MashReads Podcast: 'The Shining' perfectly understands your winter cabin fever

Few books characterize the quiet isolation of winter quite as well as Stephen King's classic physiological thriller The Shining.

The Shining tells the tale of a family -- the struggling writer Jack, his wife Wendy and their psychic son Danny -- stranded at a secluded hotel in the dead of winter. But soon, as Danny starts having visions of the mansion and as Jack begins to crack under the presence of the hotel, the family learns that they may not be as alone as they think.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Stephen King's wintery thriller The Shining. Join us as we talk about how Stephen King writes about isolation, the book vs. the movie and what makes The Shining so terrifying.

The inspired by The Shining's look at seclusion, we discuss our favorite books about isolation including Room by Emma Donoghue, The Plague by Albert Camus and the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gillman.

And as always we, close the show with recommendations.

• MJ finished reading and recommends The Female of The Species by Mindy McGinnis. He also recommends 'Becoming Ugly,' an essay by Madeleine Davies published in Jezebel. "There is a theme of women fighting back in what I read this week that I very much appreciated and I think is so important in this world we live in right now of speaking out, fighting back, and not accepting the violence done unto you."

• Aliza recommends Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. "Someone posted a listicle online this week that I really loved and made me nostalgic about how the book Ella Enchanted taught them how to be a feminist. So I am going to recommend Ella Enchanted."

• Peter recommends Gilmore Girls. "I've taken a detour; I've driven and decided to stay in Stars Hollow...I'm pretty late to this party but it's wonderful."

Next week we are reading Cheryl Strayed's Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar.

And if you're looking for more book news, don't forget to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter.