This year, Hanukkah, the wintertime Festival of Lights, starts Dec. 25 and ends Jan. 2. To mark the holiday, find books for all ages about the 8-day celebration on the Libby app—from cookbooks filled with traditional fried foods to children’s stories introducing the significance of the holiday and even a little romance. So while your latkes are frying, check out some of these books to read by the light of the menorah.

Holiday cookbooks

Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook by Joan Nathans

Whip up some sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) or delicious apple latkes with the help of Joan Nathan, Jewish cookbook author and food writer for The New York Times. Explaining the origins of the recipes and the holidays that have shaped them, Nathan peppers the book with delightful stories about the people who've kept these traditions alive.

The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking by Phyllis Glazer

Warm up with Glazer’s Hanukkah recipes that include dishes like olive latkes, winter vegetable soup, no-knead whole wheat olive and rosemary bread, and sfenj (Moroccan doughnuts). You can also find recipes for other Jewish holidays including Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Purim, and more.

Hanukkah romance

Eight Dates and Nights by Betsy Aldredge

Cozy up with this YA romance as two teens with very different ideas of how to spend Hanukkah learn to work together to save the last Jewish remnant in small-town Texas.

Season of Love by Helena Greer

An Entertainment Weekly Best Holiday Romance of 2022, this LGBTQIA+ novel features thriving artist Miriam Blum, who faces an unexpected responsibility after her great-aunt passes away. Leaving her a share in the struggling (and ironically) Jewish-run family Christmas tree farm, she must collaborate with the farm's manager to save it. As they work together, they uncover unexpected connections and feelings, challenging their perspectives and potentially changing their lives for the better.

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt, a successful Christmas romance novelist hiding her passion from her Jewish family, has just received a demand from her publisher to write a Hanukkah-themed book. Struggling to find inspiration, she begrudgingly partners with her childhood nemesis at a Hanukkah event. Spending time together rekindles feelings and a newfound appreciation for the holiday, leading Rachel to discover the love and inspiration she's been seeking.

Books for kids

Little Red Ruthie by Gloria Koster

If you love the classic Little Red Riding Hood, be sure to borrow this book that takes a fun new spin on the fairy tale featuring Jewish tradition and food.

Hanukkah Upside Down by Elissa Brent Weissman

In this delightfully upside-down holiday story, cousins debate who can celebrate the best Hanukkah from opposite sides of the globe. Eight chances to prove it—may the best cousin win!

Latke the Lucky Dog by Ellen Fischer

Rescued from an animal shelter on the first night of Hanukkah, Latke has trouble learning the house rules. Despite a series of mishaps, he is one Lucky Dog!

*Title availability may vary by region.