Le Guin: Left Hand of Darkness: 1] Left Hand OD: Chapter 1 to end of chapter 3

[Saski]

Yes, it is, much to my relief. It does get up to as much as 80-85 occasionally but only for a few days at a time. Previous I lived in Los Angeles and on the Island of Cyprus. Cyprus is at least as warm as LA but also humid. Pretty awful, if you ask me, but no one believes me. :)

[Traveller]

Ruth, I actually prefer cooler weather in summer. Scandinavia looks pretty cold in winter though, though the coldest inhabited place in the world (from reports) still seems to me, to be Syberia. Brrr!

[Saski]

Scandinavia is a pretty broad area...in southern Sweden and Denmark it's warmer -- they get a lot more rain than we do. I prefer snow, less messy.

I'm in central Sweden (if you look at a map -- Swedes would say I am in northern Sweden) and inland so the winters are pretty cold, even down to the high to mid -20s F but only for a few days at a time. Siberia is much much colder for much more of the time. For us having just moved up from Cyprus, the winters seems warmer here because the houses are so tight. Buildings in Cyprus are like Swiss cheese, which is fine in the summer but in the winter there is no place to go to get warm.

[Traveller]

Ruth wrote: "Scandinavia is a pretty broad area...in southern Sweden and Denmark it's warmer -- they get a lot more rain than we do. I prefer snow, less messy.

I'm in central Sweden (if you look at a map -- S..."

Ah, interesting that you guys also work in Farenheit! ..so you guys get at least as cold as Canada... and, almost, it would seem, as cold as Gethen, heheh.

I do have a friend who lives in Sweden, but since he's lived there all along, wouldn't be able to compare the summers to a warmer clime such as Cyprus. Interesting observation about the better insulation.

[Saski]

Well, no, Swedes don't use Farenheit. I was translating for you. :)

Ah, insulation...that was the clincher when we decided to move, well, one of them but a big one.

As for as cold as Gethen...There is something strange about Gethen and the temperature at which is snows. I'll probably say more about that later.

[Traveller]

Ruth wrote: "As for as cold as Gethen...There is something strange about Gethen and the temperature at which is snows. I'll probably say more about that later. "

Ha, now that should be interesting! I guess living in a cold clime, you'd be well qualified to note interesting things about snow and cold.

Talking of which, have you noticed how Le Guin made up a lot of "Gethenian" words as the terms they use for the different naunces in temperature and weather? I was thinking I should check, she did mention somewhere how many they are supposed to have (it was many!), and she mentioned a good few throughout the text of the novel.