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.
Hello friends! Today’s TTT prompt is all about those books that just suck you into the setting. We say books are “atmospheric” all the time, or at least I do. What does that really mean?
To me, these books don’t just pick any generic setting. The locale isn’t only a fun fact, but deeply woven into the plotline itself. I consider the following books to only work as well as it does BECAUSE of where the story takes place. If it were to move to anywhere else, I probably wouldn’t even recognize it (or love it)!
Let me know if you agree with my picks in the comments below!
1. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
2. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
3. A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
4. The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell
5. The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman
6. Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
7. Breathless by Amy McCulloch
8. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
9. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
10. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
What would you add to this list? Do you define “atmospheric” books differently? Do you think setting is all that important in books unless it’s a historical piece? I know a number of my picks are historical fiction. Let’s discuss below!
Down the Rabbit Hole 
I like your definition of an atmospheric read, and I think it makes a lot of sense.
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
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Thanks Lydia! I guess it’s been how I’ve always unconsciously defined an atmospheric read in the books I loved
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I think setting can play a large role in some books and no role in others.
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For sure! I totally agree with that. I struggle to see setting as important in certain contemporaries unless there’s a big effort to make it a bigger part of the plot. Otherwise, sometimes it seems like it could be set in any locale of a similar feel (eg. Small town, big city)
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Settings make all the difference in the world when it comes to some books. Others not so much but for some the setting defines so much more of the book than the characters. The setting grabs you as much as the characters do.
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday post: https://storiedconversation.com/top-ten-tuesday-atmospheric-books/
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Yes!! I can see certain books, including the ones I listed, having the setting practically as a character because it’s distinct and so large in the story. Like if it’s set somewhere else, it’s like the loss of something?
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I’ve read a couple of these and, I agree, they’re very atmospheric!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
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Thanks Susan! Happy TTT 😊
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I like how you said the locale is “woven in” to plotline, that’s how I like to view my idea of “atmospheric” books too!
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Thank you! I’m glad you think so too. It was the best way I could kind of word what I inherently think of when I use the word “atmospheric”. Lol I’m glad I’m not the only one who defines it this way. I think it can also be a feeling a book gives you, but I’ve always struggled with that definition more
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oh definitely!
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