I hope you've been safe and warm through the visits by Ciara and Dennis in recent days - open fires, steaming cups of tea and toast, and a comfy chair as you curl up with a good book, perhaps?

It's been frustrating not to get out on the river or enjoy a woodland walk this weekend but sometimes, though, we have to accept these interruptions to our plans.

This is the message of my recommended non-fiction title this week 'Wintering' by Katherine May.

The author talks of how she was brought up short when family illness caused her to reassess her hopes and plans for the future. What had appeared a sunny outlook was now the barren, cold wasteland of winter.

"Everybody winters at one time or another," she says and suggests we join her in learning how to invite it in, and to appreciate its healing powers. Don't migrate to a warmer climate, pushing winter away. Embrace the changes it brings. Think of how an ice pack brings relief to an injured joint, she says.

The author has visited Scandinavia and swum in the North Sea to bring us moments of wisdom and enlightenment. So put on another jumper and read my review to find out more!