As the new year begins and resolutions are made at the stroke of midnight, there’s a simple pleasure in settling onto your sofa with your favorite blanket, a steaming cup of tea, and a great new book — a cozy way to welcome fresh beginnings. And what better way to wait out the winter than with cozy books — from murder mysteries to steamy love stories, thrillers, and so much more? Here’s a list of 5 winter-themed books you might enjoy — cozy mysteries, atmospheric reads, and snowy settings perfect for curling up with this season:
HISTORICAL FICTION
Title: The Witch and the Tsar
Author: Olesya Salnikova
Plot: Gilmore is a vivid reimagining of the Baba Yaga legend set in sixteenth-century Russia. In this stunning debut, the legendary witch—now called Yaga—is portrayed not as a fearsome villain but as a powerful, compassionate half-goddess living in self-imposed solitude in her hut in the woods. Rumors and fear surround her, but she quietly heals those who seek her out.
When her old friend Anastasia, now the tsaritsa, arrives suffering from a mysterious illness, Yaga learns that the fate of all Russia may hinge on her friend’s survival. This realization draws Yaga out of the forest and into the heart of Moscow, where Tsar Ivan—soon to be Ivan the Terrible—is growing increasingly tyrannical and unstable. As Yaga seeks to protect Anastasia and unravel the cause of her illness, she uncovers deeper, older powers manipulating the tsar’s actions and threatening the nation.
Blending mythology, folklore, and historical fiction, Gilmore reinvents Baba Yaga as a fierce, complex heroine determined to defend her homeland and those she loves, while discovering her own purpose as a goddess, a witch, and a woman in a world of old gods, political upheaval, and human turmoil.
Title: Murder on the Orient Express
Author: Agatha Christie
Plot: Gilmore is a vivid reimagining of the Baba Yaga legend set in sixteenth-century Russia. In this stunning debut, the legendary witch—now called Yaga—is portrayed not as a fearsome villain but as a powerful, compassionate half-goddess living in self-imposed solitude in her hut in the woods. Rumors and fear surround her, but she quietly heals those who seek her out.
When her old friend Anastasia, now the tsaritsa, arrives suffering from a mysterious illness, Yaga learns that the fate of all Russia may hinge on her friend’s survival. This realization draws Yaga out of the forest and into the heart of Moscow, where Tsar Ivan—soon to be Ivan the Terrible—is growing increasingly tyrannical and unstable. As Yaga seeks to protect Anastasia and unravel the cause of her illness, she uncovers deeper, older powers manipulating the tsar’s actions and threatening the nation.
Blending mythology, folklore, and historical fiction, Gilmore reinvents Baba Yaga as a fierce, complex heroine determined to defend her homeland and those she loves, while discovering her own purpose as a goddess, a witch, and a woman in a world of old gods, political upheaval, and human turmoil.
Title: In Farm’s Way
Author: Amanda Flower
Plot: Even the best-laid plants can go awry…
After solving a murder and getting her organic farm ready to overwinter, Shiloh Bellamy still expects the next few months to be busy with repairs, spring planning, and networking with local businesses. She might even be able to broker a new partnership with Fields Brewery and its organic brewer’s association. Well, she could if the owner wasn’t found murdered at the county Ice Fishing Derby.
Once again, Shiloh gets tangled up in the investigation when the police ignore an entire crop of suspects to blame one of her friends. She’ll have to dig deep to find the truth, reel in a killer, and convince her city-slicker pug to wear his winter boots. But with Bellamy Farm still struggling, can Shiloh spare the time to look into the town’s fishy characters? Or will her dream farm be the next thing floating belly up?
USA Today bestselling Amanda Flower returns to the Farm to Table cozy mystery series with another exciting sleuthing adventure!
Title: Winterwood
Author: Shea Ernshaw
Plot: Winterwood is a haunting romantic fantasy set in the magical, rumored-to-be-haunted woods of Fir Haven. Nora Walker, believed to be a witch, shares a powerful ancestral bond with the forest—one that leads her to Oliver Huntsman, a boy who vanished weeks earlier and is found alive during a brutal snowstorm with no memory of where he’s been.
As Nora grows closer to Oliver, she senses a dark shift in the woods and realizes his survival is tied to dangerous secrets—and he wasn’t the only one who went missing that night. Blending folklore, witchcraft, and romance, Winterwood is perfect for fans of dark fairy tales and Practical Magic.
Title: Marshmallow Mountain
Authors: A.J Truman and M.A Wardell
Plot: Marshall and Marshall couldn’t be more different—one thrives on spreadsheets and structure, the other on chaos and impulse. Despite their opposites, Data and Marsh spent eight years deeply in love, until Marsh suddenly ended the relationship without a real explanation.
Six months later, they’re forced back together to clean out and sell their shared cabin in Maine. Determined to survive one final weekend, both men carry unresolved hurt, regret, and lingering love. When a brutal snowstorm traps them inside the cabin for days, old wounds resurface and buried truths come to light—along with the undeniable attraction neither can ignore.
Stranded, emotional, and snowbound, Data and Marsh must decide whether their story is truly over—or if they’re willing to risk a second chance.