Cottagecore – Three Variations on an Aesthetic

What do you envision when you hear the term “cottagecore”? Perhaps its lush country gardens, fresh baked bread, and dreamy cotton clothes. Or maybe just a simple back-to-nature aesthetic that is wistful and romantic. Here are three takes from three library staff on Cottagecore to fuel your inspiration.

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore has lush estate gardens that the Nomeolvides women take care of. But when one of them meets a mysterious man who knows nothing more than his first name, all are placed in danger as they work to uncover who he is. With crumbling estates and wonderful garden imagery, This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron follows Briseis who can use magic to turn seeds into flowers. But how will that help her on a newly inherited estate that hides dark secrets? The new adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small is a soothing show about a vet’s slice of life in the 1930s that follows James Herriot, his family and friends, and the many animals they take care of with simplicity and a beautiful set. The Secret World of Arrietty by beloved director Hayao Miyazaki uses beautiful artwork to bring to life the self-sufficiency of the tiny Borrowers. When Arrietty, a young Borrower, is discovered by a human boy, their lives are forever changed. As a fan of Studio Ghibli, I must add A Symphonic Celebration: Music from the Studio Ghibli films of Hayao Miyazaki. The music is whimsical and lush as done by Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Finally, let me recommend The Road Back Home, the newest album by Loreena McKennitt, which returns to her roots of Celtic and folk music that feels comforting and warm.

~posted by Meranda T.

Simplicity, the joy of slowing down, and connecting with nature are what speak to me most about Cottagecore. Japanese haiku beautifully incorporates all these aspects, and The Essential Haiku features three Japanese masters of the craft. Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship is a true story of the bond of animal companionship where and when we least expect it. Get cottage crafty and learn all about the process of natural dyeing, with project ideas included, in The Wild Dyer.

For a pastoral soundtrack while tending your seedlings, give Vashti Bunyan’s 1970 English folk-pop album Just Another Diamond Day a try. Mostly written while travelling by horse and wagon through Scotland, her delicate vocals charm and transport. Devendra Banhart’s new folk album Rejoicing in the Hands is simple, poetic, jolly, subdued, and sometimes silly – it invites you to pause and see joy in the everyday.

In Recipes for Love and Murder, a TV series set in South Africa, Tannie Maria, along with her pet chicken, enjoys a simple life of cooking and gardening….until murder strikes! Based on the cozy mystery books by Sally Andrews.

~posted by Chelsea M.

My Instagram feed might be crawling with pretty cotton dresses, wicker baskets filled with just-picked wildflowers, and wide-open meadows at the golden hour, but that’s neither accessible to me nor what I think of when I hear the term “cottagecore” (with the exception of the 2020 movie version of Emma, which has all of these things). What springs to my mind is the soft opening notes of Cinematic Orchestra’s gorgeous 2007 Album Ma Fleur, or the bright, sweeping notes of Balmorhea. Cottagecore is a state of mind or a way of being, as much as it is an aesthetic. It’s about comfortable clothing, cared for and creatively mended. It’s about spending time with nature, whether that means observing the city crows in your backyard or planting a country cottage-style garden. To me, cottagecore is about seeking joy in the simple things in life and taking those little moments to pause, look around and see beauty wherever you are.

~posted by V.

Cottagecore is what you make it. Now that you’ve seen our takes on cottagecore, feel free to share yours in the comments. We’d love to see it!

 

Dig Into These Books for Spring

Read the latest column by Reader Services librarian Misha Stone on the Seattle Times website or below, where it’s republished with permission.

The Seattle Public Library loves to promote books and reading. This column, submitted by the library, will be a space to promote reading and book trends from a librarian’s perspective. You can find these titles at the library by visiting spl.org and searching the catalog.

Earth Day may not always conjure thoughts of reading. But when you are taking a break from your garden or hikes, consider settling in with one of these intriguing titles in science, memoir and science fiction to help you connect with nature and consider our collective future.

Mushrooms are a hot topic in the Pacific Northwest, and few scholars write with as much enthusiasm about fascinating fungi in all of its forms as Merlin Sheldrake. Sheldrake’s “Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, & Shape Our Futures” pays homage to the wild and scientifically baffling behaviors of mycelium, from their multifaceted network communications to their psychedelic and even zombie properties.

A central question the author explores is how mycelium communicate without a brain. Sheldrake unfolds multiple stories of mushrooms and lichen with astonishment and curiosity, including mycelial networks and fungi that live in the bodies of insects.

Mushrooms will alter your perspective, and so will this book. As Sheldrake writes, “If I think about mycelial growth for more than a minute my mind starts to stretch.”

Cook the Books

When you finish a novel that includes a strong food theme, you may want to make a dish that continues those yummy good book feelings. Or maybe you’re part of (or want to start) a combo book club/potluck. Some of the books below already include recipes, but here are some suggestions to go even further, pairing novels and cookbooks.

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis J. Hall
+ The Great British Baking Show: Kitchen Classics

A passionate baker, Rosaline Palmer jumps at the chance to compete on the reality TV baking competition Bake Expectations, hoping to realize her dreams and also attain a more secure future for herself and her 8-year-old daughter. In addition to the regular pressures of the baking tent, Rosaline finds herself attracted to two very different fellow contestants: charming architect Alain, and gentle electrician Harry.

Let’s Garden!

Spring is here! With flowers, rain, bees, and a sense of hope. Whether you’re planting a vegetable garden or flowers, working in a large yard or making the most of a small paved space, gardening inspiration awaits with these titles and more.

Pacific Northwest Native Plant Primer by Kristin Currin and Andrew Merritt
Discover the benefits of native plants, including reduced maintenance, lower water usage, and support of pollinators such as birds, butterflies and bees. Then proceed on to the profiles of 225 flowers, grasses, ferns, shrubs and trees native to Washington, Oregon, and southern British Columbia, including all the info you need to get planting.

The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight
Make the most of small spaces! Explore different small space gardening styles, for both flowers and vegetables; discover a variety of containers; learn how to maximize space – including vertically; and consider how your garden can be used for entertaining, maintaining privacy, or supporting urban wildlife.

Little Chefs, Big Bonding Time

There is something special about cooking and sharing food. We do it for simple nourishment. We do it to show our love to our friends and family. Sharing a meal can be a great way to get to know people or to spend time with people you love. Do you know how great cooking is for literacy too?

I’m not joking! If you’re using a recipe, you have to read the recipe. You have to write a grocery list of the ingredients. You have to know the definitions of special cooking words and know the abbreviations of units of measurement. If you’re making less or more than what the recipe calls for, you have to do math (which will probably involve fractions)! That’s not even covering the motor skills it takes to chop and fold and knead.

You see where I’m going with this, right? Cooking is the *perfect* activity to do with your kids! Not only is it fun and you get to eat at the end, but you’re developing skills they need and making good memories they’ll cherish as adults.  Fall and winter holidays are upon us, which like most holidays are associated with food, so why not check out some cookbooks below and take this time to bond, teach, and make some memories.

Waffles + Mochi Get Cooking! Foreword by Michelle Obama, recipes by Yewande Komolafe
This started as a show on Netflix, and then they made this companion cookbook. The characters Waffle and Mochi have never eaten anything fresh, but they want to be chefs. They learn about different foods and chefs show them how to make recipes using them. One of the recipes in the book is Hoppin’ John (p. 62) which at its most basic is dish of rice and black eyed peas. People in the South eat it (along with some collard greens) for luck on New Year’s Eve. The recipes vary in time and how complicated they are, but I think they include some good recipes that aren’t found in every kids’ cookbook.