Reading Recommendations: Winter Wonderland Reads
Oh the weather outside is frightful, but reading is so delightful! For this month’s reading recommendations I’m sharing some Winter reads set during snowfalls and blistery weather. I hope you enjoy these picks!
Synopsis: Neurologist Helen Chang Frobisher is on a mission to ban hockey from Portland to prevent the kind of concussive brain injury that plagues her father. Oregon Wolves player Adam Magnus is desperately trying to secure his career and his retirement despite the team’s dismal record.
But while the two spar in public over the future of a sports franchise on the brink, in private, they battle an impossible attraction. When their no-strings-attached fling turns into the real thing, Helen and Adam must decide what’s really important to them. Will their relationship end up in the penalty box, or are they a winning combination?
Hard Knocks is a story of a love that blooms between a neurologist and a hockey player who are brought to together over a public debate. Though the they hit things off immediately with an “attraction at first sight” scenario Lang takes time to backtrack and work on the complexities of their relationship. Hockey is something that pulls the two together, but also tears them apart. I liked that the story also touched on other topics such as race, sports injuries, and caring for ageing parents.
Synopsis: For thousands of years the world has been a frozen wasteland where the strong rule. Men depend on the power of steam and metalwork to fight back the constant cold and daunting monsters. Civilization is on the brink of starvation, so when an unexpected patch of fertile land erupts between the clockwork cities, a war over resources is inevitable.
Nandor, a nomadic warrior from the wildlands, believes he has a plan that will ensure peace. Most call him mad, though his imposing figure might stop them from saying so to his face. Through hushed voices, they say he’s a delusional fool. But he might be just the kind of fool they need.
The Clockwork War is an enthralling first installment in the Morphic Ice series. It’s an adventure story that follows a nomad on a journey to find the secrets of Marr, a prophecy, and his sidekick who a young female mystic training. The two make an unlikely duo, but both learn to work together in order to survive on the journey. I liked the combination of magic, steampunk technology, and fantasy world that mirrors some of the social issues that are happening in today’s society. Though its fiction, I thought it was very insightful at times and has a powerful message of working hard for what you believe in.
Synopsis: Henry Graham is an ice harvester on the run in New York’s Hudson Valley after a run-in with anti-union thugs left one man dead. Desperate to maintain cover, he scales the walls of the regal estate Lindenhurst and stumbles upon a frozen lake just as a beautiful woman falls through the ice. When he pulls her to safety, he learns that her name is Lillian Harold, an American blue blood betrothed to Charlie Cornelius, heir to a railroad magnate. As a gesture of thanks, Charlie’s father offers him a job. Henry is hesitant to throw in with the elites but still fearful of capture, so he accepts.
Almost immediately, Henry and Lillian sense an unsettling attraction toward one another. This mutual attraction between the two continues to evolve and grow until Lillian realizes she might be in love with two men at the same time.
The Ice Harvester is set in America’s Gilded Age and follows the main character Henry as he goes from a life of rags to riches from being an ice harvester to running in New York’s elite social circles. I love that the novel was very detailed, making it an immersive reading experience. I could get a good sense of the time period through the descriptions of clothing, cars, and societal issues. I liked the good balance of romance and history.
Synopsis: Falling hard never felt so good.
Pair skaters Courtney and Mark have one shot left at their Olympic dream. They vow not to let anything get in their way, especially not Josh and Stephanie, the wealthy and talented brother and sister team.
The heart doesn’t always listen to reason, though…
The more time Courtney spends with sweet, shy Josh, the harder she falls for him. But they are on opposite sides of the competition, and their futures are headed in opposite directions. Will their friendship blossom into more or are their paths too different to cross?
It was light-hearted, fun, and I even learned some new things about pairs skating. The characters were likable but I felt that they needed more substance and depth to make them more interesting. I liked the attention to detail in the writing, which puts the reader right in the story. It’s like I was there to see their skating routines and decorated costumes. It’s a fast paced read. If you like ice-skating romances you might want to check this out.
Synopsis: Vermonter Mona Duval loves the covered bridge beside her store. She loves local history and the rugged, rural nature of her home state. But when an ice storm collapses the bridge, she is bereft. Frank MacFarland, a seasonal resident who is beguiled by Mona, lends his political expertise to help rebuild the bridge. But they meet with powerful opposition. Tensions arise in the town, compounded by resistance to the soon-to-be-voted on Freedom to Marry bill. And then, unexpectedly, Mona’s abusive ex-husband arrives. Wild Mountain is a page-turning, beautifully written novel about the love between Frank and Mona, the love of place, freedom to marry, and freedom from the past, by a writer whose prose has been compared to Alice Munro’s. (description from Goodreads)
This story is set in a somewhat rural/isolated small town called Wild Mountain and follows the life of its townspeople and the events that surround them. The book is mostly slice of life story full of small town politics, a freedom to marry bill, figuring out how pay for a bridge that’s an essential part of the town, relationships (and familial love), and it’s a tale of self-discovery. Though the ages of the characters vary everyone is in the midst of trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do (goals) in their life. This story also catches the essence of human emotions, POVs are also detailed and you can feel what the characters are going through and relate to some of their struggles.
Synopsis: Kraków, 1939. A million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. This is no place to grow up. Anna Łania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father, a linguistics professor, during their purge of intellectuals in Poland. She’s alone.
And then Anna meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall, a skilled deceiver with more than a little magic up his sleeve. And when the soldiers in the streets look at him, they see what he wants them to see.
The Swallow Man is not Anna’s father—she knows that very well—but she also knows that, like her father, he’s in danger of being taken, and like her father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced. She follows him into the wilderness.
Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgment, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous. Even the Swallow Man.
Anna and the Swallow Man is an enchanting story that is a mix of historical fiction, magical realism, and fantasy. It shows readers the perspective of WWII from a young girl’s point of view. The two’s journey feels surreal and fantasy-like, but small details like gunshots, how food is constantly scarce, and the intense winter brings you back to reality. I loved the attention to detail in this novel used to describe the picturesque and war-torn winter landscapes. It pulled me into the story and makes you feel that you are traveling on the same journey.
What Winter reads do you recommend or have on your TBR list?
I would recommend Temper by Nicky Drayden. There’s a demonic entity called Icy Blue who lives on a snow-covered mountain. He possess people and makes them want to drink human blood. It’s more of a spooky winter.
Thank you for the recommendation! I’m always looking to add more seasonal themed books to my reading TBR.