There are holiday reads, and there are holiday reads. By which I mean that there are summer blockbusters to read on deck chairs, and then there are the kinds of books you want to curl up with while listening to Gordon Lightfoot sing "Song for a Winter’s Night", the faint sound of jingle bells. If summer is the time for that One Book that Everyone is Reading, the winter solstice is a kind of reprieve. It’s too cold to go outside, you might get a day or two off work. A brief window in time in which you finally get around to tackling that to-be-read stack, blowing the dust off the books that have been waiting for you, the books you should have been reading, the books you could have been reading. And now you can.

It’s also a good time for rereading, for is there anything more comforting than revisiting a book you already know? Is there anything more brilliantly unsettling than discovering you really didn’t know it at all? That the book has changed, or maybe you have, and here is a chance to reflect on the year that’s passed now, on all you’ve seen, and done, and learned. And perhaps also to reflect on the books you’ve read far too quickly, that one you barrelled through in July while on your way to that One Book that Everyone was Reading, and which probably deserves closer consideration, a second look.

Even now at the darkest time of year, there can still be light enough to read by. One advantage of an e-reader is that it guarantees a glow, but even paper books are fine in the lamp-light, or illuminated by sparkly tree-lights if you want to get festive. You can light a candle to be especially romantic; certainly, holiday reading deserves such a ceremony, don’t you think?

If you're looking looking for holiday reading suggestions, check out our Lit Wish List round-up Books for Everyone, and also Caroline Woodward's Mid-Winter Monsoon Reading list, our list of Winter Books, or any of the wonderful Lit Wish Lists we've compiled over recent weeks. And if you already know what you're reading, or can recommend some great winter reads, why not let us know in the comments below?

Wishing you much warmth and brightness this holiday, and time enough to indulge in bookish things.