Winter Solstice The date of the winter solstice varies from year to year, and can fall anywhere between December 20 and December 23, with the 21st or 22nd being the most common dates. The reason for this is because the tropical year-the time it takes for the sun to return to the same spot relative to Earth-is different from the calendar year. The next solstice occurring on December 20 will not happen until 2080, and the next December 23 solstice will not occur until 2303. January and February are the coldest days in the Northern Hemisphere despite receiving more sunlight than in December's short days. The delayed reaction is due to the way Earth takes in and releases heat. The planet absorbs heat during the summer months and releases it gradually throughout the fall and into the winter; it doesn't fully cool down until January or February. By then, snow is falling in many areas, creating a reflective shield against solar radiation. So, in midwinter, our stores of heat have run out-and the warmth of the sun is not being absorbed as readily. Stay warm and check out these titles |
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Books on the Air An overview of talked-about books and authors. This weekly update, published every Friday, provides descriptions of recent TV and radio appearances by authors and their recently released books. See the hot titles from the media this week. |
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Jane Harper Jane was born in Manchester in the UK, and moved to Australia with her family at age eight. She spent six years in Boronia, Victoria, and during that time gained Australian citizenship. Returning to the UK with her family as a teenager, she lived in Hampshire before studying English and History at the University of Kent in Canterbury. On graduating, she completed a journalism entry qualification and got her first reporting job as a trainee on the Darlington & Stockton Times in County Durham. Jane worked for several years as a senior news journalist for the Hull Daily Mail, before moving back to Australia in 2008. In 2014, Jane submitted a short story which was one of 12 chosen for the Big Issue's annual Fiction Edition. That inspired her to pursue creative writing more seriously, breaking through with The Dry at the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards in 2015. Jane lives in bayside Melbourne with her husband and their two children. Check out her books here. |
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Library Reads Library Reads-The top ten books published this month that library staff across the country love, with additional hall of fame authors. Check them out here |
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Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.-Edith Sitwell
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