Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Read During a Storm

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Considering what’s been happening in the UK the last couple of days, this feels very timely! We actually had a rare red warning come through on Friday, which included phones going off with a siren-like sound. That was a lot of fun! (/s) For me, I think storms are great for all different kinds of books – and as the full prompt points out, these can be books with storms, or more lighter, comfort reads for distractions! I’ve mainly gone for the latter here, but there’s one or two others as well for a full variety.

Full Prompt: Books to Read During a Storm (these can be cozy/comfy reads, books with storms in them, atmospheric reads for dark and stormy nights, light reads to combat the heavy weather, etc.)

Top Ten Books to Read During a Storm
Submitted by Astilbe

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Adiba Jaigirdar

Genre: Romance – Contemporary
Age: Young Adult
Format: ebook
Published: June 4th, 2024

This makes for a great, light comfort read while still dealing with contemporary issues. Perfect to help warm up on cold, stormy nights.

Hexed by Julia Tuffs

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Age: Young Adult
Format: ebook
Published: August 7th, 2021

This one does have a storm, but I’m including it because I think it works as an excellent reminder that although we can’t control the events around us – people or the weather – and occasionally can’t always control how we initially react, what we can do is refocus our energies and work through the aftermath, as well as the idea that we often find ourselves facing situations we really shouldn’t be in, through no fault of our own, but even here we can still retain some element of control.

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Genre: Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Published: November 7th, 2023

This one falls very much into the cosy category – it’s sweet and light but with an engaging enough plot it works brilliantly as a distraction. I listened to this as an audiobook, and sticking this on seems like a good idea to drown out the storm outside.

Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up by Alexandra Potter

Genre: Contemporary – Humour
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: December 31st, 2020

More escapism – this time, very much set in the ‘real world’, but with a guaranteed smile on almost every page. It’s absolutely a lovely, funny book that can help you forget the awful weather outside.

The Supreme Lie by Geraldine McCaughrean

Genre: Sci-Fi – Dystopia
Age: Young Adult
Format: ebook
Published: April 15th, 2021

This is more if you want to really lean into the storm and on the one hand, see how much worse it could be, and on the other…well, this book deals with an extreme end of climate change, with what could potentially be the future for a lot of us. Not one if you want a distraction!

Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee

Genre: Fantasy – Dystopia
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: May 25th, 2023

This is one of those books I wish had been more popular. It’s Arthurian, and like the above it’s a case of leaning into things rather than escaping. Once more, it’s the extreme end of climate change, a vision of Britain in the future if nothing is done. So, be prepared to feel a little angry during this, especially if you’re sitting in a particularly bad, “worse than we’ve had before” kind of storm.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Genre: Contemporary – Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: August 23rd, 2022

Back to escapism – if you want something that’ll warm you up during a storm, this book does as good a job as hot chocolate! It’s such a lovely, heartfelt book and one that I rate very highly.

If Only You by Chloe Liese

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: April 11th, 2023

Again, no storms here – unless you count storms of passion…anyway, this one is more escapism again, more ‘cold weather heart warmer’ than anything else. A sweet, fun romance that’ll sweep you off your feet.

So there we go! As usual, please feel free to hit me up with your recommendations!

This is going up quite late for me, and due to having quite a lot going on, I’m hitting pause on the blog just for a bit. I’ll try and get posts back up from Monday to give myself some time to catch up, but I will definitely be back and I’ll still be working on reviews in the background if I do go quiet for a bit. Hopefully, things will go to plan and I’ll be back before you know it. But in the meantime please feel free to keep commenting and send me your own Top Ten Tuesdays or other posts, as I do love reading other blogs.