Three books, three genres, three months — that is the theme for GCLD’s annual Winter Reading Adventure.

I don’t know about you, but winter in the high country is all about the epic powder day. People are excited to hit the slopes, trails, and ice rinks as the days get colder and the nights get longer. But what are we to do on those cold, winter nights in front of the fire or wrapped up in a warm blanket (besides watch TV and cheer for the Avs)?

GCLD has a Grand idea — snuggle up with a good fiction or nonfiction book, listen to an audiobook in a variety of formats, or read an eBook on your favorite device. We are challenging people of all ages — infants through adults — to join our Winter Reading Adventure — Nov. 1 through Jan. 31 — at all five library branches.

As we know, kids of all ages (and adults) benefit from the stories they read and hear each day. Research throughout the years has shown that there are many benefits to reading every day. Here are just a few.

• Improves brain connectivity

• Increases vocabulary and comprehension

• Reduces stress

• Improves focus and concentration

• Fights depression symptoms

• Lowers blood pressure and heart rate

• Improves memory

• Prevents cognitive decline due to aging

Winter break is a time to share the classics or take your imagination on a journey to a faraway place. Escape the cold by diving into a wonderful book.

When I asked my co-worker, Tallie Gray, director of Library Resources, for feedback about this article, she jumped at the chance.

“I can’t wait to do this challenge,” Gray stated. “I think I will travel to warm places during my winter reading adventure.”

Here is the journey Tallie led us on using PIKA (GCLD’s online consortium catalog) and NoveList as our inspiration. Both online resources are available with a library card from GCLD.

We searched for “traveling memoirs” and “travel.” Our adventure began with the fiction titles “We Were Never Here” by Andrea Bartz, “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift, “The Girl from Everywhere” by Heidi Heilig, and “April in Spain,” by John Banville.

Then, we were on to nonfiction selections like “Wild Horses of the Summer Sun: A Memoir of Iceland” by Tory Bilski (wait, that’s not warm, but sounds interesting), “Ten Years a Nomad: A Traveler’s Journey Home” by Matthew Kepnes, and “Walking to Listen: What I Heard Hiking 4,000 Miles Across the Highways of America” by Andrew Forsthoefel.

The last stop on our reading adventure included audiobooks and eBooks found in OverDrive, like the young adult book, “As Far as You’ll Take Me” by Phil Stamper or an adult historical fiction story like “Summer of ’69” by Elin Hilderbrand.

There you have it — three books from three different genres in three months.

Complete GCLD’s challenge by filling out a Winter Reading Adventure bookmark and returning it to your local library for a winter-themed completion surprise. Your name will also be entered into a prize drawing that will happen the first week of February. Begin your new adventure today and explore all that GCLD has to offer.