We are Canadian, ergo we whine about winter. We especially whine when we live in Ottawa and it's the coldest winter in 20 years and we are just ... suffering. So much hardship. Yes, Toronto, you're cold, too. And don't hate us, Saskatchewan, we know you have been de-icing your eyelashes and nostril hairs for time immemorial. And ok, the North. Anyway, we're cold.

Mid-whinge this morning, I found this lovely article in The Guardian called "Wildlife on Your Doorstep," whose feature image is this bird, a kingfisher. It stopped me in my tracks.

The bird is responsible for a cheery little jaunt down 49th Shelf's handy "Browse by Category" capability using the search term "Nature," which I then refined to "Seasons." And just like that (thank you bird) all these beautiful books appeared. Books to make you love Canada, and our seasons. Books that make the cold a lot more romantic, and that make you think about how sad it would be if we weren't so cold sometimes.

They include such marvels as Harry Thurston's A Place Between the Tides, David Pitt-Brooke's Chasing Clayoquot, Wayne Grady's The Great Lakes, and Victor Carl-Friesen's The Year Is a Circle. They represent but a smidgen of the nature books on 49th Shelf, but they are perfect for right now.