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236 reviews for:
The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures
Sarah Clegg
3.85 AVERAGE
236 reviews for:
The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures
Sarah Clegg
3.85 AVERAGE
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I greatly enjoyed this book. Not too long, and the writing is very accessible. I find a lot of nonfiction likes to sound pretentious and overly "intellectual," but Clegg is masterful. She balances her writing with beautiful prose and retellings of her experiences along her research journey. I love that I now have a place where I can return again and again to look at the traditions and stories surrounding some of my favorite wintry ghouls like Krampus, St. Lucy, and Perchta.
informative
medium-paced
I loved this! It has more content than most seasonal reads, though it still reads quickly and fluidly. This is a great selection for: witchy folks, folklore lovers, Christmas fans, history researchers, monster & creature lovers. It's sure to be a hit with the many folks who love Krampus and spooky playfulness during the holidays. Better research, nuance, and resources than lots of current nonfiction. I read it in just a few sessions - I was so hooked!
dark
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures by Sarah Clegg, dives into the eerie side of winter traditions, tracing creepy creatures like Krampus, Grýla, Mari Lwyd, and Père Fouettard through European folklore and history.
It was really nice to learn about the origins of Saturnalia, carnival, wassails and guising. Also, about Modern-day festivities like the Salzburg Krampus Run and the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge.
This was a well detailed book. The illustrations were a great addition and the book cover isn't it gorgeous?!
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“We may spend midwinter surrounded by warmth, good food, and companionship, but Christmas coincides with the darkest time of the year, and the legends we have repeated and adapted over the centuries remind us that beyond the glow of firelight, the shadows are waiting.”
“Behind every tale of Christmas monsters lurks the true darkness of Christmas – the solstice, and the longest night of the year. No matter how brightly our fires burn, or how many fairy lights we turn on, Christmas is still spent deep in the shadows.”
•──────────❝•°•❀•°•❞───────────•
It was really nice to learn about the origins of Saturnalia, carnival, wassails and guising. Also, about Modern-day festivities like the Salzburg Krampus Run and the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge.
This was a well detailed book. The illustrations were a great addition and the book cover isn't it gorgeous?!
•──────────❝•°•❀•°•❞───────────•
“We may spend midwinter surrounded by warmth, good food, and companionship, but Christmas coincides with the darkest time of the year, and the legends we have repeated and adapted over the centuries remind us that beyond the glow of firelight, the shadows are waiting.”
“Behind every tale of Christmas monsters lurks the true darkness of Christmas – the solstice, and the longest night of the year. No matter how brightly our fires burn, or how many fairy lights we turn on, Christmas is still spent deep in the shadows.”
•──────────❝•°•❀•°•❞───────────•
Christmas is a dark time, quite literally, and for millennia, Europeans have been contending with the darkest, coldest days of the year. This book is an exploration of the histories and myths of the dark creatures in European Yuletide folktales from Krampus in Germany, to Mari Lwyd in Wales, to La Befana in Italy and many more in between.
I think I would have enjoyed this book more had it been written less as a travelogue and more as a history. That said, it is a fun book of legends, most of which I’d either not heard of or had only heard of in passing, which will have me diving deeper to learn more. It was a good transitional book from spooky to holiday season reading and a great antidote to the saccharine sweet vision of the holidays that may ring false to many.
Thanks to Hachette Audio and Net Galley who provided early audiobook access in exchange for an honest review.
I think I would have enjoyed this book more had it been written less as a travelogue and more as a history. That said, it is a fun book of legends, most of which I’d either not heard of or had only heard of in passing, which will have me diving deeper to learn more. It was a good transitional book from spooky to holiday season reading and a great antidote to the saccharine sweet vision of the holidays that may ring false to many.
Thanks to Hachette Audio and Net Galley who provided early audiobook access in exchange for an honest review.
A very detailed and insightful read into the history of Christmas stories that tinge the festive occasion with a bit of horror! It was very smooth and I love how Clegg wrote it as she reflected on her travels to put in a more personal twist.
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
dark
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
I strongly recommend pairing this with the book Wintering by Katherine May. They both address some of the same traditions from different lenses — folklore and self help. I didn’t plan to read them together, but I’m very glad it happened because it definitely added to the experience.