I've talked about Hannah Coulter several times: the books I can't stop recommending, a book I've read more than once, what to read when you feel like the world is falling apart. Hannah's second husband Nathan Coulter (her first died in the war) was reticent to talk about his experience in the Battle of Okinawa. "Ignorant boys, killing each other," is all he would say. In this atmospheric novel, an older Hannah looks back on her life and reflects on what she has lost, and those she has loved. I adore Berry, who writes gorgeous, thoughtful, piercing novels, and this is one of his finest. Contemplative, wistful, and moving.

Jayber Crow returns to his native Port William, Kentucky after the 1937 flood to become the town’s barber. There he learns about the deep meaning of community, the discipline of place, and what it truly means to love. This is a gorgeous novel.

From the publisher: "Only a farmer could delve so deeply into the origins of food, and only a writer of Wendell Berry's caliber could convey it with such conviction and eloquence. Long before Whole Foods organic produce was available at your local supermarket, Berry was farming with the purity of food in mind. In recognition of that influence, Michael Pollan here offers an introduction to this wonderful collection. This collection joins bestsellers The Omnivore's Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle as essential reading for anyone who cares about what they eat. The essays address such concerns as: How does organic measure up against locally grown? What are the differences between small and large farms, and how does that affect what you put on your dinner table? What can you do to support sustainable agriculture?"

I adore Berry's evocative, deceptively simple style, in prose or poetry. From the publisher: "For nearly thirty-five years, Wendell Berry has been at work on a series of poems occasioned by his solitary Sunday walks around his farm in Kentucky. With the publication of this new complete edition, it is becoming increasingly clear that The Sabbath Poems have become the very heart of Berry’s entire work."

I adore Berry. From the publisher: "Wendell Berry argues that good farming is a cultural development and spiritual discipline. Today’s agribusiness, however, takes farming out of its cultural context and away from families. As a result, we as a nation are more estranged from the land—from the intimate knowledge, love, and care of it. Sadly, his arguments and observations are more relevant than ever. Although 'this book has not had the happy fate of being proved wrong,' Berry writes, there are good people working 'to make something comely and enduring of our life on this earth.'"

Berry's Port William collection holds some of the best novels I've ever read. This is the first book in the loose series, which contains later books such as Jayber Crow, Hannah Coulter, and Andy Catlett.

I adore Berry's evocative, deceptively simple style. From the publisher: "Ranging from America’s insatiable consumerism and household economies to literary subjects and America’s attitude toward waste, here Berry gracefully navigates from one topic to the next. He speaks candidly about the ills plaguing America and the growing gap between people and the land. Despite the somber nature of these essays, Berry’s voice and prose provide an underlying sense of faith and hope. He frames his reflections with poetic responsibility, standing up as a firm believer in the power of the human race not only to fix its past mistakes but to build a future that will provide a better life for all."

I adore Berry's evocative, deceptively simple style, in prose or poetry.

I adore Wendell Berry, who writes gorgeous, thoughtful, piercing novels. Berry's Port William collection holds some of the best novels I've ever read.

I adore Berry's evocative, deceptively simple style. From the publisher: "For more than fifty years, Wendell Berry has been telling us stories about Port William, a mythical town on the banks of the Kentucky River, populated over the years by a cast of unforgettable characters living in a single place over a long time. Written in 'a style as clean and distinctive as Hemingway's' and 'as perspicacious as Mark Twain's' (Booklist), the twenty stories here deepen Berry’s Port William saga, one of the great works in American literature. Those just now joining the Membership will be charmed. Those who've attended before will be enriched."

I adore Berry's evocative, deceptively simple style, in prose or poetry. From the publisher: "The continuing war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the political sniping engendered by the Supreme Court nominations―contemporary American society is characterized by divisive anger, profound loss, and danger. Wendell Berry responds with hope and intelligence in a series of essays that tackle the major questions of the day. Whose freedom are we considering when we speak of the 'free market' or 'free enterprise'? What is really involved in our national security? What is the price of ownership without affection? Berry answers in prose that shuns abstraction for clarity, coherence, and passion, giving us essays that may be the finest of his long career."

I adore Berry's evocative, deceptively simple style, and this is a good place to start. From the publisher: "The most comprehensive—and only author-authorized—Wendell Berry reader. In a time when our relationship to the natural world is ruled by the violence and greed of unbridled consumerism, Wendell Berry speaks out in these prescient essays, drawn from his fifty-year campaign on behalf of American lands and communities. These are essays written in defiance of the false call to progress and in defense of local landscapes, essays that celebrate our cultural heritage, our history, and our home. Yet he also shares with us a vision of consolation and of hope. We may be locked in an uneven struggle, but we can and must begin to treat our land, our neighbors, and ourselves with respect and care. As Berry urges, we must abandon arrogance and stand in awe."

From the publisher: "An impassioned, thoughtful, and fearless essay on the effects of racism on the American identity by one acclaimed as 'one of the most humane, honest, liberating works of our time' (The Village Voice). The Hidden Wound</em> is a book-length essay about racism and the damage it has done to the identity of our country. Through Berry's personal experience, he explains how remaining passive in the face of the struggle of racism further corrodes America's great potential. In a quiet and observant manner, Berry opens up about how his attempt to discuss racism is rooted in the hope that someday the historical wound will begin to heal. Pulitzer prize-winning author Larry McMurtry calls this 'a profound, passionate, crucial piece of writing . . . Few readers, and I think, no writers will be able to read it without a small pulse of triumph at the temples: the strange, almost communal sense of triumph one feels when someone has written truly well . . . The statement it makes is intricate and beautiful, sad but strong.'"

I adore Berry. From the publisher: "In this gathering [Wendell Berry] reaches with deep devotion toward a long view of Agrarian philosophy. Mr. Berry believes that American cultural problems are nearly always aligned with their agricultural problems, and recent events have shone a terrible spotlight on the divides between our urban and rural citizens. There is, as Berry outlines, still much work to do, and our daily lives—in hope and affection—must triumph over despair. Mr. Berry moves deftly between the real and the imagined. The Art of Loading Brush is an energetic mix of essays and stories."

I adore Berry's evocative, deceptively simple style, in prose or poetry. This collection holds so many favorites: a few include To My Mother, Window Poems, Manifesto: The Mad Farmer to the Liberation Front, and The Blue Robe (google that one right now).