Have you ever seen the memes about out-of-control TBR lists? I think my favorite is the one that estimates the reader will be able to clear their list by their 657th birthday. My own TBR list isn't quite that bad yet, but it's pretty hefty. And if there's one thing I've learned in life, it's that reading books and discovering books do not follow the same timeline. I find at least one new book I want to read every day and add it to my TBR list. As such, my current list has more than 300 titles on it.

Tackling my TBR list and getting it back under control has been an ongoing project since 2023 when I launched my One Woman Book Club. Now in its third year, this project has helped me to cross one book off my TBR list each month. But with my current list sitting at over 300, it would take 24 years to read them all if that was all I did.

My goal for the blog this year is to be more intentional about how I post. One of the ways I  think I can accomplish that is by planning and writing more seasonal content, including book lists. Last summer, I decided to do a summer reading list to help me focus on the books I already had. Taking the time to sort through the books already on my shelves, both digital and physical, helped me to narrow down my reading choices without putting type of pressure on myself, and it worked. I actually read most of the books on that list, and quite a few of them made my end-of-the-year best books list. 

The success of my Summer Reading List got me to thinking that I should start making reading lists for every season, so here we are. Winter is well underway and still has quite a bit of time left to go. It's cold and dreary and the perfect weather to snuggle up with a book and a blanket. So here are 10 books that are on my radar for this winter. I hope some of them pique your interest, as well.

Author: Evie Woods

This book should look familiar as it's the first pick for the 2025 One Woman Book Club. It is the story of a magical bookshop that isn't always visible. The story itself is a dual timeline with one set in the 1920s and the other in modern times. There are three main characters: Opaline, Martha, and Henry. Opaline is trying to live independently as a woman in a time when women did not have very many rights, Martha is trying to escape an abusive husband, and for once in his life Henry is on the trail of something that could be truly amazing.

A Not So Meet Cute

Author: Meghan Quinn

This is another 2025 book club pick, this time for February. This rom-com has a Pretty Woman vibe but without the hooker part. Lottie and Huxley enter into a fake-fiancé agreement, but as with all stories like this, one thing leads to another, and Lottie catches real feelings.

The Last of the Moon Girls

Author: Barbara Davis

This is the March book club pick. Lizzy is the last of the Moon family healers, but she left all that behind her when she moved to New York. Now, she must return home to deal with her grandmother's death and the murder accusations that still hang in the air. At first, Lizzy plans to sell the farm and never look back, but all that changes when she finds her grandmother's journal.

Love and Ruin

Author: Paula McLain

I actually started reading this one back in the fall but then stopped due to personal reasons and just never picked it back up. It's set in 1937 and tells the story of a young female journalist who travels to Madrid to report on the Spanish Civil War. It's Martha's shot at proving herself a worthy journalist in a field that's dominated by men. While there, she meets and falls in love with the not-yet-famous author, Ernest Hemingway.

Caraval

Author: Stephanie Garber

Let me start by saying that I loved The Night Circus, and this book seems to have a similar premise albeit in a series format and it doesn't appear to be romantic in nature. Scarlett and Tella are sisters who have never left their island. Caraval is a once-a-year performance hat the audience participates in. When their father arranges a marriage for Scarlett, she thinks her dreams of seeing the show are over, but Tella mysteriously arranges for them to go. Once they get there, Tella is kidnapped by the show's organizer and whoever finds her first wins.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Author: Stuart Turton

Who doesn't love a good mystery when you're cooped up in the house? Aiden Bishop is in the race of a lifetime. He knows that Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he identifies her killer and breaks the cycle, but with each new day comes a new challenge. Aiden always wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor, not all of them helpful.

The Stroke of Winter

Author: Wendy Webb

Tess Bell is renovating her family home into a bed-and-breakfast when she uncovers an old art studio. Inside are paintings created by Tess's grandfather, artist Sebastian Bell, but these are unlike anything for which he's known. The paintings, sinister in nature, raise disturbing questions for Tess, sparking nightmares, and pushing her to find the truth about their origins.

Eloise and the Grump Next Door

Author: Emma St. Clair & Jenny Proctor

This one caught my attention with the mention of an "attack pelican." I mean, how could I not read it? Eloise's plans of going to grad school didn't exactly pan out. Instead, she's renovating her late grandmother's home, which just so happens to be right next door to Jake, the grumpy lawyer who's handling the estate. You can probably figure out the rest. Of course Eloise starts to fall for Jake. Then an opportunity to chase her old dreams comes up. Should she stay or should she go?

The Vine Witch

Author: Luanne G. Smith

This book has been on my TBR for awhile, but I was waiting for the series to be completed and kind of lost tabs on it. Elena is a vine witch destined to inherit the vineyards at Chateau Renard, but she was cursed and confined to a marshland. She's finally broken the curse, but the vineyard is now in the possession of Jean-Paul, a vigneron who favors science over witchcraft. But Elena can see that the vineyard is covered in hexes, so she hides her true identity in order to stay and help the vines recover. Plus, there's the matter of finding the person who cursed her.

A Thousand Boy Kisses

Author: Tillie Cole

I think I might have just accidentally spoiled this one for myself by reading the blurb of book two, so don't be like me and do that! This one is definitely geared toward younger audiences, but I've never let that stop me before. Rune and Poppy were childhood friends. When Rune returned to Norway, Poppy vowed to wait for his return. But two years ago, Poppy broke Rune's heart when she cut him off with no explanation. Now back in the town where they met, Rune is determined to find the truth.