Sunday, January 10, 2010

Sunday Salon - January 10

Now that we're finally on the way back out of the deep freeze, I feel able to make fun of the weather we've been having in Nebraska the past month. We're used to cold here; we're used to snow here. But we aren't used to living in conditions to rival Alaska! More snow in December than any month ever, save one. Temps the past two weeks that have set records for "highs" - high being a relative term since those were the coldest highs ever.

All of this cold and snow got me wondering about what kinds of books people read in the winter. In the summer we have "beach reads." Are there "snow" reads? It turns out that there is no shortage of books with "winter" in the title. Shakespeare gave us The Winter's Tale; Robert Frost gave us Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. Suzan Colon, Kristin Hannah, and Nevada Barr are among today's authors that have written about winter.













In the summer, it's great to read about beaches. So the question is this: is there ever a time you really want to read about snow? Personally, I'm thinking it's about time to time to pull out a book with a sand pail and shovel on the cover!

20 comments:

  1. I like your list of snow books! Hope you'll visit my Sunday Salon

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  2. I hesitate to mention it for fear of jinx...but what about "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read that aloud to my young daughters one winter and I must admit that it did make that it did make things seem longer and colder than ever.
    In summer I tend to enjoy quicker reads as I'm often wanting to be out of doors. In winter i appreciate a nice long read that I can snuggle up next to the fire with.

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  3. As a native Texan, I can't say that I've ever read about snow specifically or looked for a snowy book, but I do long for snow. We've had it twice this year, along with temps in the teens right now, and I'm loving it!!!

    While I haven't searched out any overtly wintery books, I do have specific tastes in the colder months. I'm far more likely to read classics when it's cold and I feel like curling up with my book.

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  4. Ha! I love that cartoon. I think we're supposed to warm into the 40s next week here in western SD! Maybe some of the snow will melt away.

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  5. Good question. I think I would prefer to read about the beach and sun on cold winter days. :)

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  6. Hmm, I don't think I'd enjoying reading something about snow or cold right now. Maybe in the summer when I'm complaining about how hot it is.

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  7. Oh totally, I live in Calgary Alberta and we have long cold winters here too (although we do have chinooks here as well, which means lovely warm temps like today - plus 10 degress celcuis!) I like to pull out my well worn copy of The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder in the winter. It just makes me feel all cozy with the talk of wood stoves and hunkering down for the season.

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  8. I like the way Winter Garden sounds. I think I'm going to have to grab that one!

    How about Dr. Zhivago? Nothing like seeing or reading about the frozen, isolated, snowy Russian Urals to make us appreciate temps in the 30's and 40's!

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  9. I am from Minnesota and I am feeling all of the winter pain. I love winter but the cold is too much sometimes!

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  10. That's a good list of winter books!

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  11. I never really thought about books with snow....but I do seem to be drawn to them during the winter months. A beach book does sound good right about now though!!

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  12. Me too. I wonder what Hamish would like in real life.

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  13. It was 73 degrees here today. I think we skipped winter and went right to spring which means we are in for a wicked summer.

    Winter reads? That's a good question. I think in the winter people tend to want to cozy up with a book. Typically a book with a bit more substance whereas summer is spent reading lighter reads.

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  14. It's been cold here and I don't like it. Thankfully, we haven't had any snow. I think I'd rather read about snow in the summer since I stay cold all winter long.

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  15. Hmmm...I don't read books w/ beaches in them in the summer or books w/ snow in them in the winter. BUT with cold weather, I love cozy books, the kind that go perfectly with a big mug of hot tea. :)

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  16. I'm with you Lisa! Bring on the summer!!

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  17. I'm with you! I want to read about warm right now. Badly. :)

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  18. we're experiencing the freeze out here in the east, too. it's horrible and i don't even want to leave my house...or my bed in the mornings!

    i love the retrospective on winter and snowish books, but someone please turn on the sun! i can't stand the cold anymore.

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  19. hear, hear! It's too cold to read about cold things unless it's during the Holiday Season!

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  20. Thanks for including my book (Cherries in Winter) in the list! Don't worry, it's not all about the coldest months; the story spans a few seasons. The title refers to my Nana indulging in a little luxury--a handful of out of season fruit--when she was feeling blue. Her recipes are in there too. Happy reading!

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