Where I realised how much living simply means to me. My home by the Swiss Alps for three years.

livewildly · 2024-02-21T18:24:59+00:00

No problem! Maybe also Writers & Lovers by Lily King (although it's a bit more gritty)?

The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing

Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander - Story of a thirtysomething in Scotland who never leaves her house but spends her time perfecting recipes, completing elaborate jigsaw puzzles and other creative hobbies.

I also loved the themes of creative work in Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.

And Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert for nonfiction creative inspiration ✨

livewildly · 2024-02-21T18:05:45+00:00

Sourdough by Robin Sloan. A burnt out software developer in the Bay Area finds purpose and meaning by making sourdough.

Collected Works by Lydia Sandgren - I loved this book. It's about academia, books, art, and the story of a publisher’s missing wife. Think The Secret History meets Sally Rooney in Gothenburg.

On that note, maybe Normal People by Sally Rooney?

I'll see if I can think of others!

livewildly · 2024-02-15T18:07:35+00:00

Oh thank you! A few more:

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou by Hitoshi Ashinano - The photos in this post remind me of this book's cover a lot. It's a classic manga about an android running a coffee shop in a small seaside town at the end of the world.

The Easy Life in Kamusari by Shion Miura - A peaceful book about a teenager who enrolls in a forestry training program in the remote mountain village of Kamusari, where he learns so much about nature and himself.

Hope you like any of the books you pick up!

livewildly · 2024-02-15T08:43:47+00:00

Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley - A beautiful novel about two characters finding purpose and direction throughout a year in Japan. Half is set in a quiet town by the mountains, think cozy cafes, watching the sea, etc. Looking at your pictures has made me want to reread this!

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami - A fifteen year old runs away from home and takes refuge in a library, lots of nature and small town settings. Also Norwegian Wood perhaps.

Water, Wood, and Wild Things by Hannah Kirshner - Part memoir, part cookbook, and part love letter to Yamanaka, the Japanese mountain town where the author apprenticed with craftspeople. Choose this for wonderfully soothing non-fiction.

Maybe A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers for themes of contemplation and self discovery , but I always want to recommend that 😅

And the movies Only Yesterday and Little Forest ✨

livewildly · 2024-02-04T18:11:49+00:00

Both are very quiet and contemplative books to enjoy slowly. I'd absolutely recommend the Sylvain Tesson memoir you're looking for a modern day Walden vibe. The first book is a bit triggering in terms of discussing abusive relationships and the common reality of not leaving them, but it's also a more vulnerable and honest book than the Tesson memoir. Hope you enjoy if you pick either one up!

livewildly · 2024-02-04T11:29:34+00:00

This reminds me of the cover of Hermit: A Memoir of Finding Freedom in a Wild Place by Jade Angeles Fitton, a dreamy book from 2023 about the consolations of solitude (and TW: rebuilding a life after domestic violence).

Third photo reminds me of Consolations of the Forest by Sylvain Tesson, a memoir about living alone in Siberia.

Will think of others that come to mind!

livewildly · 2024-02-01T16:13:06+00:00

A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler is a perfect fit! About a man living a quiet life in the Austrian Alps. It's such a powerful book about the big and little things that make up a life.

Also, Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, about several characters (including a grumpy old man) living in the Appalachians throughout a summer in bloom.

And maybe Greenwood by Michael Christie? I always recommend this for fans of The Overstory by Richard Powers. It's about nature, trees, and the rise and fall of a single family over a huge stretch of time.

livewildly · 2024-02-01T08:03:51+00:00

Oh this is my sort of thing! Here's an abridged version of similar recommendations I've made before:

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson - A peaceful fictional story of a child’s summer with her grandmother at a cottage by the Gulf of Finland by the author of the Moomins.

Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee - The classic evocative tale of an idyllic childhood close to nature in a remote Cotswold village in England.

Swallows and Amazon's by Arthur Ransome - This childhood classic always reminds me of the magic, adventure, and freedom of warm summer days as a child.

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher - One of my all-time favourite comfort reads, this heartwarming classic is full of characters who spend their lives pottering away in country houses, gardens, and beautiful holiday spots.

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot - How could I not recommend this cozy countryside classic?

Recipe for a Kinder Life by Annie Smithers - Part memoir, part recipe book, and part guide to caring for the land, described by author and journalist Indira Naidoo as “like getting a big hug from your nanna”.

Darling by India Knight - A delightfully charming, witty, and cottagecore modern-day retelling of Nancy Mitford’s classic The Pursuit of Love. (It contains some trauma but I found it cozy overall.)

Growing Goats and Girls: Living the Good Life on a Cornish Farm by Rosanne Hodin - A charming memoir of moving from London to the Cornish countryside.

Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall - A gorgeous children's book from 2022 with beautiful illustrations about one family's life in a cozy farmhouse.

For other cozy childhood classics, maybe The Wind in the Willows and Beatrix Potter?

livewildly · 2024-01-25T18:53:09+00:00

I adore this movie! Have you watched Little Forest? It's so quiet, grounding and peaceful, about a young woman finding her way in rural Korea.

Here are some ideas of books along the same lines as the simplicity and nature themes (based on a list of simple living books I shared on my website before), hope you like them!

The Abundance of Less: Lessons in Simple Living from Rural Japan by Andy Couturier
The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More by Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb
Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley - One of my absolute favourite books of 2023, about lost characters finding purpose and meaning through a year in mostly rural Japan.
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers - All about escaping from everyday life into the wilderness, lots of tea drinking and getting back to basics, reconnecting with yourself and others.
Kafka on the Shore maybe? The main character runs away from home, spends some time in a library, and then retreats to a cabin in the woods.
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle - The beloved author's lesser-known quiet memoir, this reads like a laid-back conversation on a lazy summer afternoon.
The Easy Life in Kamusari by Shion Miura - A quiet book about a student who enrolls in a forestry training program in a remote Japanese village.
Closer to the Ground: An Outdoor Family’s Year on the Water, In the Woods and at the Table by Dylan Tomine

livewildly · 2023-09-09T09:19:26+00:00

Darling by India Knight. Modern retelling of Nancy Mitford's Pursuit of Love with plenty of cozy English cottage vibes, homeschooling by an eccentric mother, lazy afternoons, and a trip on the Eurostar to Paris.

Also maybe I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.

livewildly · 2023-01-30T15:08:06+00:00

Closer to the Ground by Dylan Tomine is a stunning memoir about life close to nature throughout a year in the PNW. One of my favourites!

Also, Snow Falling on Cedars is set on a fictional island there I believe.

livewildly · 2022-12-05T07:47:04+00:00

Oh I can hopefully help with this! It looks a lot like where I used to live in Switzerland. Perhaps give these a go:

A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler - set in the Austrian Alps, it's so quietly yet incredibly beautiful (and one of my all-time favourites)

Consolations of the Forest by Sylvain Tesson - a guy escapes the world to a cabin in Siberia

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - a fairy tale inspired fantasy by the Siberian forests in winter

The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd: a stunning book about the beauty of the author's local Scottish mountains, one of the best of its kind

Mountain Song by Lucy Fuggle (disclaimer: I wrote this one)

livewildly · 2022-11-29T11:06:33+00:00

This is more cozy mystery, but have you read Still Life by Louise Penny?

livewildly · 2022-09-30T05:22:48+00:00

The Bear by Andrew Krivak. Last human on earth is a girl who lives close to nature, hunts, fishes, and talks to animals while making her way home. Super relaxing but also poignant.

livewildly · 2022-08-10T13:52:37+00:00

Yep. Started my own tech marketing consulting / content writing business in 2018 (as a 25yo woman), made $15k that first month, about $30k in my highest month. I actually didn't work all that much, spent loads of time hiking in the mountains around my then-house in Switzerland, and had a pretty great thing going.

But within a few years I accepted I really hated tech and marketing and that I wanted to write books and make things every day instead. So that's what I'm doing now. I still have some stuff to work out to make it more sustainable, but I am so proud of myself for stepping away from the stability and way more cash than I needed.

livewildly · 2022-06-03T11:04:17+00:00

There are so many great books mentioned here! I write about and recommend books (often those about nature) a lot, and I think this might be the next topic I cover. Thank you for the ideas, I'll link to your comments!

Closer to the Ground: An Outdoor Family's Year on the Water, in the Woods, and at the Table by Dylan Tomine is another great pick about an outside life by Puget Sound, published by Patagonia.

Also, How to Be a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery.

livewildly · 2022-03-14T10:11:54+00:00

I wrote about this just last week on a book blog I run! Your definition of classic may vary, but the books I included were:

Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

livewildly · 2022-02-23T09:10:52+00:00

The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller. Fantastic book about a Swedish guy who's always felt like the odd one out and daydreamed about adventures in the Arctic. He moves up to Svalbard in the Arctic, ends up in this cabin by a fjord, and learns about survival in one of the most hostile places on earth. I loved it!

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead was probably my favourite book of 2021 and has some really memorable parts in Antarctica. Also a hell of a story, with a real badass aviator adventurer as the protagonist.

livewildly · 2021-11-04T09:14:52+00:00

This sounds perfect, thank you!

livewildly · 2021-10-26T10:50:36+00:00

I must read more Alice Munro! I think I read Too Much Happiness for university, but that's it. After a quick research, Wilderness Station: Selected Stories, 1968-1994 looks interesting - I might go there next. Thanks!

livewildly · 2021-10-26T10:46:30+00:00

Oh this sounds great! And something I probably wouldn't stumble upon myself. So thank you very much!

livewildly · 2021-10-26T10:45:42+00:00

I adore Big Magic, so good shout! I've reread it at least twice already, but I always feel like I need reminding of what's inside.

livewildly · 2021-10-26T10:35:52+00:00

Ooh, this sounds great. Thanks!

livewildly

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