The Book Club That Takes Reading Outside—Even in Winter
When most people think about books, hot tea and crackling fires, a cozy indoor setting comes to mind. However, for one Ottawa book club, literature and nature go hand in hand, no matter the weather.
Read Between the Pines is a collaboration between Alyssa Delle Palme, Director of Wild Root—a nature and forest school—and Myriam Desmarquis, founder of Pleine Nature, which provides nature-connected experiences for women. Since 2024, they’ve teamed up to offer book lovers forest bathing, nature art, mindful meditation and woodland yoga, all in conjunction with robust literary discussions. Delle Palme shares: “The magic really happens when we bring that book into the wild. I started the Read Between the Pines outdoor book club because, outside of running my nonprofit nature and art school, Wild Roots, I’m also a published author. I wanted to create a space that celebrated both of my passions: books and nature!”
Like any good book club, Read Between the Pines offers snacks and drinks inspired by the novels on its roster. The creative hot herbal teas that Delle Palme and Desmarquis brew are especially appreciated during the winter meetups.
I know this firsthand, as I’m one of the club’s members. Despite my lifelong love of reading, I had serious reservations before our first gathering. I feel like I’m nature’s proverbial fair-weather friend. I’ve always appreciated the Great Outdoors in theory, but in practice, I’m not so sure. Let’s just say, it didn’t take much to convince me to stay home at the slightest sign that I’d get too warm, too cold, too damp or too dusty. Winter was an especially intimidating hurdle to overcome. Aren’t winter activities the exclusive reserve of lithe cross-country skiers and snowshoers who traverse the snow with elegant ease? Where does that leave the bookworms?
At my first Read Between the Pines meetup in March 2024, I felt less like a sophisticated reader and more like the world’s worst-dressed snowman. My orange wind pants, red parka and green backpack certainly made an impression! The kindest way to describe my well-insulated movements would be clumsy waddling. When uninvited clumps of snow found their way onto my face as I meditated, I began to think that my initial hesitations were well-founded, and I felt fidgety. It’s a testament to Delle Palme and Desmarquis’s skills that I slowly began to focus on the sounds, smells and textures of the forest. As the other participants shared what they had observed, something began to melt—and it wasn’t the snow! It marked the beginning of a shift that transformed my feelings about winter. Maybe it wasn’t just for the rough-and-tumble woodland warriors after all.
I’m not alone when it comes to appreciating that winter can be for everyone, even me. Delle Palme shares: “Winter has a quiet beauty that invites reflection and presence. It’s a season that naturally slows us down, and our book club embraces that rhythm. Being outside in the winter doesn’t have to mean breaking a sweat! It can mean watching your breath in the air, feeling the crunch of snow under your boots or sitting around a fire in good company.”
The outdoor setting isn’t the only thing that makes Read Between the Pines unique. The authors also attend and participate, which makes for especially lively discussions. The lineup has so far included spicy romances, historical fiction and coming-of-age tales. Delle Palme says: “Each book we read inspires nature-based invitations, so we’re often exploring the woods, noticing seasonal changes and connecting the story to our surroundings in a grounded, sensory way.”
Kate Cole’s novel, Under Construction, is one of those books. Cole is the author of the Women in the Trades series of smart and sexy rom coms featuring women who occupy roles traditionally held by men. Under Construction was the Read Between the Pines selection for March 2024. What was it like for the author to discuss their book in a winter woodland? Cole shares:
“I’m very big on hygge (fires, tea, wool socks), so while…Under Construction is actually a summertime book, the winter book club was perfectly Kate Cole. I grew up with easy access to nature, and so it’s become second nature (pun intended) to reach out to it—regardless of the season—to fill my creative cup or to hit an emotional reset. Funny enough, the trades I feature (particularly in my latest release, Hot Work) often must reconnect with the power of nature, so taking a book club outdoors only seems fitting.”
Cole is onto something. Reconnection is featured heavily in many of Read Between the Pines’ selections and is a key component of forest bathing itself. It’s also become an essential part of my own relationship with nature. Book club events rarely occur on days which lead me to think “Ah! This is the day I must spend lots of time outdoors!” But I’ve come to realize that I won’t dissolve in the rain nor evaporate in the sun. While my awkward snowman shuffle seems destined to never evolve into anything more graceful, the forest doesn’t seem to care, and now, neither do I.
