Winter Collection - Rec List
Dec. 23rd, 2023 08:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sankseasWith this being such a stressful month, here's a quick & simple list to kick off this blogs' resurrection (￣▽￣*)ゞ
*I'm only linking if there's a specific place to find the thing, otherwise I figure searching the title/creator yourself will net you the way you'd prefer to get it.
[ Wintery Recs ]
Got any "wintery" recs? Liked anything I listed here?
*I'm only linking if there's a specific place to find the thing, otherwise I figure searching the title/creator yourself will net you the way you'd prefer to get it.
[ Wintery Recs ]
♡ Lost Constellation (Video game, 1 hr) [ $ itch.io | Lets Plays ]
Part of the “Night in the Woods” collection. Travel into the frozen woods to play out a haunting folktale in this point & click side-scroller.
[ Atmosphere! Vibes! A go-to game for me! Mildly spooky story, cute characters, balances irreverence & sincerity, with simple-yet-gorgeous graphics, game-play, & soundtrack. ]
Vassalissa. Kadi Fedoruk (Comic, 15 pgs) [ Free Online | $ Anthology Ebook, Paperback ]
Part of the “Valor: Swords” anthology. Retelling of Russian fairy-tale “Vassalissa the Beautiful.” Vassalissa diligently follows her dead mothers' advice about her doll to survive her wicked Stepmother and the witch Baba Yaga.
[ Pretty art, quick read! A fairly straight forward retelling, but the twist this one puts on the doll is so neat! ]
♡ The Raven and the Reindeer. T. Kingfisher (Book, 224 pgs) [ $ Ebook, Print ]
Retelling of Russian fairy-tale “The Snow Queen.” When her friend is taken by the Snow Queen, Gerta braves frozen and enchanted dangers, accompanied by a bandit and a talking raven. She means to save her friend, but finds her heart swaying in unexpected directions through her journey.
[ One of my favorite authors, and my first read of hers'. I sympathized with Gerta so much it hurt at times. Plus, the cherry on top: wlw + bi MC. Of course, for the “winter” rec list, I gotta mention the descriptions of this winter-scape - very evocative of its cold-hearted Queen. ]
♡ Hogfather. Terry Pratchett (Book, 400+ pgs, 9+ hrs) [ $ Ebook, Print, Audio ]
Part of Discworlds' Death series. Susan must figure out where the Hogfather is, why Death is impersonating him, why new spirits are popping up everywhere, and sort it all out before morning... Or there may not be a morning ever again.
[ Death is my favorite Discworld character - this book is probably my favorite of his arc, and the particular Big Idea it tackles. Cozy, inspiring, funny, and strange, tense, mysterious! I've got the audio-book narrated by Nigel Planer. ]
♡ The Soldier Prince. Leigh Bardugo, Sara Kipin (Short Story, 44 pgs) [ $ Ebook, Print ]
In “The Language of Thorns” book. Retelling of “The Nutcracker” and “The Velveteen Rabbit.” The mysterious clock-maker Droessen gifts Clara the nutcracker to learn what she yearns for, but the nutcracker starts to have wishes of his own...
[ Absolutely love the twists and combinations of stories all throughout this collection - plus the beautiful illustrations! - ideal retellings to me, tbh! This story in particular has triumphed over every version of “The Nutcracker” in my brain lol. ]
The Winternight Trilogy. Katherine Arden (3 Books, all 360+ pgs, all 12+ hrs) [ $ Ebook, Print, Audio ]
The Bear and the Nightingale – The Girl in the Tower – The Winter of the Witch. Retellings of various Russian fairy-tales, combined into one “epic.” Vassalissa struggles through a war of the old spirits, the encroaching religions, and the armies of men. From the edge of the wilderness, to the crowded city, and the hidden realms between, Vasya grows from girl to witch.
[ Warning that the official descriptions make these seem more of a Romance story than they are – they're actually Adventure story with some romance moments. However, they are still very well written, interesting, and poignant books – that's why I'm rec'ing them, even still! Winter is a big thing in this, too, and it captures the feelings of it so well – from spooky to warm, isolated to crowded, fantastical to realistic! ]
Part of the “Night in the Woods” collection. Travel into the frozen woods to play out a haunting folktale in this point & click side-scroller.
[ Atmosphere! Vibes! A go-to game for me! Mildly spooky story, cute characters, balances irreverence & sincerity, with simple-yet-gorgeous graphics, game-play, & soundtrack. ]
Vassalissa. Kadi Fedoruk (Comic, 15 pgs) [ Free Online | $ Anthology Ebook, Paperback ]
Part of the “Valor: Swords” anthology. Retelling of Russian fairy-tale “Vassalissa the Beautiful.” Vassalissa diligently follows her dead mothers' advice about her doll to survive her wicked Stepmother and the witch Baba Yaga.
[ Pretty art, quick read! A fairly straight forward retelling, but the twist this one puts on the doll is so neat! ]
♡ The Raven and the Reindeer. T. Kingfisher (Book, 224 pgs) [ $ Ebook, Print ]
Retelling of Russian fairy-tale “The Snow Queen.” When her friend is taken by the Snow Queen, Gerta braves frozen and enchanted dangers, accompanied by a bandit and a talking raven. She means to save her friend, but finds her heart swaying in unexpected directions through her journey.
[ One of my favorite authors, and my first read of hers'. I sympathized with Gerta so much it hurt at times. Plus, the cherry on top: wlw + bi MC. Of course, for the “winter” rec list, I gotta mention the descriptions of this winter-scape - very evocative of its cold-hearted Queen. ]
♡ Hogfather. Terry Pratchett (Book, 400+ pgs, 9+ hrs) [ $ Ebook, Print, Audio ]
Part of Discworlds' Death series. Susan must figure out where the Hogfather is, why Death is impersonating him, why new spirits are popping up everywhere, and sort it all out before morning... Or there may not be a morning ever again.
[ Death is my favorite Discworld character - this book is probably my favorite of his arc, and the particular Big Idea it tackles. Cozy, inspiring, funny, and strange, tense, mysterious! I've got the audio-book narrated by Nigel Planer. ]
♡ The Soldier Prince. Leigh Bardugo, Sara Kipin (Short Story, 44 pgs) [ $ Ebook, Print ]
In “The Language of Thorns” book. Retelling of “The Nutcracker” and “The Velveteen Rabbit.” The mysterious clock-maker Droessen gifts Clara the nutcracker to learn what she yearns for, but the nutcracker starts to have wishes of his own...
[ Absolutely love the twists and combinations of stories all throughout this collection - plus the beautiful illustrations! - ideal retellings to me, tbh! This story in particular has triumphed over every version of “The Nutcracker” in my brain lol. ]
The Winternight Trilogy. Katherine Arden (3 Books, all 360+ pgs, all 12+ hrs) [ $ Ebook, Print, Audio ]
The Bear and the Nightingale – The Girl in the Tower – The Winter of the Witch. Retellings of various Russian fairy-tales, combined into one “epic.” Vassalissa struggles through a war of the old spirits, the encroaching religions, and the armies of men. From the edge of the wilderness, to the crowded city, and the hidden realms between, Vasya grows from girl to witch.
[ Warning that the official descriptions make these seem more of a Romance story than they are – they're actually Adventure story with some romance moments. However, they are still very well written, interesting, and poignant books – that's why I'm rec'ing them, even still! Winter is a big thing in this, too, and it captures the feelings of it so well – from spooky to warm, isolated to crowded, fantastical to realistic! ]
[ Honorable Mentions ]
*Not exactly winter, but the vibes are there!
♡ Princess Tutu (TV Show, 2 Seasons *sometimes listed as 1 Season, 26 eps) [ $ Watch Sub, Dub ]
In a town where fantasy and reality intermingle, a mysterious man grants Duck her wish to help return the Princes' shattered heart. As she follows the beats of an unfinished story, the main players question their roles and whether they are truly doomed to tragedy.
[ It's probably all the Tchaikovsky that makes me rewatch this every winter, but! Fairy-tales! Ballet! Thinning veils between life, death, reality, and fantasy! Both cozy and emotional... ]
♡ Rise of the Guardians (Movie, 1+ hr) [ $ Watch ]
With an old foe on the rise, the Guardian spirits of Childhood follow the Man in the Moon's suggestion to recruit Jack Frost to their cause... except Jack has a few hang-ups about all that.
[ This isn't a Christmas movie, or much of a “winter” one but... there is such beautiful winter-scapes, such amazing magic, and North's workshop, and his speech about Wonder... It lifted me out of a depression slump, so RotG has a special place in my heart! ]
♡ Beauty and the Beast. Max Eilenberg, Angela Barrett (Picture Book, 64 pgs) [ $ Print ]
The daughter of a ruined merchant prepares to sacrifice herself to a beastly lord of a strange mansion, but softens upon finding her captor to be a sad kind of monster with an eager, aching heart.
[ BatB is my favorite fairy-tale, so I read a lot of versions of it & this is one of my favorites! The illustrations have a Gothic flare – sweeping landscape, huge mansion, strange decor, looming beast, moody shadows – and the prose shows such charming characters! I usually only care about the Beauty and the Beast, but this one also made me really love the Father. ]
Looking at this list, I guess "winter" is "fairy-tale" and "spooky" to me lol.In a town where fantasy and reality intermingle, a mysterious man grants Duck her wish to help return the Princes' shattered heart. As she follows the beats of an unfinished story, the main players question their roles and whether they are truly doomed to tragedy.
[ It's probably all the Tchaikovsky that makes me rewatch this every winter, but! Fairy-tales! Ballet! Thinning veils between life, death, reality, and fantasy! Both cozy and emotional... ]
♡ Rise of the Guardians (Movie, 1+ hr) [ $ Watch ]
With an old foe on the rise, the Guardian spirits of Childhood follow the Man in the Moon's suggestion to recruit Jack Frost to their cause... except Jack has a few hang-ups about all that.
[ This isn't a Christmas movie, or much of a “winter” one but... there is such beautiful winter-scapes, such amazing magic, and North's workshop, and his speech about Wonder... It lifted me out of a depression slump, so RotG has a special place in my heart! ]
♡ Beauty and the Beast. Max Eilenberg, Angela Barrett (Picture Book, 64 pgs) [ $ Print ]
The daughter of a ruined merchant prepares to sacrifice herself to a beastly lord of a strange mansion, but softens upon finding her captor to be a sad kind of monster with an eager, aching heart.
[ BatB is my favorite fairy-tale, so I read a lot of versions of it & this is one of my favorites! The illustrations have a Gothic flare – sweeping landscape, huge mansion, strange decor, looming beast, moody shadows – and the prose shows such charming characters! I usually only care about the Beauty and the Beast, but this one also made me really love the Father. ]
Got any "wintery" recs? Liked anything I listed here?
