After building a brand for herself as a luxury travel influencer, Gillingham charted a completely different course in life for herself when she and her family moved to Evergreen Acres, a small farm on Bainbridge Island, WA. The author hopes to now share what she has learned by giving readers an inside look at the gardens she has created, introducing them to the rescued animals that have found a new home on Evergreen Acres, and offering her insights on living life to the fullest. Gillingham offers solid, admirable advice about embracing a life of "wellness, generosity, and connection to the land." The book also spreads a truly laudable message about giving back to community (Evergreen Farms donates much of its produce and flowers to neighborhood food pantries). VERDICT The core audience for this book might be limited to fans of Gillingham's who want to know more about her new life. Other readers (newbie gardeners, for example) could wind up wishing that her book's advice were more down-to-earth and applicable, and less Instagram-aspirational.--John Charles

In this paean to a farm called Evergreen Acres on Washington State's Bainbridge Island, former Los Angeles resident Gillingham and her family document nature's seductive beauty with glorious color photographs and help from the 35 animals that accompany them on the farm, among them Icelandic sheep, German shepherds, goats, chickens, and alpacas. Gillingham first lays out the different landscapes of Evergreen Acres (fruit orchard, guest cottage), then provides a general how-to on garden design, prompted more by pictures than words. A chapter on home garden favorites focuses on flowers, with an occasional vegetable here and there. The true heart of the book is buried near its end, with Gillingham's narrative of her "giving garden," which provides about two thousand pounds of organic foods to food banks yearly; there she zeroes in on the whys of charity. As the pandemic has inspired many to acknowledge and even pursue dreams of more laid-back existences, readers will appreciate this very personal glimpse into a redirected, well-channeled life.

Wildluxe blogger Gillingham debuts with a lushly illustrated tour of the vibrant gardens and livestock pastures on her farm. The author recounts how she became disillusioned with the transient rewards of her lifestyle as a luxury travel writer and found purpose after relocating her family from Los Angeles to Bainbridge Island, Wash., and becoming a hobbyist farmer. Alongside photos of Gillingham and her daughters tending to vibrant gardens of peonies and dahlias, she describes the intensive research she undertook to learn how to maintain a farm and the bumps she hit along the way, including a middle-of-the-night hunt for escaped sheep. The author outlines her garden design process, which balances such practical concerns as which plants grow best together with aesthetic ones about how garden beds will appear in photos. Because the payoff from gardening sometimes arrives years after planting, it cultivates resilience and patience, the author contends, remarking that the activity led her to value "long-term health and wellness over short-term fun and instant gratification." There's some advice sprinkled throughout on how readers might follow Gillingham's lead, but the real appeal lies in the gorgeous visuals that offer a peek into her lush and gorgeous estate. Cottagecore enthusiasts will page through this with sheer delight. (Aug.)