Hello everyone, and hello December! It’s the start of a new month, which also means it’s time for a new Calendar Girls Books post! This month’s theme is Let It Snow (Best Book Set in Winter), and while I couldn’t think of any particular book to feature right on the spot, I definitely came up with a fave and some honourable mentions once I took to my Goodreads read list and really thought about which books had winter settings!

Hosted by Katie @ Never Not Reading and Darque Reader Reads, “Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile, and will now be hosted by me, Katie. It is designed to ignite bookish discussions among readers, and was inspired by the 1961 Neil Sedaka song, Calendar Girl. Just like the song, each month has a different theme. Each blogger picks their favorite book from the theme, and on the first Monday of the month reveals their pick in a Calendar Girls post. Make sure to post back to the hostess’s post, and I will make a master list for the month. The master lists allow everyone to see the other Calendar Girls’ picks and to pop on over to their blogs. Thus, we all get to chat about books and even make some new friends!” — Katie

Title: Whichwood
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Type: Fiction
Genre: Middle Grade, YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House)
Date published: November 14, 2017

A new adventure about a girl who is fated to wash the bodies of the dead in this companion to Furthermore.

Our story begins on a frosty night…

Laylee can barely remember the happier times before her beloved mother died. Before her father, driven by grief, lost his wits (and his way). Before she was left as the sole remaining mordeshoor in the village of Whichwood, destined to spend her days washing the bodies of the dead and preparing their souls for the afterlife. It’s become easy to forget and easier still to ignore the way her hands are stiffening and turning silver, just like her hair, and her own ever-increasing loneliness and fear.

But soon, a pair of familiar strangers appears, and Laylee’s world is turned upside down as she rediscovers color, magic, and the healing power of friendship.

You can read my gush review for Tahereh Mafi’s Whichwood right here! This book was truly something unique, and I really hope that my future children will read it when they are ready. The setting is 100% wintery, and oh my gosh…that cover! The story was also very classic fairytale-esque in that it felt whimsical but also had some very dark undertones. It was just great, and I hope that Mafi will write more of these types of books (and hopefully more in this universe because I really like the world and tone)!

Note: Some of these have winter settings the entire time,
while others have winter settings only part of the time!

THANK YOU FOR READING MY CALENDAR GIRLS POST! HAVE YOU EVER READ ANY OF THE BOOKS THAT I HAVE SELECTED FOR THIS MONTH’S PROMPT? IF SO, WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ ANY YET, ARE THEY ON YOUR TBR LIST? PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW, WHETHER YOU’RE A CALENDAR GIRLS BOOKS PARTICIPANT OR NOT!