Spring is just around the corner, but for some of us, the cold and snow is still coming on strong!
Month9Books, Tantrum Books, and Swoon Romance have put together a list of titles that would make a great "snow day' read.
These should help keep you warm and cozy during the cold, "wintry" nights.
Why these specific titles? We've let the authors of the these books do the talking...
Happy Reading!
Looking to escape the winter tundra? Then snuggle up with Effortless With You! Lizzy Charles, a Minnesotan author, is an expert at surviving winter. She wrote the book to escape negative forty degree temps and four feet of snow, so it’s got everything needed get out of your winter funk. Sunshine? Check. Pools? Check. Hot guys? Check. Check. Check. A sweet romance that’ll sweep you off your feet and take you to hilltops during sunsets? Check! Effortless With You will warm your heart with a story about courage, beauty, confidence, and real love.
School is out and Lucy is ready for the perfect summer: lazy days at the pool, invitations to the most exclusive parties, and romantic dates with her hot new boyfriend. That is, until she lands in trouble one too many times and her parents issue the ultimate punishment: a summer job. Suddenly, the summer can't end fast enough.
To make matters worse, the job is painting houses with Justin, the most popular, egotistical guy in school. Spending all summer with Justin might be other girls' dreams, but definitely not Lucy's. After all, Justin is cocky, annoying, and a jerk. So what if he's the most beautiful jerk Lucy's ever seen? Or that his grin makes her forget she’s mad at the world? Or that maybe, just maybe, there's more to Justin than Lucy realizes. Only one thing is certain: it won’t be the summer she wanted, but it might be exactly the one she needs.
When Lizzy Charles isn’t scrambling to raise her two spunky toddlers or caring for premature and sick babies as a neonatal intensive care nurse, she’s in a quiet corner writing or snuggled up with a novel and a few squares of dark chocolate. Black tea keeps her constant and she loves guacamole. She married her high school sweet heart, a heart-melting musician, so it’s no surprise she’s fallen in love with writing contemporary YA romance novels.
Picture this: You’re stuck in your house with the snow piling up outside. Now what? If you’d rather avoid that persistent need to catch up on laundry or clean the bathroom, here’s a better idea. Catch up on your reading instead.
And if a light, sweet YA romance is your go-to book of choice, then LIFE IN THE NO-DATING ZONE could be just the thing. First, it can warm you up with thoughts of summer while the characters run around in their shorts and flip-flops. Second, it can warm your heart as Claire and Gray bungle their way into love. And finally, if you like to laugh, there’s a character named Berger who’s waiting to meet you.
You wouldn’t want to disappoint him, would you? ;-)
After surviving her parents' relationship drama when her older sister elopes, Claire Gardner vows not to date during high school. Now, three years later, Claire is thrust into new relationship drama--her two best friends have boyfriends. Which means Claire is spending more and more time alone. And she's more than a little peeved.
Enter Gray Langley. His year-long crush on Claire's friend Lindsey has made him desperate enough to ask Claire for help. Hesitant at first, Claire agrees--anything to get rid of Lindsey's current evil boyfriend. But as Claire and Gray plot together, an attraction develops, and now she must decide if being with Gray is worth the pain that will come from confronting her parents with the reasons for her vow.
The mother of two grown sons, Patricia B. Tighe lives in El Paso, Texas, with her husband and two dogs. Her love of the written word caused her to get a journalism degree from Texas A&M University in 1980 and an MA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in 2008. When not writing or reading, she can be found walking the dogs or yelling at the TV during an NFL game. She's also a fan of British TV shows. Top Gear, anyone?
Grab a cup of cocoa, snuggle in a blanket before a crackling fire, and enter the world of the Snow Queen. A kingdom of winter, where the wild creatures like polar bears share an ice palace with a seventeen-year-old girl. A land where one can fly above glaciers in an enchanted sleigh, explore mysterious ice caves, or ride into the deep pine forests of the North.
Transformed into the Snow Queen by a powerful wizard, Thyra Winther must fight for survival. Her task—to restore a shattered enchanted mirror by her eighteenth birthday. The catch—she’ll be turned into a mindless, bodiless wraith if she fails. Ice and snow may do Thyra’s bidding, but her heart’s another matter. Touched by the warmth of a wolf pup’s devotion, and the fire of a young man’s desire, the thawing of this Snow Queen’s frozen heart may also spell her doom.
Thyra Winther’s seventeen, the Snow Queen, and immortal, but if she can’t reassemble a shattered enchanted mirror by her eighteenth birthday she’s doomed to spend eternity as a wraith.
Armed with magic granted by a ruthless wizard, Thyra schemes to survive with her mind and body intact. Unencumbered by kindness, she kidnaps local boy Kai Thorsen, whose mathematical skills rival her own. Two logical minds, Thyra calculates, are better than one. With time rapidly melting away she needs all the help she can steal.
A cruel lie ensnares Kai in her plan, but three missing mirror shards and Kai’s childhood friend, Gerda, present more formidable obstacles. Thyra’s willing to do anything – venture into uncharted lands, outwit sorcerers, or battle enchanted beasts — to reconstruct the mirror, yet her most dangerous adversary lies within her breast. Touched by the warmth of a wolf pup’s devotion and the fire of a young man’s desire, the thawing of Thyra’s frozen heart could be her ultimate undoing.
CROWN OF ICE is a YA Fantasy that reinvents Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” from the perspective of a young woman who discovers that the greatest threat to her survival may be her own humanity.
Vicki Lemp Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. Since obtaining her undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Virginia, she’s gone on to acquire two masters degrees, living in places as diverse as New York City and rural North Carolina. She’s currently the library director for a performing an visual arts university. Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.
As the wintry drifts pile up against your door, and the winds howl around the eaves, what could be better than cocoa, a plush blanket and a book. I left off the question mark, because that is not a question.
BONESEEKER is born of mystery--hey, what's that banging...did a shutter let loose?
Born of legacy--I'm sure Sherlock Holmes could quickly decipher that noise.
Born of love--your sigh of relief as your significant other hands you a steaming cup, and sits down beside you.
Step into the mind of the second generation of Holmes, and enjoy the ride.
Arabella Holmes was born different and raised different. After it became apparent she wouldn’t fit the role of a proper 1900′s lady, her father, Sherlock, called in some lingering favors, and landed her a position at the Mutter Museum. The museum was Arabella’s dream; she was to become a purveyor of abnormal science. What her father called a BoneSeeker.
Henry Watson arrives at the Mutter Museum with a double assignment–to become a finder of abnormal antiquities and to watch over and keep Arabella Holmes. An easy task, if he could only get her to speak to him instead of throwing knives in his general direction.
But this is no time for child’s play. The two teens are assigned to a most secret exploration, when the hand of a Nephilim is unearthed in upstate New York. Soon, Arabella and Henry are caught in a fight for their lives as scientific debate swirls around them. Are the bones from a Neanderthal … or are they living proof of fallen angels, who supposedly mated with humans according to ancient scrolls?
Sent to recover the skeleton, they discover they are the second team to have been deployed and the entire first team is dead. And now they must trust their instincts and rely on one another in order to survive and uncover the truth.
Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the Asperger’s syndrome. Her writing reflects her experience as a pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism.
When Tracy arrives at what she thinks is the North Pole, she discovers something incredibly wrong. The window shows a beautiful snowy scene, including a sign that says "North Pole - Population 2." However, when she opens the window, she sees that she's in the middle of the forest with no snow, no reindeer, and no Santa. This is what growing up in Florida was like for me. I would see all of the Christmas movies and hear all the songs that talked about the snowiest time of year, but when I looked outside, all I saw was a dull of shade of green. Like me, Tracy lives in Florida and has never spent much time in snow. I wanted to take her on an adventure where she could live out every child's Christmas dream. Eventually, she gets to the North Pole, goes on a sleigh ride with Santa, and even sees the Aurora Borealis. She drinks magical hot cocoa and naps in an overstuffed chair by a cozy fire. She lives the Christmas that I've always dreamed about. I hope that readers will enjoy that dream as they cozy up with Tracy Tam and a cup of hot cocoa.
Tracy doesn’t believe that Santa can deliver all of those presents in one night with out a little help from science. A flying sleigh can only be powered by jet engines, and Santa’s magical abilities can only be the result of altered DNA. In order to test her theories, she sneaks onto Santa’s sleigh and ends up at Santa Command, the place where a team of humans monitors Santa’s big night. When Tracy attempts to hack into their computers, she accidentally introduces a virus to their system. As a result, three states get knocked out of sync with the rest of the world. Before the night is over, Tracy has to fix time and help Santa finish his deliveries. And she has to do it all with Santa’s magic, which she doesn’t believe exists.
Krystalyn spent thirteen years working at Walt Disney World in a variety of roles: entertainer, talent coordinator, and character captain. Her degree in theatre as well as many, many hours spent in a dance studio, helped with her job there. Her various other day jobs have included working in zoology at Sea World, as an elementary teacher, and currently as a support technician for a website. In the evenings, she does mad writing challenges with her sister, who is also an author. Krystalyn lives near Orlando, Florida with her husband, son, a were cat, and a Yorkie with a Napoleon complex.
Winter can often mean staying inside to avoid the cold temperatures and icy conditions. Not exactly how any kid wants to spend the winter months. So why not curl up with a book full of adventure, the outdoors, and a family curse that’s generations old? Did I mention this adventure takes place inside a forest that can bring a person’s fears to life? That’s right. There’s mystery and danger around every corner for J.B. and his friends as they try to work together to find a stolen fortune that has left J.B. with visions of some old woman cursing him for something he never even did. You might have to stay indoors by a warm fire, but that doesn’t mean you can’t jump inside Curse of the Granville Fortune and go on an adventure with J.B.
Find the fortune, break the curse!
The hunt is on for an ancient treasure tied to nine-year-old J.B.’s family history. He’s been having visions that make him sweaty, lightheaded, and certain he’s turning into some kind of freak—or worse, going insane. But things are worse than he imagined. The visions stem from a family curse. An ancient ancestor was accused of stealing the massive Granville fortune, and now J.B.’s entirely family will suffer.
To break the curse, J.B. must find and return the Granville’s stolen property. But he’s not the only one searching for the treasure. As he sets out on his journey through a dark and foreboding forest, he’ll battle his worst fears and fight terrifying creatures along the way. And when he meets two others who share the missing pieces of his visions and suffer from the same curse, the three soon realize they need to work together to break the curse before it’s too late.
Kelly Hashway grew up reading R.L. Stein’s Fear Street novels and writing stories of her own, so it was no surprise to her family when she majored in English and later obtained a masters degree in English Secondary Education from East Stroudsburg University. After teaching middle school language arts for seven years, Hashway went back to school and focused specifically on writing. She is now the author of three young adult series, one middle grade series, and several picture books. She also writes contemporary romance under the pen name Ashelyn Drake. When she isn’t writing, Hashway works as a freelance editor for small presses as well as for her own list of clients. In her spare time, she enjoys running, traveling, and volunteering with the PTO. Hashway currently resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and two pets.
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