The Way Back Almanac 2023 by Melinda Sailsbury

 

Publisher: Watkins Publishing

Publication Date: 9 Aug. 2022

Genre: Stars & Interstellar Matter

Summary:

The Way Back Almanac, the first almanac designed for modern city-dwellers, returns in 2023!

The traditional almanac is a month-by-month prompt to the transformations of nature that offer a magical and poetic way to celebrate the year. The Way Back Almanac is a modern twist on the conventional almanac, an accessible and truly contemporary guide back to natural rhythms, designed for those who feel most removed from the old ways and cycles.

Beautifully illustrated throughout, each month includes sections on stargazing, gardening tips, seasonal vegan recipes, home organization or crafting ideas, digital wellbeing practices, rituals, book club reads, folklore or ancient wisdom as told by modern people from different walks of life, and free space for your own writing, notes or recipes.
- Harvest your own home-grown micro greens, windowsill radishes or rooftop carrots.
- Celebrate seasonal citrus with Piña Colada Bars or relieve the heat of midsummer with Lithuanian beetroot gazpacho.
- Sew your own foraging pouch for May-time foraging or make a bee bath for thirsty July bees.
- Create a phone photo journal of your favourite patch of local green.
- Make your own Wake-Up Shower Fizzers or May Day Dew Face Wash.
- Watch the 120-meteor-per-hour Geminid Shower to see out the year in Way Back style.
This interactive and treasured item will gently encourage creativity, fulfillment and ultimately a way back to yourself.

Review:

I have to start off by thanking Watkins Publishing because they sent me a physical copy of this book, and what a beautiful book it is! I fell in love with the cover, it's a beautiful hardback book and I love the blue and pink illustrations on it, and the lovely images don't just stop at the front cover it had fabulous little black and white illustrations peppered throughout the pages. Now I've only read to April, but hear me out, it's not because I don't like the book(spoiler alert I love the book) it's because I actually want to read it month by month next year.

I really love each chapter/month and the way she's laid it out, from the little monthly intro to what's happening in the skies, in the soil etc it all being broken into sections meant that I took a little more time to go through it and genuinely made me reconnect with nature. I think my favourite part is the "What's happening in the skies", past there being stars, the moon and planets my knowledge of the night sky is limited at best, so I loved that I could learn a little more about it month by month and it's encouraged me to find more out and maybe try and learn the constellations with my little one.

Now as you know I run a book club, so you'd think id have my fill of having set reads each month, but I'm actually planning to read along with the Way Back Almanac book club! I'm always keen to expand my reading so having these books that are from a wide range of authors and genres appeals to me, ill let you know how I get on!

Krystina x