Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
- Downloads：5968
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-11 13:57:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Katherine May
- ISBN：1846045991
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Reviews
Linda Bond
，
Sometimes life becomes so overpowering that we just want to hide。 And that’s a reasonable reaction， but our society makes it pretty difficult to deal with these periods ranging anywhere from depression to just plain tired。 And that’s where Katherine May’s book comes in。 I found her thoughts on our need for down-time to be both enlightening and comforting。 Based on the idea that nature， itself， has seasons – including a time when the best option is hibernation – she reflects on her own experience Sometimes life becomes so overpowering that we just want to hide。 And that’s a reasonable reaction， but our society makes it pretty difficult to deal with these periods ranging anywhere from depression to just plain tired。 And that’s where Katherine May’s book comes in。 I found her thoughts on our need for down-time to be both enlightening and comforting。 Based on the idea that nature， itself， has seasons – including a time when the best option is hibernation – she reflects on her own experiences when life left her bereft of energy and wanting a bit of solitude。 She describes ways to “winter” in our daily lives， for brief periods or longer， depending on need。 And she described this as a way to survive the pain and anguish life can bring。 I loved the words she shared and I think you will， too。I met this book at Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane， WA 。。。more
Shagufta
，
Slow at parts and could have been shorter， but overall this was such a helpful read about the importance of our winters and what we need to do to move into spring。
Lauren
，
2。5
Hilary
，
I very much enjoyed this book and found it comforting， instructive， resonant and considered。 I did what I never， ever do - turned down page corners and underlined bits of text that particularly spoke to me。 I read it at an especially apt time， when I am taking stock of the full weight of change that the pandemic has brought to my life and how I’m responding to it。 So it’s given me a lot to think about and act upon。 I enjoyed the forays into examples from nature， history and religion/spirituality I very much enjoyed this book and found it comforting， instructive， resonant and considered。 I did what I never， ever do - turned down page corners and underlined bits of text that particularly spoke to me。 I read it at an especially apt time， when I am taking stock of the full weight of change that the pandemic has brought to my life and how I’m responding to it。 So it’s given me a lot to think about and act upon。 I enjoyed the forays into examples from nature， history and religion/spirituality that are weaved through the book and just overall found it a very interesting read。 。。。more
Mireya
，
The Epilogue is probably the part of the book that I enjoyed the most。 The rest goes too mucho into detail of the day to day of the author。
Brenna
，
I kept trying to squash it down， but felt too irritated by the author’s lack of acknowledging/ questioning her own privilege to open up to any wisdom that might be present in this book。
Mary
，
Many digressions， causing me to lose interest。 I did enjoy the brief digression into cold water swimming in February
Caitlin Allison
，
This was a beautifully written， poetic and reflective book。 Reading this was like slowly enjoying a delicious desert， savouring every part。 Loved it！
Reid Belew
，
This is a unique book。 I’m not sure I got what I expected to get: advice on retreat and solitude。 But I did witness a wonderful example of it， presented in beautiful prose。 Most reviews state this， and I’m a bit ambivalent about it for the most part， but there is a tinge of privilege throughout the book that can be annoying。 Still， May offers a very beautiful metamorphosis journey that is subtle， thoughtful， and especially calming to read。 I shouldn’t have read it in the spring。
Janice
，
A quiet little book that serves as a reminder that we all need to embrace periods of quiet。 We all endure ‘winters’ in our life and it serves us well to just accept these periods as times of rest and restoration。 Probably best read during a personal wintering period。。。peaceful， comforting， reassuring。
starduest
，
I don't know how to describe the experience of reading this， except that it was lovely and incredibly gentle。 I felt cosseted in a fluffy blanket， with a lukewarm mug of herbal tea and a bowl of homemade chicken soup。 The writer has an incredibly different life and interests to mine but all throughout I was pulled in and lightly cocooned by its tendrils of soft cottonwool。 I enjoyed the journey and the experience of reading this。 I don't know how to describe the experience of reading this， except that it was lovely and incredibly gentle。 I felt cosseted in a fluffy blanket， with a lukewarm mug of herbal tea and a bowl of homemade chicken soup。 The writer has an incredibly different life and interests to mine but all throughout I was pulled in and lightly cocooned by its tendrils of soft cottonwool。 I enjoyed the journey and the experience of reading this。 。。。more
Sistermagpie
，
No surprise that I would like this book。 I'm a big fan of thinking about winter as a sort of metaphor for retreat。 My favorite season is fall， the season of dying before the dead （although winter isn't death but more like sleep）。 I like dusk and sunset。 I took a whole online course on Dark Goddesses。 I demand a green burial after death。 One of the biggest injustices of daily life， for me， is the idea that you should have to get up when you haven't gotten enough sleep （which for me， granted， is p No surprise that I would like this book。 I'm a big fan of thinking about winter as a sort of metaphor for retreat。 My favorite season is fall， the season of dying before the dead （although winter isn't death but more like sleep）。 I like dusk and sunset。 I took a whole online course on Dark Goddesses。 I demand a green burial after death。 One of the biggest injustices of daily life， for me， is the idea that you should have to get up when you haven't gotten enough sleep （which for me， granted， is probably ideally， like， 10 hours） or that bad weather doesn't change expectations as much as it should。So it's nice to see that appreciation reflected in a book that notes how much our culture tends to be focused on constant activity and summer and life。 When the author develops health problems she notes how common it is in books of the past for people to take "rest cures" where it's understood that traveling to a quiet spot by the sea or wherever is good for your health， while she feels guilty about taking a long-planned trip when out on sick leave because it suggests she's enjoying herself and therefore ought to be at work。So as books encouraging one to make changes in their life go， this one is gentler and far more inspiring than the more brutally cheerful self-help kind of book。 It's more just an observation of winter from different， very practical angles and what it can tell us about knowing when to retreat。 。。。more
Joanna
，
3。5 - timely book with a nice thesis
Salomé Esteves
，
This was a lovely calming read， just like it promised to be。 But I don't think it was particularly special。 Except for the last chapter， which was truly special。 This was a lovely calming read， just like it promised to be。 But I don't think it was particularly special。 Except for the last chapter， which was truly special。 。。。more
Jessica
，
Brilliant。This was fantastic and incredibly timely for me （and I am sure for many others）。 A great many of us acknowledge that our device driven existence is wearing。 The call for work life balance has meant in large part doing as much at work as before， but adding the requirement of proving through grand adventures and fantastic achievements that we have achieved balance。 The idea of working hard and playing hard has turned out to be even more exhausting than I， at least， thought was possible。 Brilliant。This was fantastic and incredibly timely for me （and I am sure for many others）。 A great many of us acknowledge that our device driven existence is wearing。 The call for work life balance has meant in large part doing as much at work as before， but adding the requirement of proving through grand adventures and fantastic achievements that we have achieved balance。 The idea of working hard and playing hard has turned out to be even more exhausting than I， at least， thought was possible。 Wintering is a concept that we may learn "hard" in ways we don't appreciate。 That does not mean it is not vital and a solid path to a kinder more accepting， but also， more rational， more real society。 。。。more
Kate
，
The entire global population is experiencing a collective wintering period。 And there is so much we can learn individually and collectively if we lean in and view this pandemic as our guide， our spiritual teacher and ally。 This masterly crafted book tells us how。 Wintering is beautifully written - so many pages I reread for the sheer beauty of the written word。 It is also well-researched adroitly tying in scientific studies， experts in the field together with observations of the natural world an The entire global population is experiencing a collective wintering period。 And there is so much we can learn individually and collectively if we lean in and view this pandemic as our guide， our spiritual teacher and ally。 This masterly crafted book tells us how。 Wintering is beautifully written - so many pages I reread for the sheer beauty of the written word。 It is also well-researched adroitly tying in scientific studies， experts in the field together with observations of the natural world and natural phenomenon。 This book helps foster the much needed skill of wintering as well as teaches us how to become more spiritually literate in the world - how to see with new eyes， to see the sacred in every day life。 Sharing my friend Catriona in London’s summary that beautifully captures the essence of this soulful book which mirrors my own perspective。 “Looking at the book as a whole I see it as a love letter。 A love letter to the natural world which grasps the beauty of the frozen Arctic circle， the Northern Lights， bees， pewter grey seas， black headed gulls， the poetry of nature suffuses the whole text and lifts my heart and makes it sing。But I see it as a love letter to life itself。 In the West we have become obsessed with winning， being happy， positive， achieving， being busy – the holy grail of our time to show our value and worth in the world。 And she says no， winter， hard things are not just to be endured， muscled through， pushed past they are to be lived， and savoured and even cherished and if we can we can learn and grow and expand our hearts and minds and spirits and in that change the way we live。 We can ask hard times， what are you here to teach me， as she says。 Even as we turn our faces to the Spring， with Winter at our back， it feels less like a threatening dark malign force and more like a comforting blanket into which I can retreat if it all feels too much and it will enfold me and hold me safe until I am ready to venture out again。“ 。。。more
Esther May
，
I enjoyed this book about taking it slower when problems or hard times arise and the parallels between our personal winters and earth's winter。 There were some really good stories in this book。 I enjoyed this book about taking it slower when problems or hard times arise and the parallels between our personal winters and earth's winter。 There were some really good stories in this book。 。。。more
Diana Gugel
，
Wonderful imageryHer use of language is awesome。 I enjoyed her “British” context even when her references weren’t familiar to me。 There’s a universality to what she has written even as it is her particular story。
Whitney
，
I wish I had read the hard copy instead of listening to the audiobook， but I still enjoyed it。
Adriarn Reynolds
，
Wintering Katherine May really articulates exactly how I feel about this subject。 A gentle exploration of a sometimes dark season and how it can be a delightful time to understand the wintering in our lives。 We all experience these periods of time she shows us how to embrace it。 The whole chapter on winter swimming I found enthralling and so worth the book just for that chapter。 I have to say the perfect time to read it heading into winter。
AnnMarie
，
I don’t know what to make of this book。 The author writes beautifully but this is a story of depression and privilege。 I don’t want to belittle anything May went through but not everyone can take time off from work when sick， or end up leaving a job all together， or go to Iceland and swim in hot springs。 I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone who is dealing with mental health issues。
mg
，
If I could give this book 20 stars， I totally would。 Maybe it's because Katherine May and I are clearly soul sisters。。。 my adoration of the snow， all things Arctic， blizzard tourism， etc。 really make me a prime audience for this book。 Oh， also the fact that I've been going through my own wintering for the past year。。。I read a library copy of this book， but plan on purchasing my own and re-reading it every winter。。。or every wintering。。。as needed。 If I could give this book 20 stars， I totally would。 Maybe it's because Katherine May and I are clearly soul sisters。。。 my adoration of the snow， all things Arctic， blizzard tourism， etc。 really make me a prime audience for this book。 Oh， also the fact that I've been going through my own wintering for the past year。。。I read a library copy of this book， but plan on purchasing my own and re-reading it every winter。。。or every wintering。。。as needed。 。。。more
Diane Dachota
，
I thought this would be a great choice on how to carry on during the difficult times we are experiencing due to Covid and in my case， losing my job and suffering from chronic pain and limited mobility as a result。 This book however is really not about this at all and gave me no ideas on surviving hard times。 The book begins on the author's 40th birthday when her husband referred to as "H" becomes ill。 The author becomes annoyed and it's only when her friend insists the husband is gravely ill doe I thought this would be a great choice on how to carry on during the difficult times we are experiencing due to Covid and in my case， losing my job and suffering from chronic pain and limited mobility as a result。 This book however is really not about this at all and gave me no ideas on surviving hard times。 The book begins on the author's 40th birthday when her husband referred to as "H" becomes ill。 The author becomes annoyed and it's only when her friend insists the husband is gravely ill does she take him to the hospital where he has a burst appendix， The husband is rarely talked about in the book at all except when she looks back at how annoyed she was at dealing with him。 The author has published other stories and books and was a creative writing professor which made her anxious and feel like she needed a break。 Those are my personal dream jobs but I can understand burn-out。 She also develops stomach problems which are never able to be diagnosed。 Her solutions to this is to spend a lot of time researching the season of winter which includes joining a group that swims in the sea in below zero temperatures， traveling to Iceland to soak in thermal pools and traveling to Norway to see the northern Lights。 She also does a lot of research on animals and how they survive during winter and quotes from a lot of children's books and adult books that mention the word winter。 None of this is actually applied to how she views her life and her problems and seems like she is just teaching a class on winter。 The author also writes in a way that is both pretentious and very twee。 She gathers and pickles fruits and vegetables but of course cannot be satisfied with strawberries， no she is interested in marsh sampires， sloes and ash keys。 She does random things like attend a Swedish festival honoring St。 Lucia and visits Stonehenge。 There is also a section where she goes on a rant about hating Halloween because it is a time when "The poor rise up and the rich are put down" which she notices because her house was one time toliet papered。 And of course she has a friend named Hazel who studies the habits of the dormouse and Katherine gets to observe them as they slumber。 She also never uses a simple word when a longer or more obscure one is available。 Why three stars？ Well the author writes beautifully about nature and if this were a nature book alone I would rate it highly。 As a book on how to deal with hard times， I guess the answer is to be rich and travel。 I am curious about the husband who is never mentioned and not included in the acknowledgments。 I also would love to know her state of mind， her feelings her desire for a direction in life， and quotes from children's classics just can't do that for me。 。。。more
Kathleen Faw
，
This is the most beautiful description of depression I’ve ever read。
Kathleen
，
Lovely writing。 But， there's something that falls slightly short for me in this memoir of dealing with a difficult time。 Katherine May's time without a job， where she pulled her son from school， seem less "difficult" than how I spent the majority of my adult life。 But， I do see why it was difficult for her。 And， because of her focus on the need to nest and step back， her time of travail becomes completely universally related， since so many of us didn't have a choice for most this past year。 It's Lovely writing。 But， there's something that falls slightly short for me in this memoir of dealing with a difficult time。 Katherine May's time without a job， where she pulled her son from school， seem less "difficult" than how I spent the majority of my adult life。 But， I do see why it was difficult for her。 And， because of her focus on the need to nest and step back， her time of travail becomes completely universally related， since so many of us didn't have a choice for most this past year。 It's a wonderful 2020-21 book。 。。。more
Paige
，
Eloquently written and brings a different perspective to times when you want to run away from the world and just hybernate。 May depicts those times in our lives when grief， despair， and healing are what is necessary to contiue on our everyday journey。 Highly recommend。
Sara
，
Winter does not mean everything is dead。 It is simply gearing up for the spring。 A quiet book about the power of taking life in cycles。 I enjoyed reading about the author's experiences。 Winter does not mean everything is dead。 It is simply gearing up for the spring。 A quiet book about the power of taking life in cycles。 I enjoyed reading about the author's experiences。 。。。more
Gabriella Brigando
，
Uncomplicated and honest， it was exactly what I needed。 Nuggets of wisdom to take through life’s less-glorified， yet unavoidable （and recurring） season。
Joanne Hill
，
Beautifully written exploration of the times we need to slow life down for rest and rehabilitation。 In winter， nature withdraws， sheds， or freezes; if we can also recognise the times we need to do this （which might not correspond to the actual season of winter） we might cope better and not see times of rest as a negative but as healing parts of the cyclical nature of life。
Renee Glembin
，