Let me start by saying I love Katherine May's book Wintering and it's one I've bought many times as a gift and recommend over and over to others. So I was delighted to see that she'd written another entitled Enchantment.
Katherine explores how she has tried to rediscover a sense of wonder and awe, that feeling of being enchanted once again by life and the things in it. She opens by talking about the impact of the pandemic. I found myself crying. I hadn't been able to express my feelings about how I felt until I read her words:

'And so when the old, familiar world came back again–slowly, haltingly, unsteady on its feet–I barely knew what to do with it. I unlearned it too well.'

She goes on to talk about the ways in which she became reacquainted with enchantment, sometimes searching for it among familiar things and at other times exploring new avenues. I won't spoil it by telling you what these subjects are. Instead, I encourage you to read the book and go on the journey with the writer.

I give this 4.5 stars instead of 5 as I don't think it quite lived up to the joy that Wintering brought me, but it is nonetheless highly recommended, and I'd buy it purely to read the way the author describes her grandmother eating an orange. This jerked me back nostalgically to my grandmother eating a pomegranate - a memory I'd not thought of in years and one which warmed me.

This book is a tonic, something to hold close and dip into during times of need and when you feel disconnected from the world.

I started to read not knowing if this was a kind of fiction, in a stream of consciousness mode, or some kind of philosophical musing on our place in the world. I began to relax into the style of writing, and enjoy her anecdotal style sprinkled with references I would probably never pursue ( and I do pursue references) It is a very deep book about the quest for enchantment and magic in a world where the easy answer is the one we accept. We never find out about her circumstances, she has a son who is almost always with her, but more than that we have to speculate about. In times of chaos and disenchantment with the rules which govern us we start to see through her that the elements connect us to what matters. It is definitely worth a second read, if only to enjoy her experiences of life, told in a very unpreachy way.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I am not familiar with the authors previous work so this was a new one to me. I will be reading her other titles as I found this one to be poetic and almost like little journal entries giving an insight into her mind. Katherine talks about feeling overwhelmed and how she grounds herself, a handy book especially after the last few years. The book touches on many topics and I would read this again when lacking motivation and feeling burnt out.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC. I love everything Katherine May writes; it's poetic and wise - this is no exception. Whilst it's not quite as outstanding as Wintering -it's beautiful.

In my opinion, Katherine goes from strength to strength as a writer. The turning point for me was The Electricity of Every Living Thing in which I think she found her self and her voice and with Wintering and now Enchantment, there is so much richness that has been harvested from that discovery.

Enchantment talks about burn out, which is something I can heartily relate to, and the need to find a way to reconnect with the magic of the world. Not big, showy magic or the promise of a quick fix if you only follow these five steps, as promised in self-help books the world over. No, this is dormouse magic. This is the awakening from the wintering of Katherine's previous book and a tentative exploration of what allows you to personally connect yourself to the world and your joy in it.

I love that Katherine offers no promises or concrete solutions and that often there are backward steps before progress is made. I love that she makes no secret of the fact that it is not easy, but it is most definitely worth it. That fleeting reminder that magic is real, and most often found in the quiet, still gaps we find between things and that it is personal and unique to you is also very comforting and reassuring.

This book moved me so much that towards the end of it I found myself with tears trickling down my face in a moment of perfect recognition of what Katherine was sharing and talking about.

If you're looking for a sticking plaster or a magic bullet, this is not for you, but if you're looking for communion in the dark of the path you are treading and the promise of light; if you are looking for permission to do it entirely your own way, then it is here and it is most welcome.

I am not familiar with this author or her previous work, so I went into this book a blank canvas.

I was expecting a self-help kind of book, but instead found it to be a very intimate set of journal entries so to speak, reflections on childhood, her own changing life and attitude to the world around her and voicing what many feel as we emerge from lockdown and realise our entire thought process and energy has changed.
I read my own thoughts in many of the passages regarding lockdown and the way the world feels now that we've all spent so much time in our own heads, "surrounded by constant conversation but feeling lonely", a very profound sentence that hit home rather hard!

I really enjoyed this book, thank you to the author for allowing us all a glimpse inside her memories.

Thank you for Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Comfort for the soul. Katherine May writes for everyone who has ever felt a bit lost and wonders why. Life for adults and children has changed so much over recent years, not always for the better. I'm lucky to look out over a green space from my studio, but many people no longer have that. Like her friend Kate, my asthma has worsened since Covid. Many people suffer burnout from too much work and too little time to themselves. The book touches on many topics that I'd love to know more about, from healing wells to shooting stars and beekeeping. Definitely a book to return to.

Oh, how I love Katherine May. Her writing feels like a warm hug. Last year, Wintering was one of my favorite books of the year, so I've really been looking forward to Enchantment. I'm a bit anxious and have been feeling disenchanted lately, so this was just what my soul needed. I appreciated her personal insights and stories, and I finished the book feeling more sure of myself and less alone. I also love going down a good rabbit hole, and this book explored many topics I wanted to dig into further, like the Zen Peacemakers, Brocken spectre, Leonids, etc. Like Wintering, this is one of those books I'll return to when I need comfort.

Enchantment by Katherine May explores the challenges we've faced in recent times and how to ground ourselves and experience more joy when feeling overwhelmed.

On a beautifully written and thought-provoking book that invites us to rediscover the feelings of awe and wonder. I was very excited to read this book given I loved reading Katherine May’s previous book, the equally stunning ‘Wintering’, during the lockdown. It certainly didn’t disappoint and I don’t want the slim volume to end.⁣
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Within the book, May writes about her own experience re-emerging from the lockdown, only to feel burned out with no motivation. She then writes about the moments of enchantment she felt when she was younger and how she rediscovered the feelings through paying attention to nature and artefacts. It’s a book that encourages us to connect, ground and reframe our perspectives in meaning-seeking.⁣
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Many passages that resonate with me. Like the one below on finding that enchantment.⁣
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“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. It is transformed by our deliberate attention. It becomes valuable when we value it. It becomes meaningful when we invest it with meaning. The magic is of our own conjuring. Hierophany – that revelation of the sacred – is something that we bring to everyday things, rather than something that is given to us.“⁣
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Enchantment isn’t rare and we don’t even have to go too far. What’s rare is our will to pursue it. I shall pay greater and more deliberate attention from now on. ⁣
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As I read through its final pages, I realised that it’s so much more than rediscovery of awe and wonder. It’s also about hope and magic. What a beautiful book.

Beautifully written and an exquisite journey of discovery through snapshots of memories that invoke a curious joy of the simple and the intricate.
Katherine May leads you by the hand through chapters dedicated to the elements, the very fabric of our every day world that we can tune in to, whenever we want to. In a complicated world that is jammed with overwhelm and fear, there are windows to parts of nature that remain unaffected, unaware of these troubles, and it is by witnessing these small wonders that we can connect deeper with what grounds us through it all.
I got a strong feeling that this book delivers whatever it is you need at the time you're reading it, be it nostalgia, solace, inspiration or something deeper to reflect back on your own life, I believe different people will gain different things from the stories it features, but also by what isn't said, the gaps in details there for us to insert our own experiences.

This was an interesting book, it started well and drew me in. The premise is that we've lost our sense of enchantment, especially after the pandemic. The authors description of childhood memories and how the world feels when we're young really chimed with me. It then goes on to explore her trying to get that enchantment back.
I wanted more though. It felt like a really short book, almost an essay when it could have been a lot deeper. I also felt that the topic wasn't fully explored.
The way it was written was easy to read and I might go back to read Wintering as I'd be interested to see how it compares.

New year, new you? I took my time reading this book and did not regret it. It’s definitely a book filled with knowledge and purpose. The book and content are bite-sized but this is a book that you can re-read and come back to over and over again depending on the situation you are facing in life.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This cover and title got me intrigued… and I loved this!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

This is a well-written book filled with wisdom, insight, compassion and humanity which initially I very much enjoyed, but as the book progressed I felt it lost focus and narrative drive. Still, a very worthy addition to the genre.