Celebrate the upcoming winter solstice and the Somerville Arts Council lantern festival with this list of books themed around the solstice, lanterns, and the emotions we experience around this yearly transition.
Childrens
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Tangled
The magically long-haired Rapunzel has spent her life locked in a tower. After meeting a stranger, she discovers the world -- and herself. Beautiful scenes of a lantern festival, sure to inspire! |
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The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper
Gorgeously illustrated poem for all ages heralding the arrival of light out of darkness, written by local author Susan Cooper. |
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The Winter Solstice by Ellen Jackson
This non-fiction children’s book presents facts and folklore about the shortest day of the year, which has been filled with magic since ancient times. |
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Winter Lights: A Season in Poems & Quilts by Anna Grossnickle Hines
This lovely book of poems celebrates the lights that brighten the darkest season of our year, with illustrations made from actual quilts. |
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Arctic White by Danna Smith
A young girl sees nothing but snow and ice in her Arctic home, until one night she witnesses the aurora borealis. |
YA
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East by Edith Pattou
A young woman journeys to a distant castle on the back of a great white bear who is the victim of a cruel enchantment. |
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Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
When witch-in-training Tiffany Aching accidentally interrupts the Dance of the Seasons and awakens the interest of the elemental spirit of Winter, she requires the help of the six-inch-high, sword-wielding, sheep-stealing Wee Free Men to put the seasons aright. |
Adult
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Wintering by Katharine May
A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May's story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing arctic seas. |
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The Return of the Light : Twelve Tales From Around the World for the Winter Solstice by Carolyn McVickar Edwards
A collection of twelve folklore stories from cultures around the world celebrating the winter solstice. |
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Midwinter Day by Bernadette Mayer
Midwinter is a book-length poem, split into six parts, detailing the transition of a day's time with nods to the changing of season and transitional elements. |
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Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Black Sun is an epic indigenous fantasy centered around the combination of a winter solstice celebration and a powerful solar eclipse. |
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In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende
A Brooklyn snowstorm brings together two older professors and an undocumented nanny with a car accident, leading them to new friendships, mysteries to solve, and love to find . |
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