We have a fun event announcement to share! Our co-founders Lisa and Bremond are doing a chat at the New York Society Library to talk about Quite Literally Book’s mission of rediscovering forgotten women authors, and bringing them to you. The event is totally free and we would love to see you there on the night of December 3rd in New York City. You can register here.
Today we are offering a gorgeous free Quite Literally Books tote for all orders placed in the next 24 hours. And stay tuned next week for our wonderfully bookish Black Friday sale.
The holiday season can be stressful and overwhelming. When it gets to be too much we usually try to lose ourselves in a good book. It truly helps to get a little break from it all. That’s one of the reasons we are completely obsessed with the Icelandic holiday of Jólabókaflóð, which translates to “the Christmas Book Flood.” Have you heard of it?
Jólabókaflóð is a national tradition built entirely around reading. We literally can’t think of anything better.
It all started during World War II, when imports to the tiny island were limited but paper was still widely available. Books were one of the few gifts people could give. That made them the centerpiece of the holiday season.
The coolest thing about this story is that the tradition still continues today. Starting in November the bookstores are packed with shoppers! We went last December and the lines were out the door. The Icelandic Publishers Association even mails every household a free catalog of new releases during the start of the holiday season and many families prioritize giving books over clothes and toys.
On Christmas Eve, families exchange books and then spend the night reading them, often with mugs of hot chocolate or glasses of jólabland (a fizzy Christmas drink made with beer, and soda). The rest of the world might focus on parties or gadgets, but in Iceland, the greatest luxury is time to curl up under a blanket and disappear into a story.
If you want to borrow a little Icelandic spirit this season, skip the endless scroll, choose a book for someone you love, and read late into the night. Let the world go quiet around you.
You can find the entire Quite Literally Books Library right here.
Let’s all celebrate the season with a little (or a big) Jólabókaflóð. Books truly make the best gifts. Here at QLB our founders hand wrap each book before we send it out so you can send them directly to friends as wrapped presents. Get your orders in now and start planning for your own Book Flood for the entire month of December!