New Year, Same Me
January 2, 2026
To Help You Through It
Why am I talking MORE about winter and not about spring or summer? Because I fully believe that ignoring and wishing things away is not a practical plan in actually helping one through them. Plus reading books that are set in sunny Capri or Costa Rica typically makes me discontent with where I am right now, which is snowed in. So, without further adieu, here are five must read books to help you through the winter:
1. Wintering By Katherine Ray. I know you’ve heard me talk about this book before, but I can’t help it. This nonfiction book is an immersive, practical, but also wonderfully idealistic, read. It’s made me want to enjoy shopping for food and preparing it again. It’s inspired me to begin my own “wintering” practices. It’s made me want to hibernate and not be productive. It’s made me lean into the cold as opposed to away from it (cold plunge in the ocean anyone?). So read this book if you need a little perspective as to why the winter is a good, worthy and important season of not only nature, but also of life.
Favorite Quotes:
“Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximising scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.”
“When it’s really cold, the snow makes a lovely noise underfoot, and it’s like the air is full of stars.”
“Wintering brings about some of the most profound and insightful moments of our human experience, and wisdom resides in those who have wintered.”
2. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It’s the sixth book in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, detailing the brutal winter of 1880-1881 in De Smet, Dakota Territory. My dad and I were talking on the phone the other day and he mentioned this book, and I had almost forgotten about it! It’s chronicles Laura and her families struggle for survival, including grinding wheat in a coffee mill and using hay for fuel, and their endurance in weather of -40 below. So, if you need a little perspective that perhaps your winter is not so very bad, then read this book.
Favorite quotes:
“Laura felt a warmth inside her. It was very small, but it was strong. It was steady, like a tiny light in the dark, and it burned very low but no winds could make it flicker because it would not give up.”
“These times are too progressive. Everything has changed too fast. Railroads and telegraphs and kerosene and coal stoves -- they're good to have but the trouble is, folks get to depend on 'em.”
“Then the sun peeped over the edge of the prairie and the whole world glittered. Every tiniest thing glittered rosy toward the sun and pale blue toward the sky, and all along every blade of grass ran rainbow sparkles.”
3. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. This is a stand-alone, historical fiction novel, about the fascinating life of Martha Ballard, an 18th century midwife who lives in Maine. I was intrigued foremost by the cover, as it not only tells a story, but it also asks a question: where is she going on such a cold day? If you know me, you know I love historical fiction and so this fits the bill with a bit of mystery thrown in. As a fair warning, this book does contain some heavy topics, so be sure you read the trigger warning before embarking. So, if you’re wanting an engaging story that will make you realize how much frozen river can affect all areas of life, read this book!
Favorite quotes:
“Woman is never more vulnerable than while in labor. Nor is she ever stronger.”
“This is a new, bittersweet milestone of motherhood. They have gotten bigger, as have their problems. But they have also grown wiser, and that is a miracle because wisdom is not a thing you can acquire for your children.”
“Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive truth without emotion, and they read it back without partiality."
4. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. This is the first published book in The Chronicles of Narnia series, where the White Witch casts a spell over the land, plunging it into a century-long, magical winter. I’m a huge C.S. Lewis fan and if you haven’t re-read this beloved classic, now would be an excellent time to do so! I don’t think anyone has since described the physical as well as spiritual implications of winter and the absolute delight at its thaw. This book is profound and enchanting, reminding each one of us that winter too, shall pass.
Favorite Quotes:
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
“When that happened there was a moment’s silence. And in that silence Edmund could at last listen to the other noise properly. A strange, sweet rustling, chattering noise — and yet not so strange, for he’d heard it before — if only he could remember where! Then all at once he did remember. It was the noise of running water. All round them though out of sight, there were streams, chattering, murmuring, bubbling, splashing and even (in the distance) roaring. And his heart gave a great leap (though he hardly knew why) when he realized the frost was over. And much nearer there was a drip-drip-drip from the branches of all the trees…‘Aslan is on the move. The Witch’s magic is weakening.’”
“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”
5. The Swedish Milkmaid by Olivia Talbott (ME!) Honestly, I did NOT intend this blog post to be a shameless self-promotion when I began, but I got to the end of my list and realized I could only think of four of the promised five books. So here we are. This book is a look at Sweden and its beautiful duality of light and darkness in the winter and how it plays over the life of one, young woman named Linnea. It’s wintery and cozy with a dash of romance to keep you warm. If you need a quick read that transports you into 1800 Sweden, then this book is the one for you.
Favorite quotes:
"Tying her shawl around her waist she followed her new employer into the barn.'Nothing is more respectable than cows,' she muttered."
“Linnéa climbed from the dale onto the ridge overlooking the ocean and it took every ounce of her strength and steadiness. Reaching the top, she allowed herself a moment to take in the beauty. It was still dawn. The slow sun tarried longer than normal as winter approached. Darkness was something every Swede was accustomed to, but Linnéa hated to see the sunlight dwindle. It was as if the world pulled inside itself, boarding up against the harsh reality of the winter ahead.
“Closing her eyes she focused on the rhythm of the crunching snow beneath her feet and the sound of the wind in the pines.”
So, there we have it! Five books that may just make winter more enjoyable for you if you need help through the final stage. Each one offers a different gift to the reader: Wintering offers an invitation, The Long Winter offers perspective, The Frozen River offers mystery, The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe offers promise and The Swedish Milkmaid offers light.
