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It’s time for the longest night of the year in a year that has felt like a long cold night in and of itself. So what to do in the dark? Traditionally, solstice celebrations are common in any culture where the weather gets cold, and most have the same basic idea: get warm, get inside (ideally with a nice fire, good food, and some excellent booze), and keep your inner light burning until the sun comes up.

Some pagan traditions keep a candle or fire light through the night, with celebrants awake to watch over it, carrying the light through the long night, and there are ways to capture the spirit of this old tradition (without the fire hazard). Instead, set up some soft lighting, and as the sun goes down at 4pm, snuggle up with a good book. What better way to spend a long night than sitting up till sunrise with a page-turner?

The Quirk Books team has attended BookExpo and BookCon for many years now, so when ReedPop announced the retiring of BookExpo and BookCon earlier this month, it'll come as no surprise we were sad to see it go. But, if 2020 has taught us anything it's that people are resilient and adaptable, and there will continue to be new and exciting opportunities to serve the book-loving community. We can't wait to see what Reed Exhibitions thinks up in the coming years.

For now, as a final farewell to America's largest book publishing trade show, the Quirk team would like to share a handful of their favorite memories of BookExpo and BookCon.

Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash

What do you do with a gift you don’t necessarily need or like? Just do what everyone else does this time of year and regift! To ease any guilt you might feel, might we suggest pairing your regift with a book? That way you can guarantee that your present will be enjoyed and maybe even passed on to another book lover! Sure, the epic SNL skit says you shouldn't pair your regift with anything else or you'll risk your gift looking smaller and dumb, but we think books are the exception!

Here are our suggestions for book pairings with classic regifts.

If you’re anything like us, you’ve been counting down until the release of Bridgerton (aka Christmas day) since the release of that very steamy trailer. And sure, we have to wait just a little while longer. And yes, it will feel like an eternity. But there’s always an incredible romance novel or two – or five! – that you can read to make the wait just a little bit easier. Here are some of our favorites. 

Header Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay 

Whether it's your auntie, teacher, hairdresser, or librarian, we've all got a villain or two in our lives. But even the worst of them deserves a little festive cheer. So, we've broken down the best holiday gifts for your favorite rotten apples. And if none of these hit the mark, then be sure to check out  Quirk's holiday gift guide for more great ideas!

Image by Ylloh from Pixabay

'Tis that time of year to bake some delicious gingerbread! Before you pull out the gum drops and candy canes to make a ho hum traditional gingerbread house, why not mix it up a bit? Let’s think outside the box and go big this year! What better way than recreating your favorite fictional house out of gingerbread? 

Need some ideas? We have you covered with this list of what you’ll need.