regshoe

But, given that subtitle, I was hoping for a bit more about the actual ecological detail of the processes of farming, of which there is not much.
I have a rec for you: The Ecology of Agroecosystems by John H. Vandermeer (2010)! It is about farms as ecosystems with humans as a keystone species, and applying the principles of ecology to that. It really changed my view of farming, and is a great book! It's not popular nonfiction, though, but more of a university textbook.

I have finally got JSMN from the library, though annoyingly enough as a paperback and not in hardcovers, and I'll tackle it soon.

While I think I would have liked it less if I'd first read it more recently and with more experience of old books
In which way?

So glad you enjoyed Sixpenny Octavo! I thought you would. : )

there's a lovely sense of the social-historical atmosphere, of the tasks that fill the characters' days and the places and social circles they inhabit
Yes! That's one of the things I love about it as well. I thought the romance in this one would be more to your taste, as I thought it was quite slow burn (but maybe that's because I got the text in chunks spread out over time!), and the characters don't have sex as early as in Beck and Call. But as you say, I think preferring something different in the romance is just a difference in taste--the author (and I!) enjoys characters working out issues within the context of a new relationship.

I'm almost through the Lochiel book, will compare with your review when I finish it.