October 30, 2025, by Jessica Bamford for Dreamland Books and Yarn 

I was at a conference this week for school library staff and our prompt for introductions was a nod to the season: “If you worked at a haunted library, what scary book would you recommend to your ghostly patrons?” At which point, most of us had to admit that we don’t really read scary books! And here I am, writing the book review for the week of Halloween with no great works of literary horror to recommend… 

But over the years, I have always linked Halloween with another seasonal milestone in Seward: our first snow. Growing up here, we usually had our first snowfall right around Halloween, and so it was the day that we had to accept the end of fall and turn our mindset to the winter season — and woe and frozen toes to those who thought they could trick-or-treat without layers!

Anyway, it turns out that I do have a good book to recommend for wintry vibes!

“Spinning Silver” by Naomi Novik is my favorite kind of fantasy novel — a reimagined fairy tale. The main character, Miryem, is the daughter of a moneylender who does not excel at the collection side of his job. To save her family from poverty, Miryem takes on this role and soon earns a reputation as someone who can turn silver into gold. But her success attracts the attention of the king of the Staryk — icy fairy-people who live in a kingdom of perpetual winter and have an insatiable greed for gold. 

The story is told in first-person, but switches between chapters to the points of view of other characters, including two other heroines who find themselves in dangerous circumstances and must use their wits to find a way out.

So, if you’re ready to lean into the coming season, say goodbye to fall with this frosty, magical tale and your final pumpkin spice latte — and make sure your Halloween costume can accommodate a warm jacket!