Being in nature is life-giving to me in a way that nothing else is.  That is why, even in the cold snaps that happen so frequently here in Ohio, I often go on winter walks or hikes and leave the curtains open on those dreary days as long as possible.  When I heard the weatherman predict yet another week of 20 degree days and even colder nights, I decided to take a few moments to brainstorm books with plenty of nature imagery for both myself and Reed and the ages in between, too.

I went through our shelves and found some of our favorite books that have plenty of natural settings, descriptions, and imagery.  For now, it seems we have to just pretend spring has arrived.  Sooooooo ready for it to be here!

I'm excited to start with an old favorite!  In this vivid allegory, the timid and lame Much-Afraid embarks upon an incredible adventure from the Valley of Humiliation to the mountains and beyond with her beloved Chief Shepherd. My mom gave me this book as a teenager, and it has held a special place on my bookshelf and in my heart ever since. I may have to check out the 2017 mixed-media special edition soon-- it looks gorgeous!

I know the audience is 8-12 years, but I have continued to love and read Farmer Boy as an adult.  I was OBSESSED with the Little House books as a girl, and Farmer Boy was always my favorite.  Laura Ingalls Wilder writes about her husband's time growing up on a big farm in New York.  The descriptions of the livestock, farm country, rural life, and family never cease to capture my imagination.

Before I begin: We LOVE Jan Brett in our home.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!  We own The Turnip and The Mitten, and we have rented many others from the library.  Her illustrations alone are incredible, but Mossy has a cool story, too!  Mossy is the story of a turtle who grows moss, flowers, and plants on her back.  Her shell attracts quite a bit of attention, which leads to some small problems, but it all works out in the end!

I discovered Rebecca when reading a post by Modern Mrs. Darcy (love her!) about books with unreliable narrators and ambiguous endings.  Rebecca is about as close as I get to a "scary" book-- it's really just a hauntingly beautiful thriller.  It is set in the 1930's and considered a "Gothic classic", so Rebecca includes breathtaking natural imagery, including vivid descriptions of the mysterious Manderly estate.

We found this little treasure at a used book sale last year.  Based on the "Winnie the Pooh" works by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard, this endearing tale describes a day at the stream in the 100-acre wood.  Roo and his friends invent games, solve problems, and help each other out- all without help from Kanga or Christopher Robin!  This book makes me want to spend a day at the river ASAP.

How do I begin to describe Anne?  Anne notices and knows nature better than any other character I have met.  She is a most delightful character with her simple innocence, clumsy antics, and impressionable heart.  Every time I read it, even as an adult, I want to go visit Prince Edward Island and imagine dear, orphaned Anne and her quirky neighbors.

Am I allowed to have a "nature book" list without Owl Moon on it?  In this captivating children's book by one of my favs, Jane Yolen, a young girl and her father go "owling" in the deep, cold winter snow.  The young narrator learns about bravery, resilience, and relationship with her father and nature as they look for the Great Horned Owl on a New England countryside.

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Ah-- Mary Oliver.  How I wish I would have discovered her poetry earlier in life! (Not that I'm old and full of regrets- but still.  On second thought, that may have been a bit dramatic.)  A Thousand Mornings is a small collection of poems that I often carry with me when Jacob, The Little Outdoorsman, and I travel to especially rugged and natural places like Assateague Island or Bighorn National Forest.  The beautiful simplicity and clarity of her poetry have brought me to tears over and over again. (Dramatic again, but appropriately so this time.)

The Hobbit is another beloved classic, and we are big fans the movies here at our house, too.  Tolkien's descriptions of magical lands, creatures, and adventures capture any imagination.  I just finished listening to the Audible version not too long ago.  In fact, I spent a couple of hours on Christmas Day walking Echo around a local park and soaking up this glorious adventure.  Bilbo Baggins is an excellent walking companion, as you well know if you have read The Hobbit.

When little Alice revealed her wishes to travel the world and live beside the sea, her grandfather gave her an important mission to keep in mind while accomplishing her dreams.  I discovered Miss Rumphius while Googling "books about kindness".  It's a good one, and it is filled with beautiful paintings of natural landscapes, faraway lands, and family gatherings.

The Recipe Box stole my heart not only because of the beautiful descriptions of a Michigan apple farm through the generations, but also with the mouthwatering food descriptions and recipes sprinkled throughout the book.  Light-hearted and easy to read, The Recipe Box was part love story, part cookbook, part coming of age, part girl power, part family tradition- all ingredients for the very best kind of book!

Each of these books deliver a much-needed dose of nature along with an amazing story.  Let me know what you think of this list!  Which of these have you read?  What would you add?  I would love a few suggestions for my own TBR shelf!

​Did you enjoy this book post?  Check out a few others like it:

The rain is melting the snow outside, creating that not-so-perfect groggy and lethargic mood that so easily settles in to start my day.  Will I let it invade, make its cranky bed, and grouch up my heart and home?

As the Mama, that choice is mine.

This week I read an inspiring post by one of my favorite bloggers, Modern Mrs. Darcy, titled "What is Saving My Life Right Now".  I fell in love with this whole concept.  I decided to create a similar post of my own on this dreary February day.  I can't bring myself to keep the same title because, well, (and I laugh as I write this) it just seems irreverent.  Jesus saves my life today and every day.  So while I can't say anything else is "saving my life," there are several things I am doing intentionally to enrich it right now. This time of year, it can sometimes take effort to stay motivated, happy, and, well.... sane.  Ahem.

Winter has been a tough season for me for all of my adult life.  Each fall I give myself a little pep talk about "getting through the winter" and, inevitably, I find myself pale, beat-down, gloomy, and lacking motivation as January wraps up.

BUT...
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This year I am feeling great!  This has definitely been my best winter in years and years and years.  I am happy, energized, motivated, and inspired.  I look forward to the things I do each day.  I (like to think I) encourage the people around me.  I can breathe, pause, love, rest, enjoy, and create.  I am happy.

So I started to think about what made this year different.  
First-- grace.  No matter how many things I might decide contribute to my "good" winter, I am certain that grace is the #1 player in this game.  God is good, and I am so thankful for His help this winter.  But I've also been more intentional in the ways that I "spend" my thoughts, words, time, and money this winter.  Living with this purpose has given me the best winter yet.  Here are the top three discoveries that have changed my winter:

Is there anything like curling up on the couch or relaxing in the bath with a good book in the winter?  Embracing my love for reading and refusing to feel guilty about spending my time with a book has truly enriched these long winter months.  My "to-read" list includes a mix of feel-good fiction, memoir, short stories, and historical fiction, some brand new, and some older.  I have linked them all to goodreads if you would like to check out summaries and reviews.

I've also included a gallery of some of my favorite books from this fall and winter.  Five stars!  I gleaned these titles from my local library, thriftbooks (my obsession), and the Book of the Month Club.

I am certainly not a model housekeeper in any sense.  Any. Sense. But I've discovered that a clean and pleasant space at home vastly improves my mood.  I keep my space as positive and nice-smelling as one can while working full time with a toddler, a husband changing jobs, and an unruly dachshund roaming the premises.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Lilac Multi-Surface Cleaner has been my favorite scent of the season.  It brings springtime into my home.  I seriously love cleaning the counters with this stuff.  I just close my eyes and pretend I have a beautiful, fragrant lilac bush outside of my kitchen window that overlooks a rose garden and bubbling brook.

My doTERRA Petal Diffuser is another one of my favorite things this time of year.  I'm not the essential oil expert that many of my blogging peers are, but my favorite oil right now is Plant Therapy's Blues Buster.  It has a citrus-y scent that picks me up no matter the weather, and plays right into my bubbling brook fantasy.  We will add a few lemon and orange trees to my rose and lilac garden, now.  It's looking pretty nice!

The final little trick that I've noticed makes my space feel more beautiful are a few low-maintenance indoor plants.  I have a crazy aloe at home in the brightest orange pot I could find.  I only have to water it once a week and it doesn't take up much space at all.  The others are in my classroom at work- 4 colorful, tropical, thirsty plants that have kept my students and me busy watering and rotating over the past months.  The freshness these small plants bring to my space is incredible.

3. Hobbies and Activities
The last change I've made this year is being more mindful of how I spend my time.  I've found a balance of fulfilling work and purposeful leisure and rest has helped me keep my emotions and thoughts in check.  When I'm at work, I work really hard and pour my heart into what I do.  I'm also taking a few graduate classes that are keeping me inspired and passionate.

When I am home, I am trying to be more present with my family.  I plan activities with Reed (like the volcano we made a few weeks back).  I've made a bigger deal out of New Year's Eve or Valentine's Day than I have in the past.  I've spent more time playing, conversing, cooking, and resting... and less time on my phone.

Lastly, (and I think this is the most difficult one), I am trying to take more time to care for myself.  I take a nap every once in a while, go shopping, or meet a friend for lunch.  One of my favorite things to do this winter has been to work on a puzzle while listening to an encouraging podcast.  Joyce Meyer's podcasts are so encouraging, and her constant emphasis on positive thinking and a renewed, strong mind are always inspirational and useful this time of year.

Another obsession: about once a week I will take a long bath with a favorite book and a paper face mask.  These little moments leave me feeling refreshed, pampered, and pretty- all difficult things to feel sometimes in the winter.

I hope you are embracing your winter just as I am.  I know this time of year can be hard.  Trust me, I know.  But there is beauty and value in each day and moment.  Sometimes all we need to do is figure out what works for us in a certain season.

  So let me know... what is enriching your life right now?

Did you enjoy this post?  Check out some other thoughts in My Soul Food:

"In our deepest hearts, we want home to be a place where our spirits are filled.  A lifegiving haven of warmth, rest, and joy that will encourage everyone who enters it; a welcoming respite in an isolated culture."
-The Lifegiving Home

In our early years of marriage, I was so busy as a full-time college student, working part-time, and spending time with my husband around his schedule as a police officer (shout out to police wives everywhere- love ya!) that I didn't really focus on creating a home.  But after Reed arrived and I landed my first teaching job, I really wanted to make our house feel like a haven for my family.  The Life Giving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming, by Sally and Sarah Clarkson, has been my handbook for the past two years in working through this process.

This book is AMAZING!  It is soul food material not only because it is teaching me how to create a Christ-centered home for my family, but it also offers some really great parenting advice.  The mother-daughter authors who organized the book provide home-making insights and parenting ideas for every season.  
Sally and Sarah's love for Jesus is central to everything they offer.  They hone in on themes of welcome, safety, knowledge and wisdom, beauty, relationship, nourishment, and rest.