Well, we may have missed the brunt of the Northeast blizzard in my neck of northern Vermont, but that hasn’t stopped the wind from howling and making the outside seem somewhat inhospitable. One of my favorite winter activities is hunkering down with a hot beverage, a fleece blanket, a dog warming my feet and a glorious book about other people surviving winter.
I just happened to have a wonderful new galley in my stack that fit the bill perfectly. Trapped by Michael Northrup is a rousing, suspenseful tale of seven high school students stuck at school during a freakish, week-long blizzard. At first the kids think it’s all going to be okay and are certain rescue will happen in the morning. But when it becomes painfully apparent that rescue is a long way off the kids must make it on their own, so this odd group of students — two girls, three boys who are already friends and two outsiders — must figure out how to weather the storm. As the snow piled high above the first-floor windows of the Tattawa High School and the students lost power, the wind here whistled and snuggled my dog a little closer. One of the things I liked the best about this book was there was no sugarcoating of the dire situation, or that suddenly all the kids got along great. It all felt real.
There is real pleasure in a reading a book about survival against the elements when there’s a real storm raging. I’m not sure what causes that, but it sure is fun. My next book is Waves by Susan Casey because I’m having a hard time warming up.
What do you like to read when the winter weather keeps you home?