Welcome to the Winter Zone! 

It's well below zero, the wind is howling, and your car is buried. Need to get away?  Well, you don't need to pay for an airline ticket to do so!  Stoke the fire or turn up the space heater, grab a hot beverage, and sink into your favorite recliner with a nice thick book.  It's time for Winter Reads -- where you’ll get reading suggestions, share book reviews with other readers, and have chances to win prizes.  So let it snow!

How can I participate?  

There are two ways you can participate in Winter Reads: online, or at your library. 

Online: 
Participate online using Beanstack. Log each of the books you’ve read or listened to, and you’re eligible for the weekly prize drawing and Grand Prize drawing at your library!  If you write book reviews, you can also win virtual badges for your efforts, and your reviews will be shared with other online Winter Reads participants. So, everyone wins!

In January, we're participating in a nation-wide reading challenge that will benefit public libraries. Read more about it below.  

At the Library:
Read or listen to one book -- or many! Pick up a Winter Reads bookmark at the library, and rate and comment on the books you read. Give the completed bookmark to library staff to be eligible for the weekly prize drawing AND the Grand Prize drawing at your library. We'll also put the bookmark back into the book or audio book you returned so that other readers can benefit.  You also have the option of writing a full review that will be placed in your library's Book Reviews Notebook for others to peruse.

You’ve come to the right place!  We have several resources to connect you with new authors and books, and we can recommend read-alikes, new authors, and more.  Check out our New and Recommended page for reading ideas. 

If you are interested in finding “the best” of 2018, check out these lists: Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Goodreads, Library Reads,  New York Times,  MN Public Radio, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.