Reading Your Way through the Dog Days
Oh, it’s hot, and the sun is pitiless. It hasn’t been cooling down much at night lately, either. I literally say a prayer of gratitude for…
Photo by Annie Niemaszyk on Unsplash
Oh, it’s hot, and the sun is pitiless. It hasn’t been cooling down much at night lately, either. I literally say a prayer of gratitude for our air conditioner daily, and it’s with awe that I think of those ancestors of mine who toiled in the heat of New Mexico, southern Utah, and California’s Central Valley without such a boon.
Where I live, summer promises to stick around for at least another two months, so at this time of year, I often find myself craving a book set somewhere cold. Below I’ve listed some of my favorite stories that can provide a welcome chill. Maybe a book with snow and ice — or at least some autumn leaves — will help you through the dies caniculares, too.
Picture Books:
The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs
The Only Child, by Guojing
Wolf in the Snow, by Matthew Cordell
Winter is Coming, by Tony Johnston
Miss Suzy, by Arnold Lobel
Middle Grade:
The Greenglass House, by Kate Milford
East, by Edith Pattou
Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu
Storm Mountain, by Tom Birdseye
Skraelings, by Rachel and Sean Qitsualek-Tinsley
Young Adult:
The Flight of Gemma Hardy, by Margot Livesey
Exit, Pursued by a Bear, by E.K. Johnston
Songbreaker, by Annette Lyon
Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo
Symphony for the City of the Dead, by M.T. Anderson
Adult:
The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey
Winter’s Tale, by Mark Helprin
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing
The Lake of Dead Languages, by Carol Goodman
The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield