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Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

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Weekly Topics 2024 > 41. A book with a chilling atmosphere

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message 1: by Jackie, Solstitial Mod (new)

Jackie | 2310 comments Mod
As we move into Fall, many of us find ourselves drawn to more seasonal reads. Whether you go for something figuratively chilling, like thrillers or horror, or more literal with a snowy setting, just be sure to some cozy blankets on hand!

A few places to gather ideas:
Psychological Chillers by Women /list/show/3...
Creepy Atmosphere Books /shelf/show/...
Atmospheric Reads to Add Chills to your October TBR
Snowy books /shelf/show/...
Winter Reads /list/show/7...

And this duo:
Snowed In Mysteries and Thrillers /blog/show/2...
Snowed In Romances


ATY Listopia /list/show/1...

What are you reading this week?


message 2: by Thomas (new)

Thomas I will read Eight Perfect Murders


message 3: by Pam (new)

Pam (bluegrasspam) | 3766 comments I’m planning to read The Dead Zone by Stephen King.


message 4: by dalex (new)

dalex (912dalex) | 2646 comments I'm choosing something from this list of sci-fi horror books, probably Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes.




message 5: by Jillian (new)

Jillian | 2830 comments The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon and Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy (though I’m hoping I read this for an earlier prompt). I might also go with something set in Antarctica.


message 6: by Thomas (new)

Thomas Pam wrote: "I’m planning to read The Dead Zone by Stephen King."

I have that down for the Edgar award winner prompt


message 7: by NancyJ (last edited Oct 13, 2023 07:43PM) (new)

NancyJ (nancyjjj) | 3206 comments I happen to be reading books with “winter� tags this month in my other group, and there are a lot of great choices on this list:
/shelf/show/...

My favorite books with cold settings include:
Migrations
The Snow Child
A Fatal Grace
Small Things Like These
The Call of the Wild
Happiness by Forna
City of Thieves
Disappearing Earth

I want to read:
Peace Like a River
The Diamond Eye
Six of Crows
The Secret History
In the Bleak Midwinter
To The Bright Edge of the World
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Betty
The Left Hand of Darkness

I don’t usually pick books by the cover, but I really like this one:
Winterland
Winterland by Rae Meadows

For other Chilling books:
Moon of the Crusted Snow
Indian Horse
A Tale of Two Cities (it’s more chilling because it’s true)

For spooky books I really liked books by Simone St. JamesThe Broken Girls and The Book of Cold Cases


message 9: by LeahS (new)

LeahS | 1260 comments I am reading for spooky chills rather than weather related ones.

I'm going to read What Moves the Dead, which sounds as if it should have a chilling atmosphere. I'm interested in what the writer does with The Fall of the House of Usher. It has mushrooms as well - one of the failed suggestions I want to incorporate into the challenge.

I am also going to read Sometimes People Die which seems to have a chilling storyline and also be chilling in the challenges facing hospitals today.


message 10: by Joanna G (new)

Joanna G (joanna_g) | 320 comments I recently read The Terror, which wasn't for a prompt and got annoyed with myself because part way through, I realized it was absolutely perfect for this prompt - the setting was both cold and creepy! So recommending that here. Seconding the recommendation for Moon of the Crusted Snow as well.

Because The Terror was so perfect, I plan to read another by the same author The Abominable, which sounds like it will perfectly meet the prompt in the same way.


message 11: by Marie (new)

Marie | 1047 comments I'll read Black Ice by Carin Gerhardsen. The blurb says it is chilling and atmospheric, which is good enough for me.


message 12: by Dixie (new)

Dixie (dixietenny) | 779 comments LeahS wrote: "I am reading for spooky chills rather than weather related ones.

I'm going to read What Moves the Dead, which sounds as if it should have a chilling atmosphere. I'm interested in..."


I read What Moves the Dead this year and really liked it. It's definitely chilling. I thought it was much better than Mexican Gothic, a book with similar themes and approaches, though not the House of Usher connection.


message 13: by Hayley (new)

Hayley | 99 comments I'm planning to read Beartown. This will be my second book by Frederik Backman. This book is one of my favourite Booktuber's all-time favourites, so I think this will be a good read.


message 14: by Joanna G (new)

Joanna G (joanna_g) | 320 comments Today's daily article is tailor made for this prompt:

/blog/show/2...


message 15: by SadieReadsAgain (new)

SadieReadsAgain (sadiestartsagain) | 452 comments Some of my options are based on weather, others on environment/circumstances

- The Young Team by Graeme Armstrong (gang culture)
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (dystopia)
- The Asylum by Karen Coles (historic mental institution)
- Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (winter in Iceland)
- The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (winter in Scotland)
- Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh (winter in Minnesota)
- Winter by Ali Smith (set at Christmas)
- Pine by Francine Toon (Halloween in the Highlands)
- Red Clocks by Leni Zumas (dystopia)


message 16: by Joy D (new)

Joy D | 669 comments For this prompt, I read:
Snow by John Banville - 3.5* - My Review


message 17: by John (new)

John Warner (jwarner6comcastnet) | 100 comments Joy D wrote: "For this prompt, I read:
Snow by John Banville - 3.5* - My Review"


The title is chilling by itself!


message 18: by JessicaMHR (new)

JessicaMHR | 289 comments I just finished The Kingdom of Sweets and am going to use it for this.


message 20: by GailW (new)

GailW (abbygg) | 616 comments I read Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. Nothing more chilling than a serial killer of young women across a number of states.


message 21: by Denise (new)

Denise | 489 comments I'm going to read Attic by Katherine Dunn, stream of consciousness in a prison with a lot of disturbing imagery


message 22: by Tracy (new)

Tracy | 2621 comments My plan for this is Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. I've been wanting to read this book set in Iceland, and now I finally have the chance!


message 24: by Severina (new)

Severina | 376 comments I readThe Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell


message 25: by Guylian (new)

Guylian | 90 comments I read Julia by Sandra Newman by Sandra Newman. WOW!!!


message 26: by Pam (new)

Pam (bluegrasspam) | 3766 comments I read The White Darkness by David Grann The subject is Antarctic exploration. 5 stars!


message 27: by Misty (new)

Misty | 1373 comments I decided to read a Nordic Noir book for this prompt: Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo.


message 28: by Wendy (last edited Mar 23, 2024 06:39AM) (new)

Wendy (wendyneedsbooks) | 378 comments I did a group read of The Frozen Deep by Wilkie Collins, which is a novella based on a play that was co-written and co-performed with Charles Dickens. The play in turn was based on the ill-fated Franklin expedition, which set sail in 1845 and disappeared in search of the Northwest passage, and which would have been declared officially missing only a few years before the play was first performed. Overall it was a fun read, but could have used a few hundred pages more of character development in that typical Victorian serialized novel style....

My full review is here.


message 29: by Book Concierge (new)

Book Concierge (tessabookconcierge) | 552 comments This disturbing dystopian / maybe post apocalyptic story is very unsettling!


Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam � - 15Feb24
Leave the World Behind � Rumaan Alam � 4****
This grabbed me from page one and held on through the wonderfully ambiguous ending. It’s hard to say this is post-apocalyptic, though it’s certainly headed in that direction. Alam writes these characters so well. And gives the reader the same “unbalanced� sense that the characters feel � not knowing what is happening nor whom to trust. I’m left feeling unsettled and confused and curious and excited and desperate to know what is next.
LINK to my full review


message 30: by Jill (new)

Jill (dogbotsmum) | 1356 comments I read Midwinter of the Spirit by Phil Rickman.
Besides the coldness of the midwinter, this is about the story of a newly appointed Exorcist, and her complicated experiences.


message 31: by Kathy (last edited May 02, 2024 02:27PM) (new)

Kathy E | 3239 comments I read The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths
The Stone Circle (Ruth Galloway, #11) by Elly Griffiths
This is the 11th book in the Ruth Galloway series. I rated 4.5 stars.


message 32: by J (new)

J Austill | 1069 comments I read If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino, which I highly recommend for anybody that enjoys reading books.


message 33: by lexiskat (new)

lexiskat | 77 comments The book I chose for this prompt God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

short and sweet review:
I like the story but it took too long to get to the point. Bride was just on a whole different planet when it came to Booker. Sweetness was so scary as a human being. Brook was a SNAKE. EASY READ


message 34: by Robin H-R (new)

Robin H-R Holmes Richardson (acetax) | 796 comments I read
The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister

BIO: A book that primarily takes place in the Arctic or Antarctica
REJECT: A book with a trial or with a legal term in the title

Finished: 06/01/2024
Rating: 4 stars


message 35: by Stacey (last edited Jun 08, 2024 11:44AM) (new)

Stacey D. | 1908 comments The book I chose for this prompt was Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir. Most of the novel takes place in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1963 and explores LGBTQ and feminist issues way back when. Lucky me - I got to visit this enchanting island this past winter. And I really enjoyed this book.


message 36: by Denise (new)

Denise | 489 comments I read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. It takes place in Alaska with many descriptions of the cold, and has a violent character who is "chilling"


message 37: by Samantha (new)

Samantha | 1486 comments I read No One Can Know - the premise seemed to be a creepy run down house where some murders took place and the murderer was never caught. In the end I didn't find it that chilling but still think it is a fit.

A few books I think would be a fit:
The Nickel Boys
When the Reckoning Comes
The Last House on Needless Street


message 38: by C-A (last edited Jul 17, 2024 07:40AM) (new)

C-A | 22 comments I read Beneath the Scarlet Frost by Marissa Miller, which was chilling in more than one way.

Beneath the Scarlet Frost by Marissa Miller

Wow! This book took me on quite the ride and may be one of the best written and captivating books I've ever read.


message 39: by Dubhease (new)

Dubhease | 1007 comments I read The Mystery Writer. It wasn't as goodd as I thought it was going to be


message 40: by Sherri (new)

Sherri Harris | 1460 comments I read How to Sell a Haunted House. 4 stars


message 41: by Phil (new)

Phil | 104 comments I read Eighteen Below by Stefan Ahnhem (Read August 6th; 4*) Chilling thriller & chilling weather


message 42: by Liz (new)

Liz Alb | 117 comments Hi Phil, I see that you enjoyed Eighteen Below. The synposis got my attention and it's on my TBR list now.


message 43: by Marie (UK) (last edited Aug 26, 2024 11:07AM) (new)

Marie (UK) (mazza1) | 479 comments i read Heavenfield

this is a series a friend recommended and I am borrowing her copies as i go along. There is a connecting theme of pagan rituals and demonic killings with participants in high places including the police.
It's setting on Holy Island in Northumberland is a place I love and knowing the area helps


message 44: by Robin H-R (new)

Robin H-R Holmes Richardson (acetax) | 796 comments 2nd time through I read:
An Untimely Frost (Lilly Long #1) by Penny Richards An Untimely Frost by Penny Richards

REJECT: A book with a cover design that reminds you of one of the four seasons (Winter)

Finished: 09/28/2024
Rating: 3.5 stars

ŷ.com:
In 1881 Chicago, the idea of a female detective is virtually unheard of. But when famed crime buster Allan Pinkerton opens his agency's doors to a handful of women, one intrepid actress with her own troubled past is driven to defy convention and take on a new and dangerous role


message 45: by Anne (new)

Anne | 292 comments I will be reading Time's Legacy by Barbara Erskine.


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