With any book recommendation, please be sure to read any content warnings. Take care of yourself.
The Shining
A family spends the winter isolated in a grand hotel. There are three living people, but endless spirits spectate the Torrence’s spiral into madness. Jack Torrence’s life congeals into King’s personal anxieties, reflecting a warped author battling addiction trying to support his new family. The horror lies in the expansive supernatural elements, and in trying to be the best version of yourself when your surroundings eat you alive.
To Build a Fire by Jack London
Your matches are wet, stiff fingers crunch into snow recovering the salvageable; you step into snow that soaks your clammy skin. The unrelenting cold burns your eyes; your joints creak and freeze. Your dog hesitates to subject itself to the cold, but you must move forward. This is the bone-chilling fate of our unnamed narrator. Jack London’s prose holds your hand, guiding you to watch hubris crumble inward.
Available as an Ebook and Audiobook (there are many audiobook options so pick which works best for you!)
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
What if John Carpenter’s “The Thing” was more malicious? What if the Thing was a man? This man who brings guns, liquor, and a thinly veiled lie to behave in your dry reservation with dwindling resources. What if you saw a wolf in sheep’s clothing gorge himself on the goodwill of your desperate family. It’s getting worse outside; water, electricity, and food are scarce. There is no escape from the threat; the only option is confrontation. This is a claustrophobic tale of colonization you won’t want to look away from.