Welcome to Five Fall Favorites! This week (Monday – Saturday), I will be sharing five books a day, each day in a certain category. Today it’s books about nature. Be sure to come back tomorrow to learn about more of my favorite books!
Frustrated with life in the tenements generally and the negative influences on his children specifically, a father decides to move his family to the country, where they live off the land and breathe fresh air. – Summary by David Gore from Librivox
This is a book to which I have listened at least twice. It is delightful how a family grows closer by moving out to the country. It was also rather interesting to learn how they made their first year a decent success without having prior knowledge about farming and crops. The children were out in nature rather than in the streets of the city, and the parents did not have as many worries about their children’s friends.
Laura Ingalls Wilder writes about her husband and his family when he was growing up in New York. While this is a children’s book, there are numerous lessons that adults can learn from it. I love how the family worked systematically and seasonally. Almanzo loved being outside in nature to help his father with planting, harvesting, tending animals, and even hauling ice and logs. Reading about Almanzo’s mother is amazing. She sewed, made her own material to make clothes, made candles, cooked a feast for each meal, made soap, made jams and jellies, and made enough butter not just for her family’s use but also to sell to butter buyers from “the city.”
This is quite the biography, and the missionary of whom it is written is unnamed. Much of it happens on the sea west of British Columbia. There are dangers but also so many blessings. I loved reading how the ministry operated–by faith, and not how “by faith” is described today. Phillip Keller’s books are always a blessing, and this is no exception.
This is Phillip Keller’s autobiography. You may have heard of his most popular book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. It was amazing to learn about him. He was born in Kenya as a missionary’s child and studied agriculture in college in Canada. While he lived in different places and was not always close to God, it is a blessing to read about how God used him, including his “non-ministry” skills with animals and nature.
This acclaimed story of World War II is rich in suspense, characterization, plot and spiritual truth. Every element of occupied Holland is united in a story of courage and hope: a hidden Jewish child, an “underdiver,” a downed RAF pilot, an imaginative, daring underground hero, and the small things of family life which surprisingly carry on in the midst of oppression. The Verhagen family, who live in the old windmill called the Winged Watchman, are a memorable set of individuals whose lives powerfully demonstrate the resilience of those who suffer but do not lose faith. [summary from Goodreads]
Our co-host Katja shared about this book on social media, and I was happy to find it through our inter-library loan. This is a historical fiction book written during World War II and is told through the eyes of a young boy. His mother would send him to forage for mushrooms so that she could preserve them for winter eating. He spent quite a bit of time in nature alone and with some friends. Even a young boy needed to learn who was trustworthy and who was otherwise during a war.
Please visit the other lovely ladies on my team for more book recommendations!
Katja and/or Kate will be sharing daily in their posts which teams are offering freebies; feel free to hunt through the blogs for the books.
Also, there is a giveaway! We will be offering one international and one U.S. prize.
Here’s the giveaway link. You can enter only once, but you can earn extra entries throughout the week by commenting on the participating blogs’ FFF posts—1 bonus entry per blog per day. Comments must be made under or signed off with the same name people use to enter the giveaway; otherwise bonus entries are null and void because they cannot be matched to a giveaway entry.
I’d love to stay in touch even after Fall Fall Favorites blog party is over. You are invited to do so via my newsletter. Just enter your email address below. 🙂 Also, I often have book recommendations in my newsletters.
Which of these books have you read? Which ones will you add to your to-be-read list? Which books about nature have you enjoyed?
Farmer Boy was my second favorite of the Little House books growing up! I’ve read and enjoyed several of Philip Keller’s books, but I haven’t read either of these. I’ll have to see if they’re in my dad’s library!
Hannah, thank you for stopping by! What was your favorite Little House book? Phillip Keller’s books are really good! I hope you get to enjoy both of them. 🙂
I remember Farmer Boy! I had the Little House 3-book collection growing up, so I didn’t even know Farmer Boy existed until I was older, and then I was really confused why we threw some random guy’s story into the middle of the series. XD
Love this post, Luba!
Cate, I must confess that Farmer Boy has been a recent re-read. 🙂 Oh, there is a Little House three-book collection? Thank you for sharing your story and for your kind comment, Cate. 🙂
I marked all of these as Want to Read, except Farmer Boy, which I already love. Thank you for the great list, Luba! That first one sounds interesting, and I wasn’t familiar with it.
I’ve never read the others, but Farmer Boy was absolutely one of my favorites in the Little House series when I was growing up! <3
Thank you, Heather! I do love Farmer Boy too. 🙂
Farmer Boy is perfect for this prompt! It’s one of my favourites in the series.
And I really want to read Winged Watchman!
Lydia, thank you for your kind words. I think you would really enjoy Winged Watchman! 🙂
Farmer Boy was my second favorite of the Little House books growing up! I’ve read and enjoyed several of Philip Keller’s books, but I haven’t read either of these. I’ll have to see if they’re in my dad’s library!
Hannah, thank you for stopping by! What was your favorite Little House book? Phillip Keller’s books are really good! I hope you get to enjoy both of them. 🙂
My favorite was The Long Winter!
Oh, that is a really good one for sure!
I remember Farmer Boy! I had the Little House 3-book collection growing up, so I didn’t even know Farmer Boy existed until I was older, and then I was really confused why we threw some random guy’s story into the middle of the series. XD
Love this post, Luba!
Cate, I must confess that Farmer Boy has been a recent re-read. 🙂 Oh, there is a Little House three-book collection? Thank you for sharing your story and for your kind comment, Cate. 🙂
I have read #1 and #4, but not the others—they’re totally going on my TBR now. Thank you, Luba!
My pleasure, Katja! Enjoy. 🙂
I love Farmer Boy, especially all the lovely descriptions of the delicious food!
Anna, Almanzo’s mother could definitely cook! Thank you for stopping by. 🙂
Ooh, I love The Winged Watchman! And I enjoyed Farmer Boy. 🙂
Those are both excellent. Thank you for sharing, Savannah!
I loved A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 (I didn’t know he had other books too!)
Oh, dear Lillian, his books alone would require a shelf of a bookshelf. I do hope you get to read other books of his!
Oh, I should reread Farmer Boy! And The Winged Watchman is really good too! I haven’t read any of the others you shared.
Thank you for your kind comment, Rebekah! Farmer Boy is always worth a reread. 🙂
Farmer Boy was a great choice! I have The Winged Watchman on my TBR
Thank you, Virginia! I hope you enjoy The Winged Watchman. 😀
I marked all of these as Want to Read, except Farmer Boy, which I already love. Thank you for the great list, Luba! That first one sounds interesting, and I wasn’t familiar with it.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Bethany! I trust you will enjoy the books. 😀
I loved Farmer Boy when I read it as a child. I hope I can reread it someday!
I hope you can reread it too, Agape! The entire series is quite lovely. 🙂