The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden is our October Choice Read. It’s a dark fairy tale set in Russia and the perfect combination of spooky Halloween tale and preparation for the dark winter nights. Nicole and Rebecca share their thoughts on the book in the video below. No spoilers. We hope you read along with us.

This book is the first in the series. The second book, The Girl in the Tower was released in 2018 and the third book, The Winter of the Witch, will be released January 8, 2019.

Book Synopsis: There are two paths for young women in medieval Russia: marriage or the nunnery, neither of which suit Vasya who can see the protective spirits of the forest. When a new priest convinces the townspeople to stop pagan offerings, the spirits fade. Then crops fail. Fire breaks out. Terrible cold comes. And fear runs rampant, inviting in a specter that has long been locked away, and he is hungry.