The Week That Was: A Memoir From Living In the Arctic
Photos and recommendations from my week.
The Week That Was is a Sunday letter crafted for those who seek to live with intention and curiosity. In each edition, I share a curated collection of recommendations, moments, and musings from my week and a question for you to take a moment of reverie.
For the richest reading experience, I recommend viewing the newsletter in the Substack app or expanding the email for full content.
Yesterday, I had planned to drive to Cleveland for the holidays, but I woke up with a nasty cold and decided to postpone the trip by a day. Hopefully, by the time you read this, a fruit smoothie and some medicine will have worked their magic, and I’ll be on the road. The drive is about six hours (I’m opting for the gas car over my new electric one), and while it’s not the most scenic route, over the years, I have learned how to make the time enjoyable.
I usually catch up on long-overdue phone conversations with friends, immerse myself in a good audiobook (still working on Rest is Resistance), and also take the opportunity to have some thinking time. There is something soothing about the open highway, and I’ve come to appreciate these long-ish drives as a rare pocket of uninterrupted time at the end of the year. Plus, there is the joyful anticipation of seeing my family. My Mum will (as usual) have plenty of things planned for while we are there, so I am keeping this short so I can go back to sleep in preparation.
Read on for my recommendations and photos from the week…
curated finds that inspire, delight, and enrich
A Memoir From the Arctic. In A Woman in the Polar Night, Christiane Ritter, a painter from Austria, delivers a luminous account of her year (1933) in the Arctic wilderness, a memoir that masterfully blends poetic meditation with raw survival. Reluctantly joining her husband on Spitsbergen, a remote Arctic island north of Norway, Ritter’s initial trepidation transforms into profound reflections on solitude, the austere beauty of the natural world, and humanity’s fragile place within it. Her prose, as crisp and unyielding as the polar landscape itself, vividly captures both the desolation and the wonder of life at the edge of civilization. While I can’t imagine spending a year in such extreme isolation, I found this memoir deeply interesting—not only for the personal growth Ritter experiences but also for the fascinating glimpse it offers into a seldom-seen part of the world. It is a great book to read in winter and I learnt so much about seals.
My Favourite Candles. I’m now on my fourth—or perhaps fifth—Detroit Rose candle and the charm shows no signs of fading. Hand-poured in Detroit, these candles fill our home with the most delightful scents, a welcome treat every time I step inside. While each has its own appeal, Campfire remains my favourite, evoking a warm, nostalgic ambience.
Print is Back, and It’s Good. The whispers about print’s revival are growing louder, and I couldn’t agree more. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a wave of exceptional print magazines making their debut, with fresh titles continuing to crop up. Last weekend, I picked up a couple of magazines at my local bookstore, including Konfekt, the elegant quarterly from the creators of Monocle. Having followed Konfekt’s monthly podcast and newsletter, I was delighted to discover the printed publication on shelves here in the US. Purchasing magazines at Barnes and Noble? It reminded me of being in high school, but I love it. Spending some time sitting with a physical magazine in the living room is delightful, and I highly recommend picking one up over the holidays.
Flannel All Night Long. Despite being under the weather, I’ve never felt cozier, thanks to my full L.L. Bean winter pajama ensemble. Earlier this month, I treated myself to the flannel pj set (in Black Watch) and made no secret of my desire for the matching dressing gown as a Christmas gift. Last night, my boyfriend delivered—and I was thrilled. The dressing gown is an impeccable addition to my cozy repertoire: supremely comfortable, incredibly warm, and even equipped with a hood for extra snugness. Wrapped in this perfect combination of warmth and softness, I’m ready for the next few months of winter. (I bought these slippers in October, so I am now a full L.L. Bean girl.)
Album on Repeat. Austrian-Iranian pop singer Sofie Royer’s latest album, Young-Girl Forever, is a captivating fusion of wistful melancholy and shimmering pop. Exploring themes of youth, desire, and the transient nature of time, the record immerses listeners in a world of bittersweet beauty. Royer, who produced the entire album, drew inspiration from the provocative book Preliminary Materials for a Theory of the Young-Girl by the French anarchist collective Tiqqun, which critiques “consumer society’s total product and model citizen”—namely, young women. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had this album on repeat, with I Forget (I’m So Young) and Tigerbunny emerging as personal favorites. Though it’s difficult to choose, the album as a whole is nothing short of exceptional.
a glimpse into the little joys and moments of my week
a pause to reflect, a moment to savor
"What small, intentional changes could you make in your daily life in 2025 to slow down and align your actions with your values?"
With warmth and gratitude,
Jennifer
xxx