Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (1974) serves as an antidote to the dreariness of any winter, though to this winter specifically it poses only increased benefit. It has depth enough to be thought provoking and intellectual, but lives in almost an idyll, taking the reader on a pleasant stroll through the challenges, details, and seasonal changes of Tinker Creek. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is a field guide for observation; it is a glimpse into a new perspective, a way of seeing the life and meaning in the world despite the coldness of winter, and despite all of the challenges brought on this year. It’s a warmth to melt the sorrow, a warmth to lift the spirits. But this isn’t the sort of book that’s discarded once read. No, it’s the sort of book one takes with them, carries through life, a book that reminds of the natural life that always continues despite it all. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is an educational influence on both the mind and spirit. It entertains on all topics from grasshoppers to Dillard’s musings on flooding, the implications of sight, frogs, and parasites, and impresses her extraordinary breadth of knowledge in a way that is digestible, profound, and enthralling. It nurtures intellectual curiosity, and offers a fascinating natural philosophy, the likes of which can be carried through even the darkest of winters, even the most challenging of times, a source of light and hope.