Welcome to the 2018 Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop, hosted by Bookhounds!

It’s beginning to look a lot like the holiday season – whichever holiday you happen to celebrate around the winter solstice. We kind of celebrate “December” as an excuse to give each other presents!

As the year winds its way down, the weather also takes a turn for the cold and damp. Just how cold and damp, and exactly what form that “damp” takes, varies a lot depending on where you are. In Atlanta we’ve got cold rain, at least at the moment. Which makes winter the perfect time to curl up with some hot tea or cocoa, warm blanket, a cuddly cat – or two or three! – and a good book.

To help you in your quest for that cozy scene, I’m giving away the winner’s choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a $10 Book from the Book Depository.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And for more fabulous prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on the hop!

Welcome to the 2017 Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop, hosted by Bookhounds!

Today is the shortest day of the year, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. And tonight, well, tonight is the longest night. And possibly a chilly one as well, depending on where you live.

Unlike all the holidays that center around this time of year, the longest night is a phenomenon that simply happens, whether we chose anything to mark it or not. One has to wonder how its been marked in the past, and how it will be in the future. Or how it might be, on some other planet in some other universe, if the planet tilts towards its sun at the right angle to make it happen.

One of the books I read this holiday season, Amid the Winter Snow, shows the Winter Solstice celebration in four completely different fantasy universes. If you’re looking for a holiday book with a bit of a twist, I highly recommend it.

But however you will be whiling away the longest night, here’s a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a $10 Book to help you while away some of the chilly winter nights yet to come.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more fabulous prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on the hop!

Welcome to the 2016 Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop, hosted by Bookhounds!

This is the time of year when lots of different traditions have a holiday. Today is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and a lot of holidays, stretching back to ancient traditions, celebrated this turning point in the year.

It is possible that even Stone Age people marked the solstice. This seems to have been one of the reasons behind the building of Stonehenge. On a tour there, one tour guide called the period when the great stone circle was built the “loony Neolithic”. This wasn’t so much in reference to those ancient beliefs as that the primitive hunter-gatherer society has to have devoted a LOT of relatively scarce resources for many, many years into building the site. It does make one wonder what they were thinking. But then, whoever comes after us millennia from now will probably look at our artifacts and wonder what we were thinking, too.

And if you’ve never read Motel of the Mysteries by David Macaulay, there’s a book that will make you think seriously about what future archaeologists will think of us. It will also make you at least chuckle a lot, if not laugh until your sides ache.

But back to the hop!

These long winter nights (and chilly days) are the perfect time to curl up with a good book and a sleepy kitty. (Cat optional for those who prefer other furry companions, or people! to warm their toes on).

This bloghop has mountains, snowdrifts even, of bookish prizes available. But before you check out the other stops on the hop, be sure to fill out the rafflecopter for a chance at the prize right here – the winner’s choice of a $10 Book or a $10 Gift Card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to the 2015 Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Bookhounds.

Today is the shortest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere. And it’s also a Monday. Talk about a depressing combination!

But this coming Friday is Christmas, so a lot of people will have a long weekend next weekend, whether they celebrate the holiday or not. That’s something to look forward to.

And speaking of looking forward, starting tomorrow the days will begin getting longer again, just a little bit at a time. The very short days and long nights in January, especially after all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, made January (and February) particularly difficult when we lived in Anchorage. I usually tell people that we left because three Januarys was my limit. Five hours of daylight is just not enough.

But for those planning to read the long nights away, this bloghop gives away oodles of bookish prizes.

For my part, I’m giving away either a $10 Gift Card or a $10 Book to the lucky winner. This is an international giveaway, the books can be sent anywhere that Book Depository ships. Just fill out the rafflecopter below for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And for more bookish Midwinter celebrations, be sure to check out the other stops on the hop!

<!– end LinkyTools script –>