Absolutely loved this book which really encapsulated the true wonders of nature in fact and fictional stories (written as poems, or folk tales, stories or essays) told by past and present authors. I found it a very educational resource and loved that some of the places described are places I know well or have visited (or will visit now in the future). Definitely a book I would want to read in front of a roaring open fire.

What absolutely delights me about a book, which is a collection of essays or short stories is that the exclaimed joy of discovering a new author. In Nature Tales for Winter Nights, I discovered quite a few, learned something new about known authors, and also confirmed my dislike for some.
It is difficult to write about nature... she is very visual and very visceral, and to describe and evoke those two very emotions on page with jsut the help of words is a job that beckons only the bravest.

The book solemnly opens up a excerpt from Anne Frank's diary, dated 24th December 1943. She contemplates from her hiding place, in the loft, when she will be able to breathe the fresh crisp winter air.

A young Tove Jansson becomes obsessed with an iceberg, and resists her childhood memory by bringing out the inky midnight darkness and the glow of a single light in my mind in the iceberg 'that looks like a tattered crown' that floated away, the flashlight lighting up the grotto, 'an illuminated aquarium at night'

Snow mountains everywhere by sei shonagon is wickedly hilarious. A bet between an Empresses and her lady in waiting turns serious when the 'snow mountain' a pile of heaped snow at the lady in waiting's quarter doesnt seem to melt away with the waning of the winter season. Word soon spreads and everyone becomes involved in what is now more than a strong whisper in the courts and soon the word reaches the Emperor. Who wins in the end? I wouldn't spoil it for you.

Charlotte Bronte's a shadow is a revelation for me. I was stunned in silence, re-reading the short story again, thrice, just to absorb it all, Similarly, Varlam Tikhonovich Shalamov's berries is the perfect story which has everything has all the marks for an uplifting story against all odd with a terrifying twist at the end.

A harsh winter by mathilte Sorensen somehow comes across as a moral story, reminding me of the ant and the grasshopper. Yuletide by Marchelle Farrell, is an ode to resting in winter, using her garden as a metaphor... fairly sensible and also poetic. Jorsias Ammonsen expressively captures the tempestuous nature of the sea — calm one moment, treacherous the next. Humans have their boats, their swimming skill, but the sea has brute force and sometimes there is nothing you can do but just watch in awe and wisdom as the surf rises along with the waves.

Sarah Thomas's Beygja - bend, Djupt - deeply, Halda - hold is mesmeric in her description of the emotional journey winter days and nights wreck on humans. She talks, wistfully of the trudgery of winter mornings and the crackling energy of winter nights. 'To walk alone in the middle of the night with the hushed crunch of my footsteps in a green-lit bowl of snow; that is what I came for. That is what living is for.' Eloquent, isn't it?

This is what I thought upon first receiving this book and reviewing it in March 2024. I see no reason to change my mind at all...

In all honesty, quite the surprisingly poor collection of extracts, as opposed to, you know, actual stories. The pieces, author biographies, sources and copyrights are in four places and not one, so it's not done handily for anyone, very few of the works generate much, and the lower case contents page is just so Taylor Swift last year. To call it a smallest-room diversion is probably being generous, and I know the book thinks it's so, so much more. One and a half stars.

I would have given the whole writing of let's say Tove Jansen all together rather than splitting people into two so that they could be known for what she writes about them. Tove was saying when flowers were seeded in greenhouses. There were people like Eat Whitman, Virginia Woolf, Jorias Ammonsen, Mathilte Sorensen, Henry David Thoreau, Robert Louis Stevenson and others describing woodlands, snow, open fields and other things that people liked. I wasn't crazy about some of the stuff Nancy wrote about, some I really liked such as the witch-hazel gatherer.

I fell in love with the cover and then fell in love with the stories in this book. They are magical and bring back the spirit of winter and of the season when Nature in sleeping and alive at the same time.
I loved it and it's highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The idea is lovely - a collection of winter tales in one neat book with a gorgeous cover -, but the introduction by the story collector/author is way too long. And I hate to say this: boring. I forced myself to read it and couldn't read for long, because my eyes fell shut. This from an avid reader. The introduction should be short and crispy like hardened snow under one's boot, not like sludgy, mushy sleet. I'm sorry, but the intro left such a bad lasting impression that it's hard to get over it. After finishing it, I only read the first story and decided to leave it at that.

Still... Thanks for the advance copy. Not every book can be a winner & more patient readers might not feel this passionately about the intro or simply skip it.

This is my kind of book! I adore winter and this is just perfect to settle down with on a cold winters evening! I loved it so much I bought a physical copy! I hope there’s a follow up!

What an absolutely gorgeous collection of writings about winter! Nancy Cambell has done a beautiful job of collecting classic writings about winter from a wide range of cultural traditions. This is a perfect book for a bedside table or cozy corner to encourage someone to sit and reflect for a bit. Each entry is brief, and most could be read in 5-10 minutes. Overall a lovely gift for the readers in your life (or for yourself). It has certainly made me appreciate the winter season more!

With the seasons changing, this was the perfect book for me to settle into each night to read a few stories.

"Nature Tales for Winter Nights" is truly what this book is about. Nancy Campbell has collected an incredible variety of winter and nature stories - fiction, non-fiction, and poetry to share within this book. Some of the collected authors included are Charlotte Bronte, Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, John Clare, Susan Fenimore Cooper, Kevin Crossley-Holland, Charles Darwin, Daniel Defore, Charlotte Du Cann, John Evelyn, Anne Frank, James Frazer, Vincent van Gogh, Kenneth Grahame, Olaus Magnus, William Shakespeare, Sei Shonagon, Henry David Thoreau, Walk Whitman, Virginia Woolf, Dorothy Wordsworth, and many more!

I don't believe this is a book you just jump into and read from start to finish. You could but I feel each short story and poem deserves it's own bit of attention.

Thank you, #NetGalley, #NancyCampbell, and #Elliott&Thompson, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I will say, I was drawn to this book by title and vibes of the cover alone, and pleasantly enjoyed it so much more! I made myself pop on a digital fireplace or winter cabin scene every time I picked this up because it felt like the only correct thing to do. As a collection, I really appreciated that there were both fiction and non-fiction stories to dive into, as well as poetry and many authors to sample. Some of the stories were actual extracts from larger collections too, which left me both a little disappointed when they were over and excited that I will be able to find more elsewhere should I want to.

I chose to experience this book in smaller snippets, picking it up and setting it down after a story or two, but I could see it being an easy cover-to-cover read with how inviting each story is and the shorter length of the book overall. I learned a lot about the natural world along the way, and would highly recommend to nature lovers as a companion to follow you through the cold, dark greys of winter, casting a warm glow of life and hope until spring arrives again.

In truth, I think I liked the concept of this one much more than the execution. The book examines small snippets of text that revolve around the colder months. While I did enjoy seeing the season through others eyes and prose, the delivery felt disjointed, lacking any whimsy or heart.

This book was such a struggle to get through. I didn't enjoy it at all and couldn't recommend it to anyone. The items for this collection seem to have been chosen just if they had anything remotely relating to winter or weather. Many sections are just flat, uninteresting logbook entries about the weather. Some stories were shortened from their original or sections taken so out of context that I didn't even know what was going on.

Not to mention the author's looong, slightly pretension introduction to the collection. I guess I won't even get into that.

This review is also posted to my Goodreads account.

I did enjoy this book, it was like being transported to different times and places to experience winter. Although the theme was the same, the pieces were all different and individual. A lovely book to dip into when travelling .

This book is a true gift to those who love winter and all of it's many faces. We read it as a group read and everyone loved it for so many different reasons it's impossible to pick just one. This book will make a lovely gift for any reader.

Although I think this would be a amazing book for the right person, it just wasn't the right book for me. I can't really put a finger on why though. Maybe essays and short stories just aren't my thing?

I liked that it focused on winter stories and had a cozy feel to it. I also think that a lot of people would enjoy that it was a series of essays and short stories. This makes it easy to pick up and read some each day or as you get the chance.

This book was not to my taste, and I don't think it's the book's fault. Obviously there's some well known authors in this collection, and there's a clear theme among the works. However, the works themselves sound like a collection of word salads. They talk about stuff, but there's not much for story. When people say "beautiful writing" and mean "no plot," they are talking about writing just like this.

As the weather turns from the heat of summer to the chill of autumn and winter, these stories are the perfect compliment to cozy winter wear.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in excahnge for an honest review.

I loved this book! Beautiful stories, especially this time of year transitioning to Fall and preparing for Winter.
Cozy, lovely, and worth the time to sit, relax, and dive into these stories.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for access to this eARC.

Imagine that is four o’clock on a late fall or winter afternoon. A cup of tea or coffee or hot chocolate is on the table and this book is in your hands.

Take the time to read an entry any day that you have the opportunity. It will see you through many a cold, dark night.

Some of the entries in this book are very short as is the first one by Anne Frank. At most the others are still less than ten pages.

There are authors whose names I recognized including Virginia Woolf, Tove Jansson, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Vincent Van Gogh. Interspersed with their writings were many minutes of getting new perspectives on the time of year.

Start with the author’s introduction and then read this one in any order. It is a title that I will be pulling out again and again.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson for this title. All opinions are my own.

A beautiful collection of essays perfect reading for the winter months.I loved the authors first book Fifty Words For Snow and now I’m delighted to add this wonderful collection to my library. #netgalley #elliot&thompson