What do you think?
Rate this book
Winter Sky: Stories for the Season
Oh, Christmas. We remember what we had. Who we’ve lost. How we ache. We remember disasters and triumphs and the deepest, sweetest friends, telling the hardest truths.
From celebrated filmmaker, actor, and novelist Shelley Thompson comes a collection of stories, both cherished and fresh as new-fallen snow. A blend of historical and contemporary, written in breathtaking prose, the stories in Winter Sky reflect the season’s contrasts: the light and the dark, the complexity and the comfort.
In “The Compass,” a chance encounter on a bus during a winter storm leads to the unravelling of a family mystery decades old. In “The Goat’s Christmas Carol,” an unexpected trio of carollers visits the home of a sick child on Christmas Eve, bringing not gold, frankincense, and myrrh but gifts of song, community, and a future. In “Winter Sky,” the constellations provide company, and inspiration, for a young prairie boy on his early-morning walks to school. In “The Thing of It Is,” a couple’s never-ending home renovation binds them to a carpenter whose wisdom lies in recognizing what the heart needs to build comfort and joy.
Just like the season itself, these stories bring heartache and delight, and the wonder of gazing up at a winter’s sky.
From celebrated filmmaker, actor, and novelist Shelley Thompson comes a collection of stories, both cherished and fresh as new-fallen snow. A blend of historical and contemporary, written in breathtaking prose, the stories in Winter Sky reflect the season’s contrasts: the light and the dark, the complexity and the comfort.
In “The Compass,” a chance encounter on a bus during a winter storm leads to the unravelling of a family mystery decades old. In “The Goat’s Christmas Carol,” an unexpected trio of carollers visits the home of a sick child on Christmas Eve, bringing not gold, frankincense, and myrrh but gifts of song, community, and a future. In “Winter Sky,” the constellations provide company, and inspiration, for a young prairie boy on his early-morning walks to school. In “The Thing of It Is,” a couple’s never-ending home renovation binds them to a carpenter whose wisdom lies in recognizing what the heart needs to build comfort and joy.
Just like the season itself, these stories bring heartache and delight, and the wonder of gazing up at a winter’s sky.
134 pages, Paperback
Published October 28, 2025
2 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 6, 2025
❄️ COMING: 21st October 2025 ❄️
Summary
Winter Sky is a collection of short stories about the Christmas season, highlighting the challenging emotions this time of year can conjure up, such as grief, longing and loneliness.
My Thoughts
I was very conflicted on how to rate this. On one hand, the writing was beautiful. These stories very eloquently portrayed some of the more melancholy feelings the festive period can evoke for many of us. And the illustrations at the start of each new story were really charming.
However, I did struggle to get into a lot of the stories (although this is more of a personal preference issue as opposed to an issue with the book). Due to this, I found it a bit of a struggle to remain engaged. But nevertheless, the prose was lovely.
"The Thing of It Is" was my personal favourite story in this collection, and was the one that maintained my focus the most. I really liked the character Cob MacDonald and loved how the story highlighted the significant positive impact a person can have on others, whether they realise it or not. I also found the emphasis on how this positive impact often outlives the person a rather bittersweet thought. As a parent myself, I felt that this story's sentiment of parents wanting their children to be happy even if the decisions the child makes in order to be happy hurt you, an incredibly truthful statement.
Overall
This collection of short stories was reflective, poignant and bittersweet. But unfortunately, I personally did not resonate with them as much as I had hoped.
Thank you to NetGalley, Shelley Thompson and Nimbus Publishing | Vagrant Press for gifting this eBook in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
❀ Tia ❀
Summary
Winter Sky is a collection of short stories about the Christmas season, highlighting the challenging emotions this time of year can conjure up, such as grief, longing and loneliness.
My Thoughts
I was very conflicted on how to rate this. On one hand, the writing was beautiful. These stories very eloquently portrayed some of the more melancholy feelings the festive period can evoke for many of us. And the illustrations at the start of each new story were really charming.
However, I did struggle to get into a lot of the stories (although this is more of a personal preference issue as opposed to an issue with the book). Due to this, I found it a bit of a struggle to remain engaged. But nevertheless, the prose was lovely.
"The Thing of It Is" was my personal favourite story in this collection, and was the one that maintained my focus the most. I really liked the character Cob MacDonald and loved how the story highlighted the significant positive impact a person can have on others, whether they realise it or not. I also found the emphasis on how this positive impact often outlives the person a rather bittersweet thought. As a parent myself, I felt that this story's sentiment of parents wanting their children to be happy even if the decisions the child makes in order to be happy hurt you, an incredibly truthful statement.
Overall
This collection of short stories was reflective, poignant and bittersweet. But unfortunately, I personally did not resonate with them as much as I had hoped.
Thank you to NetGalley, Shelley Thompson and Nimbus Publishing | Vagrant Press for gifting this eBook in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
❀ Tia ❀
October 6, 2025
This collection of 12 stories set during the Christmas seasons of past and present. The stories were unique in their own way, but all evoked the joy and sadness of the season - when as an adult, you remember what it was like when you were a child, and the melancholy that comes when one remembers how different life is now. I definitely had the feels when reading the stories, thinking of how my life is so very different now vs then. A trip down memory lane that was both sad and joyous.
A passage in The Compass encapsulates this well - "Christmas. A Time when we're drawn back home whether we want to be or not. Like the arm of a compass swinging to North, we're pulled back to those who wait for us there... and those who don't."
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and am leaving a voluntary review.
A passage in The Compass encapsulates this well - "Christmas. A Time when we're drawn back home whether we want to be or not. Like the arm of a compass swinging to North, we're pulled back to those who wait for us there... and those who don't."
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and am leaving a voluntary review.
August 28, 2025
Christmas. It's a joyful time of year for some and a painful and difficult time for others. There are so many expectations, so much pressure, and often disappointment. Yet there is also joy, wonder, and connection. Sometimes, in the midst of all of this, we learn new things about ourselves or have experiences that cause us to reflect on our lives and relationships. The lovely stories in this book encompass all of these things and more. It's a wonderful seasonal collection that hits just the right note for me. The stories are not saccharine sweet, but they're uplifting, hopeful, and perfect for the season. The book was a joy to read and I thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital review copy.
October 2, 2025
“Christmas is hard.” The young women spoke gently.
“Christmas. Birthdays. Looking forward, looking back. Wanting the truth more than at any other time.”
Winter Sky by Shelley Thompson is a beautiful collection of bitter sweet short stories that somehow felt like a warm hug.
I loved reading all of the characters story’s my two favourite being “A Beakful Of Berry” and “The Compass”.
The characters in Shelly Thompson story’s felt real and familiar to me each one pulling you into their world for a short period of time.
The beautiful illustrations by Bee Stanton are a lovely touch to this book.
Thank you NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the chance to read an ARC copy of this beautiful book.
“Christmas. Birthdays. Looking forward, looking back. Wanting the truth more than at any other time.”
Winter Sky by Shelley Thompson is a beautiful collection of bitter sweet short stories that somehow felt like a warm hug.
I loved reading all of the characters story’s my two favourite being “A Beakful Of Berry” and “The Compass”.
The characters in Shelly Thompson story’s felt real and familiar to me each one pulling you into their world for a short period of time.
The beautiful illustrations by Bee Stanton are a lovely touch to this book.
Thank you NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the chance to read an ARC copy of this beautiful book.
August 20, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for this Christmas ARC. Winter Sky by Shelley Thompson is a collection of 12 heartfelt stories about love, loss, and the importance of remembering what we have and what we should cherish.
Two stories stood out for me: December 1945, with its quiet poignancy, and the titular Winter Sky, which beautifully captures the reflective tone of the season. Each story invites you to slow down, sit by the fire, and take in the bittersweet magic of winter.
This is a thoughtful, reflective read—perfect for the holiday season. ❄️✨
Release Day: 21st October 2025
Two stories stood out for me: December 1945, with its quiet poignancy, and the titular Winter Sky, which beautifully captures the reflective tone of the season. Each story invites you to slow down, sit by the fire, and take in the bittersweet magic of winter.
This is a thoughtful, reflective read—perfect for the holiday season. ❄️✨
Release Day: 21st October 2025
October 12, 2025
Thank you to Nimbus Publishing for an ARC of this story collection. I loved this short story collection and I am not one to enjoy short stories but I could picture each one like I was there. It is a mix of contemporary and historical stories set in Nova Scotia at Christmas, mostly about families. Reading it was like having a grandparent orally tell you the story - that is a hard thing for an author to do and Shelley Thompson did it beautifully. There are nine stories in this collection and my favourite one was The Compass - it was lovely. I will definitely be buying this for family members for the Christmas season.
October 21, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for providing me with an eARC.
This was a nice collection of stories but sadly it didn't resonate with me. I quite liked the second last one about Juliette and the young woman she met on the bus. It was emotional and wholesome. Unfortunately the writing style didn't work for me, but I would recommend this to anyone looking for a short story collection that encompasses all the holiday emotions from longing to love to familial bonding.
This was a nice collection of stories but sadly it didn't resonate with me. I quite liked the second last one about Juliette and the young woman she met on the bus. It was emotional and wholesome. Unfortunately the writing style didn't work for me, but I would recommend this to anyone looking for a short story collection that encompasses all the holiday emotions from longing to love to familial bonding.
October 3, 2025
Winter Sky by Shelley Thompson is a compilation of short stories and reminisces written about her childhood in Canada during the Christmas season.. The stories are bittersweet vignettes about everyday occurrences that made a big impact on the narrators.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews