The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures by Sarah Clegg

3.85 AVERAGE

shelfofunread's profile picture

shelfofunread's review

4.5
funny informative medium-paced
yorkslass70's profile picture

yorkslass70's review against another edition

4.0
informative mysterious reflective medium-paced
bookwyrmknits's profile picture

bookwyrmknits's review against another edition

4.25
informative medium-paced
I really enjoyed this as a first nonfiction book of the year. It felt like an appropriate time to be reading about Christmas monsters—perhaps I started reading a little after Christmas, but since this book's monsters span from early December through to Carnival in February, I read it at the perfect time.

I had heard about Krampus and the Lords of Misrule before, but never in this much detail. Sadly, though, the detail that we have still isn't as much as I want, since a lot of the records we have from this period are of Christian bishops (etc.) writing tracts condemning the practices, and very little about the rituals and festivities from the people actually participating. Still, Clegg does a good job with what we do know, and ties it all together into a sort of Christmas travelogue tracing the paths of the darker midwinter traditions.
vtreader's profile picture

vtreader's review

3.75
funny informative mysterious slow-paced

catseye's review

3.5
slow-paced
I really enjoyed this, although it was a little slow feeling at times. Overall I will be returning to it to find names of books, traditions and people to delve deeper into. 
cursedreading's profile picture

cursedreading's review

3.0
adventurous dark informative medium-paced

misguidedgoose's review against another edition

4.0
dark hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

dissential's review

3.5
dark informative medium-paced
hiking_pages's profile picture

hiking_pages's review against another edition

5.0
dark informative mysterious reflective fast-paced
Really enjoyable jaunt through the winter traditions of ghosts, witches and creatures - very well researched and written with atmosphere. To be read around a log fire with a mulled wine!
nosferaly's profile picture

nosferaly's review against another edition

5.0
informative fast-paced