Watching a television series on DVD is a great way to catch a TV show you may have missed out on. Plus, you get the added convenience of being able to watch as much or as little as you want — without any commercial interruptions! Here are some recommended titles to get you started:

Deadwood — The life and times of a group of men and women who set up camp in Deadwood, South Dakota during the gold rush of 1876

Veronica Mars — Follows Veronica Mars, an apprentice private investigator, as she solves the town of Neptune's toughest mysteries

White Collar [season 1 DVDs available here] is a procedural crime drama about FBI white collar crime expert Peter Burke and his former-art-forger-and-thief confidential informant Neal Caffrey, who in conjunction with his friend Mozzie (pictured) use unconventional tactics to bring criminals to justice. If you enjoy this fictionalization, try some of these true stories of brilliant theft and deception:

Gaming the game: the story behind the NBA betting scandal and the gambler who made it happen by Sean Patrick Griffin

Literary hoaxes: an eye-opening history of famous frauds by Melissa Katsoulis

Madoff with the money by Jerry Oppenheimer

Are you looking for a great mystery with some meat to it? Lewis Buzbee has written such awesome books. In Steinbeck's Ghost, 13-year-old Travis, unhappy about his family's recent move, finds he can still connect with his old life at the Salinas Library re-reading his favorite books. He enjoys Steinbeck — after all, Salinas is Steinbeck's hometown. But suddenly he begins seeing the characters spring to life. As he struggles to solve this mystery, budget cuts threaten his library. In looking for ways to save his haven, Travis uncovers many truths and stumbles into a story Steinbeck might be telling him to write.

Sugar snaps & strawberries: simple solutions for creating your own small-space edible garden by Andrea Bellamy; with photographs by Jackie Connelly — Have you started planning your garden yet? Even if you have, you'll want to check out this book to see some fabulous ideas and pick up some tips. Whether you're designing your garden space or picking out what to grow, this book is full of info and is illustrated with gorgeous photographs (given how grey it can be in Michigan this time of year, just looking at the photos is reason enough to pick up this book!). If you like this, you can also check out the author's blog, Heavy Petal.