Winter is a great time to sit in your comfy chair, read

January has always been a struggle for me to get through.

It's hard for me to appreciate arctic air, ice and darkness. But, I'm learning.

I'm learning to look past the cold and enjoy January's silence. Silence is golden.

Extreme cold air can also make way for beautiful, starry nights. I can always appreciate a winter night sky. (Even if it's just for a moment of braving the arctic air.)

And when the sun shines in January it is blindingly beautiful. What a simple joy it is to wear sunglasses in the dead of winter.

January also makes for good reading weather. This month is all about sitting back in a comfy chair with a warm throw and some hot tea. (Top it off with a great read and it doesn't get much better.)

Right now there's about four books I'm scanning through. I read a bit in one and then switch over to another.

"Bumping Into Geniuses" is one of them. The book's written by Danny Goldberg -- who shares his first-person take on the evolution of the music industry. Goldberg started in the business as a rock writer in the late '60s and eventually moved into public relations and up the ladder. I'm only about 60 pages into the memoir -- which is right when Goldberg gets hooked up with Led Zeppelin.

The book was given to me as a gift from a co-worker. (Honestly I would have never picked the book out myself, but it's so far an interesting take on the industry.) I'm really interested in Goldberg's insight on Kurt Cobain. (I haven't gotten this far but I'm sure it's more than just drugs, suicide and grunge.)

I'm also scanning through a few books about Mahatma Gandhi, Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa.

All three of these books offer inspirational quotes at the speed of light. Open a page, there's a quote full of wisdom. The books also offer a brief overview of the lives of Gandhi, Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa.

I love being able to scan my library shelves for a quick inspirational quote. What a pick-me up. And in January I need all of the inspiration one can get.

Here's to hot tea, a warm throw (thanks, Sondra), a great book (and Mark), and silence.

"We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature -- trees, flowers, grass -- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence ... We need silence to be able to touch souls." -- Mother Teresa

Timberly is a staff writer at the Greene County Daily World. She can be reached by e-mail at tferree@gcdailyworld.com or by phone at 1-800-947-4487 or (812) 847-4487.