Wintering by Katherine May, Book Review

I have been wanting to read Wintering by Katherine May, for two years. And I am so glad this book finally came around in my book list and that I came to the front of a very long queue on my library app, Libby.

The full title of Wintering is ‘the power of rest and retreat in difficult times- Wintering’. This book is not about practical tips on how to survive a cold winter. This book is more about personal winters, although real winters are part of that process. This is a book about endurance, but also of solidarity. It invites you and welcomes you to your own winter. It’s also not about comparison of winters. Just allowance. This isn’t necessarily a book celebrating winter, which might be what you’re looking for, true personal winters that Katherine writes about mostly, are not about celebration, even if real seasonal ones can be.

It’s not advice, and to be honest at some points I missed that. It feels like something slightly missing, a chapter, or a meatiness, and once you get to the end of the book I think it makes sense. But this might be just what you need. It’s simply a discussion about personal quiet time, and the allowance of that. Again, it’s solidarity.

I adore winter. I adore hibernation. I don’t need permission to do this, and unfortunately I have been through plenty of my own personal winters now, but if you struggle to accept slowness, this might be a lovely invitation to retreat.

Although I did feel there was something missing from the book, I adored it. I have since bought this book for a family friend, so I very much recommend it. I hope you also enjoy it. Drop us an email if you do and want to discuss it.