These winter book club books spark lively discussions on dark days. As a mood reader who indulges in as many winter-themed books as possible each January and February, I share below my curated list of only the top snow-filled book club recommendations, along with their genres and discussion themes, so you can quickly and easily choose the right book for your unique club to make the cold weather fun. Let’s get literary!
The Best Winter Book Club Books For Adults
TOP 2 PICKS
Beartown by Fredrik Backman feels like Friday Night Lights but about hockey. This town’s sports obsession has dark emotions and actions to discuss.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah transports the reader to Alaska during the Vietnam War era, where Leni experiences the bittersweet nature of the setting as she comes of age.
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman
- The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
- A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
- Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimor
- Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
- The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
- Still Life by Louise Penny
- Wintering by Katherine May
- Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
My Reviews of January and February Winter Book Club Books
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Plot: Beartown begins at the end, with a teenager pulling the trigger on a gun to someone’s head in the forest near a Swedish hockey town. Then, the reader learns the events that led to the act.
On the surface, this book is about a 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: With an opening line as ominous as this one, you just know there’s an epic tale to be unraveled. It’s 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. Backman is a modern literary treasure.
Related Post: Beartown Book Series
Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Plot: The Frozen River takes place in 1789 Maine, where midwife Martha Ballard 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. It’s about an unsung heroine’s pursuit of truth during a time when women were expected to stay silent.
My Review: This popular Good Morning America book club pick works well as a historical mystery with feminist themes set against the backdrop of crime. It’s also great for a middle-aged protagonist and a take on a happy marriage.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Plot: The Great Alone is a romance book set in Alaska about family, love, and survival in a harsh climate. 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 13-year-old Leni’s love life.
It’s a breathtaking story about winter romance and survival in the wilderness, both beautiful and devastating. It would be interesting to pair with food, music, and research about the time period and setting at your book club.
Related Post: Review of The Great Alone
The Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
Plot: A Long Way Down is a New Year’s Eve book that brings together four unlikely people on the final day of the year: a scandalous former TV talk show host, a struggling musician, an emotionally unstable teenage girl, and a single mother of a child with disabilities.
They meet on a London rooftop known for suicides, and indeed, they each intend to do so. The remainder of the novel follows the ninety days afterward.
My Review: This is one of the more memorable books I’ve read, yet I can’t tell you too much about it, or I’ll spoil the plot! Suffice it to say it’s a provocative and sad, yet oddly funny, slice of life. Pair it with the movie adaptation at your book club meeting!
Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
Plot: Oona Out of Order begins on New Year’s Eve 1982– the day before Oona’s 19th birthday. She struggles with committing to her band, boyfriend, education, and best friend. When she wakes up, though, it’s New Year’s Day 2014.
Each New Year, she time travels to a completely different year, causing chaos while simultaneously teaching her about life.
My Review: This popular book club book takes the reader on an emotional ride about fate versus free will. It’s easy to connect with Oona as she tries to gain control of her very uncontrolled life.
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Plot: In Rock Paper Scissors, work-obsessed screenwriter Adam and his wife Amelia retreat to the snowy Scottish highlands for a weekend retreat that 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, which would make for a fun discussion. Feeney is a master at crafting twists that are so precise and unfamiliar, and it shows particularly well in this winter thriller.
I also loved the haunting feeling of the ending. It makes you wonder if you can ever really know your spouse, which is another great topic of conversation.
Related Post: Alice Feeney Books in Order | Alice Feeney Books Ranked
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.
Faina seems to have appeared from the pages of a fairy tale, yet Jack and Mabel begin to love her as their daughter. Alaska can be both a violent and mysterious place, but Faina transforms them all.
My Review: The Snow Child is good for book clubs that want to feel the magic of winter. Pick this one if your book club loved 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. If you’re club likes it, you can continue the series!
Wintering by Katherine May
Plot: Wintering is filled with all kinds of thoughtful musings on the season. The author reflects on this season after her husband became ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave her job.
She looks to literature, mythology, and nature for insight into the transformative power of rest and retreat. There are solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters, and sailing the arctic seas.
My Review: Wintering is a quick book for book clubs that want to read nonfiction. It sparks seasonal discussion about real life and winter self-care. At the end of the day, it’s an interesting read about how we relate to the season of 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. It’s a very different kind of winter book because it whisks you away to St. John for a change of scene.
As a middle-aged Irene Steele rings in a cold Midwestern New Year, she learns that her beloved husband, Russ, who was away on “business,” was killed in a helicopter crash on the Caribbean island.
After Irene and her two sons, Baker and Cash, arrive at St. John, they discover that Russ was living a secret life involving some of 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 (usually set on Nantucket) writing is also fun. It’s great for book clubs that need a mental break from the cold.
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. This would work especially well if your book club meets every other month.
Winter Book Club Ideas
Here are some fun seasonal ideas to get you started planning your meeting to discuss your winter book club books:
- Food: soup, fondue, baked brie, gingerbread cookies
- Drinks: mulled wine, hot chocolate, peppermint tea
- Crafts: paper snowflakes (see these book page ornaments), snow globes, knitting, winter manicures
- Outfit: your warmest sweater, pajamas, scarves
- Themes: cozy, snow, hibernation
Recap
WHAT BOOK TO PICK
If you’re still deciding which of these great book club books to pick, start with my top two five-star reads from this list:
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
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remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
