If you're seeking shelter from Hurricane Earl this week, watching it head for the East Coast, you'll have time for some pretty good storm-related reading. Here are a few favorites to keep you occupied while the wind howls outside. (I admit that for all the devastation brought each year, the genre of hurricane novels seems relatively sparse.):

"The Perfect Storm" by Sebastian Junger. The tale of the ill-fated fishing boat Andrea Gail, which was caught in The Big One after leaving port in Glouscester, Mass. Great not only for its re-creation of the storm but also for its description of the hazards of commercial fishing.

"Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers. One of many looks back at the havoc caused by Katrina in New Orleans, and particularly appropriate on the five-year anniversary.

"Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville. The classic whaling/quest novel, cited by many but read by few.

While I'm at it, I might as well deliver a plug for Frank Herbert's "Dune," one of my favorite sci-fi novels. On the desert planet Arrakis there aren't any hurricanes, but the sandstorms can tear you to shreds.