In the Joy of Wintering, Erin Longhurst delves into the idea of winter as more than a season, but as a metaphor for the winter like phases we encounter in life. She underscores the significance of self-connection during this time. While many of us tend to isolate and retreat during the winter and cold, she actually encourages one to get revitalized during these winter stages. This book was enjoyable to read due to its aesthetic layout and imagery. The major theme embodied in the book is viewing winter not as a something negative or to be feared but rather, as a time for reflection and recharging. Longhurst delivers a message that we often don’t see in many places- that we need to embrace downtime, and rest in order to recharge. This book provides an array of activities that one can use as a comprehensive guide to cultivate a more mindful and compassionate approach.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my review.

This evocative and lavishly illustrated book about the spiritual benefits of the winter season describes its opportunities for rest. Stillness an meditation.

Recipe s and practices e encouraging slow living.
Lovely nature inspired artwork and piccolo photos.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this eARC.

The theoretical concept of this book is wonderful, but in execution it fell below what the title promised. I would like to preface this by saying that if the book were branded as a memoir with guided exercises I would have enjoyed it, even knowing that memoirs are not books I pick up often.

"The Pleasures of Wintering: Winter-Inspired Rituals for Rejuvenation, Serenity, and Joy" implies a sort of how-to, with detailed directions and exercises for slowing down, engaging with your senses, and making space for rest (included in the description of the book). What the reader gets is essentially an interactive memoir. Most of this is autobiographical, with occasional exercises and activities sprinkled in, which is not at all the proportion of exercises and rituals that the description promised.

It was often a struggle to push through the personal anecdotes, which comprise a vast portion of the text, in search of the "guide to self care" articulated in the description. Such was made more difficult in that every so often there were 2-3 pages of photography that sometimes related to the text, but not always. The anecdotes themselves were also chaotic in that they jumped around in both time and topic, so they were difficult to follow.

To reiterate: if this book was marketed authentically as a memoir, I would be able to more thoroughly appreciate it. As it is, it's not what I was prepared to read and it is not the instruction-forward guide that is promised in the description.

I loved so much of this book. The layout, the simplicity, the flow—all delightful. The images are STUNNING. This books has strong Hygge vibes and would make the perfect coffee table book for many thoughtful creatives.

As much as I loved this book and appreciated much of the content, there were also a few random tangents into topics that felt unnecessary and possibly irrelevant (such as tarot cards).

Although this book is marketed as somewhat of a “how-to” book on this topic, I’d personally recommend approaching it as more of a memoir or collection of personal reflections sprinkled with a bit of researched backed information.

If you’re looking for a thoughtful and beautiful collection of ideas on how to “winter” well and you are willing to take some things with a grain of salt, this book is for you!

Wonderful concept, scattered execution.


As someone who suffers from seasonal depression, the title and synopsis of *The Pleasures of Wintering* appealed greatly. I meditate and have an indoor garden and I’m always looking for more things to bring me peace and happiness; so I was looking forward to what I might learn from this guide.


My issues with this -

*allllllll the photographs and art. It’s *excessive* and took me away from what I was trying to read. It’s too busy to someone searching for calm.

*the chapters struck me more as individual thought rants, blog posts, or essays. It was not a seamless read.


These issues detracted from the relaxing vibe I was looking for in the pages. Other readers may get more from this, but I didn’t find what I was hoping to.




Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the DRC

This book is a memoir, biographical in scope with a lean towards self-care rituals and traditions in nature based religion. Some insights from the author are the usual and presented from a personal perspective. Not for my purposes or audience.

This book had a beautiful concept and some lovely ideas about slowing down, reflecting, and being present. I really wanted to love it. And there were definitely moments that felt cozy or insightful, especially when the author talked about creativity and friendship.
But the writing just didn't work for me. It felt scattered and hard to follow, like the structure never really clicked into place. It read more like a series of loosely connected thoughts than a cohesive book. I kept thinking, "This could've been a great blog post." It was hard to stay engaged, and I probably wouldn't have finished it if I weren't stubborn about finishing what I start.
Still, there are people l'd recommend this to. Maybe someone going through a quiet season and looking for gentle encouragement here and there.

I'm excited to come back to this when winter has arrived this year.

Winter is a time of year that is hard for many, and I feel like this book might help alleviate some or the hardship of the season for me.

I'm so glad to have come across it!

A nice overview of hobbies and activities that people can engage in during the winter months. I did find the photography included to be a little distracting and lacking any cohesion which made it feel a little unpolished.

I did find that the inclusion of so many different topics left me wanting for a slightly deeper dive on any of the topics/activities. If someone is brand new to experiencing winter this would be a nice jumping off book.

Embracing winter's natural rhythm offers counterbalance to culture's relentless productivity demands.

Filled with wintery photos, illustrations and quotes this was a balm to someone who loves all seasons and has spent lots of time in a wintery clime. Tips ran the gamut from indoor crafts to cycle tracking and I think it’s a good reminder to rest and be intentional. Some of the illustrations felt a bit like filler and didn’t flow with the content as well as others but overall I felt it was a nice touch for someone who struggles with a prolonged winter season or is moving to a snowy place.

Even for an introvert with largely sedentary hobbies, the concept of "wintering" is pretty foreign when you grow up in constantly-on-the-move Los Angeles county. If you're not hustling somehow, you're not living, even if your hustle involves more passive hobbies. Without a real winter to force a natural slow down, it's go-go-go all the time.
There's plenty of amazing tips in this book, accompanied by the author's own anecdotal advice and a plethora of gorgeous, inspiring pictures to put one in the mood for a relaxing winter, whether literally or figuratively. My one complaint, which is an issue I have with just about any coffee-table style book, is that the placement of the pictures often interrupts the flow of reading. I feel that a restructuring of the photographs so that they don't span several pages in the middle of a paragraph would improve readability and accessibility. I found myself often having to flip back and forth between pages of beautiful pictures to try and pick up where I'd left off, which lessened my enjoyment of both said pictures and the content of the writing.

"Wintering is the practice of slowing down to rest and recuperate, just as nature does in the quiet winter months."

I adore this book! This concept is perfect and exactly what I needed to hear. I would definitely recommend this book.