by Julie Mcconnell

Created on: February 01, 2010   Last Updated: February 02, 2010

Asking an avid reader what season is best for reading books is like asking a musician what time of day is best for listening to music. The musician may have an answer about what he or she prefers, but it will simply be an opinion.  If you ask another musician, you are sure to get another answer. Reading is the same. Some people enjoy their reading mixed with the sand and sun summer has to offer while others prefer the backdrop of a fire in the dead of winter. Neither group is wrong, as reading can be an enjoyable activity no matter the season. However, a question of opinion deserves an opinionated answer so let this avid reader explain why the winter season is the perfect time to pick up a great book.

Take a moment to imagine the perfect winter day. The world outside looks white and clean as more snowflakes drift down from the sky. You hear the whistle of the tea kettle from your stove and enter the kitchen to finish making hot cocoa. The steam rises from your favorite coffee mug and fills your hand with warmth. As you curl up under your favorite quilt and prepare yourself for an evening of reading, the serenity of the moment hits you and puts a smile on your face. This, you think, is the perfect day for reading.

Then reality hits and wakes you up. While this perfect winter day can and possibly has happened a few times in your lifetime, certainly not every day of winter can be like this. Let’s get real for a moment. It’s the dead of winter. Your skin is cracking, your car barely sputters to life every morning and your back is aching from shoveling snow. The snow that was beautiful and white in the hour it first fell is now a sludgy, brown mess. Your kids have been out of school for a week and if they have one more ounce of hot cocoa you may very well lose your mind. Yet, even in the midst of this typical winter day, reading can calm your nerves and soothe your soul like an oasis in the middle of the dessert. Here are a few ways reading can help you escape the winter blues:

Take advantage of a slow social calendar. The once busy and joyous holiday celebrations are over and the rest of winter looms before you with no social engagements in sight. The quiet evenings at home are a perfect time to tackle that novel you have been meaning to read for the past year.

Go on vacation with a good book. If you live in an area with a harsh winter season chances are you spend the majority of the winter season dreaming of somewhere warm. If you live somewhere

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