A friend recommended this book when she heard I was going to Tromsø, Norway. Preparing for my ultimate bucket list trip to see the Aurora Borealis in Norway, having a Masters in Psychology and Counseling, teaching mindset and mindfulness every day, and absolutely despising winter, I really felt like this book was incredibly relevant and timely for me! I am giving it 3 stars for 3 reasons: 1) I’d give it 3.5 stars but that’s not an option 2) The author repeated herself frequently (usually saying the same thing several times, only slightly changing the words or syntax), so the book sometimes seemed as though it would never end. I believe the message would have come across just as clearly— if not more clearly— in far fewer pages. 2) Disclaimer: this may be an unpopular take and perhaps my feelings were tainted by my current frame of mind, but I felt as though the author presented her material from a privileged, middle- to upper-class, physically mobile/able perspective. She did take care to sometimes throw in statements along the lines of “even if you can’t afford___ you can appreciate the winter” or “even if you have a disability you can walk Scandinavian streets” (these are not direct quotes. I don’t have exact quotes; I listened to this book and didn’t take written notes the way I would if I had a hard copy). The author seemingly neglected to consider or acknowledge the myriad of reasons people may struggle with winter: it’s not all due to mindset. Sometimes people simply cannot ditch their cars to hike to work. The author mentioned an acquaintance of hers that could walk or bike to work even in the most disagreeable weather, despite her physical disability. It felt to me like the message was “because one person I know can do it, so can you!” Incidentally, on my way home from Norway, I met an Oslo native in the airport. She was heading to Los Angeles, California to spend her winter volunteering with the homeless. She told me she cannot survive Norwegian winters, being an amputee and walking with a prosthetic. She said she simply could not leave her house, much less navigate the icy streets when the electric buses in Oslo stopped working due to the extreme temperature. As this Oslo native was telling me how impossible Norway winters are for her, this book immediately came to mind. Perhaps the author may have inadvertently made some fairly sweeping generalizations based on a few isolated experiences. Overall, I am very glad this book was recommended to me. I learned some helpful insights and wisdom before my trip to Norway; I celebrated and appreciated winter solstice for the first time; I have stretched myself to be more intentionally aware and appreciative of winter’s beauty and have hence been on many more winter walks. If you, like me, have spent a lifetime hating winter, this book will surely at least tempt you to change some of those thought patterns.