10 holiday reading recommendations from UM Libraries
After a busy term answering your questions, helping you with your research, and directing you to library resources, UM Libraries staff would like to recommend their favourite comfort reads to get you through a stressful exam season and help you relax during the Winter Holiday break.
1. INDIANS ON VACATION by Thomas King
Recommended by Shirley Delorme Russell, Indigenous Librarian Intern
“Thomas King is Cherokee from the U.S. but has lived in Canada most of his adult life. Indians on Vacation is pure comedy. Along the way, you will learn some ridiculous Indigenous humour!”
2. TIED UP IN TINSEL by Ngaio Marsh
Recommended by Aurora Tetrault, Library Assistant, Music Library
“I highly recommend Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh. The author has created wonderful characters, and her plots are intricate and intriguing, to say the least. Her descriptions of people, places, and events give the reader a vivid and historical perspective of the times and her writing style is so pleasurable.”
3. NINE PRINCES IN AMBER by Roger Zelazney
Recommended by Allison Erhardt, Library Systems Specialist
“If you are looking for a fantasy realm with unlimited possibilities to escape to, Amber is for you. The battle between Order and Chaos, following the Pattern, defeating evil — this fantasy series has it all. Each book in this five-book series is on the shorter side, but together, with the second set of five books, makes for an epic read. There is a set of three prequels too, if you get through the first ten! But start with your first step on the pattern and you won’t turn back.”
4. JANE EYRE by Charlotte Brontë
Recommended by Candice Lewis, Library Supervisor
“I came very late to Jane Eyre, thinking it was stuffy and old-fashioned, so I had not given it a try. If you have never read it, you will be so pleasantly surprised; and, even if you have, please give it a re-read. I discover something different every time, plus the prose is sublime.”
5. LOST & FOUND by Kathryn Schulz
Recommended by Justin Fuhr, Science Librarian
“Kathryn Schulz’s memoir recounts not only the loss of her father but how she found the love of her life. This is a story of loss and of finding yourself and the people who become close and significant to you. Schulz is a master of the written word, and you’ll find you can’t put this book down!”
6. BLEACHERS by John Grisham
Recommended by Cody Fullerton, Acting Head, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Division
“This book is short, easy to read, and very thought-provoking. It centers on high school football players who come back together 15 years after graduation to bury their former coach. As they discuss the glory days, they struggle to decide if they love or hate him. I’ve read this book many times and it had a notable impact on me as a teenager.”
7. EVERYBODY WINS: FOUR DECADES OF THE GREATEST BOARD GAMES EVER MADE by James Wallis
Recommended by Elliot Hanowski, General Librarian
“This will be an enjoyable read for anyone who likes playing board games and wants to know more about their evolution. It’s insightful, humorous and well-illustrated!”
8. THE WEIRD SISTERS by Eleanor Brown
Recommended by Heather Bidzinski, Head, Archives & Special Collections
“This book is about three sisters who ‘love each other [but] just don’t happen to like each other very much.’ The title reflects the family connection to all things Shakespeare; the father is a famous Shakespeare professor, and the sisters are named after famous Shakespearean women. It’s a fun read about family coming together unexpectedly in a crisis.
9. LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott
Recommended by Samuel Plato, Learning and Instruction Support Librarian
“This book is wholesome, heartbreaking, and riveting throughout. With a story beginning just before Christmas in the early 1860s, you can spend your holiday break falling in love with the March sisters and follow along as they balance their dreams for themselves with their responsibilities to each other. And you can see the stage adaptation running at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Company now until December 14!”
10. SONG OF INCREASE by Jacqueline Freeman
Recommended by Claire Settee, Indigenous Librarian Intern
“This is a feel-good book that opens your mind. The audiobook includes ambient bee humming sounds. Not just for bee people, an accessible read for those with any level of apicultural knowledge.”
UM Libraries locations are open for study during exams, with group and individual study spaces available at various library locations across Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses. For quick online help, chat with library staff on Ask Us, open until 9:00 p.m. weekdays and 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on weekends.
All UM Libraries locations will be closed December 21, 2024 – January 1, 2025.