"Winter, you conclude, as the cloying heat of summer melts into autumn, is your warmest friend in the truest sense of the word...Your good friend winter, wrapped up in cable-knit sweaters, hiking socks and corduroy, is here for the long haul, affectionately weathering the year's darkest days with you. She's newspapers and red wine, coal and cheese, she's long evenings and dark mornings."
While the Danes and Norwegians have Hygge and the Scots have their Coorie, the English have always had good, old-fashioned Cosy. In this book, Cosy; The British Art of Comfort, Laura Weir explores what it means to be cosy and why it is so important for our mental health and general well-being.
Like most introverts, I am a home-body and I love spending time indoors. There are some outdoor activities I enjoy too, like riding in the woods, or walking by the sea, but for the most part, I spend much of my time at home, reading, writing and generally being as cosy and comfortable as possible. I have always loved being at home, even as a child. I often felt a wrench when I had to leave my cosy bedroom to go to school each day and I couldn't wait to get back again so that I could enjoy my books and music, surrounded by all my lovely things. Years later, I am still exactly the same, which is why the writer's life of working from home is so perfect for me.
This book looks at all the little things that make up a cosy lifestyle, from knitting and crafting, to baking and cooking hearty meals that will fuel you through the colder months. It ranges over themes of cosy clothes, hearth and home, self-care, state of mind, winter festivals and the great British cuppa.
With recommendations for books, films, country walks, mini-breaks and more, Cosy is a handbook to living a simpler life, making the most of your free time during the shorter days and embracing all that the cold season has to offer. And yes, if you must venture out into the cold, there are tips for outdoorsy types too, though it would take an extra special date to prize me away from my own hearth-side when the winter weather really starts to set in. I need the promise of a good canter or wild seas to tempt me outside during autumn and winter!
Cosy is a very little book and you can read it in an hour or so, but it is a lovely celebration of the English way of keeping winter, so if you love the darker months, as I do, then you will probably enjoy this snuggly book. It's one to read on a rainy day, with a pot of tea and a plate of toast beside you. Get cosy and enjoy.
BB Marie x
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