Why We’re Reading: Wintering

Join me for our Life-Changing Book Club for January and February

Welcome to our second Life-Changing Book Club journey! This month, we’re diving into Wintering by Katherine May.

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Why this book?

Some years ago, I read Wintering while trying to figure out how to fall in love with winter in Saskatoon. I wanted some clue or guidance to help me navigate the brutal cold and long, dark nights that hold the prairies from late October until early April. My children are allowed to play outside at recess at school until the weather becomes ‘inclement’. That number is minus 27.

Below that, it’s deemed too cold.

Wintering is a beautiful collection of essays that build to a retranslation of this fallow period, exploring rest and cold and darkness in a way that gave me what I was looking for. I’ve learned to (mostly!) appreciate the glittering air, the wide snowy landscapes, the frozen wilds of the day-to-day.

But. It’s time to re-read it.

Photo by Mira Kemppainen on Unsplash

Recently, the book was announced as a Sunday Times Bestseller even though it came out years ago.

Kim Pitts

, who suggested this book to us, says, “Wintering by Katherine May changed my life because it allowed me to see the dark, cold times of life that make humans feel weak and isolated can be beautifully restorative periods of quiet necessary for our healing.”

Here’s what we know about the author:

Katherine May

was the first Substack I ever read. She’s a brilliant, thoughtful writer, and her book Enchantment was one of my favourite’s last year. Her real gift is seeing the beauty in the small moments and capturing them in sentences that make me feel connected and seen.

I was lucky enough to interview Katherine in my role as Writing Coach at The Novelry for our memoir writers there. She’s funny, warm, clever, and has a host of interests. She shared in our conversation, “The last few years have been about constant adaptation.”

She’s curious about everything.

And what we’re still curious about:

In a world where we’re often rushing to the next thing, I remember Wintering helps me take a pause. By re-reading it now with you, after Kim so generously suggested it, I’m hoping to rekindle those moments when I learned to love this season and to appreciate the need we have for rest.

And I want to talk about it with you.

Katherine May says, “Life meanders like a path through the woods. We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.”

Where to get it:

Find where to buy the book here.

Or head to your local bookstore.

Or find it at your local library.

This Book Club is set up to be as easy and low commitment as possible. Some of us quietly order the book or get it from the library and read. Others share thoughts and insights. We take it slow. As a reader with ADHD, I find I read several other books along the way, taking each one in bursts.

What to Expect in the Life-Changing Book Club

• ~ Day 21: I’ll check in with reflections and a few insights.

• ~ Day 45 - 60: We’ll open a discussion thread for everyone to share thoughts on themes, characters, tensions and takeaways.

So, tell us in the comments below: Will you be joining this book club? Which books have changed your life (how is up to you to share or keep secret)?

Xoxo

Alice

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If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England. I’ve published fourteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as: “For storytellers and story lovers,” by Kirkus Reviews; ‘Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important,” by VOYA; and “Intense and wonderful” by Bif Naked. Join me for coffee breaks to look at lines from great writers.

Xoxo