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