Turning of Days: Lessons from Nature, Season, and Spirit by Hannah Anderson

Turning of Days: Lessons from Nature, Season, and Spirit Reviews

• 
  Lisa

  Hannah Anderson is a gifted writer and in Turning of Days she writes with her usual beauty and grace as she leads her readers through the four seasons and the divine truths each reveal. I was both encouraged and challenged but mostly I was moved to awe before the God who has made all things great and small to reflect His glory. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
• 
  Tricia

  Forced myself to read this slowly over the course of a year and be within the season she was writing about. I loved this so much. For me it was the perfect intersection of Biblical devotion, nature & agriculture, & educational philosophy (because it echoes Charlotte Mason). Highly recommend!
• 
  Haley Baumeister

  She writes some of the most insightful threads on Twitter, so obviously her latest book is very good. A concept we vaguely know to be true (creation shows us more of what God is like!) she unravels with particular clarity, with particular observations. I learned quite a bit about nature, and the prose is just lovely. Read her other books, too!
• 
  Jennie

  The heavens are declaring, but are we paying attention?
  
  Psalm 19:1-4 The heavens declare the glory of God,
  and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
  2 Day to day pours out speech,
  and night to night reveals knowledge.
  3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
  whose voice is not heard.
  4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
  and their words to the end of the world.
  In them he has set a tent for the sun,
  
  This new book will point you to the Lord and His creation. It is also a timely read for the start of spring season, Turning of Days ~ Lessons from Nature, Season, and Spirit by Hannah Anderson
  
  This is a book about God of both nature and Scripture. “Learning from nature and Scripture both will reveal who God is, we must learn to let His truth shape our days and years here on earth”, as Hannah says, “seeing wonder and fear, beauty and honor, visible and invisible.”
  
  This is not the first book of Hannah Anderson’s I have read, so when it was offered up for review, I knew it would be a worthwhile based on her other books. Each season has several chapters which include short observations/essays to reflect on nature’s testimony, while pointing out truth’s from God’s Word, questions to make you ponder, and sketches of nature. It reads almost poetic in a way, you will want to slow down and do your own reflects from what is around you.
  
  Here are a few highlights from the book I made:
  
  ~ It’s hard to walk this way, hunched over and closed in on yourself… It is hard to see what you’re supposed to see. It’s hard to see what the world is meant to teach you when you’re balled up into yourself and all your attention is given to resisting the elements.
  
  ~ There are mysteries in this world, not just of science but of conscience. Mysteries of unity and continuity, of both wonder and groaning, of creation awaiting redemption.
  
  ~ God reveals Himself and His will. He doesn’t shout His plans from the mountains as much as He repeats them over and over in law, quiet songs that only make sense to those who know the significance of them.
  
  ~ The same ground that is blessed is also cursed.
  
  ~ In our search for safety means that we’re not searching for goodness.
  
  ~ A heart that hopes for goodness will plant and prune and wait and pray.
  
  ~ So the seasons teach us to believe in a future we cannot yet see, but the unpredictability of the seasons teaches us to trust the One who will bring it to pass.
  
  ~ What if letting Him act sometimes means staying and choosing to stay in the uncertainty?
  
  The end of the book ends with a learning to Listen – Field Guide, ten principals to guide you in your own process of listening to nature’s witness.
• 
  Jenny Savage

  Thomas Henry Huxley wrote, “To a person uninstructed in natural history, his country or seaside stroll is a walk through a gallery filled with wonderful works of art nine-tenths of which have their faces turned to the wall.” An all too true statement about most of us, excepting children whose innate curiosity beckons them to run around to peer into the artworks’ faces. Fortunately for the rest of us, Hannah Anderson and her husband Nathan, illustrator of her new book, Turning of Days: Lessons from Nature, Season, and Spirit, stand in the gap between nature and nature’s God pointing us to both. They offer seasonal lessons of what it looks like to turn our faces to the works of goodness, beauty and truth in nature given to us by our Creator and reveal more about Him and ourselves than we are aware.
  This collection of essays of her observations of nature and theological connections is ordered around the seasons. You will learn about spring peepers, pruning, and hawks’ migration habits. You will read of God’s providence, memento mori, and kronos, the fulfillment of time. You will see detail illustrations showing the same attentiveness.
  In an online conversation with Hannah, she writes that she and Nathan have “shared a particular disposition or awareness of [the] natural world.” I share this disposition due in large part to spending much of my childhood exploring the woodlands, creeks, and streams that bordered my home and to a church that offered me a chance to read and learn much of the Bible. The connections come somewhat naturally when you watch a hawk soaring over an open field and then read in Scripture about “rising up on eagles wings”. Fortunately for us throughout the book she models for us how to learn more about what we see and to read the Bible with those observations in mind. In a final essay she gives suggestions how to place our ourselves, so our attention is directed to observe nature well. We will not learn this disposition if we will not place ourselves as creature among creation willing to submit to its teaching.
  
  I received a copy of the book for an honest review.
• 
  Bitsy Briones

  I had the privilege to be a part of Hannah Anderson’s launch team for Turning of Days this month, and I will tell you, this book is precious. I had a month to read it, but simultaneously wanted to read the entire thing immediately, and read it in little nibbles so I could savor it. Hannah‘s writing in this book reads like a journal entry - detailed and sentimental and wise.
  
  I so appreciated Hannah’s thoroughness in considering which scripture verses to pair with each chapter. I found myself often tearing up while reading the passages she so carefully chose.
  
  This book guides you through the seasons of the year, and how one interacts with the seasons, particularly in Hannah’s neck of the woods. As she dives into creatures, plants, natural event, and the habits of people, her writing creatively and gently presents opportunities to reflect on one’s relationship with the world and its Creator. Her love for the Lord is so evident in her writing, and she does a wonderful job guiding her readers back to Him at every turn.
  
  Thank you to moody publishers for the copy of this book!
• 
  Ruth Puy

  Hannah Anderson's reflective thoughts on the changing of seasons invite us to pause and consider the care and intent of the Creator. Whether one is in the country, suburbs, or city, one cannot avoid the transitions of the year and the God who set them in order. Her delightful meditations encourage readers to investigate the nature around them with fresh eyes for a loving Maker.
  
  Each passage is beautifully illustrated with hand drawn images by her gifted husband, and accompanied by Bible readings for further study and devotion. This book would make an excellent devotional throughout the year, reading each section following the Turning of Days from Spring through Winter.
• 
  Persis

  This is book of essays that invite the reader to "consider the lilies" and all the ways creation can teach us about God. The reflections are thoughtful, wise, and inviting like the author's previous books. However, this volume has the addition of delicate and detailed illustrations by her husband. Although the book can be read straight through, I think these essays would be best read in the context of their season and savored slowly. I thoroughly enjoyed "Turning off Days" and gladly recommend it.
• 
  Molli Irene

  This book is an absolute must have! I say must have rather than must read because I will definitely be reading it more than once. This is a book that will be treasured throughout the seasons and throughout the years. This beautiful series of essays encouraged me to think deeply and establish strong roots while, at the same time, reminding me that life is brief, expectations should be held loosely, and it is good to flow with the wind. This collection is more of an experience than it is a book. It is truly the most beautiful connection of nature, season, and Spirit, and I couldn't appreciate it more!
• 
  Traci Rhoades

  The author and illustrator show such great respect for the earth around them. Each story brought back my own memories and gave me a longing to get outside and make more. I loved the tie-in to scripture throughout. Well done!
• 
  Amy Morgan

  This collection of essays reflects on how nature reveals God to us. As somebody who studies natural revelation, I so appreciate HA pointing us again to the places we naturally encounter God. This book is probably rightly read as a devotional, and is so perfect for these complicated times.
• 
  Hannah Huguenard

  This is truly an incredible book. Hannah Anderson writes so beautifully about how the seasons of nature mirror the seasons of our lives. It is a book for one who loves nature, loves seeing God’s hand as creator, and loves reading about the simple lessons of seasonal life/growth.
• 
  Sara Fukuda

  Oh, how I love this author.
  
  I purposely took a long time to read this book, to fully bask in the way it’s written about the 4 seasons. It was absolutely glorious, I love this author so much.
  
  I felt like she wrote the chapter on pruning just for me, I feel both very seen and very attacked.
• 
  Gina Dalfonzo

  Full review here:
  https://dearstrangethings.substack.co...
• 
  Christina O.

  I had a journey with this book. I requested it as an ARC because I’m a fan of Hannah Anderson’s writing. Even when she’s writing nonfiction there’s a beauty to her prose that I’ve always appreciated in addition to her ideas. My issues began because I’m used to reading books quickly and Turning of Days asked me to go slow. It asked me to take my time and let the chapters, which are basically short essays, stand on their own. I struggled with this. I didn’t want to take my time; I didn’t want to look up the extra scripture reading. But I realized that binge reading it wasn’t working for me either. I put it down for more than a year and I’m glad I did. Once I picked it up again, I was ready to take my time. I read a couple chapters a day, one or two in the morning and one at night. Sometimes I wouldn’t read any for a few days and then I would come back to it. It turned into a lovely routine that I was able to appreciate.
  
  I have tried a couple devotionals in the past, but I never could get into any. I loved Anderson’s approach by starting in nature. She’s from rural Virginia and uses that landscape to inspire her reflections. These meditations are broken down into the four seasons reflect on nature to reveal the character of God and explore how nature can teach us about life and death, while pointing to the one who is to come again. I also appreciated the verses Anderson included for extra reading. It’s so easy to forget that the Bible is a beautiful piece of literature in addition to being the inspired word of God. It was nice to visit these verses that are either not read or get lost in the midst of a larger book.
  
  If you love nature writings, I highly recommend Turning of Days. If you’ve never been a devotional reader, I would say this is a good one to start with. It worked for me. I feel like I would even read this again so I’m planning on buying a physical copy so I can have it on my shelf. If you enjoy this books, I would recommend Anderson��s
  Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul next as it is also very influenced by nature.
  
  *Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Michele Morin

  This collection of essays by Hannah Anderson fulfills the old theater adage: Leave them wanting more! With exquisite prose, she chronicles her own Turning of Days, one season at a time, taking note of creation and meandering between description and application. My plan is to keep the book on my night stand this year for a leisurely re-read in season.
  
  Delicate hand drawings and well-chosen scripture verses support each essay, and so does Anderson’s world view, which has been shaped by eternal truth and by her close association with the land, family, and community. Because I am also a gardener and a woman subject to the variances and vicissitudes of nature, I found myself nodding in agreement, page after page, celebrating the ways and means of God and lamenting the fact that once the harvest begins, the weeding comes to a screeching halt.
  
  One thing is certain: reading “Summer” in February proved to be so tantalizing, I scurried to gather my seed catalogs and start making plans, knowing full well that my days of planting, weeding, and tending were still an excruciating three months away! Fortunately, Hannah has also given me something to ponder while I wait:
  
  This is what you do in winter: you plan for spring.
  This is what you do when the earth lies dark: you plan for dawn.
  This is what you do when death seems to reign: you plan for resurrection.”
  
  Many thanks to Moody Publishers for providing access to these books to facilitate my reviews which are, of course, offered freely and with honesty.
• 
  Cassidy Purdy

  Turning of Days by Hannah Anderson⁣
  ⁣
  ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⁣
  ⁣
  This book is a compilation of essays and devotionals written by Hannah Anderson about nature and the seasons. These short chapters pointed me to Christ and the hope of the Gospel.⁣
  ⁣
  Here’s a couple excerpts I enjoyed:⁣
  ⁣
  “One day I too will be laid into the ground, to be reformed and remade. I will join those who have already returned to earth, whose bones give life to the periwinkle and juniper. With them, my body will be down in corruption, and with them, I will wait. I will wait through winter’s night. I will wait for spring and resurrection. I will wait until the Gardener comes to turn His soil over and bring us to life again.” Page 119-120⁣
  ⁣
  “The Lord of creation owns both the light and the darkness. He is Lord of both summer and winter, of good times and bad. To Him, day and night are alike. He has no circadian rhythm. ⁣
  ⁣
  The One who rules over the darkness can’t be overruled by yours. ⁣
  ⁣
  Instead, he can enter into your night and be unshaken. He can make it ‘his covering, his canopy around him’ and be completely unharmed. So that while you wait for the days to lengthen, while you wait for the seasons to turn, while you wait for the dawn, the Lord of both light and dark can meet you there. Earth’s longest night cannot hide you from His care. Earth’s longest night cannot separate you from His love. Earth’s longest night is light to Him.” Pg. 127-128
• 
  Michelle Gourley

  A book for Backyard Naturalists and Scientists of faith.
  This is the book I always hoped existed but had yet to find. Writer Hannah Anderson has married descriptions of nature and it's rhythms (organized by season) with spiritual realities (including scripture references for further meditation). The outcome is restful, reflective, reorienting meditatations on the witness of the created world and our place in it. I am a Biologist and lover of nature memoirs as well as a person of faith, so for me, "Turning of Days" is the complete package.
  
  Two features that set this volume apart from any other nature writing or spiritual devotional I've encountered:
  
  (1) A section end of the book "Learning to Listen: A Field Guide" describes "ten principles that guide my own process of listening to nature's witness." This practical, sound list is worth it's weight in gold.
  
  (2) Nathan Anderson's illustrations add to the beauty and content of the text and also invite the reader to do some of their own careful observing. The art is simple yet dynamic and stirring.
  
  This is a book to keep on the bedside table or alongside the stacks of bird and wildflower guides littered around the house. I'll be turning to mine season after season.
• 
  Dorothy Greco

  This book is incredibly beautiful and profound. Each of the four sections (spring, summer, fall, and winter) contains short essays based on Anderson's astute observations of nature. She's not simply telling us what she sees. She's helping us to see and then make connections between the natural world and the God who created it all. I read it in two days but definitely want to go back through and read each essay and the accompanying Scripture as a devotional. Her husband Nathan's sketches accompany the text.
  
  Here's a short sample of what you can expect:
  "Now I wonder if the real difference between what is natural and what is supernatural is simply our ability to know it. Because if God is the God of creation, then all of nature is supernatural. If God is the God of miracles, then the supernatural is the most natural thing in the world."
• 
  Sandy

  Each book that Hannah Anderson has written has been full of biblical integrity and life giving examples and applications. I’ve read all three of her previous books and gained so much from them.
  Gods first revelation of Himself was through creation. In Turning of Days, Hannah Anderson makes her way through the seasons and finds God revealed in His creation. Each example has a spiritual example. Some examples that stood out stood out me were the grief and waste of a healthy tree that was cut down while living and the peach trees that need new growth cut off so that they could establish roots and later produce even better fruit. Other examples were the make up of dirt and it’s need to be amended to produce healthy growth.
  I’ve been slowly making my way through this book, and when finished, I’ll read it again. The beautiful writing and delicate illustrations are something to be savored.
• 
  Andrea

  I don’t think I can recommend this book enough. Truly this author’s best work so far (and I so hope she writes more)!
  It helped that I read it while on sabbatical and close to nature daily, but whatever your environment, it’s a great read. She explains and connects so many aspects of nature to God and biblical truths which helps the reader understand His grace and love in a very personal way. You don’t need to be a horticulturist or nature enthusiast to appreciate it, but you may very well lean that way after reading it. It’s beautifully written and so inspiring on so many levels. I’d give more stars if I could.
• 
  Melissa

  This is a beautiful book that I have drank from slowly over the past year. Walking me through each season, I began on the first day of spring and finished it on the last day of winter. And I will begin again. There are a few precious books that become life long companions. I think this will be one of them. Thank you Hannah Anderson for this lovely gift of insight to the harmony between God’s revelation through his word and through his creation. It has influenced my life and my relationships and my art in ways that I hope will also be a gift to others.
• 
  Nicole Kleinhans

  Insightful and beautiful, this devotional is equal parts nature-study (especially for this city-dweller) and truth bombs. It took me almost the entire year to enjoy this book because I would savor each page, recounting the ease in which the author delivered such incredible truth from study of God’s natural revelation. This is sure to open your eyes and delight your soul as you glean more about our Creator from these pages. 5 ⭐️
• 
  Samantha Kurtz

  I always describe Hannah Anderson's books as the best cup of coffee for your soul, and her newest release, Turning of Days, is no different.
  
  Turning of Days features short essays of Anderson's thoughts while being in and observing nature. As always, her writing is beautifully poetic and thought-provoking. She encourages the reader to slow down and take in how intricate and constant nature is by explaining what/how God reveals about himself in each season, in every stage of plant growth, and in every animal in nature.
  
  A neat feature in this book is a guide in the back on "learning to listen." I think it'll be extremely useful for those who want to be better at observing and listening in nature.
  
  *I received an advance copy of this book from Moody Publishers. No compensation was given for a review. All thoughts are my own.*
• 
  Julie H

  This was my first book written by Hannah Anderson that I have read, I’m excited to read more of her works. This book is full of short essays or vignettes about nature and the outdoors. It’s broken down by season with seven devotional readings for each season. She helped me to see God through all kinds of weather and nature. Her husband has illustrated the book with beautiful pictures that really complete her words. This is a book that could be slowly enjoyed over the course of a year or read in one weekend. I look forward to re-read this book at a slower pace and really savoring every little bit. I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Bethany Broderick

  I have always loved Hannah’s beautiful and poignant writing, and this book is no exception. While I am not an avid “nature lover,” I did connect with the incredible descriptions of nature and what we can learn from them about God and ourselves. Each chapter stands on its own, and is a great starting point for greater meditation on God’s character as revealed through creation.
• 
  Sara Jane

  Another beautiful book by Hannah Anderson. So many helpful reflections. This book made me feel peaceful each time I read it. The Scripture listed for each entry was so helpful to continue to meditate on the spiritual lessons we learn from nature and the God who designed it.