Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Books To Read This Winter

 

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.



Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! This week’s topic is ten books I want to read this winter. Most of these books have been sitting on my to-be-read shelf for months. They’ve even appeared in past seasonal TBR blog posts. Oops. It’s time I get my butt in gear and actually read them.



 

 ⛄ Books To Read This Winter

 

 

 

 

The Wolves Of Winter by Tyrell Johnson

 

Adult Dystopia / Post-Apocalyptic Fiction



Forget the old days. Forget summer. Forget warmth. Forget anything that doesn’t help you survive.

Lynn McBride has learned much since society collapsed in the face of nuclear war and the relentless spread of disease. As memories of her old life haunt her, she has been forced to forge ahead in the snow-covered Canadian Yukon, learning how to hunt and trap to survive.

But her fragile existence is about to be shattered. Shadows of the world before have found her tiny community—most prominently in the enigmatic figure of Jax, who sets in motion a chain of events that will force Lynn to fulfill a destiny she never imagined.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: I can’t resist post-apocalyptic fiction! This one is set in a cold, remote location. There’s a mysterious dude. Of course I have to find out what’s going on. It’s gotten really good reviews on Goodreads, too. Lots of 4 and 5 star ratings. I’m interested to see if I love it as much as everybody else does.

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children Of The Cave by Virve Sammalkorpi

 

Adult Historical Science Fiction



1819. Iax Agolasky, a young assistant to a notable French explorer, sets off on a journey to the Russian wilderness. They soon discover a group of creatures living in a cave: children with animal traits. But are they animals, or are they human? Faced with questions of faith, science and the fundamentals of truth, tensions rise in the camp. Soon the children’s safety becomes threatened and Agolasky needs to act.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: One of my goals for 2020 was to read more translated fiction. That didn’t happen, so I’m going to try again in 2021. The plot of this Finnish novel sounds promising. I’m curious about the feral children. And, it’s a very short book. I have no excuse for procrastinating it.

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surviving The Extremes: What Happens To The Body And Mind At The Limits Of Human Endurance by Kenneth Kamler, M.D.

 

Adult Wilderness Survival Nonfiction



A true-life scientific thriller no reader will forget, Surviving the Extremes takes us to the farthest reaches of the earth as well as into the uncharted territory within the human body, spirit, and brain. A vice president of the legendary Explorers Club, as well as surgeon, explorer, and masterful storyteller, Dr. Kenneth Kamler has spent years discovering what happens to the human body in extreme environmental conditions. Divided into six sections—jungle, high seas, desert, underwater, high altitude, and outer space—this book uses firsthand testimony and documented accounts to investigate the science of what a body goes through and explains why people survive—and why they sometimes don’t.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: I want to know more about wilderness survival. This book was a Christmas gift last year. (Thanks Lauren @ Shooting Stars Magazine.) It’s been sitting on my shelf for a year. It’s past time to read it. Whenever I look up lists of must-read survival books, I find this one. I hope it lives up to the hype. And I hope I learn something that will help me survive my wilderness encounters.

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flying Lessons & Other Stories by Ellen Oh (Editor)

 

Young Adult Short Stories



Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascoes, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology—written by the best children’s authors—celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: It’s been a while since I read a really good short story collection. A few of my teacher friends recommended this one. They said their students enjoyed it. The collection has stories by a bunch of well-respected children’s book authors, so I have high hopes. Goodreads calls it “as humorous as it is heartfelt.” I guess I’m going to find out.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stella By Starlight by Sharon M. Draper

 

Middlegrade Historical Fiction



Stella lives in the segregated South; in Bumblebee, North Carolina, to be exact about it. Some stores she can go into. Some stores she can't. Some folks are right pleasant. Others are a lot less so. To Stella, it sort of evens out, and heck, the Klan hasn't bothered them for years. But one late night, later than she should ever be up, much less wandering around outside, Stella and her little brother see something they're never supposed to see, something that is the first flicker of change to come, unwelcome change by any stretch of the imagination. As Stella's community—her world—is upended, she decides to fight fire with fire. And she learns that ashes don't necessarily signify an end.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: The cover. That’s the whole reason I clicked on the book and read the synopsis. Then I bought the book because of the mysterious plot summary. What’s happening in this town? (I think I can guess based on the cover, but I’m still interested to learn more.) It has good reviews from bloggers I follow and has been recommended for fans of The War That Saved My Life and Echo. I liked both those books very much.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ada Blackjack: A True Story Of Survival In The Arctic by Jennifer Niven

 

Adult Biography



In September 1921, four young men and Ada Blackjack, a diminutive 25-year-old Eskimo woman, ventured deep into the Arctic in a secret attempt to colonize desolate Wrangel Island for Great Britain. Two years later, Ada Blackjack emerged as the sole survivor of this ambitious polar expedition. This young, unskilled woman—who had headed to the Arctic in search of money and a husband—conquered the seemingly unconquerable north and survived all alone after her male companions had perished.

Following her triumphant return to civilization, the international press proclaimed her the female Robinson Crusoe. But whatever stories the press turned out came from the imaginations of reporters: Ada Blackjack refused to speak to anyone about her horrific two years in the Arctic. Only on one occasion—after charges were published falsely accusing her of causing the death of one of her companions—did she speak up for herself.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: I’m returning to my roots with Arctic nonfiction! I grew up on true stories of explorers and people who survived extreme situations.  Most of the stories I read were about men. I’ve never heard of Ada Blackjack, and I’m excited to “meet” her.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

 

Adult Historical Fantasy



Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart—he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone—but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place, things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and fantasy is a genre that I want to read more often. This novel seems like an intriguing combination of the two. I can never pass up Alaska stories.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver

 

Adult Historical Horror



In Edwardian Suffolk, a manor house stands alone in a lost corner of the Fens: a glinting wilderness of water whose whispering reeds guard ancient secrets. Maud is a lonely child growing up without a mother, ruled by her repressive father.

When he finds a painted medieval devil in a graveyard, unhallowed forces are awakened.

Maud's battle has begun. She must survive a world haunted by witchcraft, the age-old legends of her beloved fen—and the even more nightmarish demons of her father's past.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: I was searching for spooky books, and this one jumped out at me. It sounds perfect! Goodreads calls it “a darkly gothic thriller about murderous obsession and one girl's longing to fly free.” If a book contains a haunted manor house in the wilderness, I want to read it.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was by Sjón

 

Adult Historical Fiction



Máni Steinn is queer in a society in which the idea of homosexuality is beyond the furthest extreme. His city, Reykjavik in 1918, is homogeneous and isolated and seems entirely defenseless against the Spanish flu, which has already torn through Europe, Asia, and North America and is now lapping up on Iceland's shores. And if the flu doesn't do it, there's always the threat that war will spread all the way north. And yet the outside world has also brought Icelanders cinema. And there's nothing like a dark, silent room with a film from Europe flickering on the screen to help you escape from the overwhelming threats—and adventures—of the night, to transport you, to make you feel like everything is going to be all right. For Máni Steinn, the question is whether, at Reykjavik's darkest hour, he should retreat all the way into this imaginary world, or if he should engage with the society that has so soundly rejected him.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: For mysterious reasons, I’m very interested in the 1918 flu pandemic right now. This is a translated novel from an Icelandic writer. That’s not a perspective I’ve read before. I’m also interested in how the main character uses movies to escape from his life. That sounds relatable.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James

 

Adult Classic Horror



A young, inexperienced governess is charged with the care of Miles and Flora, two small children abandoned by their uncle at his grand country house. She sees the figure of an unknown man on the tower and his face at the window. It is Peter Quint, the master's dissolute valet, and he has come for little Miles. But Peter Quint is dead.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: Who watched The Haunting Of Bly Manor on Netflix? I did! That show is based on this story. I’m interested to see how they compare. The show is splendid. You should watch it if you like getting your emotions stomped on by fictional ghosts. I hope the book is as good as the show.

 

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

 


What are you reading this winter?








25 comments:

  1. The Snow Child was excellent. I hope you love it as much as I did.

    My post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Snow Child sound super intriguing. And Stella by Starlight it one I wouldn't mind picking up, even though I'm sure it will make me ragey. I hope you have some new favorites in here!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ada Blackjack - that sounds like a good one!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I went off topic this week because I never plan my reading, but I did mention that I hope to read The Snow Child this winter. Everything else you listed looks great too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've seen a few people have The Snow Child! Great list.

    My Top Ten

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Wolves of Winter was a really good read!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks like a good mix there. Hope you find lots of gems

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Snow Child was a really good read. Hope you like it. I wasn''t a huge fan of it as everyone else is, but it is a really well-told story and I admired the prose.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I really liked The Wolves of winter.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow! Great list. I love short story collections. Stella By Starlight sounds amazing. I would like to give The Snow Child a shot, too.

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have The Wolves of Winter on my bookshelf. Thanks for reminding me about it. It would be a perfect winter read! I

    I like survival stories too. I find them inspirational.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great list! I love the variety. I've read a few of these and there are several others on here that I want to check out. Enjoy your reading.

    Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Such a great list! Surviving The Extremes sounds so good!

    ReplyDelete
  14. The Wolves of Winter looks SO GOOD. I cannot wait to read that one! I hope you enjoy all of your winter reads. <3

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

    ReplyDelete
  15. These all look really good, I'm especially interested in Ada Blackjack, though I want to read a lot of these as well! I really enjoyed The Turn of the Screw. I hope you love these!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I really liked Snow Child which is different for me (4.5). The Wolves of Winter got a 4.25 from me. :-)
    Enjoy all of your 'Winter' reads!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I read a book about real survivors of the Arctic years ago and some parts remain stuck in my brain forever - not in a good way ! Those books look good, have fun :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. The Snow Child is one I wanted to read for a long time! Right now I read Winter Street and Faking Under the Mistletoe, both very Christmassey books!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I hope The Snow Child is a great read for you. It's one of my favorites!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Surviving the Extremes looks like an anxiety-inducing read I'd love to get my hands on! I hope you enjoy all of these!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh that's a serious list! I find myself turning to cosy comfy reads in the cold of winter

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm currently reading an amazing scifi as well: Flood, by Stephen Baxter. It's really good, based on scientific data. The waters are rising and rising... Highly recommended

    ReplyDelete
  23. I have The Wolves of Winter which I grabbed in a sale. Not sure it's really my thing but I'll try it anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  24. The Wolves of Winter sounds super intriguing! Perhaps it's time I try more post-apocalyptic fiction :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Yes, yes, yes! Stella by Starlight! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏✨

    The Snow Child sounds ridiculously good. Thanks for the heads up. 📚✨

    ReplyDelete