melissa believes this applies to Americans as well.
The existence of residential schools will surely come up during your discussion, and we recommend doing some additional research between reading and your book club meeting. Before reading Indian Horse, we thought the schools only existed in America, but they weren’t even limited to only the US & Canada. Perhaps most disturbingly, the model is still used today, particularly in parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
An Age of Winters
Book Summary
The year 1625 is especially rough in the Franconian village of Eisbach. There has been disease, famine, heinous crimes, and now, a merciless winter. Rome has appointed Reverend Zacharias Engel to cure the village of suspected diabolism.
Before long, Zacharias finds his first witch, bringing a sense of more peace to the village. His maidservant, Katarin, is a commoner who becomes infatuated with him. However, she has a rival for his attention, a midwife named Margaretha. Before either can win him over, a great tragedy sets the town fully on edge.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
While this historical fiction includes a murder mystery, some reviewers say it’s a slower read than they anticipated, with a more literary, character-driven feel.
The story is pretty dark throughout, which matches the long nights of winter. However, don’t pick this one if you need something fast-paced or uplifting.
The Children’s Blizzard
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Based on an actual event and oral history from the survivors, The Children’s Blizzard takes us to the 1888 Great Plains. Just before school was let out for the day, an unexpected and extreme blizzard overtook the Dakota Territory. That morning, it had been warm enough that most went to school without their coats.
Schoolteachers, often as young as 16, had the children’s lives in their hands and were forced to make life-altering decisions. Two of the teachers, sisters Raina and Gerda, came out of the storm with very different outcomes. One was a hero, and one was ostracized. The book tells their stories, along with the story of a young servant girl and her miraculous survival.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
We had nearly 100 of our readers select this book for the Decades Reading Challenge last year. Common themes among the reviews were how well-researched and descriptive this novel is, and how heartbreaking yet hopeful it is, all of which would make for an excellent book club read and discussion!
Book Summary
This novel is set in Norilsk, the northernmost city of Siberia, where the brutal weather mirrors the sacrifices of young Russian gymnasts competing for their country. When Anya was 8, she was selected for the famed USSR gymnastics program. Her father is thrilled, but she can’t share the news with her mother, who disappeared years earlier.
Anya’s only confidant is her neighbor, Vera, an older woman who survived unspeakable horrors during her ten years in a Gulag camp. While Anya doesn’t know this, Vera was also her mom’s confidant and may be able to help solve the mystery of her disappearance.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
The character of Elena is based on the real gymnast Elena Mukhina, who was paralyzed performing a now-banned move (the Thomas Salto). Between the sacrifice required to be an elite athlete and the stories from Anya’s past, you’ll have plenty to talk about after reading this one!
While gymnastics is a summer Olympic sport, Winterland would still be a great selection your club could tie into the 2026 Olympics in February.
Contemporary Literary Fiction Novels
Each of these books brings winter vibes and rich character studies, where the lives and motivations of the characters make up the story rather than relying on a fast-moving plot to move the story forward.
Home of the American Circus
Book Summary
Freya had been working as a bartender in Maine, but after an emergency left her short on cash, she headed back to her hometown of Somers, New York. In Somers, she could at least stay in the house she inherited from her estranged parents without worrying about rent.
She’s shocked to learn that her 15-year-old niece, Aubrey, has been living secretly in the derelict home. While she intended to lay low in Somers, Freya is not only reconnecting with Aubrey, but also encounters childhood friends, familial enemies, and old flames around town.
Throughout the story, Aubrey and Freya begin to repair both the home and their relationship, and readers slowly learn the difficult reasons Freya initially fled from Somers.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
This novel from the author of The People We Keep is divided into seasonal sections, beginning with the first 200 pages set in winter. After progressing more quickly through spring, summer, and fall, you’ll find yourself back in winter for the final 50 pages.
In addition to the characters’ lives and determination to stop generational trauma providing plenty of talking points, there is also a discussion-worthy side story woven into the novel. You’ll learn the history of Somers’ most famous resident in the early 1800s, “Old Bet,” an elephant owned by Hachaliah Bailey, co-founder of Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Beartown
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In the tiny community of Beartown, life revolves around hockey. It provides entertainment and hope for a better future. It’s a story about hockey, small-town life, and much more. When a shocking event occurs, the town quickly takes sides. Who will stand up for the truth, and who will put hockey above humanity?
If your club has already read Beartown, consider the sequel, Us Against You, or the final book in the Trilogy, The Winners, which was published in September 2022 and is set two years after Beartown.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
Fredrik Backman has a gift with words, melodic phrasing, and unparalleled insight into human motivations. He writes characters that are so well-rounded that even if you disagree with their decisions, you understand what they were thinking. We both gave this one all the stars!
His books are generally best enjoyed at their slower pace, so while it’s often page-turning and you can’t wait to find out what happens next, he doesn’t rush you through the plot.
Migrations
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
93% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Franny packed up her research gear and talked 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.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
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. You’ll also be counting down the days until your club meeting because you won’t be able to wait to talk about it!
A Quiet Life
Book Summary
Chuck finds himself at a loss months after the death of his wife, Cat. How can he pack for their annual winter trip to Hilton Head alone? And what should he do with her favorite towel and her sketchbooks?
Elle delivers newspapers in the morning and works in a bridal shop in the afternoon, but her mind isn’t on either job as she awaits news about her missing daughter.
Kirsten had big plans for veterinary school, but after her father’s sudden death, she finds herself at a new crossroads.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
This moving novel is told in three parallel narratives, which overlap in unexpected ways. All three characters are experiencing different forms of grief, but are pressing onward in life. Despite the book’s main theme of grief, it is described as infused with hope and as celebrating humanity. This makes it an excellent pick if you want something literary, but that focuses on moving forward after grief.
The Ocean in Winter
Book Summary
In coastal Massachusetts, a March storm is raging. Alex is alone in a farmhouse with no electricity when there is a knock on her door. She’s shocked to find her estranged younger sister, Riley, outside. How did Riley find Alex, and how did she make it through the impassable roads? And why did she disappear back into the night as mysteriously as she arrived?
Decades earlier, the sisters had a traumatic childhood, with Alex taking over the mother role of both Riley and Colleen at the young age of 11 after her mother’s suicide. Now, each sister has their own struggles, but Alex and Colleen are determined to find Riley and reconcile their past.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
For those who love character-driven reads, we think you’ll enjoy this family drama, told from the points of view of all three sisters. It will make for great conversation to hear which sister each member in your club connected with the most.
A Week in Winter
Book Summary
This novel will transport you to the Western Irish coast, where the main character has decided to take over a castle and turn it into a guest house for those on holiday.
In the first half of this book, you’ll be beside Chicky as she tries to transform the cold castle into an inviting vacation spot. Once she is open for business, each chapter follows a different, often eccentric, guest through Chicky’s first week in business.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
Beloved Irish author Maeve Binchy is known for her warm-hearted books that make you feel like you know the characters and have been transported to Ireland. It’s a great pick for clubs that love to armchair travel.
This is Binchy’s final novel, completed shortly before she died in July 2012 and published posthumously later that year. It features all the classic Binchy trademarks, including being set in a small Irish town, centered on a coastal guesthouse, and full of intersecting stories, so it was a very fitting last book.
Uplifting Winter Book Club Reads
While winter books are often heavier, the January doldrums are real! If your club needs a book that will make you smile along the way, while still offering enough depth to discuss, we have you covered!
How the Penguins Saved Veronica
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
98% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
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.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
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; she was delightful! You can watch the replay here.
The Sideways Life of Denny Voss
Book Summary
This poignant novel takes you into the life of Denny Voss, a thirty-year-old man who lives with his Nana-Jo and his best friend, George, a blind Saint Bernard. He has a job with his cousin, who lives next door, picking up roadkill for the city. Denny just barely misses the cut-off of being officially “developmentally challenged,” but struggles to clearly communicate and recount stories succinctly. And that difficulty has led to some problems for him, including his recent arrest for the murder of a mayoral candidate in his small Minnesota town.
As Denny awaits his trial, he works with a court-appointed therapist. It takes many sessions (and most of the book) for the therapist to get the full story of Denny’s three arrests over the past year without Denny shutting down. Along the way, you’ll also be trying to figure out if Denny was involved in the murder. Plus, you’ll laugh as certain things are revealed, you’ll be angered by the way he is treated, and your heart will melt with some of his stories.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
The author does an amazing job taking us into Denny’s mind and telling the story from his unique POV. You’ll want to shake some of the people he encounters, while others are so kind. Don’t miss the author’s note at the end after reading!
After you both laugh out loud and tear up as you read, you’ll be ready for a rich discussion about both the mystery aspects of the story and about how Denny and others like him are often misunderstood.
This pick is perfect for fans of Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life, The Collected Regrets of Clover, and Forrest Gump (there’s even a Tom Hanks reference in the book!)
A Season for Second Chances
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
When Annie’s 20+ year marriage ends suddenly, leaving her single for the first time in her adult life at age 44, she’s not sure how to start over. Her kids are grown, and there’s nothing keeping her in the city where she and her ex-husband were successful restaurateurs. So, she answers an ad for a temporary position as a winter caretaker of a historic home in the small English seaside community of Willow Bay. This decision turns out to be even more impactful than she expected.
Annie is immediately charmed by the house, and the quirky but friendly villagers welcome her with open arms. All except the grumpy nephew of the home’s owner, who sees her as a roadblock to his plans. But as fall turns to winter, Annie begins to formulate her own plan for the next season of her life.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
While this is largely a book about Annie finding herself, it only happens through her relationships with her new friends in town. There is a romance thread later in the book, but there’s a more significant focus on female friendships.
Book lovers will especially love the way these women bond over books, making it a perfect pick when your club needs a lighter friendship-focused read.
Winter Mystery Books for Book Clubs
If mysteries and thrillers are your club’s favorite genre, we have three discussion-worthy winter book club books. If you’ve already read all of these titles, check out our entire list of winter thrillers for additional options.
The Life We Bury
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Joe is a college student who needs to conduct an interview with a stranger and write a biography for his English class. With the deadline approaching, he visits a local nursing home to find a willing participant. But he doesn’t know this decision will change his life forever.
Nursing home resident Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran, as well as a convicted murderer. He was in prison until he was medically paroled to spend his final months at the home. As Joe writes about Carl’s time in Vietnam, he can’t reconcile the heroism during the war with the heinous crime Carl was convicted of. Along with his neighbor Lila, Joe tries to dig deeper into the crime and conviction to settle the truth of what really happened.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
Readers enjoy the twists in this story along with the characters. Joe has a complicated family life and past, impacting his investigation and making him an engaging character with more background to discuss than your average mystery lead character.
The Frozen River
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In the late 1700s, women were expected to be seen and not heard. But midwife Martha puts what is right over society’s expectations. When the Kennebec River freezes, a man is entombed in the ice. Martha is called to determine the cause of death.
Months earlier, the man had been accused of rape, and Martha believes he has now been murdered. But the local physician disagrees and declares the death an accident.
Over the winter, Martha continues to investigate every angle as the trial approaches. The diary she uses to log every birth and death becomes a key component and soon implicates those she loves, leaving Martha with an impossible decision.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
This GMA Book Club Pick and NPR Book of the Year is based on the real diary of midwife Martha Ballard, who defied the legal system. This has been a popular book club pick since its 2023 release, but it might be easier for members to get from your library now that it’s been out for a while.
In Our Readers’ Words
Our readers voted this one of their favorite books of 2024. Here’s what two readers had to say:
“This was the most compelling mystery I’ve read in ages. The book covers several genres: historical fiction, mystery, and romance….what could be better? The characters were fascinating, maddening, good, and bad. The plot was complicated, and the suspense was palpable. I could not put this down until I reached the end. Based on the life of 18th-century midwife, Martha Ballard, this story touches on all the women’s rights issues we are still battling today. 5 stars!” -Linda R.
“Beautifully written historical fiction- I could visualize that river and the characters so vividly. It had a little bit of everything – murder, mystery, misogyny, good, evil, a beautiful love story, and an unforgettable midwife upon whom the story is based.” -MaryLou C.
The Arctic Fury
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
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!
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
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. This backstory also provides additional talking points for your club.
Winter Book Club Books with Magical Realism, Fairytale, or Fantasy Elements
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In The Snow Child, you’ll be transported to remote 1920s Alaska. Jack and Mabel are nearing 50 when they decide to move to Alaska. As newcomers to the harsh environment, they struggle. Between the intense physical labor required and the even more extreme loneliness, they’re not sure they’ve made the right decision in moving.
Then, during the first snowfall of the year, they decide to have some fun and build a child out of snow. In the morning, the snow child is gone, but they see a young girl running through the trees with the items they had used to dress the snow child. Is she real, or are they hallucinating and dreaming of the child they’ve always wanted?
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
Melissa thought the fairytale-like qualities of this book were phenomenal in both the writing and the storytelling.
The book also fully transports you to the isolation of an Alaskan homestead, making the harshness of the environment and the preparation required to survive very clear. Which of your club members would be most likely to take on this challenge?
Once Upon a Wardrobe
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
4.3 out of 5
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Promising physics student Megs is attending Oxford in 1950 and prefers facts to creativity. However, her beloved but critically ill, 8-year-old brother is obsessed with a world created in a book – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. When he asks her to find out where Narnia came from, she can’t refuse his plea.
When she tracks down the Lewis brothers, who are also at Oxford, they graciously invite her for tea. While they fill her with stories she can pass along to her brother, she doesn’t understand why he won’t answer her most important question about the origin of Narnia.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
While there are sad moments, this book is also described as filled with hope and warmth. Just what we all need on a cold winter night!
Discussion points can include the Lewis brothers, the origin of Narnia, and the incorporation of these real authors into a fictional tale.
The Bear and the Nightingale
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
88% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
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, listening 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, 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, dangerous gifts to protect her family from a threat as frightening as any in her nurse’s fairy tales.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
This book specifically appeals to book clubs who enjoy both folklore and the fantasy genre. Be sure to consult the glossary at the back of the book, which will help you follow the story.
Winter Garden
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
93% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Sisters Meredith and Nina have little in common other than their love for their dear father. They’ve spent most of their life feeling like they didn’t really know their mother, but when their father falls ill, his final wish is for his daughters to get to know their mother better. In their younger years, Anya sometimes tells the girls a Russian fairy tale, and their father makes her promise to tell the story one last time – all the way to the end.
The story alternates between past and present as Meredith and Nina hear the fairy tale and learn the harrowing story of the mother’s life five decades earlier in war-torn Leningrad, Russia. They will ultimately learn something so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.
Why This is a Great Winter Book Club Pick
Many WWII historical novels focus on the region of France and Germany, but The Winter Garden illuminates the experiences of those in Russia and the Eastern Front. But this is more than just another WWII story, it’s a moving family story as well. It is a bit slow to start, and the characters aren’t immediately likable, but you’ll find yourself pulled in as the lines between fairy tale and reality begin to blur.
If you’re looking for more books with strong winter vibes, don’t miss our list of great winter reads, which includes books from several genres.
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