Recommended Reads: Winter Tales

"Look round and round upon this bare bleak plain, and see even here, upon a winter's day, how beautiful the shadows are! Alas! It is the nature of their kind to be so, The loveliest things in life, Tom, are but shadows; and they come and go, and change and fade away, as rapidly as these!" -- Charles Dickens

The weather outside is frightful, especially if you live in the northeast during winter. Cold, blizzards, ice and snow hamper travel. So give in to being homebound. Curl up with a hot drink and a warm blanket and explore the realms of winter in these books of survival, mystery, and romance.

Recorded cassette (RC), digital book (DB), braille (BR) large print (LT), and described video (DV)  copies of these titles are available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. Please contact the library to order any of these books or videos.

Prepared by Eileen Morange, Registration Services Manager
Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library

Abandoned: The Story of the Greely Arctic Expedition by A.L. Todd.
DB/RC 57771, BRA 2600
Based on Greely family papers, an account of the American expedition, led by then-lieutenant Adolphus Greely, that set off in 1881 to explore islands off the Greenland coast. Describes official bungling and mischance that led to the stranding of the party of twenty-five men, including two Eskimo hunters.

Alone: The Classic Polar Adventure by Richard Byrd.
DB/RC 41488
The account of the explorer's dangerous and dramatic five months' isolation at an observation base in Antarctica.

The Blizzard of '88 by Mary Cable.
RC 27714
Social history blends with human drama in this vivid chronicle of the ferocious storm that crippled cities and sunk ships as it buffeted the eastern seaboard on March 12, 1888. The winds, ice, snow, and bitter cold exacted a physical as well as psychological toll, particularly on New York City, where city dwellers, dependent on recently installed technological marvels, suddenly found themselves in the midst of anarchy.

Boon Island by Kenneth Roberts.
RC 12455
A bold tale of the crew of a British ship that crashes on a murderous barren island off the coast of Maine in 1710. The captain and his men fight the elements and each other in their effort to survive through twenty-four days in a Maine winter with no shelter, tools, or fire and almost no food.

Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard by Sara Wheeler.
RC 55209
Chronicle of an Antarctic rescue gone wrong. In February 1912 Cherry-Garrard drove a dog team 150 miles across Antarctica's ice to rendezvous with Robert Scott's party, returning from an epic South Pole race. The men, however, had frozen to death on the homeward leg. Portrays Cherry-Garrard as haunted by his failure.

The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin.
DB/RC 60440
The author of Braving the Elements (RC 45451) chronicles an unexpected 1888 blizzard that engulfed the upper Great Plains and killed hundreds, mostly youngsters on the way home from school. Using archives and memoirs, Laskin portrays the immigrant European homesteaders and the storm's emotional devastation.

The Coldest March: Scott's Fatal Antarctic Expedition by Susan Solomon.
DB/RC 56195
Scientist uses her meteorological expertise and personal knowledge of Antarctica to reevaluate Scott's preparations for the 1912 polar journey that ended in his death. Interlaces the expedition's accounts with contemporary scientific information, reestablishing Scott's reputation.

Crossing Antarctica by Will Steger.
RC 34799
Steger is one of the six-man International Trans-Antarctica team that made its pioneering trip in 1989 and 1990. The team comprised scientists, explorers, dog trainers, and thirty-six sled dogs. In journal style, Steger describes the 220-day, 3,700-mile trek across the snowy frontier, including the traumatic death of a dog and the 13-hour disappearance of one of the men.

Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine by Jochen Hemmleb.
RC 50812
Presents research and findings from the 1999 Mount Everest expedition in search of remains from the ill-fated 1924 climb by George Mallory and Sandy Irvine. Discusses the latter-day group's reconstruction of Mallory's route, the dramatic discovery of his body, and the conclusions reached from forensic examination.

Hard Winter at Broken Arrow Crossing by Stephen A. Bly.
DB/RC 46177
Stuart Brannon, lost in a blinding snowstorm, has almost given up finding Broken Arrow Crossing when he senses smoke in the air. He seeks refuge with Everett Davis, who usually stays at the stage station during the winter, but Everett has been badly wounded. Then others, including a pregnant Indian girl, straggle into the station seeking shelter.

High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places by David Breashers.
RC 48725
Autobiography of American mountaineer and cinematographer who made the IMAX film Everest in 1996. Discusses his motivation and recounts many of his hazardous exploits climbing vertical cliffs and scaling the world's highest peaks. Provides details about his filmmaking expedition on Everest during the notorious blizzard that took nine lives.

Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole by Jerri Nielsen.
RC 51560, BOOKSHARE
Former emergency room doctor records her ordeal with breast cancer during an eleven-month stay in Antarctica. Describes the dilemma she faced as the only medical officer for the forty-one members of the research team. Recalls the camaraderie that developed amid the extreme conditions of the 1999 polar winter.

Icebound: The Jeannette Expedition's Quest for the North Pole by Leonard F. Guttridge.
RC 26119
Recounts the history of the "Jeannette" expedition (1879-1881), which cost the lives of its commander and nineteen others. This American expedition sailed with the hope of reaching the North Pole, but came to grief through a combination of faulty geographical assumptions, poor judgment, and bad luck. Guttridge spices up the story with the gossipy details that made life on the ship the stuff of a Victorian soap opera.

Life in the Cold: An Introduction to Winter Ecology by Peter J. Marchand.
RC 28689
The author, a professor of ecology, discusses the way plants and animals interact with their environment and adapt to the cold in order to survive. The topics discussed include the often surprising solutions to the problems of extreme cold, desiccation, decreased sunlight, and snow and ice.

Living Together by Robert C. S. Downs.
BR 5578
Following the crash of a small plane, Janice Norman and Charlie Perkins must come to grips with surviving the winter in a hunting cabin in a secluded area of northwest Maine. Theirs becomes a battle not only against the sub-zero elements and their own inadequacies, but also against a bizarre back-woodsman who continually watches their movements. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex.

Northern Lights by Tim O'Brien.
RC 9250
A psychological adventure set in the rugged arrowhead country of Minnesota. Two brothers, longtime rivals, face a test of survival when they lose their way on a skiing trip during an unexpected blizzard. Some strong language.

Shackleton's Boat Journey by Frank Arthur Worsley.
BR 3541
Personal account of a classic survival adventure of men against the sea. Six men, shipwrecked for fourteen months on the pack ice of Antarctica, set off in an open boat on an eight-hundred mile mission to bring help to their comrades marooned on Elephant Island.

Shackleton's Forgotten Men: The Untold Tragedy of the Endurance by Lennard Bickel.
RC 51969
In 1915 Shackleton's expedition was marooned in ice on one side of Antarctica. Meanwhile, on the other side a small team of men and dogs persevered to supply food depots for Shackleton's expected transcontinental crossing. Relates the attendant tragedies of the 2,000-mile sledge journey to fulfill an obligation of honor.

Snow in April by Rosamunde Pilcher.
RC 42485, BR 3159
Caroline Cliburn is supposed to be married in a few days. But first she and her brother Jody are determined to find their vanished brother Angus, who is working in Scotland. They only expect to be gone for a few days, but when a spring snowstorm hits and they have a car accident, they end up at the home of Oliver Cairney, a charming bachelor.

This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland by Gretel Ehrich.
RC 54678
After Ehrlich first travels to Greenland in 1993 for health reasons, her euphoria in the northernmost latitudes leads to return trips. Inspired by Knud Rasmussen's expedition notes, her solo peregrinations bring her into the communal hunting culture of the Inuit. Writes luminous descriptions of her ice adventures and vivid portraits of Polar Eskimos.

Wandering through Winter: A Naturalist's Record of a 20,000-mile Journey through the North American Winter by Edwin Way Teale.
RC 34830
A naturalist and his wife spent four winter months traveling twenty thousand miles across the southwestern United States and parts of the Midwest, ending in northeastern Maine. He reports on the people, plants, animals, and birds they encountered. Pulitzer Prize.

Winter Harvest by Norah Lofts.
RC 21668
Novel of the American West, inspired by the gruesome ordeal of the Donner party in 1846. Relates the story of two men and two women who for compelling personal reasons seek a new life in California but who become trapped in a high mountain pass where they face slow starvation.

Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen.
RC 43280
Recounts the author's survival adventure: running the 1,180-mile Iditarod dogsled race across the Arctic wilderness. Enduring frostbite, sleeplessness, moose attacks, and countless trail hazards, he finishes the race eager to run another.

The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard.
RC 58594
Epic tale of two-and-a-half years of exploration and survival in Antarctica as recounted by the youngest member of Scott's last expedition to the South Pole. Describes the difficult crossing of the Beardmore Glacier, Cherry-Garrard's scientific mission to obtain emperor penguin eggs, and his discovery of Scott's body.

Chill Factor by Sandra Brown.
RC 60879, BR 17224, LT 7576
Bestseller.  Lilly Martin accidentally injures acquaintance  Ben Tierney in a car accident during a winter storm, forcing them to seek shelter in Lilly's vacation cabin. Meanwhile her ex-husband, police chief Dutch Burton, discovers that Ben might be a serial killer. Explicit descriptions of sex, strong language, and some violence.

Montana Man by Barbara Delinsky.
LT 7142
Hoping to secure a life for her newborn daughter, Lily Danziger leaves her past behind her, only to become trapped in a blizzard, forcing her to request help from a handsome stranger named Stetson.

Snowbound by Janice Johnson.
DB/RC 69320
Teacher Fiona MacPherson and eight students are stranded by a blizzard in Oregon's Cascade Mountains. They find shelter at Thunder Mountain Lodge, run by wounded Iraq War veteran John Fallon. Among many mishaps, Fiona and John fall in love. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex.

Twelve Times Blessed by Jacquelyn Michard.
DB/RC 58414
Widowed mother True Dickinson celebrates her  forty-third birthday at a Cape Cod bar, where she meets Hank Bannister, ten years her junior. That night, during a blizzard, he saves her life. Their relationship moves fast, but not fast enough to elude Hank's needy ex-girlfriend. Descriptions of sex and strong language.

Snow by Orhan Pamuk.
DB/RC 58863
Bestseller.  Poet Ka returns to Turkey after years of exile in Germany. While trying to rekindle romance with a childhood friend he investigates the suicide of several religious "head-scarf" girls. Meanwhile a blizzard cuts off the town and a military coup occurs. Some descriptions of sex and some violence.

Massachusetts Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival by Larry Pletcher.
RCM 1028
Collected here are twenty-one true tales of catastrophes from Massachusetts history which have greatly tested people's courage and impacted the state. The Spanish Influenza, the Great Molasses Flood, the Coconut Grove Fire, the sinking of the Andrea Doria, and the Blizzard of '78 are included in this compendium of floods, shipwrecks, crashes, and other disastrous events.

Cold by John Smolens.
DB/RC 54709
Michigan prison escapee Norman Haas stumbles into widow Liesl Tiomenen's cabin during a blizzard, needing help so he can seek revenge against his ex-fiancee and his detested brother. When Liesl betrays him, Norman runs from the law again. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex.

The Blizzard of '78 by Michael Tougias.
RCM 0742
The "worst storm of the century" clobbered New England on February 6th and 7th, 1978. The author begins with the period before the storm, then follows the blizzard's progression, and describes its impact. He includes tales of tragedy and brighter stories of people helping each other, and compares the storm with the Great Blizzard of 1888.

Snowstruck: In the Grip of Avananches by Jill Fredston.
DB/RC 62478
Alaskan avalanche expert discusses the causes of avalanches, their victims, and their predictability. Describes her personal encounters with snow disasters, including some that were man-made for movies. Offers advice on assessing snow conditions and planning sensible routes before venturing out on hikes, skis, or snow transport Accounts of avalanche causes, victims, and predictability.

The White Death: Tragedy and Heroism in an Avalanche Zone by McKay Jenkins.
RC 51455
Relates how five young mountaineers died in an avalanche while attempting a winter ascent on Mount Cleveland in Glacier National Park in 1969. Their story is interspersed with facts about the history and causes of avalanches.

The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche by Gary Krist.
DB/RC 64718
Prizewinning novelist chronicles events surrounding the 1910 snowslide that buried two Great Northern Railway trains in Washington's Cascade Mountains. Describes the plight of passengers and workmen trapped in a blizzard for days preceding the deadly avalanche--which killed a hundred people--and details rescue and recovery efforts.

Below Another Sky: a Mountain Adventure in Search of a Lost Father by Rick Ridgeway.
LT 2203
Combining gripping adventure writing with intimate memoir, Rick Ridgeway takes readers to the mysterious mountian domain of Tibet, and into the remore corners of his past.

Silent Snow: the Slow Poisoning of the Artic by Maria Cone.
DB/RC 64219
Environmental journalist describes five Arctic countries where communities are heavily exposed to toxic pollutants called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Praises the traditional survival skills and technologies of Arctic inhabitants and chronicles the damage inflicted on wildlife by the spreading of contaminants around the globe Reports pollution in Arctic communities and ecosystems.

Under the Snow by Kerstin Ekman.
RC 47055
In an isolated village in northern Sweden, an art teacher, Matti Olsson, is found frozen following a mah-jongg party. Constable Torsson skis out to investigate and concludes, like the villagers, that the death was accidental. Then a friend of Olsson's, David Malm, convinces Torsson that there are some chilling reasons to consider murder

Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg.
RC 37499
When Isaiah, a young Inuit boy, is killed falling off the roof of a warehouse, his neighbor Smilla, a young woman who is generally misanthropic yet inclined to look out for Isaiah, refuses to believe it is an accident. Smilla begins her investigation in Copenhagen, where her powers of observation help her to solve the mystery. Violence and some strong language.

Snow Mountain Passage by James D. Houston.
RC 53093
Fictionalized account of the horrific ordeals of the California-bound Donner Party, stranded in the Sierra Nevada in the winter of 1846, including their desperate resort to cannibalism. The tale of James Reed, expelled from the group and subsequently a rescue-party organizer, is interspersed with childhood recollections provided decades later by his elderly daughter.

The Snow Walker by Farley Mowat.
DB/RC 63002
Short narratives depicting the experiences of Arctic inhabitants as they struggle to survive, raise families, and maintain their culture. Includes the title piece and "Walk Well, My Brother," an account of a downed pilot's unlikely rescue by his passenger, a native woman dying of tuberculosis. Some strong language Short narratives depicting experiences of Arctic peoples.

Snow Blind by P. J. Tracy.
LT 6408
Nothing's bleaker than Minneapolis during the winter, the season that, to some longtime residents, lasts eleven months of the year. So what better way to bring a little cheer to the good people of the city than by sponsoring an old-fashioned snowman-building contest? In a matter of hours, a local park is filled with the innocent laughter of children and their frosty creations. But things take an awful turn when the dead bodies of Minneapolis police officers are discovered inside two of the snowmen- sending the MPD and Detectives Magozzi and Rolseth on high alert.

The Snow Walker by Barry Pepper.
DVD 43
When a plane carrying Charlie Halliday and a sick, Inuit woman, Kanaalay, crashes hundreds of miles from civilization, they are at the mercy of nature's worst. While search parties try to locate the plane, Charlie decides to trek overland promising the woman he will return with help. Despite her sickness, she follows Charlie. Kanaalay teaches him the skills he will need in order to survive and he comes to respect her wisdom and her spirit.

Winter World: the Ingenuity of Animal Survival by Bernd Heinrich.
DB/RC 57927
New England biologist explains how animals cope with their harsh winter environments. He describes the innovative techniques used by insects, birds, and mammals to avoid freezing to death and to find food in a time of scarcity.

Wreck of the Carl D.: A True Story of Loss, Survival, and Rescue at Sea by Michael Schumacher.
DB/RC 68493
Recounts the November 1958 sinking of 638-foot limestone carrier Carl D. Bradley during a storm on Lake Michigan. Describes the tragedy that claimed thirty-three lives, the plight of survivors aboard a small raft, the search-and-rescue mission, and the impact on small-town Rogers City, Michigan--the home of most crew members.  

Thin Ice: Unlocking the Secrets of Climate in in the World's Highest Mountains by Mark Bowen.
DB/RC 63622
Physicist recounts his research expeditions with climatologist Lonnie Thompson, who seeks to understand global warming by analyzing ice-core samples from equatorial mountain glaciers. Bowen describes the grueling work done on South America's Sajama and Africa's Kilimanjaro mountains, the snows of which Thompson claims will disappear in fifteen years Collecting ice core samples of equatorial mountain glaciers

Blood and Ice by Robert Masello.
DB/RC 69321
While diving in the Antarctic Sea, journalist Michael Wilde photographs a playful Weddell seal that leads him to a man and woman bound in chains, frozen in a glacier. After the research team extracts them, the bodies disappear and people die. Commercial audiobook.

Alone on the Ice
DV 90
VIDEO. In an age of heroes, he was one of the world's greatest. An explorer, aviation pioneer and scientist, Byrd was also an egotist, risk-taker and, his critics claim, a self-promoter who took credit for the accomplishments of others. Byrd became an international hero after he claimed to have made the first flight over the North Pole. But some questioned whether he had really made it. Undeterred, Byrd set out for Antarctica, where he would be the first to fly over the South Pole. Then, with no poles left to conquer, he secretly planned a dramatic feat: enduring the winter alone on the polar ice.

People of the Ice Whale: Eskimos, White Men, and the Whale by David Boeri.
RC 21051
Reporter Boeri spends three hunting seasons with Eskimos at Alaska's northernmost point. He tells the story of a culture in transition between a hunting and a cash economy and a society torn between learning to cope with the modern world and retaining traditional ways.

Ordeal by Ice: the Search for the Northwest by Farley Mowat.
RC 33334
Volume one of The Top of the World trilogy. This is the human story, with geographical and historical details, of the men who forged the Northwest Passage. Narratives connect selections from the journals of explorers such as Henry Hudson and Frobisher.

Mammoth: the Resurrection of an Ice Age Giant by Richard Stone.
DB/RC 55471
Portrays the daring individuals penetrating Arctic Siberia in search of frozen carcasses of the woolly mammoth. Discusses the scientific goals of procuring DNA, explaining physiological issues, and ultimately attempting to clone this long-extinct creature. Follows two teams, describing their journeys, interactions with the Dolgan people, and work methods.

Descent into the Ice by Liesl Clark.
DV 92
Follow a team of daring 'glacionauts' as they descend into a labyrinth of unexplored ice caves in Mount Blanc to find trapped flood water that menaces the populated valleys below DVD. Follow a team of daring 'glacionauts' as they descend into a labyrinth of unexplored ice caves in Mount Blanc to find trapped flood water that menaces the populated valleys below.

Eight Below by David DiGillo.
DV 916
An American geologist flies to Antarctica to participate in a project at the United States Research Base. Once there, he teams up with arctic guide Jerry Shepard and his best friend, Cooper. The scientist soon discovers that Shepard also has eight other valuable friends, a pack of sled dogs he's worked with for years who have rescued him from a number of tight spots. As the three men explore a frozen mountain region, an unexpected accident coupled with a massive storm front forces them to fly to safety, leaving the dogs behind. Shepard is determined to rescue his canine friends, but he has to wait until the weather will allow him to travel back to the mountain. Now, the dogs must struggle against the elements to survive as they attempt to make their way back home

The Future of Ice: a Journey into Cold by Gretel Ehrich.
BR 15857
Veteran nature writer chronicles living and traveling for six months in cold regions and speculates on climate change and its psychological and environmental impacts. Traveling in Tierra del Fuego, Greenland, and Wyoming, Ehrlich mingles personal and philosophical musings with dire predictions of the catastrophic consequences of global warming Traveler speculates on climate change in wintry zones.

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.
RC 44762, DV 577
Bestseller. A wounded Confederate soldier leaves the war on an arduous trek to his mountain home and the woman he aims to marry. Meanwhile, his intended struggles to work her deceased father's hardscrabble farm. Depicts hardship, peril, and courage in the wartime South. Strong language and violence.

Cold River by William Judson.
DB/RC 65706
Adirondacks, 1921. Lizzie Allison and her stepbrother Tim are lost and alone in the wilderness for nearly three months after their father dies in a canoe accident. They also confront a record-breaking snowstorm and a dangerous stranger

Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold by Tom Shachtman.
DB/RC 50177
Historical survey of western scientists' efforts to control cold. Discusses Boyle's experiments in the seventeenth century, the invention of the sealed glass thermometer, the work of Fahrenheit and Celsius, the discovery of refrigeration, twentieth-century research on attaining absolute zero, and related topics of superconductivity and superfluidity.

Cold Oceans: Adventures in Kayak, Rowboat, and Dogsled by Jon Turk.
BR 12235
The author describes four of his adventures, many of which ended up as unanticipated ordeals: kayaking to Cape Horn, rowing across the Northwest Passage, dog sledding on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, and following an old migration route to Greenland. Reflects on famous explorations of the past. Some strong language.

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole: The Autobiography by Matthew Henson.
RC 53320, BR 3571
Henson (1866-1955) describes his trip to the North Pole in 1909 with friend and mentor Robert Peary. Henson knew the Inuit language and became critical to the expedition's success.

White Out by James Vance Marshall.
LT 1755
In January 1942, the Royal Navy sends a small force on a secret mission to Antartica. When their camp is shelled by a German u-boat, shelter and supplies gone, and completely cut off from the outside world, three survivors struggle to complete their task and wait for help.

No End in Sight: My Life as a Blind Iditarod Racer by Rachael Scdoris.
RC 61948
Twenty-year-old author discusses her Oregon childhood, her experience with low vision, and her determination to become a professional sled dog racer. Describes being introduced to the sport by her father, becoming the youngest athlete to win a five-hundred-mile race, and the obstacles she overcame to qualify for the Iditarod.

Murder on the Iditarod Trail by Sue Henry.
RC 55480
Critical injuries are rare during the Iditarod dogsled race, but on "day two" musher George Koptak is found dead. While Alaska state trooper Alex Jensen is investigating, he learns that another contestant has died. Now Jensen turns to contestant Jessie Arnold for help. Violence and strong language.