Through the Seasons by Charlie Gray | A Seasonal Living Book Review
Have you ever wondered what living seasonally, and creating a seasonal heart to the home, might look like in practice?
It might come as no surprise that many of the books I own are about the seasons. I shared some of them in this post, Inspiring Books for a Slow, Seasonal Year, as well as more specifically in this post, 10 Cookbooks That Inspire Slow, Simple, and Seasonal Cooking. With this in mind, it is always a great joy to add another. Charlie Gray’s Through the Seasons, subtitled ‘Tips, tasks and recipes for a beautifully wholesome year’ is the latest.
A Love Letter to Home and the Turning Year
Through the Seasons reads like a love letter to the shifting rhythms of the changing season. At its heart is a gentle approach to slow, simple and seasonal living, with the warmth and welcome of home centre stage. Full of wisdom, simple pleasures and practical advice, Through the Seasons is a companionable friend as we journey through the four seasons of each calendar year. This isn’t a book about minimalism - it’s not a book about creating some ‘perfect’ slow living aesthetic - but rather, one about connection and reconnection.
Living in Harmony with the Seasons
Beginning in spring - a season of renewal - when the natural world is coming to life again after its winter slumber, Charlie Gray takes us on a journey Through the Seasons - summer, a season of ease, autumn, a season of gathering - and thus, full circle to winter, a season of stillness. Within each season, we find the three months of year most commonly aligned with those, and in those pages encounter a gently overflowing basket of bountiful inspiration.
Practical Wisdom Rooted in Tradition
It’s easy to label Through the Seasons as another cookbook, but it’s about so much more than that. There are checklists for home-making and gardening - what to clean when, and what to plant in the garden in each season. Lists of seasonal produce will inspire you to cook alongside the seasons, something I’ve recently written about in this post, A Return to Simple Food: Starting the Year in the Kitchen. There are, of course, beautiful recipes for meals, cakes, preserves and drinks - each one rooted in the season in which those things are found most abundantly. Let us not forget too, the beautiful photos - a feast for all the senses.
If keeping on top of your cleaning fills you with dread, then there are helpful checklists, and as an antidote, there are seasonal craft activities, all designed to root you deep within the gentle inspiration to be found in each season. What I loved about this book is that it is full of so much practical wisdom rooted in tradition, whether it be home remedies, seasonal foods, holiday packing advice, or suggestions for decluttering. In Through the Seasons, it really does feel like Charlie is there with you - guiding you, inspiring you, and encouraging you.
Closing Reflections: Slowing Down and Belonging
In Through the Seasons, you’ll find seasonal rituals which create meaning, continuity, and comfort. If, like me, you’re on a journey towards living a slower and simpler life, then if it was possible to buy a warm and encouraging hug for each season, this book is it. If you too feel wearisome of the fast-paced modern world which craves more, and which hurtles at breakneck speed towards some mythical form of success, then in these pages, you will find gentle inspiration which quietly invites you to reconnect with the home, with the year, and with the joyful abundance to be found in each season.
Charlie Gray has written a book not just full of practical advice, but to inspire us to seek those things in life - in the rhythms of the changing seasons - which truly nurture, nourish and sustain us. I’ll leave the final world to Charlie herself, for she sums it up to beautifully:
‘I wrote this book because I believe seasonal living brings a sense of calm and connection in our often chaotic world. Through the Seasons is a book to inspire, offer comfort and celebrate the simple pleasures that bring meaning to our days’
If you want to find out more, you can follow Charlie on Substack, Instagram and YouTube, as well as her website.
Through the Seasons by Charlie Gray was published in hardback by Ask Charlie in 2025, ISBN 9781919318509.
I was gifted this copy for my birthday, but I do accept books for review if they are in keeping with the themes of A Life More Creative. If you would like me to consider a title, please see my Reviews Policy for more details and get in touch here.
I wonder which gentle practices have enabled you to reconnect and savour the beauty of everyday life? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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