A Wilder Life: A Season-by-Season Guide to Experiencing the Great Outdoors

by Celestine Maddy, Abbye Churchill

In our technology-driven, workaday world, connecting with nature has never before been more essential. A Wilder Life, a beautiful oversized lifestyle book by the team behind the popular Wilder Quarterly, gives readers indispensable ideas for interacting with the great outdoors. Learn to plant a night-blooming garden, navigate by reading the stars, build an outdoor shelter, make dry shampoo, identify insects, cultivate butterflies in a backyard, or tint your clothes with natural dyes. Like a modern-day Whole Earth Catalog, A Wilder Life gives us DIY projects and old-world skills that are being reclaimed by a new generation. Divided into sections pertaining to each season and covering self-reliance, growing and gardening, cooking, health and beauty, and wilderness, and with photos and illustrations evocative of the great outdoors, A Wilder Life shows that getting in touch with nature is possible no matter who you are and—more important—where you are.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature, Lifestyle, Cookbooks, Reference, Food

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 16, 2016

Reviews

[Cheri · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

“A Wilder Life: A Season-by-Season Guide to Getting in Touch with Nature” is broken down into Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Each Season is broken down into section: Growing, Cooking, Home & Self Reliance, Beauty & Healing, and Wilderness

In these sections, “Growing” typically has six mini sections, usually one page each including “A Seasonal Growing Checklist,” 1st Plant Profile (1 plant per season), 2nd Plant Profile (2nd plant per season), in Spring, the example for next one is “How Plants Work”, which includes on full page photograph and one page with text that fills approximately half the page, “How to Grow from Seeds” and “Plant a Native Garden.”

Included under Cooking is a Primer on making cheese, and a recipe for making a “simple Ricotta” – not having made it, I can only take their word, and another recipe for making “Elderflower Champagne.”

There is a section under Home & Self Reliance for each season for “Prepare Your Home for the Season” Not all of these will apply to your typical homeowner, you may not need to turn your livestock back onto pasture, or to give your chickens access to bare ground, or to prepare nest boxes for those chickens, but this book seems to be mainly targeted for those that do.

The photographs in this book are lovely, and there are few pages that don’t have something to offer in terms of beautiful photographs. I wasn’t really looking for a book on learning to weave or beekeeping, or finding water in the wild, but it’s all there, with very basic instructions. I suspect I couldn’t really learn much about beekeeping from this book, or not enough to be seriously thinking of beekeeping, but I would think if that were a goal there are other books (or people who are beekeepers) that would provide more information.

[Juli Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, this was a strange one! First off, GORGEOUS pictures. Both the photography and the watercolor illustrations are remarkable. Even the Photoshop nonsense is pretty. However, what a useless book! First off, I hope no one is actually taking survivalist advice from this, as they would end up severely lost and/or dying of Giardia in a jiffy (filter water for drinking through your t-shirt? are you kidding?!). Second, while some of the projects seem doable and fun (blending perfume oil or making kokedama, for instance), much of the "inspirational" info here is completely impractical for most people. Who's really going to travel all over the world just to visit the five best hot springs? Why is that information even included?

While this may be a pretty coffee table book encouraging one to interact with nature on a more regular basis, it should not be mistaken for a guidebook on "getting back to the land" or "living the simple life." The entire book assumes a certain kind of privilege that anyone actually interested in such things has probably already given up.

[Marianne Mersereau · Rating 4 out of 5]

The photography in this book is really nice and I found the information about plant medicine and setting up an at-home herbalist pharmacy to be very interesting. A section is devoted to all of the four seasons.

[mairead!]

Beautiful photos and inspiring ideas. Loved the ingredients to inspire spread for each season, especially the illustrations. Just seemed like by covering so much, not enough details? Really tough balance to nail, I'll admit--enjoyed the ideas behind this book a lot despite that.

[Erica Eberhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pleasurable read that I will reference in future seasons. With a focus on all four seasons and tips and details on growing your own gardens including flowers and produce, as well as tips for harvest and plant growth, I know this will come in handy as a simple starting guide when we eventually settle where we are able to have more control on a garden than we've had at our current living situation.

The book is also quite lovely, the imagery sweet, and the artwork enjoyable. It's nothing groundbreaking, very earth and spirit-focused, but I think would be an interesting coffee table book for someone to flip through. Overall, I truly enjoyed going through the book and took my time reading the different articles, a few a day, until I completed the book.

If you're looking for fine details of garden maintenance, this isn't the book for you. It has some great tips and may work best for gardeners who have experience but not necessarily highly skilled experience. Consider it a how to guide in getting started.

[kleinerpanda_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein großartiger Natur-Guide für alle Jahreszeiten. Das Buch beinhaltet viele Tips für Garten und Haushalt, DIY Ideen, Pflanzen, Wissenswertes rund um die Natur, Rezepte, und viel viel mehr. Dazu kommen viele noch wunderschöne Fotos. Das Buch ist mir eine tolle Inspiration und motiviert mich sehr. Habe unendlich viele Post-Its verteilt und freue mich schon darauf alles nächstes Jahr (denn dann habe ich einen eigenen Garten) auszuprobieren und umzusetzen. Werde das Buch definitiv im Winter wieder hervor holen, um meinen Garten dann auf den Frühling vorzubereiten.
Hätte mir zu den beschriebenen Schmetterlingen, Käfern, Vögelchen, Pilzen etc. gerne Abbildungen gewünscht, damit man sie noch besser erkennt. Da das Buch recht groß ist und relativ viele Seiten hat, hätte ich noch mehr Abenteuer Ideen und Bastel Anregungen erwartet (gut gepasst hätte zum Beispiel noch ein Vogelhaus, Insektenhotel, Deko aus Gartenutensilien, mehr Rezepte beim Beitrag zu den Einmachgläsern etc.).

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate giving books less than 3 stars but here it goes...

The pictures and layout were nicely done but the title of the book is a bit misleading. For example, there is a tutorial on making shoes which is lovely but I feel like you can experience nature without them and the author could have included something more purposeful. Anyway, the book has too many topics and NOT very detailed information on most of the subjects that it still leaves you feeling clueless on how to do that project if you are an absolute beginner. A beautiful coffee table book but that's about it.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful book filled with rich photographs. The information was very introductory, but a nice introduction to the rhythm of the seasons. Some projects that did have a step-by-step are ones that I have no interest in (Making my own sandals? I know they'll fall apart and won't be comfortable.), and others were mentioned as something that would be good to do, but didn't include instructions (e.g., setting up a cold frame for year-round vegetable gardening). Gorgeous to peruse, though.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stylistically, with its full page photos and soft lighting, this book is stunning. However, the content is pretty "off the grid" for my lifestyle. There's really no need for me to make medicinal tinctures or know how to pick wild mushrooms. I would say it's worth skimming through on a lazy winter afternoon if you are dreaming of beautiful summer days.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

a combination gardening, cooking, crafting DIY season to season guide.
a jack of all trades book - perhaps it did not get enough into anything to make me excited although many of the things she does are activities that interest me. It felt a bit more like a list of tasks for each season then an emersion in each season.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavy on dreamy photos, light on truly useful information.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is nice if want want natural ways to garden.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely, relaxing book with thick, textured pages that add to the reader’s enjoyment. This was a motivating read that inspires me to use nature’s gifts more thoughtfully.

[Jenelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didnt glean much from it. Wouldn't buy the book.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful
not immensely practical as it's content is very selective

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being non American meant that a lot of this book wasn’t super relevant to me but I loved the recipes and found a lot of the tips about sustainability and being self sufficient really helpful!

[Bettina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a mess. Pretty pictures though.

[Amanda Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a fun book to keep on hand. It’s obviously put together by the author and editor of a magazine. It’s a beautifully designed collection of ideas. A good springboard, but not a deep dive.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty, but not all that practical or useful. Guides for mushrooms, insects, etc don’t include images of them.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gorgeous photos but terrible?

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peaceful, lovely, and pretty book.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! I've learned SO much and had to stop myself from starting several new crafts projects all at once. Perfect for any nature lover or city person trying to better understand the environment around them. Absolutely recommend. Photos are gorgeous.

[Quietgirl255 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful coffee table book full of inspiration for natural living. The book is full of seasonal beauty. Divided into sections covering the seasons with "projects" appropriate to the time of year. For example in Spring we are going to learn to grow things from seeds, understand cheese, make elderberry champagne, and get started on beekeeping. In Fall we are going to make pumpkin butter, set up an at home herbalist pharmacy, and understand the secrets of fall's changing leaves.

It bounds with eternal optimism of cool things I could plant or the fabric I could dye using those beets, carrots and kale I planted. The problem is, the book is extremely light on details. This book has to be viewed as a book of inspiration, that will take you somewhere else to find out how to actually accomplish the ideas. A couple of paragraphs of text isn't' going to ensure the desired results.

I mean I am not going to learn to identify 14 species of butterflies with only a handful of identification tips and no photos of each species. Nor am I going to go foraging in the woods for mushrooms unless I have good realistic clear photos and descriptions of what I am looking for, along with photos and descriptions of the mushrooms I need to avoid.

I don't think it is a terrible book, I think it is a quite lovely book, to look at and to inspire, but not to actually use as a guide.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very beautiful book, but it is really quite silly. Anyone who could or would actually follow the seasons in the way described knows far more about chickens and livestock and beekeeping than the author to be sure. If you are buying this for the coffee table in your brooklyn apartment as an inspirational dream book, great. If you are in search of anything bordering on realistic or practical homesteading advice, look elsewhere.

[Cyndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another of those books with lovely photos that is long on inspiration, but short on actual content. In other words, you'd probably want to consult additional source before taking on many of the projects. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway, I'd suggest a quick flip through before buying this book...

[Sami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't exactly what I was expecting but enjoyed it just the same. It is one that I am likely to check a physical copy out from the library to study more in depth. Has some great recipes, simple seasonal DIY projects and relevant and informative seasonal checklists. Simple easy to read layout. I recommend to anyone who is working toward a lifestyle that is guided more by the seasons.

[Christine (Tina) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful photography and incredibly informative resource for how to utilize nature for sustainable living. Parceled into seasons by four topics that relate to natural living: growing, cooking, home & self-reliance, beauty & healing.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the local library and was very excited when it came in. I love the quality of the cover. It's textured paper sets the tone for the beautiful photographs that await for the reader inside its fold. Very informational and entertaining read.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home making, gardening, herbal, this kind of book is like hot chocolate on a cold winters night to me. there is something satisfying in it.

[Angela Snyder rowan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a beautiful book. Design and layout are great. Gardening, cooking, and craft information is rudimentary, however. Good for "indoor kids" who want to meet the outdoors for the first time.