Quiet, tender, and unexpectedly profound, Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton invites readers into a slower rhythm of life—one shaped by care, observation, and the quiet bonds between humans and the natural world. In January's Page & Pairing reading guide, we extend the experience beyond the page with thoughtful pairings designed to mirror the memoir’s grounded intimacy: cozy savory pies, a soothing mocktail or indulgent espresso martini, and a complementary cookbook inspired by rustic, seasonal cooking. You’ll also find nature-centered fiction and nonfiction picks for readers who crave reflective storytelling, along with book club ready discussion questions that explore tenderness, responsibility, solitude, and what it means to truly pay attention.
Raising Hare: A Memoir
by Chloe Dalton
NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK - NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - FINALIST FOR THE 2025 WOMEN'S PRIZE - A moving and fascinating meditation on freedom, trust, loss, and our relationship with the natural world, explored through the story of one woman's unlikely friendship with a wild hare.
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, TIME, The Economist, Scientific American, Slate
Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and bounded around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine that, more than two years later, it still ran in from the fields when you called it and slept in your house for hours on end. For political advisor and speechwriter Chloe Dalton, who spent lockdown deep in the English countryside, far away from her usual busy London life, this became her unexpected reality.
In February 2021, Dalton stumbles upon a newborn hare--a leveret--that had been chased by a dog. Fearing for its life, she brings it home, only to discover how difficult it is to rear a wild hare, most of whom perish in captivity from either shock or starvation.
Discussion Questions:
- How has this book and Dalton’s experience made you feel about keeping animals as pets, both domesticated and non-domesticated?
- Have you ever had an experience that changed your awareness of nature and the world around you?
Recipe to Pair: Cumberland Pie
A classic Cumberland pie and filling dish fits right in to the rural English countryside where Dalton spent her days raising Hare. If you're not familiar, a Cumberland pie is an upgraded version of a cottage pie. There's a great cottage pie recipe featured in this fun (and super giftable) cookbook.
Murder, She Cooked: A Cabot Cove Cookbook
by Jenny Hammerton
Wouldn't you love to be a guest at Jessica Fletcher's dining table? Or to sample one of her homemade cookies as you sit and discuss a horrible crime at her kitchen table? Well, here's the next best thing. Recipes from the homes of Dame Angela Lansbury and many of her wonderful co-stars are here for you to enjoy as you settle down to watch an episode of this fabulously entertaining show.
Cocktail Pairing: Espresso martini
Created in 1984 in London, the espresso martini is the perfect combination of coffee to keep you up and alcohol to take the edge off. Find a yummy espresso martini and many more in this handy collection.
The Martini: Perfection in a Glass
by Matt Hranek
An illustrated history of the iconic martini, including 35 simple variations, from Matt Hranek, author of the A Man & His series.
Natural Nonfiction Pairing:
Through traveling the world and ruminating on the streams, creeks, lagoons, and rivers of the world, MacFarlane explores whether rivers are alive? As he takes readers through extraordinary parts of the world, his story always comes back to the little stream behind his home.
Is a River Alive?
by Robert MacFarlane
Hailed in the New York Times as "a naturalist who can unfurl a sentence with the breathless ease of a master angler," Robert Macfarlane brings his glittering style to a profound work of travel writing, reportage, and natural history. Is a River Alive? is a joyful, mind-expanding exploration of an ancient, urgent idea: that rivers are living beings who should be recognized as such in imagination and law.
New Fiction Pairing
For those looking for a bit of fiction to round out their reading list, here is a new novel set in the quiet English countryside. Where Dalton showcases the ups and downs of her real life experience, Hall adds a suspenseful twist to the quaint and quiet of a rural village.
Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)
by Clare Leslie Hall
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A love triangle unearths dangerous, deadly secrets from the past in this thrilling tale perfect for fans of The Paper Palace and Where the Crawdads Sing.
"The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him."
Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth's brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn't realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager--the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.