I cannot think of anything I would rather do on a cold afternoon in January than curl up with a book for hours on end. Add a cup of hot tea and some Radiohead in the background, and I am in heaven.

The recent biting cold makes staying inside more tempting with each degree the temperature drops.

And without a television to keep me entertained, I am left to my own devices.

Lately, I have been reading collections of the best short fiction, essays, comics and various other works of the written word from 2008.

Every year around this time, I find myself doing this. And every year, I am impressed by the quality work being created across the country.

While attention rapidly shifts to viral videos and social networking sites, the short story bubbles beneath the surface of mainstream entertainment.

The stories are there for anyone willing to pick up a quarterly publication, but few people do.

Even most avid readers overlook short fiction, preferring novels or nonfiction works.

It was short stories, though, that gave some of history’s best writers the story telling practice they needed. “The Great Gatsby” and “Slaughterhouse Five” would never have existed without short stories.

To me, winter has always been a time for reading. To some that may seem odd.

But I like to think the generalization that college students do not read is inaccurate.

Like the beginning of all semesters, the Booth Library is sponsoring a reading program, now called “Spring Read 2009.”

I admit, I am not planning on reading “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace. One School at a Time.”

Instead, I am going to stick with the short stories for another month until the temperatures start to rise again.

In the current economic climate, everyone seems to be looking for cheap entertainment. The library is free and has something for everyone.

Whether you want to read science fiction, biographies or something by Jack Kerouac, the library has something to offer.

Reading is a very personal experience because it is not shared by anyone else except the characters in the story.

When it’s too cold to go out, it is easy to start feeling lonely. So, I keep myself company with the characters in a story.

I often find myself lost entirely in the world of a short story or book. It helps to pass the time when it is too cold to be outside.