Welcome to Litsy!

Sort of like the Braiding Sweet Grass of English people; where the traditions and connection wasn‘t taken away by colonialism, but from neglect and the invasion of Christianity centuries ago. Here, the traditions have been lost entirely, so there are many guesses and many failed attempts. There is little to no cultural memory of such connectedness and tradition.

I always intended to read this after a reread of Wintering, but this seems even more fitting now than it did in July when I bought it. I looked at the date today and went, crap. 10 more days of sanity. I‘m just not doing the news for the next 4 (or however many years). If something is important, someone will tell me. Something stupid was said and offended XYZ is NOT breaking news!
#KatherineMay #Enchantment #anxiety #AnxiousAge #godshelpus

A lovely listen— I admire the cadence of Katherine May‘s prose. It‘s always a pleasure ❤️ this one ruminated beautifully on meaning-making, the personal magic created by nostalgia or encounters with nature. Perfect for walking through the botanical gardens near my home 🎄

After having read this book, I think I‘d like to read the author‘s other books. The style of writing is beautiful. This book is about remembering to slow down, why we should do it, and that it‘s okay to do it. Shown: a stunning sunrise from this past Tuesday. I had no choice but to yield, and take in the beauty before hurrying in to this daily thing we call work. Hurry to work, when there‘s this to look at? Is that even a question?!

We are a forgetful species, obsessed with the endless succession of tasks that hover over our days, and negligent of the grand celestial drama unfolding around us. And here I am, remembering.

Shown: the pale blue dot (us!) visible under Saturn‘s rings. When looking at the cars and icy cascades of WA through the plane window, I thought, from up here, all the nonsense going on down there seems so petty! Why do we wrap ourselves up in wars, ⬇️

Wintering was life changing. I‘ve listened to it multiple times. Enchantment? Not so much. But her writing is beautiful. Maybe I wasn‘t in the right frame of mind. May give it another listen as background entertainment when doing chores around the house.

📸 of the stones she mentions in one of her essays

I love author Katherine May and everything she writes. This book is a great read for any time of year, but I think it's especially appropriate for spring, with its messages of renewal and restoration and its focus on the elements of earth, fire, and air, and identifying the quiet traces of magic that can be found only when we look for them. #nature #memoir #nonfiction #selfhelp #FridayNightShare #Naturalitsy #Litsolace #SpringEquinox

My sweet Saoirse on my lap, Enchantment is completed. I loved this book. I may have realized at moments i was hurrying and not as engaged and reminded myself the reading is also the experience. In slowing down at those times I found words and thoughts of value to me- that i would have otherwise missed. Glad this was the January buddy read for #midwintersolace

I liked the meditative aspects of this book and found I was enjoying it “in the background.” It set a mood, rather than told a story. Some of the memoir-y parts came off a little bitter, maybe, which didn‘t seem like it worked with the vibe? But also seemed pretty true to May, so I dunno. Based on everyone‘s feedback from the #NaturaLitsy and #Midwintersolace buddyread, I may enjoy May‘s first book more than this one :) Thanks, Midwinter team!

#JumpStart2024 #ReadAway2024

Finished last night at #HyggeHour for #Naturalitsy #MidwinterSolace My 1st book from this author & it gets a softish pick for the beauty of her writing. Some of the essays didn‘t quite hit for me, but I still found a lot to savor such as “Our sense of enchantment is not triggered only by grand things, the sublime is not hiding in distant landscapes. The awe-inspiring, the numinous, is all around us, all the time.” ⬇️

#Midwintersolace
Sunday #Hyggehour readathon, I forgot to post last night. I snuggled up in my newly decorated bedroom and fell asleep 😴 😅
I hope you all had a relaxing, cosy hour.

@Chrissyreadit @TheBookHippie

#Naturalitsy #MidwinterSolace

Like many of the group taking part in Sunday night #HyggeHour I plan to continue the tradition of winding down from 8-9 PM into February.

I‘m in my usual blanketed spot on the couch listening to my “mood is chill” playlist & tonight I‘m going to try to finish up the tagged book & then maybe spend some time planning my February #TBR since it‘s almost here.

I just feel this. I want to understand why life feels so brutally exhausting. We are not living in the worst of times. But perhaps the most disconnected? I don‘t know the answer but there is something that feels out of reach in “fixing” this. #naturalitsy #midwintersolacebuddyread

She was preaching to the choir with me on this and yet, of the three books of hers I've read, this is the one I've felt the least engaged with. I enjoyed the Water section best. Sometimes her writing really sang and at others it, and the structural device, just felt clunky and laboured. She's convinced me (not that I needed convincing) of the importance of everyday wonder, but... And? What next? (I'll still happily read everything she writes.)

#Midwintersolace January #buddyread

Any final thoughts on our last read together? (For now 😏)

@Chrissyreadit @TheBookHippie @jenniferw88

I loved Wintering and was so looking forward to this one by May. Sadly, it did not meet my inflated expectations. I had a hard time connecting with May and her thoughts in a few of her essays. While there are a few great quotes in here, I was left feeling so-so over the whole book.

Thanks for offering this #BuddyRead ! #Naturalitsy #MidWinterSolace

2 ⭐️s
I really thought I would enjoy this book but the further I got, the more it fell apart for me. By the time I got to Air, everything felt so disjointed that I was struggling to even figure out what the purpose of this book even is. I don‘t deal with an overwhelming existential crisis the way the author seemed to. Lockdown and quarantine were actually small blessings for me, personally. It gave me the space to breathe and the time to stop ⬇️

#Naturalitdy #MidwinterSolace

Resting on the couch for my #HyggeHour tonight, trying to get more of the tagged book read & maybe finish Heartstopper Vol.5. Then off to bed as I have a busy work day tomorrow & I‘m trying to feel better. 🤧🥱😴

“To have nothing to lose, you have to first lose everything.” So profound! #Naturalitsy #Midwintersolace #buddyread

#Naturalitsy #Midwintersolace January #buddyread

Are you enjoying this? Any thoughts on this week's chapters? 🤔

@TheBookHippie @chrissyreadit @jenniferw88

I tried to be mindful when I was listening to this & not just binging it in my stream of near constant distractions (the antithesis of the objective of the book). After a couple essays left me arguing instead of introspecting, I started to think about DNFing, but I decided to polish it off over MarioKart & morning paperwork today. It was presented well, & the narration was great. Some musings (writing/play)I will likely continue to reflect on.

#NaturalLitsy #MidwinterSolace #Hygge

Spending my #HyggeHour curled up on the couch & deciding between catching up with the tagged book or starting The Rescuers for #ChildrensClassicsRead2024 depending on what I feel like. A cup of herbal tea & shortbread cookie (not pictured) will be enjoyed. It‘s just a bit warm so far tonight for the super soft slippers my friend gave me for Christmas but I love them. 🤍

#Midwintersolace

Week 2 discussion thread - Water

🌊 What are your thoughts on this section?
🌊 Are you a wild swimmer?
🌊 Have you ever tried it or wanted to?

@TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit @jenniferw88

KM was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD as an adult so this is a bit about that journey, the pandemic, her love of swimming ❤️ and her journey as a bee keeper ( so coincidental since I just finished Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and now I‘m reading Mad Honey by Katie Welch - I‘m all about the bees right now ) don‘t mind me as I get caught up on all the cleaning that got neglected this fall when my 2 week teaching job went on for 4 months

#buddyread #naturalitsy #midwintersolace I am de:Christmas-ing. I love to listen to audio books when I do chores, I especially love non-fiction on audio. I like to think they awaken wonder in me for understanding. Anxiety has been something I have been grappling with for awhile. I‘m not sure if it‘s age, the pandemic that really ramped it up but here we are

#Naturalitsy #Midwintersolace

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on our January #buddyread 😊

Discussion thread - Week 1

✨️ Do you like the author's writing style?
✨️ Are you enchanted or disenchanted?
✨️ Do you think you may find this book helpful or enlightening?

@TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit @jenniferw88

How are all of you? We are expecting a storm… and as long as i can stay home i will be content to read. I‘m really enjoying all the posts being shared for #midwintersolace. I love that Winter encourages us to take care, rest and prepare (even though modern work/life culture challenges this ) Sending out cozy vibes to all of you 🩵

#Midwintersolace

The first week in January is almost over. I hope it's been a good one. I've started our #buddyread as tagged. ⬆️ I look forward to your thoughts on tomorrow's discussion thread.
I'm trying to relax today after a crazy week, catching up on journal, diary and Litsy posts.
Wishing you all a fab weekend 😘

@TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit @jenniferw88

#midwintersolace #naturalitsy I think I fall in the #unpopularopinion camp with Katherine May. I couldn‘t quite connect with Wintering, & this one I loved & felt completely unmoved by in turns. She‘d have these lines that I‘d think YES! EXACTLY! THATS EVERYTHING! And then she‘d go off on tangents and I‘d struggle to focus for the rest of the chapter. Still, the book was so worth it for those moments of connection & it gave me a lot to think about.

The hold on our February #midwintersolace buddy read came into Libby early so I‘m doing some audiobaking inspired by everyone‘s delicious posts from the past few days. I usually bake jam thumbprints this time of year, but I don‘t have the ingredients on hand today. Still, one perk of not being Christian is there‘s no strict deadlines set on my winter cookie adventures. #holidayfriends

Mitch I opened your package today as part of my Yule Celebration 🕯️🤍🕯️🤍🕯️
Thank you my friend!!! It‘s such a perfect package- because I‘ve been playing around with my word for 2024 (i loved my 2023 word but it did not quite work…) So the word I‘m going with is Engagement- especially reminding myself there are many ways to be meaningfully engaged. And your package was a sign that this is the word for me in 2024 😘😘😘😘

repost for @AllDebooks

#Naturalitsy #Midwintersolace

This is a reminder of our next #BuddyRead, starting on the 1st of January. I will post a discussion thread every Saturday.

All welcome to join in. Please let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist.

original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2676999

#Naturalitsy #Midwintersolace

This is a reminder of our next buddy read, starting on the 1st of January. I will post a discussion thread every Saturday.
All welcome to join in. Please let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist.

@TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit @jenniferw88 @LitsyEvents

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

Like so many, I was eager to read this after devouring the author's gorgeous "Wintering" but it just didn't hit me the same way. It felt really meandering, and though there are a few lovely passages, the whole never quite managed to coalesce. Still, the good moments really did stick with me, and it added to my enjoyment of an indulgent, solo getaway weekend. If May were to write another in this same vein, I'm sure I'd give it a try!

"The last decade has filled so many of us with a growing sense of unreality. We seem trapped in a grind of constant change without ever getting the chance to integrate it. Those rolling news cycles, the chatter on social media, the way that our families have split along partisan lines: it feels as though we‘ve undergone a halving, then a quartering, and now we are some kind of social rubble."

The writing and the concept are lovely but I didn‘t really get much from it - it didn‘t make me want to go and find enchantment nor did I live it vicariously through the author. There‘s four sections Earth, Air, Water & Fire and sometimes it felt like she was writing just for the sake of fitting into one of those prompts. I loved Wintering & the sort of meandering of that but it didn‘t quite work for me here. #nonfiction2023 (purple rain)

I love Katherine May‘s books/ her writing style. As few have mentioned & agree that Wintering is still my favorite by her. There is something so peaceful & calming about her writing. It was what I definitely needed at this moment. If your a fan of her writing then it might be for you. If you‘ve never read her work before start with Wintering first. Can‘t wait for her next book. #bookspin book #14books14weeks (book 6/14)

Book 92 of the year.

So glad I decided to pick this up! It is that type of book that can make you feel less alone. One thing that resonated with me was when she spoke of how she had “administered” many changes, challenges, and life events over the past few years, but had not been able to integrate any of it. I can relate! She goes on to discuss how grounding, finding connection, and reviving our sense of awe and wonder in the world is is vital to our wellbeing.

Went to Ireland and came back with five books. I was proud of myself for limiting my purchases! These books I found in a cute gift shop at Brigit‘s Garden (gorgeous) where we stopped for lunch. I proceeded to read aloud various blessings from O‘Donohue in the car to the three other women I traveled with as we made our way throughout Ireland. O‘Donohue knows how to touch your heart with very few words.

#VolumesAndVocals Day 2: #EveryBreathYouTakePolice has to be filled with enchantment and wonder. Excited to dig into this. Has anyone read it yet? Is it too sappy or trite? Or just right?

Started reading this gentle book on my day off.

#readingmyownbooks
#reading
#exhaustedage

I was eagerly anticipating this book, and finally had enough space in my head to properly absorb it. As with Wintering, I found myself instantly connecting to author‘s experience. So many things I was relieved to read were not only my experience. Little connections in my head and heart that got tangled, and severed in the past several years. Now to ponder, digest, recollect and reconstruct.

It was a rainy morning so I had the time to finish this book.

I‘m not sure whether it was me or the book, but I couldn‘t quite connect to it. Odd, as I absolutely loved Wintering which I read only recently.

This one felt less cohesive as a whole; more a selection of essays. It also felt quite negative, certainly more than Wintering, even though it‘s about finding the enchantment in everyday things.

Still a pick though, but a soft one.

Lovely audiobook

I find her writing so soothing. Not a profound read, but an enjoyable one. 3 🌟
#52bookclub23 #subtitle @Clwojick @BookBelle84 @jennifer80 @Librarybelle @triplem80 @AshleyHoss820 @LauraReads @KarenUK @britt_brooke @CarolynM @Smarkies @LeeRHarry @Read4life @Bluebird @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB @ravenlee @Deblovestoread @jlhammar @MicheleinPhilly

“Neck deep in saltwater, I become part of a place.”
-Katherine May (newsletter, April 2023)

This was the last time my bare skin touched my home saltwater. It was November. It‘s almost time to submerge once again!

#temptingtitles #oneword

This is the first Katherine May book I've read. I found it interesting and some of her ideas spoke to me. #MarchMadness #Booked2023 #NewIn2023 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @alisiakae @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage