Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I'm happy to report that I'm finally on the last pages of "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by: Barbara Kingsolver! It's not that the reading was arduous by any means, I just hadn't found the time to read it in a reasonable about of time....instead, it took me about 3 months - haha! Too busy. Anyhow, the book is awesome! I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in local food, sustainability, organics, homesteading, etc. In the book, Kingsolvers details a year of her and her family eating locally. This means producing the majority of their own food, swapping resources with neighbors, hitting up the local farmers markets, and ultimately attempting to eat only that which is grown organically and locally. The book is structured by months, which if you garden is a great way to follow! It gives tips on how to plan meals around what is abundant during certain months (i.e. Tomatoes in September). Also through the book are exceprts from Steven L. Hopp (Kingsolvers hubby) regarding some of the ramifications of our current food habits. He discusses the conditions animals are in prior to making it to the grocery, how far our food travels, the result of pestisides, and lots of cool, geeky science stuff. Kingsolver's daughter, Camille, also writes excerpts from her perspective of eating local with her family. She's in school for biology and has a interest in dietary needs - so she includes many great recipes. I can't wait to try them! That's that for my amatuer book review. I'd rate this 5 out of 5 - great book! You can get more information about the book: http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/

Fall On Your Knees

I'm not exactly sure how to describe the feeling, but it is always heartwarming to finish a good book.   I just finished reading a well written story called "Fall On Your Knees" by Ann-Marie MacDonald.  This is the book that I started on our Minnesota trip and wanted to finish it during that trip too...that obviously didn't happen since it's two weeks later. :)   The book was wonderful, in my opinion.  The author developed characters that were engaging and real.  The story has many twists and turns, all within 5 generations of one family.  All the way to the end, secrets are revealed and as the reader, I felt more and more involved.  This isn't the kind of book you can read a little of here and there.  You have to sit down, and read large chunks at a time, it reads like an epic novel.   If you are interested in reading stories about the human condition, family ties, and tragedy, I would highly recommend this one.  It is 500+ pages of small text, so be ready for a commitment to it!  

About books!

Tim and I love books!  We enjoy reading both fiction and nonfiction and our book shelves show this.  I have to admit to even having some what of an addiction to buying books.  I look at the amount of books we have an wonder how I will ever get through them all?! (maybe winter?)  I do have to say however, that we are "smart" book shoppers.  Rarely do I spend full price on a book, or even CLOSE to the cover price!  Most of the books we have (including best sellers from favorite authors) are hardcovers and cost a mere 99 cents!  Now when you read a book that you didn't really like, you can't feel guilty about spending the money on it.  You can't really go wrong since the book only cost a dollar!  Here is where I get to make a plug for the place that we get the majority of our books from.  :)  Goodwill.  Have you visited your local Goodwill lately?  We are so lucky to have a Goodwill down the road (in Darboy) that has a "GoodBooks" department.  It's like a small bookstore in there!  You can find anything from cook books, to travel guides, to kids books, to best sellers.  The majority of the books are at least 1/2 price from the cover price.  They have both hardcover and paperback.  Where you'll find me is in the clearance section.  In the clearance section - all paperbacks are 49 cents, all hardcovers are 99 cents.  Fiction to nonfiction, best sellers to obscure.  I have seen plenty of really stupid books in that section, but if you just spend some time, you can find a variety that may fit the type of book you like to read.  So, before you go and buy a book online or spend full price at a store like Barnes and Noble...try Goodwill!  By purchasing, you are recycling a book that someone else didn't want AND giving money to an organization that helps your community!  Oh, and you walk away with a something to read!  It's a great thing all around!