Member Reviews

This book is stunning! I love the recipes for all things spread throughout it. To name a few; lavender simple syrup, pest repellent, dried flower bath salts and salsa, I will definitely be referring back to it time and time again!

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I received a free audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This was a nice book. Pretty photos, easy directions, but I felt like something was missing. Nothing groundbreaking, nothing I couldn’t find elsewhere. It is definitely a good starting point for readers who want to start homesteading, but otherwise unremarkable. But it looks nice!

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This was a delicious read! I especially loved the little recipes sprinkled all throughout the book, chapter after chapter. I learned a lot about homesteading - and figured out why my vegetables all died last spring... - and really appreciated the contents and the overall look of this book. It would make a great gift for a loved one interested in homesteading !
One note, though : even if it wasn't advertised as such, this book has many religious references to Christianity. Might not be your jam if you're a fervent atheist like me!

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This is a practical guide on country living that includes skills such as canning and making bread, along with more philosophical topics such as "your why." Appreciated recipes for things like DIY detergent and natural egg dye. Lots of inspiring ideas.

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A beautifully written, beautifully photographed introduction to homesteading, by an author who declares, "I inspire others to live a simple life."

Annette Thurmond left the rat race as a nurse and couture wedding gown designer for a much simpler life in the country, and shares invaluable tips to help you do so too. You'll learn about making a country home and kitchen, gardening for sustenance including what to plant, and creating a lifestyle that supports health and well-being. She also includes delicious recipes such as dark chocolate mint truffles and garden fresh bruschetta that made me drool.

Highly recommended for anyone seeking a more natural, fulfilling life.

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I feel like we should all have this book in our library! It gave you good information and pertinent recipes that every person should have access too! I will be purchasing this for myself!
Thank you for NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

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A lovely, inspiring introduction to homesteading!

The author’s voice is so encouraging- Like a friend sharing what she’s doing and answering questions to help others to follow along.

It truly is an introduction- there are few specifics. This is a great book for getting ideas for what kinds of things someone might incorporate into their live if they want to take a more “homesteading” approach to life, and the author talks about her own thoughts and experiences on each of those things (such as gardening, preserving, incorporating more natural products, etc.) There are a few basic recipes included. Lots of beautiful photographs are inspiring as well.

The most useful sections for me, as someone who already has a lot of experience with homesteading ideas, were here ideas for incorporating her children into the work of her farm. She gives some easy, realistic tips that I really enjoyed.

Overall a great book for those looking to learn a little bit about homesteading as they dream about having their own little farm to produce food for their family!

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An absolutely beautiful book. Full of so many peaceful ideas to homestead to come back to nature.Delicious recipes helpful hints for making cleaning products and other life simplifying ideas.A gorgeous read a book I will enjoy going back to again and again.#netgalley #quartobooks

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Absolutely stunning book. The writing style feels like a friend is helping you to make simple changes to balance your life.
The pictures, recipes, descriptions of making home cleaning items are beautiful.
There are chapters for your garden, home, a focus on each season & spending time with loved family & friends.
Feels like a balm for your mind & soul, to remind you to look after yourself when life gets too busy.

Posted review on Amazon, as uses American references.

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This is a book we all need. A book about basics, about cooking real food and making life simple. This book is Annette's story and tales of getting back to basic and I really enjoyed reading and will also enjoy trying some of the recipes within.

And when I say recipes they are not just about food but also about cleaning and then there is gardening as well. This book covers so much and is so easy to read and follow. A great reference book with plenty of hints and tips and a book that will certainly be worth buying.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

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Thank you netgalley for an advanced ARC of this book

I have been thinking more and more recently about going back to the basics of simple living, next year I want to start making these steps at thr place I am right now to in time get to owning my own place with a garden, animals etc.

While reading this I was so interested in hearing her talk not only about starting from scratch etc but also talking about what going back to the simple live has been for her.

When this book is out I will go buy myself it to keep so I can get looking back on the helpful tips and tricks and advice given, also the receipes that are mentioned in this book from cooking, to cleaning & also for the garden look great 👍 I cannot wait to try some myself.

I do suggest this book if u are even thinking of living more self efficient and the simpler live so that you can see from someone first hand, the struggles they had and also how to use the nature sound you in so many things in everyday life

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As someone who is very interested in the idea of a homestead and simple living, I was very eager to check out this book. The layout is and formatting is beautiful and I loved the variety of included recipes.

I definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in this topic.

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This books is gorgeous! I enjoyed the formatting of the tips and tricks, the flow of the story, and the accompanying photographs.

Homesteading is interesting to me because, in my opinion, it promotes the value of hard work, sustainability, and family.

As someone who finds this way of living unattainable at the moment, it’s lovely to live vicariously through such a lovely book.

The layout is simple, but both colorful and cozy. It’s elegant while maintaining its ability to be relatable to the average reader.

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