A combination of insanity and claustrophobia is the shortest way to describe Misery.  A lot of King’s novels are set during the winter, which I think is a great setting for conveying a sense of hopelessness. The snow and ice are brute forces that hold you down but when the brute is human, in the case of Misery, the weather pales in comparison. This is one of my favorites by King simply because of the villain. She’s next level crazy and both the film and book strongly sell these characters. This is a good compromise for those who aren’t in love with holiday horror but still want a seasonally appropriate read that’s brimming with violence and “what the shit!?” moments. (2/25)