Here are 100 books that The Land in Winter fans have personally recommended if you like The Land in Winter. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of My Husband

Jennifer Barraclough Author Of No Good Deed

From my list on novels about the psychology of marriage.

Why am I passionate about this?

Over a long lifetime, I’ve been intrigued to observe many variations on the themes of marriage, widowhood, divorce, and adultery among my friends, patients, and clients. The majority of marriages are probably happy, but these are not usually very interesting to write about, so marriages in fiction often involve some kind of conflict which leads to a more or less satisfactory resolution. I am a retired doctor, originally from England, and now living in New Zealand with my second husband, to whom I have been married for over 40 years.

Jennifer's book list on novels about the psychology of marriage

Jennifer Barraclough Why Jennifer loves this book

This sophisticated, darkly humorous, and quirky short novel, translated from the French, is unlike anything else I have ever read.

The narrator is still obsessed with her husband after many years of marriage. She smothers him with devotion, and her demands for proof of his love eventually go too far. The story becomes quite farcical in places.

I suspect some readers would hate this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

By Maud Ventura , Emma Ramadan (translator) ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked My Husband as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this suspenseful and darkly funny debut novel, a sophisticated French woman spends her life obsessing over her perfect husband-but can their marriage survive her passionate love?

"One of the most daring, provocative, unnervingly intimate thrillers I've read in years. Few writers besides Ruth Rendell and Patricia Highsmith can evoke domestic unease with such sangfroid; fewer still can make it such delirious fun." -A. J. Finn, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

At forty years old, she has an enviable life: a successful career, stunning looks, a beautiful house in the suburbs, two healthy children, and…


If you love The Land in Winter...

Book cover of We Are Made

We Are Made by John Ludlam,

You’re grieving, you’re falling in love and you’re skint. On top of it all, Europe’s going to Hell in a handcart. Things can’t get any worse, can they?

London, 1938. William is grieving over his former teacher and mentor, killed fighting for the Republicans in Spain. As Europe slides towards…

Book cover of A Rather English Marriage

Jennifer Barraclough Author Of No Good Deed

From my list on novels about the psychology of marriage.

Why am I passionate about this?

Over a long lifetime, I’ve been intrigued to observe many variations on the themes of marriage, widowhood, divorce, and adultery among my friends, patients, and clients. The majority of marriages are probably happy, but these are not usually very interesting to write about, so marriages in fiction often involve some kind of conflict which leads to a more or less satisfactory resolution. I am a retired doctor, originally from England, and now living in New Zealand with my second husband, to whom I have been married for over 40 years.

Jennifer's book list on novels about the psychology of marriage

Jennifer Barraclough Why Jennifer loves this book

I loved the television play based on this novel, and the novel itself is equally good as a sensitive but somewhat mordant commentary on marriage, widowerhood, wartime memories, and the English class system.

I found it amusing in parts but also quite sad, and empathized with both main characters—two men who had served in WW2 as squadron leader and sergeant, respectively. They meet fifty years later in the Tonbridge Wells hospital when both their wives are dying, and develop an unlikely friendship.

By Angela Lambert ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Rather English Marriage as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

First published in 1992, A Rather English Marriage tells of Roy Southgate and Reginald Conynghame-Jervi, who have nothing in common but their loneliness and their wartime memories.

Roy, a retired milkman and Reggie, a former RAF Squadron Leader, are widowed on the same day. To assuage their grief, the vicar arranges for Roy to move in with Reggie as his unpaid manservant. To their surprise, they form a strange alliance, based on obedience, need and the strangeness of single life. Then Reggie meets Liz, a vibrant but near-bankrupt woman of irresistible appeal, while Roy and his son's family grow gradually…


Book cover of Ordinary Time

Jennifer Barraclough Author Of No Good Deed

From my list on novels about the psychology of marriage.

Why am I passionate about this?

Over a long lifetime, I’ve been intrigued to observe many variations on the themes of marriage, widowhood, divorce, and adultery among my friends, patients, and clients. The majority of marriages are probably happy, but these are not usually very interesting to write about, so marriages in fiction often involve some kind of conflict which leads to a more or less satisfactory resolution. I am a retired doctor, originally from England, and now living in New Zealand with my second husband, to whom I have been married for over 40 years.

Jennifer's book list on novels about the psychology of marriage

Jennifer Barraclough Why Jennifer loves this book

I’d describe this novel as bittersweet. While readable and humorous, it touches on profound questions about marriage, family and religion.

The narrator is the neglected wife of a country vicar who is totally absorbed in the service of his church. The frustrations of her domestic life and the foibles of the ladies of the parish are closely observed and gently parodied. The monotony is broken, and things become more serious, when a chance encounter leads to a total reassessment of the marital relationship.

By Cathy Rentzenbrink ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ordinary Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Here is the absolute truth about love, told with wisdom, heart and humour. So clever, funny and life-affirming'
Meg Mason

'Funny and heartbreaking, immersive and thoroughly satisfying'
Nina Stibbe

There are already three of us in this marriage. I'm not sure there is room for a fourth . . .

Ann is a reluctant Vicar's wife. She tries her best but her husband only has eyes for God, her son is asking questions she struggles to answer, and it is all too easy to displease the congregation. It may only be a matter of time before she makes the headlines…


If you love Andrew Miller...

Book cover of No Good Deed

No Good Deed by Jennifer Barraclough,

Marriage. Memory. Medicine. Malice.

A tragicomic novel about the toxic relationship between two couples who first met at medical school and whose paths cross again many years later.

Charlotte is married to Henry, a retired consultant pathologist. She abandoned her own medical training after a harrowing experience left her emotionally…

Book cover of Middlemarch

Jennifer Barraclough Author Of No Good Deed

From my list on novels about the psychology of marriage.

Why am I passionate about this?

Over a long lifetime, I’ve been intrigued to observe many variations on the themes of marriage, widowhood, divorce, and adultery among my friends, patients, and clients. The majority of marriages are probably happy, but these are not usually very interesting to write about, so marriages in fiction often involve some kind of conflict which leads to a more or less satisfactory resolution. I am a retired doctor, originally from England, and now living in New Zealand with my second husband, to whom I have been married for over 40 years.

Jennifer's book list on novels about the psychology of marriage

Jennifer Barraclough Why Jennifer loves this book

This book, published in the 1870s, is sometimes considered the best English novel ever written.

It is a monumental work, and while I found it very impressive, I have to admit that reading the long and detailed text felt heavy going at times.

Set in a provincial town with a large cast of characters, it depicts a middle-class way of life very different from that of today, and addresses various social and political questions of the time. One major theme is the psychology of marriage as analysed through the relationships between two ill-matched couples.

By George Eliot ,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked Middlemarch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Introduction and Notes by Doreen Roberts, Rutherford College, University of Kent at Canterbury.

Middlemarch is a complex tale of idealism, disillusion, profligacy, loyalty and frustrated love. This penetrating analysis of the life of an English provincial town during the time of social unrest prior to the Reform Bill of 1832 is told through the lives of Dorothea Brooke and Dr Tertius Lydgate and includes a host of other paradigm characters who illuminate the condition of English life in the mid-nineteenth century.

Henry James described Middlemarch as a 'treasurehouse of detail' while Virginia Woolf famously endorsed George Eliot's masterpiece…


Book cover of The Outsider

Eric Van Lustbader Author Of The Quantum Solution

From my list on perfect examples of great thriller writing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been writing since I learned how to write, first poems, then short stories. I spent a decade in the rock music business, writing about and becoming friends with Elton John, John Lennon, Bryan Ferry, among others. But I grew up reading thrillers and wanting to write novels but seemed hesitant to start. One day, I ran into an old high school friend who was writing westerns for Avon Books. I thought if he can, so can I. So I did. I majored in Sociology in college, so the intricacies of individuals within society always fascinated me. After reading The Outsider, I realized I really wanted to write about the people outside of society.

Eric's book list on perfect examples of great thriller writing

Eric Van Lustbader Why Eric loves this book

I discovered Wilson’s seminal book when I was in college.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that The Outsider changed my life. Before I read it I had no idea who I was or where I belonged. I was not a joiner. I wasn’t affected by peer pressure. As a consequence I felt alone and at sea.

At once, I recognized myself in The Outsider.

Wilson could have been writing about me. Suddenly, I understood who I was, why I reacted to certain things the way I did, and what my place in the world was and would be. There is no more desolate feeling of being alone and misunderstood in the world.

Wilson’s book gave me a sense of belonging. Who could ask for anything more?

By Colin Wilson ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Outsider as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The classic study of alienation, creativity and the modern mind
'Excitingly written, with a sense of revelation' GUARDIAN

THE OUTSIDER was an instant literary sensation when it was first published in 1956, thrusting its youthful author into the front rank of contemporary writers and thinkers. Wilson rationalised the psychological dislocation so characteristic of Western creative thinking into a coherent theory of alienation, and defined those affected by it as a type: the outsider. Through the works and lives of various artists, including Kafka, Camus, Hemingway, Hesse, Lawrence, Van Gogh, Shaw, Nietzsche and Dostoevsky, Wilson explored the psyche of the outsider,…


Book cover of The Principles of Psychology, Vol. 1

Gloria Mark Author Of Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity

From my list on attention and why it is the ultimate currency.

Why am I passionate about this?

In 2000, I entered the University of California, Irvine as an assistant professor. Suddenly faced with multiple research projects, courses, committees, grant-writing, and student mentoring, I found myself switching screens and tasks like crazy. But I was also glued to my computer. I began to wonder if this was normal? Trained as a psychologist, I decided to study empirically what was happening to our attention. I began research over two decades on attention and discovered how our attention spans have shrunk over time (to a mere average of 47 seconds). Fast forward, I've continued to study our relationships with our technology, uncovering different types of attention and busting myths associated with focus and productivity. 

Gloria's book list on attention and why it is the ultimate currency

Gloria Mark Why Gloria loves this book

There is no better place to start learning about attention than from The Principles of Psychology.

I have always been captivated by the writings and deep insight of William James, known as the father of psychology. This is not a pop science book by any means—it was written in the 19th century, and you’ll see how gorgeous the language is. If you don’t want to plough through all 720 pages, I suggest you start with Chapter VIII on Attention. As James says, “Everyone knows what attention is.” But do we really? You will find some amazing gems in it.

It is available for free by Project Gutenberg.

By William James ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Principles of Psychology, Vol. 1 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"For the psychologist, standard reading, to all readers, a classic of interpretation." — Psychiatric Quarterly
This is the first inexpensive edition of the complete Long Course in Principles of Psychology, one of the great classics of modern Western literature and science and the source of the ripest thoughts of America’s most important philosopher. As such, it should not be confused with the many abridgements that omit key sections.
The book presents lucid descriptions of human mental activity, with detailed considerations of the stream of thought, consciousness, time perception, memory, imagination, emotions, reason, abnormal phenomena, and similar topics. In its course…


Book cover of Wolf at the Door

W. L. Hawkin Author Of To Charm a Killer

From my list on mythic fiction exploring complex psychology.

Why am I passionate about this?

All of us bear the scars of emotional wounds, as complex psychology beats at the heart of all relationships. I’ve personally survived the betrayal of a parent, the loss of a child, emotional abuse, and life with an addict who could look me in the eye and lie. These themes resound in my stories. Literature is a safe place to explore and heal our own traumas through the dramatic interactions of our characters. My witch killer is not just “crazy” he’s unraveling a complex psychological past. In standing with our heroes as they meet and conquer evil, in its many guises, we find our way to healing our own trauma. 

W. L.'s book list on mythic fiction exploring complex psychology

W. L. Hawkin Why W. L. loves this book

Once upon a time in the deep woods, a kind woman invited twelve family members and friends to Thanksgiving dinner. But not burning the turkey became the least of her worries. Wolf at the Door is a kick-ass nightmare, a ghoulish debut novella that will keep you sitting rigid in bed with your eyes and ears wide, long after its done. You may never walk in the woods again. How will our hero save her dinner guests from becoming the main course for two brutally vicious werewolves who just happen to be the neighbors? How well do you know the couple next door?

By Joel McKay ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wolf at the Door as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

All Charlotte Deerborn wanted was a nice Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends. Too bad for her no one else wanted to be there. By the time the turkey is carved, old grievances, bad behavior and crass remarks have transformed her dinner party into a disaster. And then a werewolf shows up to do some carving of its own.

Wolf at the Door, winner of the 2022 Global Book Award gold medal for horror, is a fast-paced, absurdist take on modern creature horror, levering humor and action to highlight how one family comes to grips with what really matters in…


Book cover of Decoding the New Consumer Mind: How and Why We Shop and Buy

Marty Neumeier Author Of The Brand Gap

From my list on brand strategy.

Why am I passionate about this?

In my younger days I was a graphic designer and copywriter, approaching brands largely from a creative viewpoint. Over the years I’ve discovered that creative work is much more powerful when harnessed to business strategy, and business strategy is much more powerful when combined with exceptional creative work. I’ve characterized the gulf between strategy and creativity as the “brand gap,” which has led to eight books on branding and a school for professional mastery called Level C.

Marty's book list on brand strategy

Marty Neumeier Why Marty loves this book

Marketing psychologist Kit Yarrow explains how technology has rewired our brains, making us more individualistic, isolated, emotional, and distrustful. This is not a pessimistic book—it’s a practical guide to addressing customers’ desires and insecurities in a time of deep cultural shifts. Not only has she done her homework, but she also presents the results with lightness and clarity.

By Kit Yarrow ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Decoding the New Consumer Mind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Take a glimpse into the mind of the modern consumer A decade of swift and stunning change has profoundly affected the psychology of how, when, and why we shop and buy. In Decoding the New Consumer Mind, award-winning consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow shares surprising insights about the new motivations and behaviors of shoppers, taking marketers where they need to be today: into the deeply psychological and often unconscious relationships that people have with products, retailers, marketing communications, and brands. Drawing on hundreds of consumer interviews and shop-alongs, Yarrow reveals the trends that define our transformed behavior. For example, when we…


Book cover of The 5 Personality Patterns: Your Guide to Understanding Yourself and Others and Developing Emotional Maturity

Ricardo Sunderland Author Of The Energy Advantage: How to Go from Managing Your Time to Mastering Your Energy

From my list on non fiction mastering your energy.

Why am I passionate about this?

My purpose is to help leaders connect to and manage their energy. I help them bring coherence to how they lead and reach their full societal impact. For more than a  decade, I have coached 300 of the most senior leaders at some of the largest and most recognizable companies in the world. My recommended to-read book list represents crucible moments in my life and my calling to learn about human energy. Representing different lenses, which are key to adding to a mix of ingredients, allows the reader to drink a potion that will exalt all your buckets (physical, mental, emotional & spiritual) of energy holistically. 

Ricardo's book list on non fiction mastering your energy

Ricardo Sunderland Why Ricardo loves this book

Reading this book will help you achieve emotional freedom. I came across Steven’s book in my pursuit of finding the best way to help my clients learn how to make the right choices when looking to find what gives them energy and what can take energy away. His book is a guide that masterfully helps you understand how you are likely to behave when overwhelmed and gives you a breakthrough approach to solving your behavior hijack.

I loved how something that can be so abstract and complex, like human behavioral patterns, can be simplified in a five-pattern model and be shared as a guide that shows you how our self-defense mechanism gets created, how it can high-jack us, and most importantly how we can get out of the trap. It helped me figure out, from an emotional perspective, what behavioral patterns I run whenever I am overwhelmed and which…

By Steven Kessler , Christine Chrisman (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The 5 Personality Patterns as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Understanding people this way is like having x-ray vision!
This bestselling book marks a major advance in the psychology of personality. Suddenly, you can see what's going on inside people: you can see what motivates and matters to them and how to influence and communicate with them successfully. Finally, you have a simple, clear, true-to-life map of personality that gives you the key to understanding people and interacting with them successfully. The 5 Personality Patterns is a book that can change your life.

"This is one of the most useful popular psychology books I have ever seen. . . .…


Book cover of The New Predator: Women Who Kill: Profiles of Female Serial Killers

Marissa A. Harrison Author Of Just as Deadly: The Psychology of Female Serial Killers

From my list on understanding female serial killers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a research psychologist. My expertise is in evolutionary psychology, which is a lens through which all mental processes and behavior can be framed. I've studied a wide variety of topics, ranging from love to murder. I do believe that we evolved morbid curiosity as a mechanism of protective vigilance. People have a great interest in consuming material about the who, what, why, how, where, and when of these terrible crimes. In Just as Deadly, I provide fact-based information derived from my own empirical research in addition to about 1200 other sources. It was important to me to pursue and write about truths. In addition, I don’t—and won’t—engage in drama or gore.

Marissa's book list on understanding female serial killers

Marissa A. Harrison Why Marissa loves this book

Schurman-Kauflin is not an armchair quarterback. She is the real deal. Schurman-Kauflin carefully gathered the facts she presents in this book. A skilled criminal profiler, she interviewed female serial killers (FSKs) herself, and she presented some of the clearest evidence I have ever encountered on FSKs’ backgrounds, crimes, and motives. Her work, although published a while ago, has withstood the test of time, as her findings have been replicated. In my own career, I have used her work as a source many times over.

By Deborah Schurman-Kauflin ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The New Predator as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Book by Schurman-Kauflin, Deborah


Book cover of My Husband
Book cover of A Rather English Marriage
Book cover of Ordinary Time

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