I'm finally getting my thoughts down about all these books I've been reading. Hopefully my mini reviews will help you discover some great new reads! And if you're yearning for more after this I'll be writing many more posts like this in the future, usually on Wednesdays, or you can look at my Goodreads page to see my full reading history.
Without further adieu here are two of my fiction selections to start out with:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a classic that I've watched many times on the big and small screen. The A&E version is my favorite of course! I couldn't help but love it after watching it at girls nights at Mrs. H's when I was a teenager. Mrs. H had all boys and would invite the young ladies from my church for a movie night and some of her home cooking, we'd always have a great time. I'd bought myself a copy and read part of it, but finally came back to it and read it while also reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, going back and forth every few chapters. I supremely enjoyed reading Austen's work, but found myself disappointed by Grahame-Smith's. It's a period book, and Grahame-Smith nor the illustrator Philip Smiley took the time to properly research the clothing, and many other aspects of the time. It just ruined it for me, and I didn't think the writing was particularly great either, since many aspects of characters were changed. The dialogue was sadly much too modern in parts, which I also found jolting. However, Austen's work engrossed me and I could easily imagine the world and characters she created between the films and her masterful prose. There was a really lovely quote I wanted to share with you all, but I can't find it now that I'm looking. Isn't that always the way that works?
Next up some non-fiction:
The Weekend Homesteader by Anna Hess is a great starting book for those who wish to start a home mini farm or be more self sufficient. I really liked how it grouped different activities by the month they should be done in (more or less depending on climate of course!). And she even ranks things by difficulty, which is helpful for those just getting started. I found that at least half of the activities weren't the type I was interested in persuing, but still found it an interesting read. If you're thinking about raising chickens and doing some serious work in your yard/garden this is a great read to start with.
Call the Nurse by Mary J. MacLeod is the memoir of an English nurse on the far Scottish isles of the Hebrides. Her stories are both funny and poignant, which made me unable to put this book down. She captures a time around 1970 when only a bit of modernization had come to the islands and many people still lived much the way their ancestors had for centuries. Having picked this book up on a whim I'm now happy to recommend it to all of my readers who might enjoy a book of short stories that's sure to please.
My last selection in this category is Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates. This is book documenting the journey of a pair of young single gardeners as they move into their first home and change the landscape into an urban oasis. There are bumps along the way, lots of garden talk, and a bit of romance too. I found it was a very insightful book for those looking to create edible gardens, but it's written more as a story that just happens to involve lots of plant life than a guide to growing. It's an amusing read if you're into gardening and ecology, but a bit less approachable compared to the other two books above.
On a related note I've been writing an entry about gardening at our new house to share with you all next week. I want to show you the whole house, but I'm not quite happy with everything just yet. So I'm delaying the post on that until I can get things up to snuff. Between the house, yard, fashioning my capsule wardrobe, games with Bryan's family, planning trips for summer and fall, making art, and reading I've been keeping quite busy! I'll see you all Friday for another fashion themed post. Till then keep being wonderful.
Love,
Lydia
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