A lovely book that helps you to understand that everything changes, grows older and it’s ok.......Wintering is something we try to ignore in the west, on the towns and cities.....but we need to observe the changes within us and without. Highly recommend.

A book of healing that fuses memoir, self-help, cultural history, and gorgeous humour. I consider this book to be mandatory reading as we head into the colder months, be it seasonal or just the chunks of our lives that we need extra care. Katherine May has a remarkable straightforward manner which kept the book wonderfully relatable and honest, almost like chatting with a good friend. I have already begun recommending this wonderful book to everyone who'll listen, as I cannot imagine somebody coming away from this book without a sense of comfort, and having learned something.

Well, what a wonderful way to finish my reading year. Wintering by Katherine May was the 226th book I have finished in 2024 and perhaps the most significant. It was a quite enchanting read, an insight into the cycle of life, where Winter can be embraced and tackled with an enabling sense of mind and an intelligent approach. I loved the author’s honesty and openness with naked soul bearing. All coupled with various factors at play. The lows, the loss of daylight, the withdrawal and restrictions imposed by mood, climate and expectations. The book reads so well. The writing is totally engaging and you feel part of the author’s journey. For me the best part of the book was the logical approach. The framework and the chronological progression through the year into Winter and beyond. The need for preparation and the steps, dates along the way that provide structure but also clues on how to survive and overcome. Whether drawing on traditions, pagan rituals, modern customs to the nature and the wisdom across literature. This is a book that I will return to and would encourage others to read for themselves. It is one of the best times with a book; reading these pages and understanding so much more. This is not just a cerebral process of learning facts and life skills no it is the absorption of ideas, feelings, fears and hopes. Katherine May has a gift of writing, her choice of words and sentence construction that propels the eye across the page and warms the heart. Her ability to be an open vessel, emptying herself of anything that would distract, bring forward conflict or encourage judgement allows the reader to accept her words, experience and values with empathy. She has the ability to stop and stare. To share her glimpse of a group of birds in flight, or a robin cocking his head. To see and hear the power of the sea while feeling its threat with coldness and taste its saltiness. What a wonderful book to close this year.

I loved this book and could deeply relate to Katherine May’s writing. It felt honest, reflective, and quietly comforting.Despite some readers describing her as “entitled,” that wasn’t my experience at all. She is clear about not having money at times, particularly in childhood. What stood out instead was her intelligence, strong work ethic, and how years of pushing through eventually led to burnout. That felt very real and very human.This book gave me permission to slow down and to see rest not as failure, but as something necessary and restorative. I found it genuinely therapeutic and plan to reread it every year.Thank you, Katherine May, for writing such a thoughtful and generous book.

A stunning insight into the human need to winter: to retreat, to reassess, to ruminate, to rest. Katherine May's prose is simultaneously beautiful and simple. The book reads like a loving friend taking you on a long, gentle walk, telling you everything about what's been going on in their life recently and what they've learned from it. Throughout the book, May offers small nuggets of insight worthy of being added into my growing mental health toolbox. At other times, I found myself feeling profoundly seen. Finally, I thought, words which confirm I am not alone in feeling this way. A confirmation of the thoughts and feelings we so rarely voice but know are there. Although it would be a useful read for anyone, I can highly recommend it for those of us who winter frequently, regardless of cause.