Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar 2025

There’s a moment every winter when the world changes all at once.

It happens quietly—almost shyly—when the first snowflakes drift past the window. Streets soften. Sounds become muffled. The light turns a gentler shade of silver. And for a few precious hours, the world gives us permission to slow down.

For many people, that first snowfall is the moment they finally exhale. For readers, it’s something more: an invitation. A reminder. A tug at an old, familiar thread of comfort. The first snowfall carries a secret message whispered only to those willing to hear it:

“It’s reading season.”

I remember one first snowfall in particular—a December morning years ago, long before Jolabokaflod became a part of my life’s work. I had been rushing, overstretched, juggling the many unnecessary urgencies we invent for ourselves in the run-up to Christmas. Then suddenly, there it was: a soft flurry outside the window. I stopped, mid-task. Without thinking, I made a cup of coffee, pulled a blanket over my lap, and picked up the book waiting quietly beside the sofa.

Thirty pages later, I realised I hadn’t looked at my phone once.

That morning taught me something I’ve since seen echoed in research, book clubs, libraries, and conversations with readers around the world: winter itself can be a catalyst for reading. The colder, quieter, darker days nudge us toward stories in a way summer rarely does. We’re less inclined to rush. We crave atmosphere. We want warmth—not just in temperature but in feeling.

So today, on the first day of our Jolabokaflod Advent Calendar, I invite you to embrace that small but powerful shift. Whether snow is falling where you are or only in your imagination, let this be your moment to pause—to choose a book that mirrors the pace of the season, and to let it carry you gently into December.

❄️ Today’s Reading Picks: “First Snowfall Reads”

Books with crisp air, quiet moods and the soft glow of winter light:

• The Snow Child — Eowyn Ivey
• A Christmas Memory — Truman Capote
• Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm — Stella Gibbons
• A Winter Book — Tove Jansson

These books pair beautifully with early mornings, warm blankets and the sound of nothing much at all.

You can explore the full Advent Calendar titles here:
👉 Explore the Advent Calendar collection on Bookshop.org

And if you want a second cosy corner to wander into, today’s recommended evergreen shelf is:
👉 The Cosy Winter Fiction Shelf

• The Undesired — Yrsa Sigurðardóttir: You might want to sleep with the light on after reading this book.
• Home Before Dark — Eva Bjorg Ægisdottir: Ppsychological thriller that is dark, chilling and atmospheric.
• Murder on the Orient Express — Agatha Christie: The world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot, must identify the prime suspects from among the small but disparate group of remaining passengers– before the murderer decides to strike again.
• Wolf Winter — Cecilia Ekback: Exquisitely suspenseful, beautifully written and highly recommended mystery.
• Snowblind — Ragnar Jónasson: Chilling, thrilling slice of Icelandic Noir.
• In the Midst of Winter — Isabel Allende: Beautifully crafted, multi-generational novel of struggle, endurance and friendship against the odds.
• Beartown — Fredrik Backman: Surefooted insight into the absurdity, beauty and ache of life.
• The Winter People – Jennifer McMahon: Simmering psychological thriller about ghostly secrets, dark choices and the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters.
• The Great Alone — Kristin Hannah: Unforgettable portrait of human frailty, resilience and American pioneering spirit.
• One by One — Ruth Ware: Sense of dread deepens as the snow falls in tensely plotted and deliciously cast alpine thriller.
• The Land in Winter — Andrew Miller: Novel of dazzling humanity and captivating, crystalline prose.
• City of Thieves — David Benioff: Captivating novel about war, courage, survival and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime.
• Snow Falling on Cedars — David Guterson: Murder mystery, sweet love story, tale of predjudice and hardship, and a coming to terms with one’s failings.
• Snow Country — Yasunari Kawabata: Work of beauty and strangeness, one of the most distinguished and moving of Japanese novels.
• The Bear and The Nightingale — Katherine Arden: Atmospheric and enchanting, with an engrossing adventure at its core

Let’s begin this season as gently as possible.
Let’s begin with a book.
Let’s begin with the first snowfall.