Winter Reading Recommendations for Historical Fiction Lovers!

Happy New Year!

I don't know about you, but I love reading books set in cold, barren landscapes during the winter months - particularly after Christmas. In the run-up to Christmas (if it's a holiday you celebrate) it's so easy to take refuge from the miserable weather when you have time off work to watch your favourite festive films, eat lots of food that's incredibly bad for you and maybe curl up with a hot chocolate, a warm blanket and a holiday-themed romance.

Then the thrill of Christmas and New Year pass into long, dreary January and it's time to go back to work against a backdrop of adverts for work-out DVDs and the latest diet. Apologies to anyone with a January birthday, but January is probably my least favourite month of the year because the world becomes Narnia - always winter, never Christmas - without all the talking animals to make it exciting.

One thing the cold, Christmas-less months of January and February are great for is reading wintery books. I'm sure you all know by now how much I love historical fiction, and the kind of historical fiction that unravels amidst a bleak, snowy landscape is the kind of fiction I love to read at this time of year. There's nothing more atmospheric than reading a book set in winter when the weather outside is frightful.

So if you're in the mood for a wintery book, some historical fiction or you have no idea which book you should pick up first this year, below are three books I would highly recommend reading before spring arrives!

I've mentioned Burial Rites a lot on my blog and that's because I found it so powerful. In this debut novel Hannah Kent explores the final days of the last woman to be executed in Iceland, Agnes Magnúsdóttir, who was beheaded on the 12th January, 1830. Kent captures who Agnes might have been wonderfully, but the most memorable character is the bleak, isolated Icelandic landscape itself. I went to Reykjavik in December and visited the National Museum of Iceland where I happened upon the block and axe head that were used to execute Agnes. I left that museum feeling quite hollow.

I always find it difficult to explain the plot of The Tenderness of Wolves. The simple explanation is that a woman in 19th century Canada goes searching for her son when it appears he could be guilty of the murder of one of their neighbours. In reality, though, the novel is about the entire community and weaves several different story threads into one overarching plot; when I finished this book I didn't think I'd enjoyed it that much, but it's a novel that I'm still thinking about even though I read it two years ago. The setting makes it the perfect book to read during the coldest months of the year - especially if you have a cosy fireplace to snuggle up in front of.

All the Truth That's in Me is similar to the previous two in that it's also set in the 19th century, this time in the United States, and it also includes a crime. In Burial Rites we have the story of the criminal, in The Tenderness of Wolves we have the story of the outsiders, and finally in All the Truth That's in Me we have the story of the victim. Judith becomes something of a pariah in her community when she returns home after being held hostage for four years, a time in which her best friend was murdered and she was left without her tongue. What follows is Judith trying to tell her story, trying to learn how to speak again, and trying to learn how to fit back into her community. The story is told in second person as Judith addresses Lucas, the boy she loves, throughout and I fell in love with the way it was told. Like the previous books this is a slow, quiet story, and I loved it a lot more than I thought I was going to.

Have you read any of these? What kind of books do you turn to in the winter?

Top Ten Tuesday | Indigenous Peoples' Day and World Mental Health Day

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Ten Books With Fall/Autumn Covers/Themes' which I struggled with, but it's actually my birthday today so it didn't seem right to miss another week of TTT! More importantly, however, October 10th is also World Mental Health Day, and as Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight is once again hosting her wonderful Shattering Stigmas blog event I decided to join in and use this week's TTT as an opportunity to mention some books which discuss mental health, some I've read and some I've yet to read, and also as an opportunity to mention some books in celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day (9th October).

If you have any recommendations, please leave them below!

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig: I've owned a copy of this for a while and have heard amazing things but still haven't read it. Hopefully I can make time for it this Non Fiction November!

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: It's amazing how much impact Perkins Gilman can have in so short a story, but The Yellow Wallpaper, following the mental deterioration of a woman after she is married and expected to play a certain role is nothing short of a masterpiece.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: I'm ashamed to say I still haven't read any Plath, something I know one friend of mine in particular will be unhappy with as she loves her work so much. I think knowing the tragic end to Plath's own life makes her work seem a little intimidating to me, but I'd like to read The Bell Jar sooner rather than later.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia: Not only does this sound like a very sweet, fun story, but I've also heard it deals with depression and anxiety really well and I'm all for that.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: I wasn't sure if I was going to include this one at first. Jackson is my favourite horror writer and a lot of her work seems to revolve around how society damages women, particularly their mental state, but it can also be read as a pure ghost story. This novel, in particular, leaves it entirely up to the reader as to whether the heroine is really in a haunted house or if her mental health is deteriorating. However you choose to read it, it's worth reading.

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney: I've mentioned this novel several times before, particularly how I'd like to reread it as I think I might appreciate it more a second time, but one of the things I loved about it was that there were several characters who are First Nations people and the novel as a whole doesn't ignore the impact white settlers in Canada had on the indigenous population. A great novel to read in the winter!

Beyond the Pampas by Imogen Rhia Herrad: This book explores something I know practically nothing about it: Welsh settlers in Patagonia. While a lot of the book seems to be about Herrad learning about the descendents of those Welsh settlers, she also explores the impact that their settling had on the indigenous people.

The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King: I've heard fantastic things about this book, which explores the history of North America's First Nations people and the way they are still portrayed today in the media. I started reading last year, I think, but wasn't in the right headspace for it, so I'm hoping I can get to it this year.

Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenandore: This novel isn't due out until next year but it sounds super interesting. Set in early 20th century Philadelphia, a woman asks her lawyer husband to defend her childhood friend, a First Nations man raised in one of America's 'savage-taming' boarding schools, when he is accused of murder.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown: I've heard so many good things about this book and still haven't read it, and I'd love to check out the film adapted from the book starring Anna Paquin, too.

Which books made your list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | They #$@&%*! you up, your mum and dad...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Ten Books That Feature Characters...' and I've decided to talk about books with protagonists who are parents, because so often parenthood is the end of someone's story and I've never been entirely satisfied with the idea that a person's life comes to an end as soon as they have a baby. You're still you, you just have an extra responsibility and that doesn't mean your life and your interests have to come to a stand still. Isn't it much more interesting for children to be raised by parents that actually have personalities?

Five of these books I've read and five are on my TBR!

The title is a line from This Be the Verse by Philip Larkin.

Books I've Read

The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin: I think Essun is the most bad-ass mother I've come across in fiction. There's not much I can say about this book, and this series, without giving too much away, all I will say is that you should read it.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples: The main conflict of this series is that a child has been born to two people who should be on opposing sides of an intergalactic war. That the series is narrated by that child is a lovely touch, I think.

Knife Edge by Malorie Blackman: Noughts & Crosses is one of my favourite books and the series continues to get darker and darker. Again there's not much I can say about Knife Edge without spoiling the series, but its honest depiction of early motherhood has always stayed with me.

The Death Maze by Ariana Franklin: I don't love this series but, when I'm in the mood for an easy to read historical thriller, I do find myself turning to it. Set in the middle ages, protagonist Adelia is one of the earliest working single mothers I've come across in fiction!

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney: One of the driving forces behind this novel is protagonist Mrs. Ross's search for her teenage son who is suspected of murdering one of their neighbours. Really the book is about the town as a whole but it's an interesting read and one I'd recommend for the winter months!

Books on My TBR

The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss: I've heard nothing but amazing things about this novel, told from the point of view of a stay-at-home dad which isn't a perspective you see often in fiction.

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry: Cora, recently widowed and glad to be rid of a husband who wasn't particularly nice, decides to use her widowhood to pursue her love of science, with her lady's maid and young son in tow. I'm determined to get to this one soon.

Timeless by Gail Carriger: Another one I'm aiming to read by the end of this year so I can finally finish the series and move on to Carriger's other books set in this world. I'm just about to start Heartless, in which Alexia is heavily pregnant, so by Timeless she'll have a mini-Alexia to keep her eye on. It's a nice change to come across a series that doesn't leave the characters behind as soon as they 'settle down' - Alexia's married and pregnant, but she's certainly not ready to settle!

The Untold by Courtney Collins: I'm not 100% sure but I believe this one is based on a true story. I've realised this year just how little I read about Australia and it's something I want to rectify, starting with this book!

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë: I've read bits of this book but still need to sit down and read it from beginning to end. I really should get to it soon. Like Cora in The Essex Serpent, the heroine of this novel also has a young son to think of and, considering the time in which she lives, it's pretty damn admirable what she does to keep him safe.

What did you talk about this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | First Impressions

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Ten Books I Loved Less/More Than I Thought I Would', so my list is divided in half with five books I liked more than I thought I would and five I liked less than I thought I would. On with my list!

Books I liked more than I thought I would

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: I know! Considering how much I talk about this book, who'd've thought I wasn't always sure it was going to be for me. I don't know what it is, but I'm never drawn to books set during the '80s so I really didn't know what I was going to make of this. What I got was a fantastic coming-of-age story along with totally unique witchcraft - I love it!

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng: I saw Mallory @ The Local Muse mention this and decided to pick it up, but it seems the '80s aren't the only decade I tend to stay away from - to be honest I don't tend to read much fiction set in the 20th century after the 1950s, and I'm not usually a big lover of family sagas because there's always at least one person I don't care about and I get bored, but this debut proved to be the exception. It's written and plotted beautifully and I can't recommend it enough.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn: This is a tricky one in that I didn't realise I had actually really enjoyed it until a couple of weeks after I finished it. When I initially finished I wasn't sure how to feel about it, and I felt little cheated by the ending, but then I couldn't stop thinking about it and the more I think about it the more I realise how cleverly it was plotted.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: Austen and I have a difficult relationship and a couple of years ago I read Northanger Abbey after avoiding Austen for around five years. I actually quite liked it, and I'm tempted to give her another chance.

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney: I had a very similar experience with this book as I did with Dark Places. I couldn't stop thinking about it despite not enjoying it as much as I thought I would, and now I think I'd like to re-read it in future so I can fully appreciate it.

Books I liked less than I thought I would

St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell: I went into this short story collection full of hope and it just wasn't for me. I liked a lot of the ideas behind some of the stories, but I felt like every single story had a very weak ending that Russell just didn't know how to execute... so she didn't do anything. Not for me, sadly!

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: Unlike Dark Places, I haven't developed a new respect for Sharp Objects since I finished it and I was so hopeful. I don't really have any interest in reading Gone Girl, but I do think Flynn is a fantastic writer and I was very excited to read her debut; I love stories that explore mother and daughter relationships, especially the creepy ones like Carrie and Black Swan, and I'm all for Southern Gothic, but this story and I didn't get along at all. Dark Places felt clever, Sharp Objects felt gratuitous.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik: I didn't dislike Uprooted, but I didn't love it either and I was hoping I would as my lovely friend Natalie @ A Sea Change thought very highly of it. I just felt kind of 'meh' about the whole thing and that was mainly because of the way it was written; I don't know what it is about Naomi Novik's writing in this book, but it felt like a struggle to get through. The cover is beautiful, though.

Among Others by Jo Walton: So many people love this book and I hated it! I really wish it didn't because it sounds like the perfect book, but I had way too many problems with it to enjoy it.

Summer Days & Summer Nights ed. by Stephanie Perkins: I really enjoyed My True Love Gave to Me, but I ended up DNFing this one. So many of the stories were so bloody depressing until it eventually got to the point where I realised I didn't care anymore. I did enjoy Leigh Bardugo's story, so I'm planning to read Six of Crows this year.

Which books made your list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | Best Books of 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Best Books Of 2016'! Now as many of you may know, 2016 hasn't been a great reading year for me at all. I think we can all agree that 2016 has been a bit of a crap year in general, and unfortunately a busy job and generally feeling low have meant I haven't been reading as avidly as I'd like to. I read half the amount of books I read last year, and so many books were a lot more underwhelming or disappointing than I would have liked them to be, so I have a top eight rather than a top ten. I could have picked another two, but I decided just to go with the books that have actually stuck with me this year in some way or another!

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison: This one's a re-read after I read it for the very first time last year, in fact I re-read it twice this year: I read the paperback and also listened to the audiobook and I loved every minute of it. It's still one of my all-time favourite books, and I'm confident I'll be reading it again in 2017, too.

The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig: This one was such a pleasant surprise. I loved the sound of the premise so I was sure I was going to like it, but I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I was going to. It was a real adventure, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on The Ship Beyond Time.

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: I think we all know by now that I adored Moreno-Garcia's debut Signal to Noise, so her second novel was my most anticipated read of this year and I really enjoyed it. It's the first vampire novel I've read in a while that felt fresh and new, and I can't wait for her next novel!

Soulless by Gail Carriger: I'm glad 2016 was the year I finally read some Gail Carriger and it was so much fun. I'm planning to finish this series and then I'm looking forward to reading Carriger's other work.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn: This was a strange one in that I finished it I was a little disappointed with the ending, but I also haven't been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it and the more I think about it the more I appreciate just how brilliantly plotted it is. I didn't care for Flynn's debut, Sharp Objects, but I think this is a fantastic thriller.

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney: I had a very similar experience as Dark Places with this one, too. After I finished it I felt a bit underwhelmed, but like Dark Places I haven't been able to stop thinking about it and I think it's actually a really well put together novel and a perfect read for those cold winter months.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng: Probably the best book I read this year. It's heartbreaking but it's so, so beautiful and another one that's plotted so well. I can't recommend it enough!

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik: One of the best adult contemporary novels I've read in a long time. This was so much fun to read but was also really thought-provoking in places and just a really good book. I'm looking forward to The Other Half of Happiness!

Which books made your list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | My Winter TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is a Thanksgiving freebie, so because I'm British and therefore don't celebrate Thanksgiving, and also just don't like the origin of the holiday (sorry America!), I'm going to talk about the books on my Winter TBR instead.

The majority of these are 2016 releases I want to read before the end of the year, along with a few seasonal reads!

The Muse by Jessie Burton: I read and loved Burton's debut, The Miniaturist (reviewed here!), last year, so it's pretty ridiculous that I haven't read this one yet. To be honest I just haven't been in the mood to pick it up yet, and I'm very much a mood reader, but I want to read it before the end of the year.

A Tyranny of Petticoats edited by Jessica Spotswood: I definitely should have read this anthology by now, especially as I love historical fiction about women which is what this collection is all about. I ended up DNFing the other YA anthology I tried this year so I'm hoping I like this one more.

The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss: I've heard nothing but brilliant things about this book and this author, and for someone who doesn't usually like covers with people on I think there's something so striking about this one.

The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann: A classic Christmas story I love but have never actually read, which is something I need to change!

The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman: I was surprised by just how chunky this collection of Gaiman's non-fiction is when I bought a copy, but I think it'll be a really interesting collection to dip in and out of during the winter months.

The Butcher's Hook by Janet Ellis: I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this when it first came out, it sounds fairly bizarre, but I've seen so many good reviews that I couldn't resist picking up a copy for myself and I'd really like to read it this year.

The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston: I'm pretty sure this is the third year in a row this book has been on my Winter TBR. It's an ideal winter read so I need to get to it this winter.

Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney: I read Penney's debut, The Tenderness of Wolves (reviewed here!), back in January and while I didn't fall completely in love with it I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since finishing it. Under a Pole Star is another book with a wintery setting, something Penney wrote brilliantly in her debut novel, and I think it's going to be a brilliant book to read this winter.

What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi: I have to be completely honest, the only reason I bought this is because it's a gorgeous book. I do love the sound of it, though! I read my first Oyeyemi novel this year and even though I sadly wasn't the biggest fan, I think I'll enjoy her style of writing much more in a story collection.

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry: I've started this one, and gotten about a quarter of a way through it, and while I've enjoyed what I've read it just hasn't grabbed me because I've been an absolutely rubbish reader this year. I want to finish it soon!

What did you talk about this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | Wanderlust

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is all about books that aren't set in the USA. Now because I'm not American I don't think I read as much set in America as a lot of Americans probably do. That's not to say that all Americans only ever read books set in America, that's not true, but because I'm British the majority of the books I come across are also set in Britain, so luckily I didn't find this week's challenge too difficult. But I like to read about different places as much as I can and I didn't want this to be a list of books set in Britain, so I've included ten different countries from all over the world.

Half of this list is European, and the other half is set outside of Europe. I'd like to make more of an effort to read more books set outside Europe and North America.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent: Hannah Kent's fantastic debut is set in the bleak, hauntingly beautiful landscape of Iceland, and is a fictionalised account of the final days of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman to be executed in Iceland. It's a wonderful book, and a very atmospheric winter read!

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton: Jessie Burton brings 17th century Amsterdam, The Netherlands to life in her sumptuous debut novel. This book is glorious, and if you haven't read it yet because of the hype I can assure you the hype is worth it for Burton's writing style alone.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: The setting is one of the things I love most about The Book Thief, because it's so rare to come across a WW2 novel set in Germany that isn't about soldiers or villains or prisoners of war. In this book Zusak shows that the German population were as much a victim of WW2 and Hitler's regime as everywhere else, perhaps even more so.

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant: Not only is this book set in Florence, Italy, but I also bought my copy in Florence. I found this novel in the gift shop of the Uffizi Gallery, and having just seen Botticelli's The Birth of Venus I couldn't resist picking it up.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon: As well as being set in Spain, this book has also been translated from the original Spanish. If you like mysteries and books about books, then this is the novel for you.

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Did you really think I was going to miss an opportunity to mention this book? Silvia Moreno-Garcia's fantastic debut novel is set in Mexico City in Mexico. I'd love to visit Mexico, so I'd really like to read more books set there.

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney: I really enjoyed the cold, 19th century Canadian setting of this novel, even if the story as a whole left me a little underwhelmed. I need to read more books set in Canada!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: It may be futuristic, but Cinder is still set in China! The diversity in The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favourite things about the series, and I love how neither America nor the UK are settings in any of the books.

Show Me a Mountain by Kerry Young: This is the kind of historical fiction I love: historical fiction with a mixed race protagonist, and in this novel our protagonist's home is Jamaica. Jamaica is another country I know very little about, but one I'd like to learn more about!

The Untold by Courtney Collins: The complete lack of fiction set in Australia I've read is just plain embarrassing.

Which books (and countries) made your list this week?

Review | The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney

The Tenderness of Wolves

by Stef Penney

My Rating: 

1867, Canada: as winter tightens its grip on the isolated settlement of Dove River, a man is brutally murdered and a 17-year old boy disappears. Tracks leaving the dead man's cabin head north towards the forest and the tundra beyond. In the wake of such violence, people are drawn to the township - journalists, Hudson's Bay Company men, trappers, traders - but do they want to solve the crime or exploit it? 

One-by-one the assembled searchers set out from Dove River, pursuing the tracks across a desolate landscape home only to wild animals, madmen and fugitives, variously seeking a murderer, a son, two sisters missing for 17 years, a Native American culture, and a fortune in stolen furs before the snows settle and cover the tracks of the past for good.

I closed this book with one main thought: it was alright. For a book that has quite a few five star reviews it wasn't the reaction I was expecting from myself, or the reaction I was particularly hoping for, but there you go. The Tenderness of Wolves is a difficult book for me to review because I didn't dislike it, but I'm not entirely sure if I liked it either.

First of all, this is a great read for January. The wintery Canadian setting is ideal for this time of year, which just so happens to be when Britain gets really bloody cold. It was nice to read a book set in Canada, too; I don't know how many books I've read that are set in Canada, but I'm pretty certain I've never read historical fiction set in Canada.

Though there's a crime in this book, I don't think I'd describe it as crime fiction, and despite its 19th century setting it felt more like literary fiction to me than anything else. This isn't a bad thing; some sections of this book were written beautifully, there was a lovely section towards the end that didn't make me cry but definitely touched me, but then there were others which felt overwritten. Sometimes I felt Stef Penney's presence too keenly, like I could see her there trying to pull the strings and saying 'look how deep and meaningful this bit is', and it felt forced.

The biggest problem with this book for me was simply that Penney tried to include too much. There are so many different characters and storylines in this book, and while they do all fit together, and parts of it are quite clever, there was just too much. I got about two thirds of the way through the book and I was starting to get bored because the story felt, to me, like it was dragging; with each new character Penney introduces we get their life story, and while I did get the sense Penney was really writing about a community of people rather than just one story, I felt like there were quite a few scenes that easily could have been cut. The problem with books like this is that there are always some characters in an ensemble cast that you don't like, so when it comes to reading their chapters, however small, it's boring.

I've seen quite a lot of reviews claiming that the ending is too abrupt, that there are characters we just don't see again, but I didn't get that feeling. Yes this book has a big cast and some of them you don't realise you won't see again until the book closes and you've yet to have another scene with them, but considering I'd already gotten everyone's backstories I didn't feel like I needed to know what happened to all of them afterwards, too. For most of the characters it's fairly obvious what will happen: life will go on, they don't need to spell that out for us.

Though the ending is probably realistic, I personally found it a little unsatisfying. In some respects it's a very quiet novel - it reminded me a little of Year of Wonders, in that they're both slow-moving stories about whole communities - so in hindsight I know I shouldn't have expected an 'unrealistic' ending, but because it begins with such a brutal murder and includes lots of other themes - from asylums to homosexuality to the possibility of an ancient Native American language - the ending wasn't what I'd hoped for. I wanted it to go out with a bit more of a bang, but instead it just... ends.

One thing I did love about this book was the inclusion of several Native American characters; I feel like I come across Native Americans in fiction, film and television far too rarely, so I always enjoy it when they appear. Parker, in particular, was a lovely character, and probably my favourite character in the book.

I don't think my thoughts have come out very coherently here at all, but I'm struggling to make sense of them myself. This is particularly frustrating considering I actually tried to read this book once before and ended up putting it down because I couldn't get into it; this time around I was really enjoying it, and then the more it dragged and the more characters who joined the cast, the less I began to care. 

Ultimately I think whether or not you like this book really does depend entirely on your tastes; if you like slow-moving, character-driven, bittersweet stories then there's a good chance you'll really enjoy this. I enjoyed reading it, but on the whole it's not something I could see myself reading again.

This Week in Books | 20/01/16

This week I'm joining in with Lipsy @ Lipsyy Lost & Found to talk about the books I've been reading recently!

NOW: January is when Britain really gets its winter. It always makes me laugh when people start complaining about the cold in November, because January is freezing. I'm in the mood to read some wintery books, and you don't get much more wintery than the middle of the Canadian wilderness. I tried reading The Tenderness of Wolves before and couldn't get into it, but I'm enjoying it a lot more this time around.

THEN: I recently read and adored Celeste Ng's debut, Everything I Never Told You. It's a fantastic book - look out for my review on Friday!

NEXT: I've actually already started The Vanishing Throne, which I received from NetGalley, but I want to finish The Tenderness of Wolves before I continue with it. I'm aiming to have it read this month so I can review it soon, especially as it came out in November. You can check out my review of The Falconer here!

What are you reading?

Top Ten Tuesday | My Winter TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten 2016 Debuts Novels We Are Looking Forward To' but I'm very bad at keeping on top of new debuts before they've been published. I thought about searching for some debuts, but I didn't want to talk about books I'd only just discovered because the likelihood is I won't actually be that excited for all of them, and I'm sure that after looking at other people's lists I'll have plenty of 2016 debuts to add to my TBR. 

So instead of talking about 2016 debuts, today I'm going to share with you my Winter TBR!

Christmas at Lilac Cottage and Snowflakes on Silver Cove by Holly Martin: I received eARCs of both of these from NetGalley, and they sound adorable. Last year I read a bunch of Christmassy contemporaries in December and I really enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to doing the same this year. Plus these covers are lovely!

The Little Christmas Kitchen by Jenny Oliver: Again, I love my Christmassy contemporaries. I found a little copy of this for just £4, and it sounds very cute; I love stories about sisters and I love Greece, so I'm looking forward to this one!

The Christmas Joy Ride by Melody Carlson: This is another eARC from NetGalley, and one that sounds so much fun. I feel like this is the kind of book that could be a brilliant feel-good, Christmas movie, and I hope I enjoy it.

Christmas at the Vicarage by Rebecca Boxall: This is another eARC, and one that sounds a little more serious than the others. I have no idea if I'm going to enjoy this one or not, but every now and then I do enjoy a family story and for some reason I'm always interested in stories starring families who work in the church.

The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston: This was on my Winter TBR last year and I still haven't gotten to it. I don't know if I'll read it before the New Year, but I think it'd make a pretty good January or February read, too. Plus I think it has a gorgeous cover.

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney: Some more historical fiction, and another book I think will make a really good January read if I don't get to it before the New Year. I started this book ages ago and ended up having to put it down because I just wasn't feeling it, but it has a lot of great reviews on Goodreads so I'd like to give it another try.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater: I still haven't read any Maggie Stiefvater - I will read The Raven Boys one day, I will - and while I know The Wolves of Mercy Falls series doesn't have the best reviews I still want to check it out. I think it'll be a great read for this time of year!

Dracula by Bram Stoker: Considering I grew up near Whitby it's pretty shocking that I still haven't read this classic, even more so when you take into account that I studied it for my Victorian Gothic module at university. Whenever I've tried to read it I've ended up giving up, but I'm determined to cross this classic off my list even if I have to force my way through it, and for some reason I just think winter will be a really good time to read this.

The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan: I've heard some wonderful things about Kirsty Logan's writing, so I'd really like to cross her debut off my TBR this year if I can. This book has a stunning cover, too, so if you're deliberating between the hardback and the paperback, please treat yourself to the hardback.

Which books made your list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | Native American Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is a Thanksgiving themed freebie, and here in the UK we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd talk about some books that feature Native American characters because I just don't think there are enough out there, not only in books but in films and television, too. The recent film, Pan, is proof enough of that, where Tiger Lily was portrayed by Rooney Mara, who is whiter than milk.

More Native American representation please!

Witch Child by Celia Rees: Celia Rees is one of my favourite authors from my late childhood/early teens. Along with Eva Ibbotson, she's one of the authors I have to thank for sparking my interest in historical fiction when I read her novel Pirates! Witch Child was the second novel of hers that I read, and I loved it; it influenced me in a huge way in both what I read and what I write. Witch Child is told entirely in diary entries, from the point of view of Mary Newbury who is sent to 'the New World' after her beloved grandmother is executed for witchcraft. Once in America, however, she finds herself torn between the community of English settlers she should belong to, and the Native American tribe who seem to understand her abilities better than anyone else ever has. Love this book!

Sorceress by Celia Rees: This is a sequel to Witch Child, set in the present day, which follows a historian who is obsessed with Mary's diary, and Mary's descendent, Agnes, a young Native American girl. I didn't enjoy it as much as Witch Child, but it's still a good book.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie: This book, like most of the books on this list, is one that I haven't gotten around to reading yet. It tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist who leaves the school on his reservation to attend an all-white school where he is the only Native American pupil. It sounds fantastic.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: I'm not even a little bit ashamed to mention this one. First off, I'm never going to deny that I went through the Twilight phase. I loved these books when they first came out, and I think they did a lot for YA in the publishing world. Secondly, say what you want about this series, but it's pretty much the only series I've read with a lot of Native American characters. Even better? None of them are white-washed in the movies. Just gonna throw that out there.

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie: I mentioned Tiger Lily before, so I had to give this book a mention. I read Peter Pan for my Victorian Popular Fiction module at uni, but I have to admit I didn't really like it that much. It's sold as this whimsical, childhood story, but it's creepy as eff, man. It's a weird book.

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney: This book takes place in Canada, so I guess they're really Native Canadians rather than Native Americans. I started this book and couldn't get into it, but it has such high ratings on Goodreads that I want to give it another try, and given the cold setting I think it'll be a great winter read!

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks: Last year I read Year of Wonders and really enjoyed it. I've been eager to seek out more of Brooks' work ever since and Caleb's Crossing is the one I'm most interested in; loosely based on the story of the first Native American to graduate from Harvard in 1665, Brooks tells the story of a young woman, Bethia Mayfield, who longs for the education that her sex deprives her of. Bethia's father, a minister, wants to convert the local Native American people, and so he sends Caleb, a Native American boy and friend of Bethia's, to university. Bethia finds herself working as his housekeeper, and I think this book'll be so interesting to read.

The Orenda by Joseph Boyden: This is another piece of historical fiction, and what I love about it is that it includes conflicts between Native American tribes as well as conflicts between Native American people as a whole and white settlers.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs: This is the first book in the urban fantasy Mercy Thompson series. Mercy is a walker (skinwalker, I'm guessing, which is a creature in Native American mythology) with the ability to shift into a coyote at will, as well as a mechanic. She sounds pretty darn cool to me!

The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich: This is another one that sounds fantastic. It's set in a small town in North Dakota where, generations before, a farm family were murdered. The case has yet to be officially solved but, from the description, I'm guessing the murder was blamed on Native Americans living on a nearby reservation. I can't wait to read it! Also I want to read as much of Louise Erdrich's work as I can, because she seems to write about Native Americans quite a lot.

What did you talk about this week?