Books to read about Winter or Christmas
Winter Wood by Steve Augarde
In this astonishing final part of Steve Augarde's captivating trilogy, past and present are connected and the interwoven threads lead to an astonishing series of revelations.
Midge's discovery of the hidden tribes is like a dream to her now, their existence all but forgotten, but then a voice calls out to her in the winter darkness. The Various have returned and their desperation has made them all the more dangerous. They must travel to Elysse or perish. The only way that Midge can help the little people is by tracing the whereabouts of her great great aunt Celandine. But Celandine must be long dead, surely?
Winterkill by Kate A Boorman
No one leaves the settlement if they want to survive.
Emmeline knows this, but the trees in the woods are whispering to her, pulling her towards the wayward path.
Inside the safety of the wall, is a marriage she does not want and a boy she cannot have. But outside? The malmaci lies in wait and the freezing Winterkill is coming. . . .
The Ghost Garden by Emma Carroll
Summer 1914. When Fran unearths a bone in the garden of Longbarrow House on the same afternoon that Leo breaks his leg, it must surely be just a coincidence. But Fran cannot shake the uneasy feeling that the events are somehow connected, and there is a shift in the atmosphere that leaves her troubled and anxious. Roped into keeping wheelchair-bound Leo company, Fran is forced to listen to his foolish theories about the looming threat of war in Europe. But as the pair start to uncover more secrets buried beneath the garden, they dredge up threatening shadows of the future, and Fran begins to fear that Leo's dire predictions might be coming true ...
Winter Damage by Natasha Carthew
On a frozen Cornish moor, a fourteen year old girl lives in a trailer with her dad and little brother. Ennor's mother left years ago, when things started to go wrong and gradually their world has fallen apart. Now her father is gravely ill, school has closed and Ennor knows they are going to take her brother away if things do not pick up soon. Days before Christmas, when the wind is cold and her dad's health takes a turn for the worse, Ennor packs a blanket, a map, a saucepan and a gun into her rucksack, and sets off to find her mum and bring her home.
Ennor thinks she knows where she is going. But this journey becomes a battle for survival.
Wranglestone by Darren Charlton
In a post apocalyptic America, a community survives in a national park, surrounded by water that keeps the Dead at bay. But when winter comes, there’s nothing to stop them from crossing the ice.
Then homebody Peter puts the camp in danger by naively allowing a stranger to come ashore and he is forced to leave the community of Wranglestone. Now he must help rancher Cooper, the boy he has always watched from afar, herd the Dead from their shores before the lake freezes over.
But a dark discovery reveals the sanctuary’s secret past. One that forces the pair to question everything they have ever known.
After the Snow by S D Crockett
Set in the haunting and barren landscape of a new ice age, AFTER THE SNOW is the story of fifteen-year-old Willo, a 'straggler' kid who loses his family. Completely alone, Willo is immediately flung into an icy journey of survival, adventure, friendship and self-discovery, with only the dog spirit inside his head to guide him. Meanwhile, across Britain, outlawed followers of survivalist John Blovyn are planning an escape to the fabled Islands talked of in a revolutionary book.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean and unpleasant man who dislikes people generally and Christmas especially.
One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come and given a glimpse of the many homes and lives which Scrooge has touched in his wretched life to date. After their visits, will Scrooge change his ways?
The More the Merrier by Anne Fine
Christmas comes but once a year. Luckily the Christmas holiday is, traditionally, a time when families gather together. In Ralph's case this means ten or more relatives coming to stay, including assorted aunts and uncles, nutty Great Aunt Ida (the Home tells them to be careful not to let her out) and his ghastly cousins: Titania in her silly, sick-making frilly fairy dresses and the twins Sylvester and Sylvia.
Jammed into one small house for three days of merriment and family fun, with the tv on the blink and Mum on the verge of a breakdown, it soon becomes obvious that, in this house, more definitely does not mean merrier . . .
The Crystal Stair by Catherine Fisher
Life in the Settlement is not as perfect as Caz and Will had hoped - they live apart in the Boys' and Girls' Towers and rarely see each other. Searching for her father, Caz is told that he never arrived at the Settlement. But then she finds his name on a secret list of a missing Search and Rescue team that set out to investigate a mysterious signal and never came back. She cannot rest until she finds out what has happened to him. Even though Will is convinced it is too dangerous. Even though it means leaving and heading back out onto the endless ice.
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
An ill timed storm on Christmas Eve buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train and sets off a chain of events that will change quite a few lives.
Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to win a race to the Waffle House (and the hash brown spoils) and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista.
A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig
Believe in the impossible as you are about to read the true story of Father Christmas.
If you are one of those people who believe that some things are impossible, you should put this book down right away (because this book is full of impossible things).
Are you still reading? . . . Good.
Then let us begin...
The Way Past Winter by Kiran Hargrave
Mila and her sisters live with their brother Oskar in a small forest cabin in the snow. One night, a fur-clad stranger arrives seeking shelter for himself and his men.
But by the next morning, they have gone, taking Oskar with them.
Fearful for his safety, Mila and her sisters set out to bring Oskar back, even if it means going north, crossing the frozen wild lands to find a way past an eternal winter.
The Greek who Stole Christmas by Anthony Horowitz
Once again, Tim Diamond and his younger brother Nick are flat broke. So when they are hired to investigate an anonymous death threat made to world famous pop singer and movie actress Minerva, they jump at the chance. However, the Greek celebrity seems to have plenty of enemies, so the question is, which one actually wants her dead? Meanwhile, Tim needs to resist Minerva's amorous advances and focus on the matter in hand...
Frost by Kathryn James
There is something in the mist, as beautiful as starlight, as fierce as wolves, as heartless as ice.
The forest beyond the mist is the home of the Elven: rarely glimpsed, misunderstood. Evan belongs here, enigmatic, beautiful Evan, and Nell is captivated by him. But Evan's world is now ravaged by ice storms, and only Nell can help him save it.
Last time Nell went into the mist it was to rescue her sister. This time she will have to go farther than the forest, deep into the frozen wastes beyond, where a deadly lake of ice and an ancient adversary await her ...
White Fang by Jack London
‘Fear urged him to go back, but growth drove him on…‘
Set in the frozen forests of the Yukon Territory, Canada, during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s, ‘White Fang’ tells the story of a young wolf-dog’s journey from the wild into human territory. As White Fang learns that civilisation is every bit as vicious and violent as nature, and that survival is only awarded to the fittest. We too see how instinct, sensation and emotion drive every one of us.
A Sliver of Snow and Sky by Lisa Lueddecke
On the frozen island of Skane, the sky speaks. Beautiful lights appear on clear nights and their colours have meaning. Red is rare. A warning.
Seventeen years ago, the sky turned red just as Osa was born, unleashing a plague that claimed the lives of hundreds of villagers, including her own mother. This time, when the night sky once again bleeds crimson, she must discover what it means before so many lives are lost again.
Christmas Stories by Michael Morpurgo
Curl up by the fireside with an enchanting collection of Christmas stories and lose yourself in faraway lands and unexpected adventures with some Christmas tales from the master story teller.
The Best Christmas Present in the World - A mysterious letter in a secret drawer brings one night in the Great War vividly to life. . . .
The Best of Times - When the Prince and Princess marry, joy rings out across the land. But all too soon it fades away and a shadow hangs over the royal palace.
The Goose is Getting Fat - Gertrude the goose is getting bigger by the day, and Charlie is proud to look after her. But as Christmas approaches, can he save Gertrude from the Christmas dinner table?
The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley
Michael Vyner recalls a terrible story, one that happened to him. One that would be unbelievable if it were not true! Michael's parents are dead and he imagines that he will stay with the kindly lawyer, executor of his parents' will ...Until he is invited to spend Christmas with his guardian in a large and desolate country house. His arrival on the first night suggests something is not quite right when he sees a woman out in the frozen mists, standing alone in the marshes. But little can prepare him for the solitude of the house itself as he is kept from his guardian and finds himself spending the Christmas holiday wandering the silent corridors of the house seeking distraction. But lonely doesn't mean alone, as Michael soon realises that the house and its grounds harbour many secrets, dead and alive, and Michael is set the task of unravelling some of the darkest secrets of all.
The Last of Spirits by Chris Priestley
Sam and Lizzie are freezing and hungry on the streets of Victorian London. When Sam asks a wealthy man for some coins, he is rudely turned away. Months of struggle suddenly find their focus, and Sam resolves to kill the man. Huddling in a graveyard for warmth, Sam and Lizzie are horrified to see the earth around one of the tombs begin to shift, shortly followed by the wraithlike figure of a ghostly man. He warns Sam about the future which awaits such a bitter heart, and so begins Sam's journey led by terrifying spirits through the past, present and future, after which Sam must decide whether to take the man, Scrooge's, life or not.
War Games by James Riordan
It is Christmas Eve, 1914, and there is a war on. British and German soldiers sit in the muddy trenches either side of No Man's Land, as deadly enemies.
Suddenly, a strange sound fills the air. A German voice is singing 'Silent Night'. A British sergeant joins in and so begins a most unusual evening indeed.
War Games is a historical story set during World War I.
Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell
'Midnights' is the story of Noel and Mags, who meet at the same New Year's Eve party every year and fall a little more in love each time . . .
'Kindred Spirits' is about Elena, who decides to queue to see the new Star Wars movie and meets Gabe, a fellow fan.
The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora's mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves and to fight and to run and to be wary of humans.
When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run.
Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick
Set in the rich and atmospheric landscape of Russia during the revolution that sent shockwaves around the world, this is the partly true story of Arthur Ransome - a writer accused of being a spy.
Fictionalising history and blending it with one man's real life, Marcus Sedgwick expertly crafts this innovative and stimulating novel of three parts - a fairy tale full of wise and foolish kings, princesses, wishes and magic; a bleak and threatening spy thriller, and a love story.
My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick
In the bitter cold of an unrelenting winter, Tomas and his son, Peter, arrive in Chust, where they settle as woodcutters. But there are many things Peter does not understand. Why does Tomas dig a channel of fast-flowing waters around their hut so they live on an isolated island and why does he carry a long battered box everywhere they go and refuse to tell Peter of its contents?
When a band of gypsies comes to the village, Peter become infatuated by the beautiful gypsy princess and her community's love of life. He even becomes drawn into their deadly quest, for these travellers are Vampire Slayers.
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Variously melancholy, lyrical, joyous and farcical, Twelfth Night has long been a popular comedy with Shakespearian audiences. The main plot revolves around mistaken identities and unrequited love. Both Olivia and Orsino are attracted to Viola, who is disguised as a young man; and Viola’s brother, Sebastian, finds that he is loved not only by Antonio but also by Olivia.
Dead Man's Cove by Lauren St John
When orphaned Laura Marlin moves from a children's home to live with her uncle in Cornwall, she longs for a life of excitement just like the characters in her favourite detective novels. A real life adventure is on hand as she is deposited at her uncle's spooky house.
Why does her uncle forbid her to go to Dead Man's Cove? What's the truth about Tariq? Who is J? Who left the message in a bottle for Laura to discover? Mysteries abound and who better to solve them than Laura Marlin, ace detective? Accompanied by her trusty companion, Skye, a three-legged husky.
Nicky Raddon - November 2021