This collection of books and short stories contains recommendations perfect for cold weather and the holiday season. They are accessible through Project Gutenberg, a library of over 60,000 free eBooks in the public domain. You can read more about Project Gutenberg here, and browse their bookshelves to find more great titles! See below to explore titles to enjoy while trying to stay warm this winter!

The Gift of the Magi

This short story, published in 1905, tells of a couple who need to buy gifts for each other but must make sacrifices to find the perfect gift. The Gift of the Magi teaches a great lesson about gift-giving and is a valuable story to read or reread during the holiday season.

Winter Sports in Switzerland

This illustrated book from 1913 has chapters on tobogganing, skiing, skating, hockey, and more. It describes Swedish traditions and culture and provides insight into sports and life in 20th-century Switzerland.

King Winter

In this story, King Winter, the embodiment of the Christmas Spirit, leaves his palace of snow to bring winter to the land and reward obedient children with holiday sweets (Library of Congress). King Winter is a rare German children’s story from the 19th century inspired by a character from Germanic and Norse traditions.

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women follows four sisters throughout their lives. Pivotal scenes occur during Christmastime, and the descriptions of winter in New England make this a festive read for snow days.

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a well-known holiday classic about a businessman who changes his attitude about Christmas after being visited by a host of spirits. Dickens’ story has been adapted many times for the stage and film, but it is worth reading the original material to know where the text came from!

E-notes features 3D models, simulations, and illustrations of everything from protein molecules to flower bouquets. Whether you want to browse the many visualizations of complex equations or get an introduction to WebXR, this site is a comprehensive resource for anyone interested in math, science, or computer graphics!

Below is a preview of a few of the topics explored throughout E-notes. To learn more about science and technology, head to the Technology and Applied Sciences section of ibiblio’s catalog. You can also check out this post for 3D modeling tutorials.

3D Graphics

This section contains models of animals and objects made using WebGL. There are even animated models with adjustable cycles, like this eagle. Since these models are interactive, you can wheel the models and zoom in using your mouse or trackpad to view the graphics from different angles. There are also WebXR samples where you can edit the appearance directly in your browser, like this flower.

Crystal Models

These interactive models show the atomic structure of crystals like diamonds and salt. You can explore the models in multiple cell sizes and learn about the types of patterns that crystal atoms create, which are called Bravais lattices. This page also links more resources for learning about crystallography.

Fractals

Fractals are geometric shapes that repeat parts of themselves in different sizes and scales. Irregular fractals occur in nature, but it is also possible to create fractal images using math (BBC). The Mandelbrot and Julia sets, illustrated on this page, are some of the most recognizable fractals in mathematics. Like the 3D graphics mentioned above, you can zoom in on the images to get a closer look at the symmetry and complexity of these structures.