Winter Wonderland at the Winnipeg Public Library

By Irina Znamirowski

December is here — meaning it’s time to get pumped for the holidays! Regardless of what you celebrate, this time of year just feels extra special, and school is coming to an end! In just 2 weeks we will all be out of school, and have a well deserved, hopefully relaxing vacation. Now as you have probably seen, the city is already getting spirited for the holidays. From the Santa Clause Parade, to Starbucks themed holiday drinks, to the winter lights up and down the streets, it’s hard to resist and not be spirited for the holidays.

But did you know that the Winnipeg Public Library is also hosting several holiday themed events? First of all, check out the bimonthly At the Library newsletter to learn more about these great events.  While you are browsing though it, notice how even many of the pages are winter-themed and watermarked (or should I say snowmarked) with snowflakes! First of all, there is a paper circuits workshop. Can you imagine how impressed your friends and family will be when you come home with a light up card? I remember the first time I had a holiday card that lit up — was I ever shocked!  I still have the card 6 years later! Paper circuits are super fun to work with and a great way to spend a cold winter’s day inside.

Also, the library is hosting a special wand making workshop for tweens where you can design a wand inspired by any one of your favourite fantasy characters. Again, check out At the Library for more details.

Now, all of the other winter activities planned by the library sound fantastic, but one eight-day marathon sounds superb. The Millennium Library will be showing all eight Harry Potter movies over the winter break. Starting on Wednesday, December 28^th at 1:30 p.m., one movie will be shown each day, omitting dates December 31^st-January 2^nd. Come to relive all the magic and keep warm during the cold days.

While playing in the snow is unbeatable, and all the events hosted by the library are super awesome, I have a track record of spending my winter days curled up with a blanket, and a great book. The past year I read nearly 15 books on winter break, and this year I am aiming for 20. Some great books that I read last winter included: The Lying Game by Sara Shephard, Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld, Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen, The Program by Suzanne Young, and Slated by Teri Terry. I greatly enjoyed all of these books, and highly recommend them. First of all, I recommend The Lying Game to anyone who has read any other of Sara Shepard’s books, including The Perfectionists. While she is not my go to author, I enjoy keeping up to date on her releases for enjoyment. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld is an amazing novel which essentially is two stories combined in one. Darcy is an aspiring author who opts out of college to pursue her love for writing. “Lizzie” is Darcy’s character who lives in the Afterworld. Darcy survives a terrorist attack at an airport, or so she thinks. She then lives in two worlds, the physical world, and the Afterworld and is constantly changing between the two, as the novel changes from Darcy’s to Lizzie’s perspective. I am still trying to piece together what occurred during the course of the novel, but nonetheless, it was amazing.

But that was last year.  This year I am hoping to snap a copy of Horizon by Scott Westerfeld, from the library.

I also am hoping to read The Amateurs by Sara Shepard just for a fun, light, yet suspenseful read, as soon as a get out of school. Then I plan to progress to The Midnight Star by Marie Lu. I am a huge fan of Marie Lu’s works and love her writing style, and I cannot wait to read the thrilling conclusion of this trilogy. From what I’ve read on the internet, The Midnight Star is to conclude Adelina’s journey to join the forces of the Elites and the Daggers in order to defeat her past enemies. While Lu’s writing is phenomenal, nothing can live up to the Legend Trilogy, especially Champion, the emotional conclusion to the trilogy that will have you crying for days.

In spirit of the holidays I anticipate that I will be reading, What Light by Jay Asher, author of 13 Reasons Why. This novel is said to be about a teenage girl, Sierra, who helps her family run their Christmas tree sale company California, meaning that every winter they pack up from their home in Oregon and relocated to California to keep their business running. This winter is said to be different as she meets Caleb, a worker on the tree farm with an extremely dark past. She manages to see beyond his past and the two become very close during the holidays. While this book does appear to be cliché and simple, I do value Asher’s writing and see myself reading this before the new year.

Finally, this holiday break seems to be the perfect time to read Horizon as I mentioned earlier. This book will be released on December 27^th, so hopefully I can obtain it before winter break is over. Scott Westerfeld is a powerful author, and I am anxious to see what artistic plot he has developed this time.

So, what do you plan to do this winter? While spending 14 whole days on the sofa sounds appealing consider the wonderful events hosted by the library, and all the wonderful books that you could dive into, that might spark even more magic and warmth during the holidays.