I have run out of books to read! I need a winter reading list.
Every single night of my reading life (beginning at age 3) I have read a book in bed before going to sleep. And when the winter comes there may even be time to read a book in front of the fire in the afternoons and I will be travelling to Australia and New Zealand this winter so I read in the airports and the airplanes and taxis and buses and trains and in the backyards of my children. So I need heaps of books. I know you read. What book did you read this year that you loved enough to recommend.
If you are new to the Fellowship here are the previous lists.
2012 books
2013 books
2014 (what happened to 2014?) I cannot find it. 
Anyway – it is that time again – though there is no actual time for this list except that I am out of a book and need some guidance. And you are all readers! Will you share?
To start the ball rolling I have two recommendations from The Fellowship. Books that have come out this year and I was lucky enough to read.
The first is a recipe book written by John Amici : Recipes from The Bartolini Kitchens. This is not only an extraordinary collection of one families recipes cooked by the Bartolini sisters and their families and recorded by their son and nephew but also a collection of stories about an Italian family settling and cooking and flourishing in America. This is the story of the American Dream with food.
The second book I would like to recommend is by Melissa DeCarlo. The Art of Crash Landing. It is a novel of a young woman named Mattie who finds herself pregnant and lost and launches herself out into the world with much gusto and determination and not a little trepidation. This book charges along at breakneck speed, a wonderful read. And what I liked the most about Mattie and the collection of characters that we meet as we read this book ,is how REAL they are. How easy it was for me to empathise with the people that people these pages. Loved it.
Both of these are available on Amazon. 
I have a few more that I will tell you about when I write up the list.
Now: How about you?
Do you have any books you have read lately that we might want to read? I love a good book.
From your recommendations I shall create the 2015 list of books recommended by The Fellowship of the Farmy – for us all to print and share. In the past I have given away our lists as Christmas presents to my friends and family all of whom love to read. And if you are a reader of this blog you are one of The Fellowship so everyone can join in.
What are you reading? What have you written? What should I be reading?
Love celi
PS. I will not answer the comments today so you do not have to scroll down too far to add your own. But I will be reading and compiling all day! Thank you!
The Kitchen's Garden 
113 responses to “The Winter Book List 2015”
Plus one from me with regard to Recipes from The Bartolini Kitchens – it’s excellent! 🙂
Agree! Have ‘finished’ with the family stories and it is now sitting atop my current kitchen volumes with a few recipes already turned into great meals . .
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, by Anthony Doerr. and THE MARTIAN, by Andy Weir. First one is a historical novel set in WWII. The second one is set on Mars. Both wonderful.
I second All the Light – excellent book!
All The Light We Cannot See
The Art of Letting Go by Chloe Banks or any of Robin Hobbs trilogies for me. Both books I’ve found in the last year or two and keep going back to…
Some good books I’ve read this year:
A Tale For The Time Being
The Vegetarian: A Novel
The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature (highly recommend!)
The Southern Reach Trilogy
The Snow Child
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
The Samurai’s Garden
I’m late to discovering Mary Wesley and have read two of her books this year (Jumping the Queue, and An Imaginative Experience). Both books were great. She has (or had, she died in 2002) a dark sense of humor and quirky characters.
I recommend Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan, When You are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris
And there is a sequel to Shantaram due out this week. Sh. is a mamoth read, and I don’t suppose the sequel will be any smaller. Ken Follett has finished the Century Trilogy with Edge of Eternity, published a couple of weeks ago – The whole trilogy is good escapist reading.
One of the best books I read this year was Not Without My Father by Andra Watkins. It’s a memoir, partly about her walk of the Natchez Trace, partly about her relationship with her father, and so much more! Her novel, To Live Forever, is brilliant, too!
Have had letters regarding Andra’s book on quite a few occasions. Well, your comments have made up my mind – thanks 🙂 !
Glad if I helped. 🙂 The novel came out first and was set along the Natchez Trace, and then Andra walked it ,which is documented in her memoir. I read them in that order because that is how they came out, but I wonder…which way around would you do it?
For a brief time I subscribed to Andra’s blog at about the time she was to begin her ‘walk’ – sadly one of many I had to delete purely because of time pressures. I still get mails from her at times. I’ll order her ‘walk’ book first and if I am as thrilled as I probably will be, I’ll see about the novel. Living in Australia the postage tends to outstrip book costs 2 to 1 so it is slowly, slowly 🙂 !
I hope you enjoy it. I really think you will. 🙂
Anything by Rosamund Pilcher – every one of her books is gracious, delicious and her grasp of the written/spoken word is glorious. I read them over and over. I’ll think of others. Right now I’m busy writing my own books.
Which is your favourite book from Rosamund Pilcher Di?
O love them all but I love The Shell Seekers best. Have you read The Book thief by Markus Zusak?
Thank you for doing this list again. I’m in the same predicament! Here are a few of the good books I’ve read this year: The Cherry Orchard by Lucy Sanna. The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah. Both set in WWII, the first in the US, the second in German occupied France. The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown. The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food, by Janisse Ray, (if you haven’t already read it, you’ll appreciate this one Celi.) The Third Plate, by Dan Barber (a must read, about food, farming, sustainability and the role of chefs, and much more.) The whole Outlander series, which I’ve read twice! All the Poldark novels.
I’m a Diana Gabaldon/Outlander fan too, and may have to resort to the huge task of re-reading the series while I’m waiting for the next instalment 🙂
Late at night, curled up in bed, what more delicious escapism 🙂 !
Amen 🙂
I will post just some authors, that my Mom loves.
J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) she writes under both
Catherine Coulter
Kay Hooper
I seem to have done a lot of WWII reading this year as well! My favorites: All the Light We Cannot See; Nightingale; City of Women by David R. Gillham. I read lots of upper elementary and young adult novels, but these are the “adult” books that I have loved this year!
Loved Nightingale too
Thank you so much, Celi! I can’t tell you how happy I am that you enjoyed The Art of Crash Landing! I’ll add a couple recommendations for your list: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter and Here If You Need Me by Kate Braestrup
I keep coming back and re-reading these time and again: American Gods by Neil Gaiman; A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute; Kim by Rudyard Kipling; Deborah Harkness’ trilogy A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night and The Book of Life; Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg; Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Coming Home and September by Rosamund Pilcher; To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; The 100 Mile Diet by Alisa Smith and JB MacKinnon; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver; Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.
None of them are new, but they’re the ones I’d grab in a fire!
I listened to the audio of Animal, Vegetable, Mineral which was read by the author and her family. Very nice to hear it in their voices!
Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favourite writers and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is one of my favourite books 🙂
Anything by Gladys Taber
How lovely to know that at least one other person remembers and loves Gladys Taber’s books. My mother was a fan and I began reading them as a child in the 50’s!
I remember too. Mama was a fan & I inherited her Gladys Taber books. Do you all recall Mrs. Appleyard & her Kitchen? Louise Andrews Kent was the author of those delightful story/cook books back from that same era. She wrote for Vermont Life magazine.
Let’s Pretend this Never Happened
Furiously Happy
Daring Greatly
Trails, Trials and Tears – The Life and Legacy of Texas Lil – – – okay, this one – I personally know Lil… She is the mother of one of high school friends and what a character she is!!!!! Please try to get this one and read it. It is a great story about a women who has brass you know whats!
Daily Coyote
and of course – I love all cookbooks, but I am reading through Cooks Illustrated 2012 annual right now. Found it at a used book store.