Merry and bright reading for you

In search of seasonal news? You knew a librarian could help.

We’ve been saving these Christmas-y stories over the past few weeks so that once your stockings are hung, gifts are wrapped, and dishes are in the oven, you could kick back and relax with timely reading material.

In fact, you can even close your eyes and absorb the content; Gretchen Rubin has uploaded an audiobook of A Christmas Carol.

Just don’t fall asleep — there’s a part one and part two, so you’ll have to at least click play on the second piece.

Literary Hub understands that your holiday might involve a movie night, so it suggests what to read based on your favorite Christmas movie, as well as which Yule movies various authors prefer.

And finally, we have a twist on the ultimate traditional topic: Charles Dickens, but not A Christmas Carol.

The Guardian reports that the Charles Dickens Museum is aiming to call attention to the author’s other four Christmas stories.

A new exhibit at the museum is displaying, for the first time, sketches from The Cricket on the Hearth, which came out after the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge.

You can see a few of the sketches and learn more about the book (and series) in the Guardian … or you can read The Cricket on the Hearth on Project Gutenberg … or watch a cartoon version of it.