Monday Discussion: Winter is Coming...

Yes, we are now more than halfway through November and there is beginning to be a distinct chill in the air.  After yesterday's big storms here in Illinois, there are also very few leaves left on the branches.  I have even heard the all Christmas music station has started up again [although, I will not begin celebrating that holiday until after Thanksgiving].

Add to this the fact that later today my book group will be discussing A Reliable Wife, by Robert Goolrick, a book with such an amazingly described winter setting that I can not stop thinking about the coming change of season.

So then I thought, well if I have winter on the brain, I might as well make the rest of you think about it too.

I personally enjoy embracing winter for all of its glory...well, at least in the beginning.  Come, March 15 I might be anxious for spring.  But as a result, I love to read books with realistic and well drawn winter settings while I am living through that season.  A Reliable Wife, is one example.  Last year I read The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey which is also one of the best winter settings I have ever experienced.

In both of these books, the cold and the snow and the isolation caused by the frozen setting added to my enjoyment of the book.  This setting enhanced the plot, deepened my understanding of the characters, and was just so realistic that I felt the chill in my bones. I loved and appreciated every minute of it.

But I also realize that there are many people out there who read the opposite of the season.  Patrons come in looking for warmly set books to help get through our long winters, and books with a cold setting during the heat of summer.

So, for today's Monday Discussion, let me know where you stand on this issue. Share a good hot weather book to read if you want to think warm thoughts when its cold outside, or your favorite snowy/freeze book to help embrace the season [at least at its start].

For past Monday Discussions, click here.