#035 - A Bibliotherapy Guide to Wintering

Suggestions for books to devour this winter

It’s getting colder in Canberra (or as my 3-year-old likes to say “it’s really, really fresh!”). The days are getting shorter. It’s harder to get the washing dry. It’s dark when I go to the gym in the morning, and dark when I get home.

Some people hate this time of year (and start planning to move north or constantly google ‘overseas beach holiday deals’).

I kinda love it. I love hygge feels – a Danish concept that describes a cozy, comfortable mood derived from simple pleasures and togetherness. For me, there is nothing better than putting a sweater dress on and long socks, making a cup of coffee and sitting on the couch with a book. It’s basically the scene in my house right now. My whole family (including two cats) is in our lounge room upstairs - the warmest room in our house. Sun is streaming through the windows. My husband and eldest are watching the NBA finals. My two youngest have constructed a ‘mini van’ from various boxes and household items and are ‘driving to America’, while periodically offering me eggs on toast, dried apricots and hash browns. Sigh. Bliss.

This is peak wintering.

To re-cap, central to the idea of wintering is slowing down. Author Katherine May describes wintering in her book by the same name as "doing these deeply unfashionable things — slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting —[it] is a radical act now, but it is essential."

Reading has always been a central part of all of my seasons, but more so in winter. There is nothing more delicious than curling up with a hot drink, a blanket, and a page-turner (I have written previously about the idea of wintering and the importance of reading to our wellbeing if you want to dive into the Well, Well archives!).

For those who don’t have an established reading rhythm, or want to get back into reading, sometimes the hardest part is choosing a book.

That’s where Well, Well comes in.

I often joke with friends that my alternate career would be a bibliotherapist – a niche specialisation where books are prescribed by therapists to relieve life’s ailments. If you haven’t heard of bibliotherapy before, Bibliotherapy Australia describes it as “the practice of using literature and storytelling to positively affect the wellbeing of individuals, families, communities and society.”

It’s funny how much your mood or state of mind can colour your experience of a book. There have been prize winning books that get rave reviews that I have quickly picked up – and just as quickly put down. Sometimes it’s the style of writing, sometimes it’s the topic. Sometimes we just don’t gel.

To help avoid this and make the slide into wintering and reading as seamless as possible, I have some great loves I would like to share.

So here it goes, my bibliotherapy debut. Pick your ailment and pick up a book!

Image: Robyn McGrath

I have had a long hiatus from reading, and I want to pick up a page turner to reignite my love (or even like) of books. You could try:

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

I raced through this book about a family who are caretakers of a remote island off the coast of Antarctica. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you turning pages late into the night.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

The story centres on an unexpected guest at a wedding - and is a reminder how much people and place – and total strangers – can shape our lives.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

I ADORE Ann Patchett. Tom Lake is a beautiful story about three daughters wanting to know more about their mother – and traces her story before and after children. If you have read this one and want more Ann Patchett, I also loved Bel Canto and Commonwealth!

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Curtis Sittenfeld is such a great writer. This book is both hilarious and like a warm hug at the same time. I have read all of her books – and there isn’t one I haven’t loved.

I am in a reading rut. Give me some 5* reads:

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

This is a beautiful memoir about resilience and transformation – and the ties that bind family. Walls is a beautiful writer. This is an older book (2005), but it has stuck with me all of these years.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

I don’t normally like fantasy books, but this book is a brilliant and mysterious delight. It’s hard to describe. It won the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

This was the first Franzen novel that I read and then I promptly ordered every other book he had written. It’s a strong character driven novel about love and marriage.

I feel a bit disconnected from nature at this time of year. I go to work in the dark, I come home in the dark. And I just spend a LOT of time inside. You could pick up:

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

I just finished this and adored it. It made me want to go sit outside and observe the natural world.

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

This is a beautiful short read, first published in 1955 and explores the enduring question of how to find a new, more natural rhythm to life and how to gain a deeper relationship with self and others.

I have been thinking a lot about my place in the world, and how maybe I have let some of my relationships wane but want to reconnect. Try:

My Friends by Hisham Matar

This was my favourite book of 2024. It’s the story of three young Libyan men who are in exile in London. It’s about place and violence and grief, but it’s ultimately a study of friendship.

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

I laughed out loud and shed actual tears reading this novel (sometimes in the same chapter). The story is about friendship and death and is based loosely on a true story.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

Same author twice in a row! That’s how good Catherine Newman is. This book might hit a few nervy topics for those of in the ‘sandwich’ generation, parenting young children while also worrying about ageing parents.

I am overwhelmed with life. I need something that gives me a push to slow down.

4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

If you only read one book from this list, make it this one. Burkeman provides a stark and stunning look at a life well lived – the title references the average number of weeks we are alive (if we’re lucky).

Flourishing by Antonia Case

This is a beautiful memoir about what it is to live a meaningful life. I loved this. Lots of observations of hedonic vs eudaimonic living. It’s written by the founder of the magazines Womankind and New Philosopher.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Harvey won the Booker Prize in 2024. When I started reading it, I didn’t like it. There was no plot, and I was expecting a plot. Once I read a review (that said relax, there’s no plot!) I unwound into it and delighted in the beautiful story that follows 6 astronauts over 24 hours as they orbit the Earth 16 times. This is the only fiction book in this section – and it did make me think about life with a different perspective.

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

I am a massive Cal Newport fan. He dispels the hustle productivity culture that is the norm and advocates for a slower (more productive) way of approaching work. It has had a profound influence on the way I approach life/work balance.

Slow by Brooke McAlary

McAlary’s ‘The Slow Home Podcast was my gateway drug to slow living. The podcast is no longer running, but I like to go back to the archive and re-read this book (and her others) when life gets a little full and unwieldly.

The Simple Life by Rhonda Hetzel

I re-read this book every year. There is something about the intentional simplicity that Hetzel creates that is really lovely to read about. It’s also a short book for those looking for a quick read!

I want to read something to give me hot tips to upgrade my wellbeing. You could read:

High-Grade Living by Jacqui Lewis

I picked up this book from the library display many years ago and fell in love with it (and promptly bought my own copy to read and re-read). I loved it so much I followed Jacqui online (@thebroadplace), read all of her other books and studied to be a meditation teacher with her through The Broad Place. I also took the most wonderful trip to Japan with her this year and immersed myself in creativity and meditation. She has heaps of tips for living life fully and with grace. It’s also the perfect book to flick through on a slow afternoon.

Making Space: Creating a Home Meditation Practice by Thich Nhat Hanh

I do bang on about the benefits of meditation a LOT. This is a lovely short book about starting a meditation practice for those who want a few practical and actionable tips to help get them started.

A Therapeutic Journey: Lessons from the School of Life by Alain de Botton

The School of Life is such a treasure – it has a wonderful collection of books on everything from work and creativity to relationships and surviving the modern world - and I learn so much from every book of theirs I read. I loved this book so much that I bought it as soon as I returned the library copy. It’s full of tips on work, love, emotions and all of the juicy bits of life.

I just got back from Japan and now I want to go back (oh wait, maybe this is just me!!)

Both of these books are about cats and Japan. Two of my favourite things. If you don’t like either of these things, scroll on.

What You Are Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

What the eff is going on in the world, why is everything a bin fire?! Try reading:

The Sunbird by Sara Haddad

A group of writers sent all Australian MPs books about Israel and Palestine to read over the summer. I requested a few of the books on the list from the library out of interest. Haddad’s book is beautiful and crushing story of Palestine told in two parallel timeframes - present day and in 1948. [If you also want a perspective on Israel, John Lyon’s Balcony Over Jerusalem: A Middle East Memoir – Israel, Palestine and Beyond was also sent to MPs and is a fascinating read.]

Why We’re Polarised by Ezra Klein

I am a big fan of Ezra Klein’s writing, so was keen to read this 2020 book exploring American political polarisation. Reading it in 2025 was pretty depressing – the title could probably be changed to ‘Why we’re (extra super dooper) polarised’.

I am online too much, help!

All of the below books shine a light on our interaction with technology – and its detrimental impact on our physical and mental health. Sure, tech is fabulous for so many things. But these books highlight some of the more insidious aspects of our tech addictions [If you have kids or kids in your life, strong recommend for Haidt’s book – it should be compulsory reading].

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

A World Without Email by Cal Newport

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

I have small children, and it is A LOT. HELP! Try:

Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself by Lisa Marchiano

Marchiano is a Jungian analyst and writes SO beautifully about the challenges of motherhood. I started this book with babies and had to put it down because it was a bit heavy. I finished it once I was done with the baby years and found it to be so poignantly spot on about the fleeting nature of motherhood that it brought tears to my eyes. It is on my list to re-read again in one go.

Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Napthali

I have dipped in and out of this over the years. There is so much wisdom in here – both on why motherhood is so damn hard but also reminds the reader to cherish the good with the bad. There are a few different books in the series – including with a focus on babies, toddlers and school-aged kids.

And what books have I prescribed myself this winter? Here are my top 5!

· Blessed Unrest: How the largest Social Movement in History is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World by Paul Hawken

· Aflame: Learning from Silence by Pico Ayer

· The Vast Extent: On Seeing and Not Seeing Further by Lavinia Greenlaw

· Underworld by Don DeLillo

· Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

Happy reading! I would LOVE to hear about the reading rhythm you have planned for winter (or for summer for any readers basking in the summer sun!) – let me know in the comments.

Be well,

Alicia