Books that Celebrate the Seasons
Books have always been an immense source of pleasure for me and a wonderful refuge. I think they are magical objects: they can teach us so much, and in so little space, contain all the ingredients of travel through space and time, meeting unforgettable characters and creating memorable atmospheres. Each book I have read and enjoyed glows like a little fire in my heart where I am always welcome to warm up and relax.
Stories and anecdotes are a huge part of what I enjoy in books. I particularly love authors that honour and celebrate the ordinary beauty of life through the seasons. For me, reading is a favourite way to spend nourishing and quality time by myself. As Autumn unfolds and we spend more time indoors, now is a good time to appreciate the company of lovely books even more. Today I will share some of the books I particularly enjoy for how they celebrate the seasons and connect to nature's rhythm and generosity.
Wild Geese
I remember the revelation I felt when my friend gave me this book: it was like I had discovered a kindred spirit, one of those beautiful moments when I feel that someone is speaking my language and seeing what I see in nature. Years later I still treasure this book and the many ways in which Mary Oliver notices, celebrates and connects with nature. Her poetry is so immediate and direct that every time I read it, I am transported at once to the world she inhabits and creates. I also love how she peppers her poems with thought-provoking questions, inviting us to look deep within ourselves while we also look without.
The English Year
This book was gifted to me several years ago and I have used it as a perpetual calendar ever since. It goes through each day of the year in the form of extracts from people’s journals and diaries living in times long gone. Some of them are very matter-of-fact, others highly lyrical and poetic. The celebrated diarist Dorothy Wordsworth makes regular entries, and many others contribute to painting the year through their keen observation of the everyday and the mundane—just my cup of tea. I find it amusing that almost every entry comments on the erratic weather patterns, and that a few centuries ago, just as we do now, people were perpetually puzzled by frosts in June, heat waves in February, seemingly continuous rain, or no rain at all.
Wild Cooking
A recent acquisition which won me over by giving such pride of place to chestnuts in all their glory. The book goes through the four seasons in a casual, chatty way which makes me feel like I am sitting with a knowledgeable friend swapping recipes, discussing the origin of foods and dishes, and sharing anecdotes. I have found it very enjoyable to sit in the warm Autumn sun discovering this inspiring book like a lovingly prepared meal, full of surprising flavours and dedication to making the most of what nature offers.
Wild Food
When I saw the cover of this book I knew I had to have it, so I gifted it to myself as a birthday present. I have been enjoying the beautiful pictures, the easy, relaxed tone of the author, and the very useful and precise tips to make the most of wild food. Although I cannot abandon myself fully to the pursuit, at heart I am a keen forager. So if I can't be out there collecting, the next best thing is to read about it from the experts. I feel very lucky that I can collect a lovely amount of wild foods, including hazelnuts, brambles, crab apples, rosehips, dandelions and so much more right on my doorstep.
The Magic Apple Tree
Oh, what a treasured revelation this book was. My friend brought it over a few weeks ago and I have really been enjoying the easy, chatty style, full of detail and simple observations of everyday delights through the seasons. I get a sense of profound settledness within the author, of making the most of each day in a humble and open way. It talks about food a lot, which I always enjoy, describes the connections of village life and the joy of belonging to the W.I., honouring and preserving abundant produce by managing gluts with the neighbours. Here and there the beautifully engraved illustrations are very endearing and accurate in documenting the essence and highlights of each season.
Through the Garden Gate
This is the perfect book to read just before bed, as it offers richly evocative images and allows our mind to dream. For such a short book, it manages to pay tribute to every sort of garden, and reading it is like meandering in those magical spaces, being surprised and delighted at every turn. I love the illustrations with their tiny details and patterns repeated infinitely; admiring them is a meditation. The book offers simple and informal advice about creating gardens, being organised without overwhelm, and making the most of the space through the seasons, times of day and night. The picture below is about the night garden in full moon, and I think it conveys this special time and space very beautifully.
Through the Kitchen Window
Companion book to the above, Through the Kitchen Window is pure joy at every page. It captures the best of every type of weather at any time of year. The illustrations open a window to visit cosy houses and gardens, giving full immersion into what is happening. There is a lot of preserving, peaceful times and enjoyment going on, and some lovely recipes to make the most of seasonal foods and moods. A treasured time capsule.
The Best of James Herriot
When I first discovered James Herriot I couldn't put the book down. I remember the uncontrollable fits of laughter as he describes his real-life adventures as a Scottish vet in 1930s Yorkshire. I especially enjoy his masterful use of adjectives and adverbs which add such accuracy and nuance to his writing. As a country vet working around the clock and through the seasons, he offers beautiful and varied descriptions of the Yorskshire landscapes in all sorts of weather, painting unforgettable scenes full of respect for the complex and sturdy characters he meets, whether two or four-legged. He is the author that really makes me want to visit Yorkshire. At times deeply touching and sensitive, at other times rib-splittingly hilarious, James Herriot is always keenly observant, compassionate and humble, and this particular mix makes him one of my very favourite writers. I love to go back to his stories again and again.
The Four Seasons of Brambly Hedge
Dearest Lou, I know you are reading this so I want to thank you with all my heart for introducing me to these delightful stories! The moment I open this book, I am transported to the cutest little world where sweet and sociable mice, with their legendary and industrious ingenuity, really make the most of nature's bounty and life's simple pleasures. The illustrations are an absolute joy and full of amusing detail. I was absolutely fascinated by the Dairy and the Flour Mill and pored over them for ages, but I think my favourites are the Larder and the Picnic!
Food for Free
This is the tiny pocket version of a larger book which is on my wish list for this Christmas. It contains all the essential information to make the most of the free food abundantly available in our hedgerows, fields, woods and seashores. Truly a little gem, it is really complete, packed with so much goodness. It also includes recipes, some of them really surprising and ancient, like this 15th century pork and hazelnut leaf stew.
Bonne Maman’s Seasonal Cookbook
I have several cookery books that I love to just look at and this is one of them. A prowess of a book in that it manages to include conserves and preserves in every single recipe, it might be a bit of a publicity stunt, but I suppose that as a French expat I am taking pride in owning this little bit of native heritage. Bonne Maman preserves are such an institution in France, and it is cute to have this reminder on my bookshelf. Full of unusual recipes, which I admit I have not yet tried, it would be fitted to those days where you just want to be in the kitchen and make an effort for someone special. It also has many suggestions on how to use the empty Bonne Maman jam jars. They are indeed always useful, roomy and look so cosy with their gingham lids. I use them for everything.
Dream Gardens of England
This book fell on my lap last year and I am so glad it did. It is mostly pictures so I tend to pick it up when my brain is on holiday, and just enjoy the various atmospheres of these special gardens. As can be expected, it is full of vibrant blooms and carpets of flowers, but I particularly love the photographs of misty gardens in early Spring, daffodils just peaking through the gold and silver light, or the frosty and serene Winter gardens, and the rich Autumn displays full of colour and wild spreads of leaves. This book really makes me want to go on a tour of England to get lost within stately houses and grounds.
I have really loved sharing my bookshelf with you today. It's beautiful how the seasons have inspired so many wonderful books and stories that we can always keep in heart and mind and enjoy revisiting.
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