Wintry Books & Writerly Christmas Gifts

Since it’s the holiday season, I thought I’d round up a few of my favorite writerly Christmas gifts and some cozy winter reads for you all! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season full of fun, food, and family. 💙

Wintry Books

We’ll start things off with some amazing cozy winter reads (or not-so-cozy winter-inspired reads). As a disclaimer, I haven’t read all of these (yet), but they’re all on my towering TBR pile.

Winter, White and Wicked (Winter, White and Wicked | Book 1)

Twice-orphaned Sylvi has chipped out a niche for herself on Layce, an island cursed by eternal winter. Alone in her truck, she takes comfort in two things: the solitude of the roads and the favor of Winter, an icy spirit who has protected her since she was a child.
            Sylvi likes the road, where no one asks who her parents were or what she thinks of the rebels in the north. But when her best friend, Lenore, runs off with the rebels, Sylvi must make a haul too late in the season for a smuggler she wouldn’t normally work with, the infamous Mars Dresden. Alongside his team—Hyla, a giant warrior woman and Kyn, a boy with skin like stone—Sylvi will do whatever it takes to save her friend.
            But when the time comes, she’ll have to choose: safety, anonymity, and the favor of Winter—or the future of the island that she calls home.

Rebel, Brave and Brutal (Winter, White and Wicked | Book 2)

Sylvi Quine, the best rig driver on Layce, has braved the dangers of the Shiv Road to save her friend and learned the truth of her power over Winter. Now, she’s joined the rebels working to take down the Majority. Her magic could change the course of their fight, and she agrees to meet the king of Paradyia to offer an exchange: the healing powers of the Pool of Begynd for his army.
 
The journey won’t be easy. To get there, Sylvi will have to navigate the Kol Sea, crossing through Winter’s storms and swarms of her Abaki––all while outrunning the Majority, who have sent their best Kol Master to track her down and bring her in, dead or alive.
 
But she isn’t traveling alone. Mars Dresden knows Sylvi is the key to freeing Layce and demands she train like it. Kyn, the boy with stone flesh and a soft heart, is bound to Sylvi in more ways than one, a connection that both hurts and heals. And Lenore, Sylvi’s best friend, insists the Majority pay for what they’ve done to her parents. Even though her crew believes in her, Sylvi’s still learning to use her power, and Winter’s whispers are constant . . .
 
Will she be able to control Winter when it matters most? Or will this be the end of the rebellion?

Winterwood

Be careful of the dark, dark wood…

Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even.

Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.

Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.

Winter's Maiden (The Nordic Wars | Book 1)

Warrior. Survivor. Daughter of the North.

From the moment she is born, Brighid fights to survive in the wastelands of Nordica as a clanless one. But when a new power arrives offering a trial to join the Nordic warriors, Brighid enters, hoping to rise above her station. Soon she becomes one of their fiercest fighters and joins the war against the south.

Kaeden carries the blood of the ancient Eldaran race in his veins but turns away from his heritage after the death of his parents. Years later, he is called back to his homeland and invited to be a healer for the southern forces. With the help of an old mentor, the power inside of him starts to awaken. However, his life is turned upside down when a mighty warrior of the Nordic forces is captured.

As Kaeden interacts with the enemy, he discovers there is a darkness behind the Nordic Wars, one that is manipulating the people of the north. But who will believe him? And is there a power strong enough to break the hold of this hidden adversary? Or will the world burn in the flames of war?

Winter's Chill (The Nordic Wars | Book 2)

Fighter. Emissary. Long-Lost Daughter.
Brighid has one mission as she returns to the north: to warn her people of the oath that binds them. But the mountains are treacherous, and snow comes early, leaving her on death’s doorstep—until she has an unexpected encounter that not only reveals a secret about her past, but also brings new allies into her life.

Meanwhile, the healer Kaeden must come to terms with the awakening of his Eldaran power. With winter approaching and the war on hold, he ventures to the White City to uncover his heritage. As he walks the ancient halls of his people’s birthplace, he discovers not all adversaries are across the battle line. He must navigate political opponents while searching for a way to stop those of his kind who have turned to the darkness.

Yet even the bitterness of winter cannot keep Brighid and Kaeden apart. A connection has been forged between them, and their bond might be the one thing that could save the Nordic people and end the war.

Captivated by Catalina

Getting stuck on an island might be the best thing that's ever happened to her.Marcella Brighton is a single, lonely career woman whose job promotion means she is forced to move away from everyone she knows and loves. When her older sister offers a comfort cruise to exotic islands, she jumps on it, and falls in love with Stop #2: Catalina Island. The charm of the small city of Avalon is both refreshing and heartwarming. And she especially bonds with the hot Hispanic zip line guy, Josef, who's also a dedicated Christian.Yet when a lost phone keeps her from getting back to her cruise on time, Marcella finds herself stuck on the island without a single familiar face - except Josef's. But is forty-eight hours enough time to truly fall in love?

Reader & Writer Gifts

Pilot Kakuno Fountain Pen

This is my absolute favorite writing pen (I have several for different colors 😆). As someone who loves handwriting my drafts, I’ve found using a fountain pen allows the writing sessions to last longer without putting undue strain on my wrist.

Another favorite feature of this particular pen? It’s lightweight. I’ve used other fountain pens, but they’re so heavy in my hand I can’t use them for long. But with this pen, I can write for a good 2-3 hours at a time (if the words are flowing). And I’ve started exclusively using these pens for everything I write.

Moleskine Journal

These are some of my favorite journals for jotting down notes or even writing short stories in. The pages are thick enough that ink doesn’t bleed through when using my fountain pen, which makes reading it later so much easier.

Another favorite is the bullet journal iteration of these—the covers are comfortable to handle, and the fact that they hold closed with elastic is perfect for the over-packer I am (because it means the covers and pages don’t get bent up!). 😅
The bullet journal version I use to map out my year and to track book-reading progress!

Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer

This is my newest favorite accessory, something I got last year for Christmas and have obsessively used since! Perfect for the writer or book-lover, this is the best way to keep your coffee, tea, or hot chocolate warm while you read or write for hours on end. (It even works for teapots!)

Pen & Gear Personal Notebook

These are my favorite little notebooks for brainstorming new stories. I tend to use one per story (especially for my ballet retellings), which makes it easy to keep details and ideas in one place for reference or updating.

My other favorite thing? I get to decorate these on my own, with stickers or drawings or whatever I desire, to help inspire my brainstorming sessions. It allows me to be creative in another way, though still story-related.

Reading Journal

This is a reading journal I’ve never used (since I create my own space in a bullet journal), but it looks perfect for tracking one’s reading!
Features include:

• Daily reading tracker
• TBR page
• Customizable Index (for easy lookup)
• Inner Pocket
• 180 Book Review pages with star rating and room to write a review below
• Stickers!

Let’s share—what’s your favorite bookish or writerly gift? Do you have a favorite winter or cozy read to share (add to my TBR!)?