Any excuse to stay home is a good one, when the weather drops below zero. Besides, how many episodes of Average Joe or Fear Factor can you watch?

For some reason, I have always been interested in the workings of the human brain, even before becoming the parent of a special needs child.

I enjoyed Oliver Sacks' "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat -- And Other Clinical Tails," and have to list "Awakenings," a movie -- starring Robin Williams -- made from another of his books, as one of my favorites.

So, when I read a review of "The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time," and mentioned it to my wife, it appeared under the Christmas tree.

The book is written from the viewpoint of an autistic teenager, who, falsely accused of killing a neighbor lady's dog, sets about solving the murder using all of his abilities.

In chapters designated with prime numbers, Christopher John Francis Boone struggles to maintain order while facing Black Days (when he observes four yellow cars in a row on the way to school) and studying for his A-Level (advanced) math examinations.

Unable to discern emotions in others, Christopher learns the truth about his mother's death and, with his pet rat, travels to London on the subway while trying to avoid noise and crowds.

The book is written by Mark Haddon, who teaches creative writing at Oxford University in England and who worked with autistic individuals as a young man.

Illustrated with maps, drawings and complex mathematical formulas, the slim volume covers only 226 pages -- you'll only miss a couple of episodes of Law & Order.

I'll miss more than a few television shows if I finish my next book, "Truman," by David McCullough.

I made it through McCullough's "John Adams" last year, and was impressed about all the struggles and sacrifices made by the Founding Fathers, as well the way their personalities worked together.

I've always leaned toward biographies, and that was one of the reasons the Truman book caught my eye.

The other was the price, as it sat there in the bargain bin at the Tattered Cover in Denver.

I'm only a few chapters into the massive volume, which runs more than 1,100 pages.

But there are plenty of struggles and obstacles to be overcome on the way to the White House.

Truman's letters to his future wife, Bess Wallace, reminded me of those postcards I mentioned in last week's column, written by my grandparents in the early 1900s.

Tenacious and determined, Truman's opinion of minorities in his farming days might surprise some who knew he integrated the U.S. Army in 1948.

If reading's not your thing, there will be plenty of other indoor entertainment this winter, including the upcoming Southwest Nebraska Community Theatre production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat," with details for auditions in Monday's edition.

And, if you're interested in original music by up-and-coming folk, blues and country artists, talk to Matt Sehnert at the Bieroc Cafe.

He'll put you on his e-mail list to let you know what's coming up next. But, seating is limited, so buy your tickets early.