Wintering
by Katherine May
May's memoir-essay about fallow seasons, illness, a child's school refusal, a career pause, and what winter, literally and figuratively, teaches about retreat and recovery. It is beautifully written and not an advice book, though the permission it gives to rest without apology is as useful as any method.
Read it if…
you are in a hard, slow season and feel guilty for not pushing through.
Skip it if…
you want tactics; this is literary, reflective and unhurried.
Three things you will actually use
- Accept the winter; fighting it lengthens it.
- Rest, sleep, retreat; recovery is active.
- Expect spring; it comes without your forcing.
Do this first
Name your current season honestly and write what it needs rather than what you planned.
Our verdict
Lovely and consoling; the rest-and-recovery book for difficult years.
Compare with other Gratitude books
Bittersweet
Susan Cain · Gratitude
Gentle, thoughtful and validating; a book for the melancholic.
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Flourish
Martin E. P. Seligman · Gratitude
Important and sprawling; the exercises justify the read.
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Authentic Happiness
Martin E. P. Seligman · Gratitude
A readable primer; partly superseded, still useful for strengths.
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