The best winter books for adults are perfect to read in front of a blazing fireplace when the nights get longer. In winter, you should read books with cold settings that feel cozy, from atmospheric thrillers to snowbound romances.
As a mood reader who reads 100+ books per year and indulges in as many books set in winter as possible each January and February, I share below my curated genre book list of only the top recommendations so you can quickly and easily choose your ideal winter read, be it dark or magical. So, grab a warm beverage and take the winter reading challenge!
Best Winter Books For Adults to Read For Cozy Vibes
TOP 3 PICKS
The best books to read in winter have snowy settings and atmospheric themes that set the mood just right.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman is best for fans of Friday Night Lights. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is best for fans of emotional historical fiction. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie is best for fans of classic books and locked-room mysteries.
(Note: I separated these books by their main genre. If a second genre is also a big part of the story, I added that after the title in parentheses.)
Classics
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Contemporary Fiction
- The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Literary Fiction
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman
- The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane
- Light on Snow by Anita Shreve
- Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
- Run by Ann Patchett
- The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (magical realism)
- Winter by Ali Smith
- Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
Mystery and Thriller
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (classic)
- One by One by Ruth Ware
- Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
- The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
- The Shining by Stephen King
- Still Life by Louise Penny
- The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
Read More: Thrillers Set in Winter
Nonfiction
- Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat for Difficult Times by Katherine May
Romance
- The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden (fantasy)
- A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (fantasy)
- Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (historical fiction)
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (historical fiction)
- The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman
- The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
- Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
Read More: Romance Books Set in Winter
My Reviews of Fiction and Nonfiction Books Set in Winter
(Note: I placed these book reviews in alphabetical order.)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Plot: This one sentence sums up a long and meaty Russian classic: Anna Karenina tells the tragic love story of a married woman having an affair with dire consequences, and it simultaneously intertwines some Russian history.
My Review: Anna Karenina is a great winter read. Not only are there wintery Russian scenes, but the book’s massive length also makes them feel like something to indulge in when you are stuck inside.
Let me tell you, this is one juicy love story! Despite the book’s length, it’s not extremely difficult to read, and it’s well worth exploring its themes of familial versus romantic love amidst a 19th-century Russian backdrop.
Reading Tip: Check out my review of Anna Karenina for tips on reading this long, translated classic more easily.
Related Post: Quotes from Anna Karenina
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Plot: The Bear and The Nightingale is the first in the Winternight trilogy series, beloved by fantasy book lovers. It’s a coming-of-age Russian fairy tale in which young Vasilia and her family brave the Medieval Russian wilderness each winter. Together with the Frost King, she must face the brutality of the Winter King to save the village.
My Review: Overall, I enjoyed this unique read and know it’s so beloved by fantasy fans.
Reading Tip: There’s a Russian glossary at the end to help you keep track of the unfamiliar language.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Plot: On the surface, Beartown is about a Swedish hockey team striving for the national semi-finals. But beneath, it explores complex relationships and moral conflicts within the town’s community.
After a player is accused of raping a girl, the team and town are torn apart by emotions like justice, loyalty, and revenge. As the drama unfolds, Beartown and its inhabitants are forever changed by intertwining personal and societal struggles.
My Review: This is as close to perfect as a book gets for me. The characters are fully developed, and their actions have motivations and consequences that fully immerse the reader in their lives. The writing style is also both intriguing and darkly poetic, with eerily woven sentences that leave a lasting impact.
Related Post: Beartown Book Series
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
Plot: A Court of Frost and Starlight is the fourth book in the bestselling ACOTAR book series. The characters are still rebuilding after the war’s devastation. As Winter Solstice draws near, they look forward to a well-deserved break, but lingering scars from the past overshadow the season’s joy.
My Review: This short book is considered a bridge between the events of the third and fifth books in the series. That said, I thought it still captured the same magic as the longer books in the series (albeit without a ton of action). I fully soaked in the snowy Winter Solstice vibes and even a few spicy romance scenes!
Reading Tip: This book should only be read after books one, two, and three in the ACOTAR series.
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Plot: In The Favorites, Katarina is an aspiring Olympic ice skater from humble beginnings who forms an intense and passionate partnership with Heath, a fellow skater from the foster care system.
As they rise to fame, their relationship and chemistry captivate the world until a shocking event at the Olympics. A decade later, an unauthorized documentary reignites public interest in their story, pushing Kat to confront their past and reveal the truth behind their scandalous journey.
My Review: I can confirm that this winter sports book lives up to its hype! For fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, this juicy escape book reads like a blend of Daisy Jones and the Six and Carrie Soto is Back — but about ice skating. It also has very dramatic soap opera qualities. There’s love, betrayal, blood, death, secrets, twists and, of course, competition. What a wintery indulgence!
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Plot: The Frozen River takes place in 1789 Maine, where a midwife investigates the death of a man found frozen in the Kennebec River. This uncovers ties to a rape case she documented months earlier.
Her diary becomes key evidence, forcing her to seek justice while remaining loyal.
My Review: Read it for its historical context and feminist themes set against the backdrop of crime and the cold, not for salacious thrills. It’s also great for a middle-aged protagonist and a take of a happy marriage.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Plot: The Great Alone is a romance novel set in Alaska. One of Kristin Hannah’s best books, its moody Alaskan setting sets the stage for one extremely emotional love story.
While teen Leni’s family grapples with the PTSD of her father, Ernt, a recent POW in Vietnam, she befriends the local Matthew. As the long and brutal winter approaches, Leni’s friendship blossoms into more. At the same time, life becomes a battle against nature in a series of dramatic and consequential events.
My Review: The Great Alone has stayed with me since I first read it. I have searched “Alaska 1970s” numerous times for a clear picture of the alluring state that became the backdrop for Leni’s life. It’s a breathtaking story about love and survival in the wilderness, both beautiful and devastating.
Related Post: Review of The Great Alone
The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane
Plot: The Half Moon is about a marriage in crisis. Malcolm is a bartender who buys the bar where he works but discovers he made a bad deal. Meanwhile, his wife is a successful attorney who realizes she may never become a mother due to infertility.
During Malcolm’s first week of ownership, a blizzard knocks his power out, he discovers shocking news about his wife, and he becomes embroiled in the search for a missing patron.
My Review: A stormy winter week was the perfect setting for this story; the pieces slowly built like the snow on the ground. Then, like a growing blizzard, the last 100 pages came fast and left me glued to the couch. It was unlike any other literary fiction mystery I’ve read.
Light on Snow by Anita Shreve
Plot: In Light on Snow, Nicky is a 12-year-old who lives with her father in New Hampshire after an accident tragically killed her mother and baby sister. During a walk in the snow, they find an abandoned baby.
First, they are thrust into a criminal investigation. Then, a woman connected to the baby appears at their home just as a blizzard forces them to hunker down. They reckon with the darkness in their lives and try to find the light.
My Review: I couldn’t put this book down and read it during one snowy weekend. It’s an intimate novel in which grief is palpable, including such subtle descriptions as the home’s dust captured in the winter light. It also challenges the reader to empathize with the darkest parts of others’ lives.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Plot: In Murder on the Orient Express, a snowdrift halts the Orient Express to a stop. By morning, an American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, having been stabbed a dozen times, with his door locked– from the inside.
Isolated by the snow and with a killer on board, the renowned detective Hercule Poirot must uncover the murderer from a cast of memorable characters full of secrets.
My Review: This locked room mystery is exactly what you would expect from an Agatha Christie book, and it stands the test of time. It’s a must for all mystery readers.
Reading Tip: Pair it with the recent movie adaptation, which captures the atmospheric vibes!
One by One by Ruth Ware
Plot: In One by One, eight coworkers from a trendy London tech start-up get snowed in at a luxurious ski resort in the French Alps. Then, an avalanche cuts the group off from the outside world.
It may seem cozy, but as the hours pass without any sign of a possible rescue, the group dwindles as four characters die “one by one.” Ulterior motives and dark secrets are slowly revealed as tensions mound.
My Review: This heart-pounding book kept me engaged and guessing “whodunnit” as I read along in the “dead” of winter. It remains a favorite, particularly on a snowy day, which sets the mood just right.
Related Posts: Ruth Ware Books in Order | Ruth Ware Books Ranked | One by One Summary
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Plot: In Peace Like A River, eleven-year-old Reuben Land narrates his tale of tracking his outlaw brother’s murder trial and escaping across the Midwest in the 1960s. Reuben, along with his sister and father, traverse snowy terrain in search of their relative, believing in miracles all along the way.
It shares themes of family, love, and faith in the face of the harshest elements.
My Review: This was a remarkable debut in which each sentence was meticulously crafted. Reuben hearkens to Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Plot: In Rock Paper Scissors, Adam and his wife Amelia retreat to the snowy Scottish highlands for a weekend they intend to either save or end their marriage. Adding strains on the marriage are Adam’s inability to recognize faces and his grief over the tragic death of his mother.
Amelia’s ten wedding anniversary letters to Adam are intermixed with the present storyline. They slowly reveal the past and threaten both their marriage and their lives in the present.
My Review: The twists (yes, that’s plural) are, indeed, twisted, and I don’t think anyone would be able to see them coming. Feeney is a master at crafting twists that are so precise and unfamiliar, and it shows particularly well in this novel. I also loved the haunting feeling of the ending. It makes you wonder if you can ever really know your spouse.
Related Post: Alice Feeney Book Order | Best Alice Feeney Books
Run by Ann Patchett
Plot: Run is about the 24 hours after a snowy Boston car accident that forever binds and changes the futures of two families and exposes their shared pasts. It’s a character-driven novel about family, economics, politics, and duty.
My Review: This is a lesser-known book by this famous author, but it lives up to the standards her readers expect. It beautifully teases out the small details about a unique group of people and how they react to each other during the most momentous day of their lives.
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
Plot: The Sanatorium takes place at an isolated hotel (formerly a sanatorium) high in the snowy Swiss Alps. Elin has taken time off from her job as a detective and is still processing the death of her one brother many years ago when she visits with her estranged other brother and his new fiance to celebrate their engagement.
During a storm, Elin’s soon-to-be sister-in-law goes missing. As the storm closes off access to the hotel, panic ensues. A wild ride of twists, turns, more missing persons, and deaths unfold, thrusting Elin back into detective mode to uncover the truth about this hotel.
My Review: It’s a captivating, creepy thriller that constantly moves in different directions and tackles numerous mysteries in the most perfectly eerie setting for the season. This is one book that will keep you turning the pages on a cold night!
The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman
Plot: In The Secret of Snow, Sonny Dunes is a single, middle-aged California meteorologist whose job is replaced. The only station willing to hire her is in the snowy Michigan hometown she’s been avoiding because it reminds her of her sister, who loved the snow–and died because of it.
As Sonny’s charming Midwestern mother welcomes her home and helps her navigate her new life, she faces her grief and disdain for the snow head-on. Covering the small town’s winter events, she forms new memories of the snow and has a second chance at life and love.
My Review: It’s a beautifully written story about coping with grief that I couldn’t put down. Filled with snow-related metaphors, this is one of the best winter books for light romance readers.
The Shining by Stephen King
Potentially triggering content in The Shining by Stephen King includes mental illness, abuse (including child abuse), alcohol addiction, and graphic violence.
Plot: The Shining follows Jack Torrance, a struggling writer with a dark past who becomes the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado. He brings his wife, Wendy, and psychic young son, Danny. As the hotel’s dark supernatural forces prey upon Jack, his mental state deteriorates, and only Danny can protect his family.
My Review: First, I want to note that this horror novel is for those brave enough to read triggering content and an unlikable main character. It’s a psychological horror novel, after all!
Here, King masterfully conveys how isolation can cause one to descend into pure madness. This is the first and only book that has ever made me feel the visceral terror caused by being snowbound. I also loved how an intimate object (the Overlook Hotel) felt like a living force of evil. It’s a classic!
Reading Tip: Pair it with the classic Stanley Kubrick movie adaptation starring Jack Nicholson. Here’s Johnny!
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Plot: The Snow Child is set in Alaska in 1920, where the landscape is harsh for Jack and Mabel, a childless couple drifting apart.
During the season’s first snowfall, they build a snow “child.” Although the snow child is gone by the next morning, a young blond girl of the wilderness, Faina, is seen running through the trees. Jack and Mabel begin to love her as their daughter, and she transforms them.
My Review: The Snow Child is a whimsical read for those who want to feel the magic of winter and fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and/or The Giver of Stars.
Still Life by Louise Penny
Plot: Still Life begins the bestselling “Inspector Gamache” series, in which murders are investigated in a small Canadian town called Three Pines.
It begins during Thanksgiving week and ends in the snowy winter. Centered on the suspicious death of a retired teacher and painter, it questions whether the cause was a hunting accident or murder.
My Review: This book (and the entire series) is unique in exploring the human psyche and what lies beneath the surface of a seemingly quaint, quiet town. Indeed, “Still Life” is the perfect title to begin the full series about familiar townspeople and their thoughtful investigator.
Reading Tip: Read Louise Penny’s books in order of publication if you don’t want to be spoiled by their plots!
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
Plot: In The Tourist Attraction, Zoey is on her dream two-week vacation in Alaska when she visits Graham’s diner. He’s a local who’s unenthused about serving food to visitors. But Zoey is so kind interacting with the locals that she may change his heart.
My Review: It’s a lighthearted book like Gilmore Girls (Luke and Lorelai) that’s romantic but not too steamy. It keeps you entertained with humor amidst its unique Alaskan setting. There’s even a rogue moose!
Winter by Ali Smith
Plot: Winter is the second in Man Booker Prize Finalist Ali Smith’s beloved seasonal quartet of books.
Sophia, a woman in her 60s living alone in Cornwall, grapples with a spot on her cornea. The main focus is Christmas 2017, when Sophia’s son Art returns home with his new girlfriend, Lux.
Meanwhile, Sophia struggles with her complicated relationship with her sister, Iris. The novel explores family dynamics and themes like Brexit through flashbacks and flash-forwards, highlighting the importance of working together.
My Review: While this book is set around Christmas, it feels more wintry. It’s character-driven, and it imparts dark themes of winter in subtle ways for fans of literary fiction.
Reading Tip: I’ve read a few books in this quartet and think they can be read in any order.
Wintering by Katherine May
Plot: Wintering is filled with all kinds of thoughtful musings on the season. The author reflects on this season and looks to literature, mythology, and nature for insight into the transformative power of rest and retreat. This includes solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters, and sailing the arctic seas.
My Review: This is an interesting read about how we relate to winter, accepting its presence and finding nourishment and joy within.
Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
Plot: Winter in Paradise is the first of three books in Elin Hilderbrand’s Paradise series.
Winter in Paradise will whisk you away to St. John. As a middle-aged Irene Steele rings in a cold Midwestern New Year, she learns that her husband, Russ, was killed in a helicopter crash on the Caribbean island.
After Irene and her two sons arrive at St. John, they discover that Russ lived a secret life involving the locals. In coping with their shock and grief, they, too, begin to develop bonds with the islanders he knew.
My Review: It’s pure drama and winter escapism with some heart. Visiting a new location through Hilderbrand’s trademark writing (usually set on Nantucket) was also fun.
Reading Tip: You should read all three books in this series, as they feel like three parts of the same plot rather than three separate stories.
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
Plot: The Winter People takes place in present-day Vermont. West Hall has a history of mysterious disappearances and deaths, dating back to Sara Harrison Shea, who died in 1908, shortly after the tragic death of her daughter, Gertie, in a snowstorm. In the same house, teen Ruthie’s mom disappears.
Sara’s diary offers clues about” The Winter People,” as Ruthie learns she’s not the only one looking for someone lost. The race for the truth reveals the supernatural dangers and the power of familial love.
My Review: This book is great for fans of Stephen King books and Stranger Things who want spooky reading season to last beyond fall. The suspense kept me engaged, and the twists surprised me. I recommend it even if you don’t think supernatural books are for you.
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
Plot: Winter Solstice is the story of five people who spend the holidays together in a Scottish estate: a former London stage actress, a grieving widow, a young woman recovering from an ill-fated love affair with a married man, her angsty teenage niece, and a young divorcee without a real “home.” Their story is filled with snow, charm, and second chances.
My Review: This book is about both winter and Christmas, but it never feels too festive, and it can be read beyond the December holiday season.
Recap of the Top 3 Books About Winter
START WITH THE 3 BEST WINTER BOOKS
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Related Winter-Themed Posts
Get more winter lifestyle tips and tricks:
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
I started The Favorites yesterday and I’m loving it so far! Rock, Paper, Scissors is one of my favorite thrillers, and of course I loved The Great Alone.
Three greats!!
My favorite Winter themed book is Murder on the Orient Express
Excellent choice!