Every year around vacation time we hear about "Great Summer Reads," usually fun, quick books to pass the time in the sun, but as we enter into the Winter season and hunker down for the long haul in our Snuggies, what are the top-five, absolute must read before I die kind of books to pass the cold, gray days ahead?

Kevin says:  The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon: Masterfully written (and I don’t use that phrase lightly), the novel focuses on two young Jewish boys, one a born-and-bred New Yorker, and the other, his cousin, a refugee from Prague. They become quick friends and find their fortune in the creation of a comic book character called The Escapist during the comic book boom that followed the debut of Superman in the late 30s. But to say that the book is about comic books or about superheroes would be ridiculous. It's about the lives of these two men and the routes that they end up taking through them as World War II, along with any number of other events, comes about. It touches on the disenfranchisement felt by immigrants, the difficulty of being a homosexual during that period, the beginnings of suburbia, and the wonder of childhood, in addition to being something of a history lesson on the creation and publication of superhero comics.

1776 by David McCullough: I bet you never knew how close the American Revolution came to failing. Most Americans are familiar with the Christmas Eve crossing of the Delaware River to win the Battle of Trenton and to close out 1776. But, Mr. McCullough describes the more unfamiliar stories of the American siege of Boston in driving out the British army and the British victory in driving the Revolutionary army from New York City.

Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba by Tom Gjelten: The travel and trade embargo against Cuba has unfortunately created a kind of cultural embargo too. Americans know very little about our neighbor 90 miles south of Florida. The history of the Cuban nation is interwoven with the history of the Bacardi family, from the first Catalan immigrant, Facundo Bacardi, to the present diaspora living in exile. He dutifully relates the sequence of presidents and dictators of the island, with the social and political background of each regime. This may sound dull and perhaps too academic, but the struggle of the family throughout the history of the island gives it a personal and compelling dimension.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman: Grossman is able to describe a world of wonder and imagination, and populate it with characters who are utterly unworthy of the magic all around them, who appreciate nothing, who completely flub their great chance -- just like I would have done if I lived through this experience, just as most of us do with our great chances in our real, mundane, unfantastic lives, which are also as full of wonder as any dreamed by a teller of tales. And because the characters are so real, so easy to relate to, it makes the fantasy seem just as real (which, of course, makes the real world just as fantastic). And the ending is glorious: the climactic action scene is thrilling and impossible to put down; the revealed secrets are both surprising and satisfying; the final resolution is, if not completely happy, at least hopeful.

Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff: an intimate and convincing portrait of several of the era's most powerful people, and the intersections of their lives. Stacy Schiff is a wonderful writer, whose observations sometimes take the reader by surprise. Her evaluation of these people and their societies is more reportorial than judgmental, and she does not try to impose modern values and sensibilities on these. Schiff's scholarship is impressive, as is her critique of the likely biases of various historians who have written about Cleopatra (and the likely level of reliability of their reports, in light of their lack of firsthand knowledge). Her explanations of Egyptian society and government make the book worth reading, even aside from her compelling portrait of the queen. 

Beth says:   As a high school English teacher, as well as an unabashed lover of smut, I think that I have some credibility here!  The key to the beach/pool book is that it requires little concentration as you get up frequently to take a dip, reapply sunscreen and sip your margarita.  A good winter read allows for true escape as you hunker down under a blanket and sip your red wine.  With that in mind I offer the following:

1.  The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.  This is a great novel that appeals to both men and women.  It's told from the dog's point of view, but don't let that turn you off if you aren't an animal lover.  It's a beautiful story about the dog's owner and his struggles as he marries, becomes a parent, loses his wife, and heals all tied up in an extended Indy racing metaphor.  The ending is fantastic and one of the most satisfying I have ever read. 

2.  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.  I can pay no higher compliment to this compelling story than to say that my students, who don't want to read anything, universally love this book.  It's about friendship and the American Dream, something everybody can relate to.

3.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  If you've heard the hype and ignored it, you have made a terrible mistake.  I read this book last year over Thanksgiving break and could not put it down.  Set in Jackson, Mississippi as the Civil Rights Movement is just beginning, it is the story about the black women who work for white women.  They all have a story to tell, some funny, some heart-warming, some heart-breaking.  Yet, up until this point, nobody thought to ask to hear them.  Great book!

4.  It by Stephen King.  I have two motivations for including this crap-your-pants-scary book.  The first is, it is a compelling read, well-written and incredibly vivid.  More important however, is that just the mention of this book scares Kevin to the point of putting him in a fetal position, stroking his own cheek, humming "Send in the Clowns" insanely to himself!

5.  Any of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.  If you are one of those people who has wondered if the buzz is  legit or have seen the movies, but not read the books, winter is the perfect time to read the series.  With the exception of the first one, these books are long and definitely too bulky to read at the beach.  There is so much more to these books than what little we are given in the movies.  You are really missing out if you dismiss these books as "fluff" or "children's fiction".