Top Ten Tuesday 10/24/23: Atmospheric Books

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week’s TTT is October 24: Atmospheric Books.
(The Novelry explains this concept as: “A novel feels atmospheric when the setting and the narrative are deeply involved with one another; when characters and plot are physically embedded in their surroundings, and a near-tangible mood lifts from the pages and wraps itself around the reader.” Study.com explains that, “The atmosphere is how a writer constructs their piece to convey feelings, emotions, and mood to the reader. The atmosphere in literature might be tense, fast-paced, mysterious, spooky, whimsical, or joyful and can be found in poetry, stories, novels, and series.”)

What a fun topic this week. I love atmospheric books when the author almost makes the setting a character in itself and I feel transported as I read along. This makes for a great reading experience. Here are some of my favorite atmospheric books:


1. When I first read this week’s prompt, Wuthering Heights is the first book that came into my mind. This is one of my favorite classics. Emily Brontë uses the cold and gloomy English moors as the perfect backdrop to her dark and intense novel.


2. The Awakening by Kate Chopin is another one of my favorite books. The author uses the sights and sounds of the ocean setting here to set the mood perfectly. I re-read this one every few years, always during the summer.
“The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude.”
― Kate Chopin, The Awakening


3. The Shining is one of my favorite Stephen King novels, and the Overlook Hotel is a character in its own right. They even revisit the hotel in the sequel, Doctor Sleep.


4. The Four Winds is how I discovered Kristin Hannah who became an instant favorite. She takes you into the Dustbowl right along with her characters. After I finished reading, I watched a documentary on the Dustbowl I just wanted to know more.


5. The Road by Cormac McCarthy was a dark read and I remember easily being able to envision this harsh post-apocalyptic setting.


6. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice is deliciously atmospheric. I could easily imagine the New Orleans setting as I read along.


7. Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks is another favorite that I like to re-read every few years or so. Set in a beautiful Inn on the beach this is my favorite Sparks novel. The beachside setting comes alive here while the romance is center stage.


8. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane is another great example of an author using the setting as a main character in the story and as I read I could easily imagine the scary hospital on Shutter Island.


9. I used to read alot of Agatha Christie and Murder on the Orient Express is a favorite. You feel like you’re on the Orient Express in the middle of nowhere as you read this murder mystery.


10. I love unreliable narrators and isolated settings and add a snowstorm and it can be magical.Mind of Winter by Laura Kasischke was a very creepy read that had me guessing until the end as this mother and daughter are snowed in alone at home.

That covers some of my favorite atmospheric books. Have you read any of these? What books would be on your list?