Winter Reading Guide

Hello rosebuds!💐

As most of you know, each season I like to share a few of my recommended reads for that specific time of year. Although winter has been here for quite a bit already, we still have until March 20th when the season is officially over.

So, what do I look for when recommending winter reads? Here’s a breakdown:

1. Classics
2. Historical Fiction books
3. Fantasy books
4. Fairy tales or retellings
5. Anything with a winter setting
6. Anything with cozy vibes

I am splitting this post up into two sections. The first being the winter books I have already read and would recommend, the second being the winter books I have not read but would like to get to this season.

Now, enough babbling. Let us begin!

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WINTER BOOKS I’VE READ

1. Whichwood
by: Tahereh Mafi
why read this in winter:
Whichwood is a middle grade fantasy book and the companion novel to Furthermore. In Whichwood we follow a girl named Laylee who is fated to wash the bodies of the dead and prepare them for the afterlife. She is stuck in a loneliness right after the death of her mother and is basically just going through the motions when one day two familiar faces appear and change everything. Although this story is set in the same world, as Furthermore, you could totally treat this narrative as a standalone.

I’m mainly recommending Whichwood for two reasons. 1.) The town of Whichwood where the story takes place is known for it’s winter weather with temperatures below freezing. 2.) This narrative just so happens to fall into the fantasy category–a genre I love reading when it’s cold out. Other than those two main factors, there are still many reasons why one should pick this book up during the winter time. What it really comes down to though, is the fact that Whichwood totally gives off those cozy winter vibes. This is a story you will definitely want to enjoy while snuggled up in your blanket and sipping a big cup of hot cocoa.

2. Little House in the Big Woods
by: Laura Ingalls Wilder
why read this in winter:
Little House in the Big Woods is book one in the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I think perhaps the most famous book in this series is Little House on the Prairie. The story follows a young Laura and her family as they go through Pioneer Life in a log cabin in Wisconsin. The series as a whole is based off the real life adventures of the author.

Although Little House in the Big Woods takes place throughout the course of several seasons, a huge majority of the story follows the characters as they prepare for the long winter by hunting and saving food. We also get to experience a chapter that involves a lovely Christmas celebration between Laura’s immediate and extended family members.

Even though nothing really exciting happens within the plot, something about Wilder’s writing will just pull you in. Not only is the narrative easy to read, but the book itself is super short (think 224 pages) making it the perfect tale to pickup during a day when you are all snowed in.

3. Snow & Rose
by: Emily Winfield Martin
why read this in winter:
Snow and Rose is a Middle Grade retelling of the Snow White and Rose Red fairy tale. The story follows sisters Snow and Rose after their father disappears in the woods and their mother falls into a deep sorrow. The enchanted woods is under a set of terrible spells, and it is up to Snow and Rose to break them.

Snow and Rose is a perfectly atmospheric story set in a wintry landscape. Martin does an amazing job at giving the reader lush descriptions of the sister’s surroundings, and let’s not forget to mention her beautiful illustrations that totally add to that frosty mood. Either way, you can’t really go wrong by reading a fairy tale retelling in the winter.

4. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by: C.S. Lewis
why read this in winter:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a children’s classic that follows three siblings as they stumble through a wardrobe and discover the land of Narnia. There are mythical beings, a talking lion and magic galore.

If there ever was a perfect book to read during the winter season, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe would be it. Not only does this story tick off the boxes for being both in the classic and fantasy genres, but the entire tale is set in Narnia–a place where it is ‘always winter, but never Christmas’. The setting of this story could not be more perfect for the freezing weather. I mean, the villain is a snow queen who put Narnia under a curse where it is permanently winter time. You can’t get more wintry than that!

5. Heartless
by: Marissa Meyer
why read this in winter:
Heartless is basically a prequel to Lewis Carroll’s classic tale, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. In this retelling, we follow the Queen of Hearts and the events that lead up to her becoming the ruthless, violent villain we know today. Before she was evil, she was just Catherine–a sweet girl who loved to bake. Considering the fact that we all know how the Queen of Hearts turns out, pretty much anyone will be able to guess that this is a terribly tragic tale with a not so happy ending.

The main reason I am recommending Heartless to read during the winter is because I personally find retellings of fairy tales and classics to be extremely cozy–especially when they have fantasy elements as well.

6. Red Queen
by: Victoria Aveyard
why read this in winter:
Red Queen is a YA fantasy that is about a world where there are two kinds of people—those with red blood, and those with silver. The red bloods are what you and I are—regular humans, with nothing special about them. On the other hand, the silver bloods are like gods brought down to earth. They each have unique powers and abilities. The main character Mare, deemed a red blood at birth discovers she has a somewhat deadly ability.

People either love or hate Red Queen. I am one of those individuals who totally adore it. Even though this is a fantasy (a genre I will always recommend for the winter season) there is just something else about this story that makes me think of the frigid weather. Maybe it’s the fact that the villains literally manage to chill me to the bones, or it might even be the eerie world/setting. Either way, Red Queen would make a perfect book to pick up this season.

6. The Snow Queen
by: Hans Christian Andersen
why read this in winter:
The Snow Queen is a classic fairy tale that follows a young girl named Gerda, and her journey to save her friend Kay who is lured from his home by the evil Snow Queen. As Gerda searches for her companion, she meets an array of characters who each help her out in one way or another.

The Snow Queen is the ultimate book to read during this season, as it is set with the backdrop of winter. There’s also tons of snow and an ice palace too. You simply can’t go wrong by choosing to pick up The Snow Queen this season.

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WINTER BOOKS I WANT TO READ

1. Murder on the Orient Express
by: Agatha Christie
why read this in winter:
Murder on the Orient Express is a classic mystery novel by author Agatha Christie. The story takes place aboard a luxurious train known as the Orient Express. When an avalanche stops the train dead in it’s tracks, a murder is discovered with thirteen possible suspects. It is up to the world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot to uncover the truth.

I don’t know about you, but to me there is just something about reading a mystery that makes me want to curl up in a warm blanket–especially when it’s cold out. I picked this specific murder mystery for this list, because 1) it falls into both the classic and mystery genres, and 2) it also takes place during the winter season. Not only are the characters trapped in a secluded location, but they also have nowhere to escape to considering the train is surrounded by an avalanche. I mean, you just can’t get more wintry than that.

2. The Dollmaker of Krakow
by: R.M. Romero
why read this in winter:
The Dollmaker of Krakow is a middle grade historical fiction novel that takes place during the second world war. In it, we follow a living doll named Karolina who is spirited away from the land of dolls and into the hands of a dollmaker in Krakow, Poland. Karolina is brought to life right before the dollmaker’s eyes, and before he even knows it he is smiling and laughing–something the dollmaker never does–all at the same time.

Unforunately, this newfound happiness is quickly dashed when the Nazi soldiers begin to invade Poland. Karolina and the dollmaker soon realize that their Jewish friends are in serious danger and decide they must help save them no matter what happens.

This would make a great winter read not only because it is a historical fiction novel with fantasy elements, but it also takes place in Poland with a cold, wintry backdrop.

3. Six of Crows
by: Leigh Bardugo
why read this in winter:
Six of Crows is a young adult fantasy novel set in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha-verse. In it, we follow six menacing outcasts who all go on one seemingly impossible heist.

I have yet to read this book, and that fact alone is enough to make me seriously ashamed. The fact that this is a fantasy novel that follows a group of anti-heroes is enough for me to want to read this during the winter. I also have this odd feeling that the setting might have a winter vibe to it.

4. Spinning Silver
by: Naomi Novik 
why read this in winter:
Spinning Silver is a fantasy novel set in the same world as Novik’s other book, Uprooted, but instead follows a different cast of characters. Like Uprooted, Spinning Silver is a fairy tale retelling, but this time the story was inspired by Rumpelstiltskin. In terms of general plot, I don’t need to know much more considering I love reading anything that has to do with fairy tales during the winter season.

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I hope you enjoyed reading today’s post!

Until next time,

September Wrap-up & October TBR

You Guys, Fall is here! That means it’s the time of year when I break out my cozy sweaters and spooky books. I also can’t resist curling up to a quality paperback while sipping some pumpkin spice coffee, yum. October is THE month for all of these things.

Before I get started on this month’s TBR though, I just want to lay out some ground rules for what I consider to be a fall book. For me, it has to have at least one of the following:

1. Fall colors and/or a Fall-looking book cover (i.e.: orange and black)
2. A spooky or scary storyline
3. Feature some sort of “typical” Halloween figure (i.e.: witches, demons, monsters etc.)
4. Or just be of the fantasy and or sci-fi genres

Now there will be one exception to the above rules, but I will explain more when I get to that book. So without further ado let’s get right into October’s TBR. shall we?

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September Wrap Up

 

1. Throne of Glass

There are no words for how much I loved this first installment of the Throne of Glass Series. There were often times where I found myself staying up late just to see what would happen next. When I got close to the end of the story I found that my heart was racing and I was hanging onto the edge of my seat. It was just THAT good. For those of you who don’t know, Throne of Glass is a YA fantasy that follows the assassin Celaena Sardothien as she is entered in a competition against 23 criminals to become the kings champion. If she wins the title, Celaena will then have to work for the king as his royal assassin for three years and after that she will be awarded her freedom.

There was so much good in this story I just had to give it what it truly deserved, that being a 5 out of 5 rating.  By the way, this was also my first time reading TOG!

2. Red Queen

For those of you who don’t know, Red Queen is a YA fantasy that is about a world where there are two kinds of people—those with red blood, and those with silver. The red bloods are what you and I are—regular humans, with nothing special. On the other hand, the silver bloods are like gods brought down to earth. They each have special powers and abilities. The main character Mare, deemed a red blood at birth discovers she has a somewhat deadly ability.  I was not expecting the ending to end the way it did AT ALL. It totally threw me off guard, but in a good way. I am going to be doing a review on Red Queen super soon so stay tuned people!

I ended up loving Red Queen SO much and gave it a 5 out of 5 rating.

3. Shadow and Bone

I listened to Shadow and Bone via audio book and went into it knowing little to nothing about the story. It’s basically about our main character Alina Starkov who discovers she’s a Grisha—an elite group of individuals with magical abilities. She then has to leave behind everything she’s ever known and join the royal court as well as the Darkling—head of the Grisha. Unfortunately, I found the pacing of this story to move kind of slow for my taste. I wasn’t immediately drawn into the world as I would have liked to be. With that said though, I would still like to continue with the rest of the trilogy as I am intrigued to see where it will go from here.

Overall, I ended up giving Shadow and Bone a 4 out of 5 rating.

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Currently Reading

1. Reign of Shadows

I am half listening to Reign of Shadows via audio book and half reading it via hardback. So far, I don’t know how I feel about the story as a whole. I am still only on page 83, but being that there is a little over 200 not much has really happened. For those of you who don’t know, Reign of Shadows is a Rapunzel retelling about a world that is cloaked in darkness. I guess I have to be a little farther into the story to actually tell if I will truly enjoy it or not, so I am hoping it starts to speed up a bit within the next twenty pages or so. Either way, I will be sure to share my in-depth thoughts with a full review upon completion.

2. The Graces

What better book to kick off the month of October then to read a book about witches? So far, I am loving this story. It kind of reminds me of Mean Girls but with witches. When I say that, I’m not proposing that the witches in question are cruel like the main characters in Mean Girls (because believe me that is definitely not the vibe I’m getting so far). But, like the Plastics—who are an exclusive group of girls that are sought after as flawless and popular—we have the Graces who give off the same effect. There is also that one character who just moved to town and doesn’t necessarily start out as a part of their clique, but is soon dragged into their world and ultimately becomes a part of it. I think the fact that this story reminds me so much of Mean Girls is the reason why I am thoroughly enjoying it thus far. I am really looking forward to seeing where the plot goes and if more magic will be brought in because so far it has been very subtle.

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September TBR

 

1. The Diviners

I don’t really know what The Diviners is about other than the fact that it takes place in New York City during the 1920’s. There also may be a murder and demons? So basically, I’ll be going into this blindly, but that’s okay! I heard many good things about this book, especially the fact that it’s a real spooky read. Perfect for the month of October!

2. This Savage Song

I received This Savage Song in one of my previous Owlcrate boxes. Again, this is another book in which I know little to nothing about. I do know that it involves monsters and the fine line between good and evil. I also know that Victoria Schwab is an amazing writer, so I am really looking forward to diving right into this one.

3. The Loose Ends List

The Loose Ends List is that one exception to my ground rules for Fall reading listed above. As most of you may agree upon, contemporaries aren’t necessarily the best books to read during the cool months of Autumn. They are meant for reading during the hot and humid days during the summer. So why am I reading this contemporary during October? Well the answer is simple! As I am writing this post, I am sitting in my stateroom aboard the Disney Cruise line. What better book to read on a cruise then a book that takes place on a cruise!?

For those of you who don’t know, The Loose Ends List is a story about our main character Maddie who is graduating high school and plans to spend her last summer before college checking off tasks on her “loose ends list”. This list consists of things she never got to do in high school, but plans to do before she enters NYU. Unfortunately, she soon discovers her eccentric grandmother is dying and will be taking the entire family on a farewell cruise around the world. The catch? Her grandmother won’t be coming back. That brings us to a new Loose Ends List—one filled with ways to say good-bye.

I’m thinking this will be a heart wrenching yet fun read all at the same time and cannot wait to jump right in!

4. Three Dark Crowns

I received Three Dark Crowns in my September Owlcrate. After reading the synopsis, I immediately knew this was something I was going to dive into asap. It follows three sisters, each with magical abilities who have to fight to the death to win the crown and ultimately become queen. The concept seems so unique and yes, dark that I found it only fitting to read in the same month as Halloween.

5. Crown of Midnight

Crown of Midnight is the second book in the Throne of Glass Series. Upon completing the first book, I immediately had to pick this one up as I was hooked from page one. I can’t wait to see where the story goes. I think the world is full of so much potential and I can see a lot happening in the next couple books. Hopefully I will get to Empire of Storms by December!

6. Furthermore

Okay, so initially Furthermore was a cover buy (just look at all the pretty colors!). But after reading the synopsis, I only grew more intrigued from there. It basically tells the story of a black and white girl in a world full of color. I mean, you can’t get more unique a concept than that! I don’t necessarily think this is the perfect book to read in October, but I am just too impatient to wait another month!

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AN OVERVIEW

Books I Completed:

1. Throne of Glass, by: Sarah J. Maas
2. Red Queen, by: Victoria Aveyard
3. Shadow and Bone, by: Leigh Bardugo
   

Currently Reading:

1. Reign of Shadows, by: Sophie Jordan
2. The Graces, by: Laure Eve

October To Be Read:

1. The Diviners, by: Libba Bray
2. This Savage Song, by: Victoria Schwab
3. The Loose Ends List, by: Carrie Firestone
4. Three Dark Crowns, by: Kendare Blake
5. Crown of Midnight, by: Sarah J. Maas
6. Furthermore, by: Tahereh Mafi

**keep in mind that this is just an idea of what I would like to read in October. I might not get to all of these books, but if I find the time, this is what I will be reading.

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So what do you plan on reading in October? Any suggestions for my TBR?

 

Until next time,

BOOK-TANICAL Art Tuesday: A Study in Charlotte

BOOK-TAN·I·CAL
noun

A Book-tanical is an illustration on or in a physical book. It can be created using computer graphics, or by hand but it is always part of a books design.

BOOK-TANICAL Art Tuesday is a new 100% original weekly meme created here at The Garden of Read-En. This meme celebrates the book arts in a whole new light and was originally inspired by the beautiful botanical illustrations created by botanists.

Each Tuesday The Garden of Read-En will discuss a different book design, whether it may be an illustration in a children’s book, or current cover design that captured my eye. Other weeks, I might even decide to feature a different artist. If any of you reading this have illustrations that you think are beautiful and just need to be discussed let me know and you just might see it featured on one BOOK—TANICAL Art Tuesday.

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PUBLISHER: KATHERINE TEGEN BOOKS (IMPRINT OF HARPERCOLLINS)
ARTIST: DAN FUNDERBURGH
FORMAT: HARDCOVER
BUY: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

For all of you mystery buffs out there, A Study in Charlotte is the perfect read to pick up this fall. It follows Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson—the descendants of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson—as they are framed for a murder they did not commit. Now, even though I’m only about halfway through with this book, I’m not sure how I feel about it. With that said though, I can still imagine this would be more entertaining for those Sherlock/Watson enthusiasts. You can easily compare the original stories to this modern day interpretation.

The reason I was particularly fascinated with this cover was due to its toile-like design. For those of you who don’t know what toile is, it’s a printed textile that originated in France sometime in the late eighteenth century and later became popular in Britain, as well. The prints usually depict multiple scenes that tell a story. The cover A Study in Charlotte does just that.

I love how Funderburgh took certain details from the story and placed them into the cover design. For example, in the first motif, you see the snake from the scene of Lee’s murder. We also see Charlotte investigating with her little spy glass in another motif, as well. The fact that the artist used such a historical design such as toile to put on the cover of a story that was originally set in the late nineteenth century seems only fitting.

When I looked up the artist on google, I noticed that he is also a wallpaper designer. This makes perfect sense because you typically see these kinds of designs on wallpaper.

In terms of color I think the navy and bright orange was an unexpected yet clever choice. It made what could have been an outdated looking design into something more modern. Which makes sense because that is exactly what A Study in Charlotte is all about. Its’s a new twist on an otherwise old tale.

Overall, I am really digging this innovative cover that’s takes a new twist on the classic toile printed fabric. If you’re interested in YA mysteries—especially ones that follow Holmes and Watson-like characters—this book is for you.

I hope you enjoyed this BOOK-TANICAL Art Tuesday.

 

Until next time,

 

The Garden of Read-En

The Invisible Library (Review)

The Invisible Library
By: Genevieve Cogman
Goodreads Rating: 3.73

Pages: 330

Format: Paperback

First Edition Published: June 14^th 2016

Buy: Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis

Collecting books can be a dangerous prospect in this fun, time-traveling, fantasy adventure from a spectacular debut author.
 
One thing any Librarian will tell you: the truth is much stranger than fiction…

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, a shadowy organization that collects important works of fiction from all of the different realities. Most recently, she and her enigmatic assistant Kai have been sent to an alternative London. Their mission: Retrieve a particularly dangerous book. The problem: By the time they arrive, it’s already been stolen.

London’s underground factions are prepared to fight to the death to find the tome before Irene and Kai do, a problem compounded by the fact that this world is chaos-infested—the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to run rampant. To make matters worse, Kai is hiding something—secrets that could be just as volatile as the chaos-filled world itself.

Now Irene is caught in a puzzling web of deadly danger, conflicting clues, and sinister secret societies. And failure is not an option—because it isn’t just Irene’s reputation at stake, it’s the nature of reality itself…

FEATURING BONUS MATERIAL: including an interview with the author, a legend from the Library, and more!

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The Review

Thank you to NetGalley and Roc for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

The Invisible Library is a story that was written for those who have a deep appreciation for the written word. It is a book about books, as some might venture to say.  In my opinion, those are the best kinds of narratives. Today I will be reviewing the U.S. edition of Genevieve Cogman’s, The Invisible Library. Let me just say as a fellow book nerd, I had a grand time doing so.

The Invisible Library basically follows a Librarian named Irene, in a world where Librarians become Spies in order to fetch specific books. In this Urban Fantasy, there are alternate worlds, dragons, fae, vampires, a Sherlock Holmes-like character and so much more.

The concept of Cogman’s tale is as equally original as it is common. By this I mean that while the world/idea itself was extremely unique some of the characters (such as Vale) were your typical fantasy/mystery stereotype. With that said, I think the author created these cliché characters on purpose. While most writers wouldn’t be able to pull that off, I think Genevieve Cogman totally did. In fact, not only do I love the idea of these cliché characters, but I think that without them, The Invisible Library wouldn’t have created the same image in my head.

From the very first chapter, I found myself hanging onto the edge of my seat. While at times that action went away, the book never once seemed boring to me. I never actually found myself drifting like I so often do while reading. That says a lot about the style of Cogman’s writing.

The world building had to be by far the BEST part about The Invisible Library. The way the two different types of magic were described (chaotic & ordered), really helps you understand the world a bit better. In terms of originality, again, Cogman wins the gold medal not to mention my seal of approval J. I have never read a book with so many alternate worlds and a protagonist who just jumps freely through them as she pleases. The way the author described Irene’s surroundings in each setting, really conjured up an image in my mind, and I always felt as if I was right there beside her. An awesome example of this amazing imagery can be found in this paragraph on page 45:

“The room had the indefinable air of all museum collections, somehow simultaneously fascinating forlorn. Manuscripts lay beneath glass cases, the gold leaf on their illuminations and illustrations gleaming in the gaslight. A single document was spread out on a desk in the centre of the room, next to a modern-looking notepad and pen. The high arched ceiling had cobwebs in the corners, and dust lurked in the crevices of the paneled walls. Next to the library entrance was a rattletrap machine, all clockwork and gears and sparking wires, with a primitive-looking printer mechanism and vacuum tubes attached.”

Great visuals, am I right? The above description really gave me the impression that this was a place you could almost see in some kind of horror film. Thinking about it now, it was almost an extremely discreet form of foreshadowing.

In terms of characters, Irene was a kickass protagonist, and even though Bradamant was a pain sometimes (okay a lot of the time) there were moments when I found myself shouting “you go girl!”. Like when she knocked down the door saving Irene’s butt in the end. Alberich, was the true definition of a villain. The way he took pleasure in torturing other souls, taking what he called their “skin”, and ultimately disguising himself as that person after killing them, made me cringe. In fact, there were a lot of scenes that did indeed have that cringe worthiness to them, which was quite unexpected in my eyes.

Everything aside, The Invisible Library wasn’t perfect. As is no book. There was one question I kept asking myself, which was really such a simple fact—how old was Irene? While the narrator did explain that time in the library passed differently than time in the real world, this small detail was unfortunately never mentioned. It left me to play a guessing game as I just really wanted to know.

Another question I was asking myself was, how did Irene and kai get to this alternate London? If it was stated in the book I apologize in advance because I could have very well missed it. But on the flip side, if you’re going to write about complex situations (such as jumping from one world to another) you need to be clear on how your characters got from point A to B. For me, it was just like one minute Irene and Kai were in the invisible library and the next they were in an alternate London. Like what? How did that happen?

Lastly, I know this book in specific probably doesn’t need it, but it would have been nice to see more romance. While I did get the hint that there was a developing romance between Irene and Kai I still would have liked to see more romantic scenes. Hopefully we will see more of their relationship develop in the following books.

Overall The Invisible Library was a great read that kept me guessing until the very end. When it comes down to it, I would have no problem recommending this book to Fantasy and book lovers alike. I decided to give the Invisible Library (4) stars simply because it was a well thought out story with kickass world building. Even though it didn’t have many cons, I would have liked to see more romance. But that is just my personal preference. I cannot wait to read the second book entitled, The Masked City as I already added it to my TBR.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

Until next time,

The Garden of Read-En

Rating
★★★★ (4)