Some people want to escape the cold this time of year, but I'm one to revel in the changing seasons. In Michigan, you don't have much of a choice anyway. For me, winter is all about lazy weekends on the couch, lots of slowly cooked soups and roasts, and flipping through seed catalogs, dreaming of spring. The following titles are my suggestions for those who want to enjoy winter while it's here:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis -- It's always winter but never Christmas and kids run around in huge fur coats. If you haven't read this since you were a pre-teen, do yourself a favor and pick it up because it's still a great book.
His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman -- This series warrants a much longer post and eventually it'll get one, but in the meantime, all you need to know is that there are zeppelins and human souls exist outside the body as cute animals and it mostly takes place in the Arctic. It is also the series to read if you became an Atheist and hate C.S. Lewis now.
Anything by Jack London -- I hated these books when I was a kid, but they get the job done; there are adventures in the snow with huskies, and people falling through ice and death by hypothermia, etc etc.
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton - Never has sledding seemed so melancholy. Avoid if you're suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt -- One of the very first books i wrote about for Bookhive, and an excellent read if you like sexy collegiate bacchanalia and long, drawn-out descriptions of Vermont apartments without heat.
The Mysteries of New Venice series by Jean-Christophe Valtat -- A decidedly literary adventure series of the steampunk persuasion that takes place in the Arctic, natch. These books are also great for winter because they're addictive, thrilling reads.
