Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Food Not Lawns follow-up

Food Not LawnsOh, dear. I certainly did drop the ball on the Food Not Lawns book club, didn't I? One whole measly discussion post and then not a peep.

I could give you all sorts of excuses like stem cell transplants, work, kids and whatnot, but I guess I have to admit that I'm just not excited about reading this book. The hokey fluff that encompasses some of the content in the first few chapters just turned me off even though there was a lot that also got me excited.

It's like the experiments where you get electro-shocked when reaching for the candy instead of the monkey kibble. Eventually you stop reaching. Anyway, that said, I am willing to slog, I mean, move forward with the book club if there's sufficient interest out there. So, tell me people. Are you interested in finishing this book or, say, starting a new book?

For a new book, I'm suggesting Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Home Front well, because I already have a copy of it, I'm mentioned in the credits (thanks Sharon!) and it will be so much fun making fun of it. Just kidding!

What do you want to do? There's also the option of finishing Food Not Lawns and then going straight into D&A.

So, what's it going to be?

21 comments:

LatigoLiz said...

You weren’t the only one. I hadn’t even committed to the book club, but I did give the book a chance. I checked it out from the library and dove into it, but other things in life seemed to pull me away from it. I returned it to the library and may try and read it again later.

I have WAY too many books checked out right now, but I figure this ay I can determine if I need to invest in locating them to purchase. The new goats definitely require my attention, and reading up on. The library has been great for assessing which books I want to get without outlaying the cash.

I am trying to finish up one fiction book. It’s good, but by the time I get to bed I have a tough time keeping my eyes open. It’s due to be returned soon.

Then there’s a blogging book that I have to get back as it’s non-renewable because of inter-library loan. May have to bite the bullet and buy that one. It’s good. Maybe I can find a used one.

Lisa Zahn said...

I'm all for Depletion and Abundance! That motivates me to buy it right away then...Besides, you're helping a friend sell some books. And I for one don't mind that!

Anonymous said...

I thought the same thing. Got through the first chapter and after the initial excitement wore off, the book couldn't hold my interest. It's back at the library now or else in the hands of another brave soul. I won't hold it against you if you start a new one...

EcoBurban said...

Oh, plez skip the Food Not Lawns. It just brings on the Yawns. ;o) I'm ready to let it go!!

Oldnovice said...

My copy was returned to the library long ago and I agree that while some of the material was interesting, far more was just not something that interested me.

Not interested in the other book.

Anonymous said...

My library copy of FNL went back ages ago and I've nothing more to say about that book. I have Sharon's book and think it would be a great choice.

Anonymous said...

hi!

i think i might be confused. i thought the little banner said the cloth wipe challenge was 9/23-9/30, but i haven't seen anything about it for days. could you please let me know when it is?

thanks!
dahlia

Anna Banana said...

I'm in a FNL group, don't want to read about it. We're working to inspire people to keep planting food and reducing the size of their lawns. Have had 2 edible garden bike tours and are raising $ for a HS organic garden, which grows food for cooking classes.
Some of us decided that the name Food Not Lawns may be perceived as kind of intense and that maybe we should change it to More Food than Lawns. All the gardens we've seen have incorporated some lawn into the landscape. These are not monoculture manicured lawns, they're rye grass, bermuda grass, clover, dandelion, crabgrass lawns. Unfertililized, no chemicals, a little brown in the summer - relaxed lawns living in permaculture harmony with edible gardens. Who knows, maybe grasses attract beneficial insects?

Anonymous said...

Hi, I couldn't read FNL either; definitely not a good book. Good idea, poor execution.

I would certainly do Sharon's book which I think is superb. (Full disclosure: I also am mentioned in the book, but that's not why I think it is superb.)

I have been waiting for a book to give my daughter that I felt struck the right balance between the TEOTWAWKI (The End of the World As We Know It) scenario and a mindless optimism. I think Sharon's book is it.

I especially like the fact that she has given so many useful suggestions that ordinary people can actually do.

On the other hand, it would be extremely difficult (for me at least) to criticize this book in any way; it's just too good for me to think of flaws in it.

Maybe it would make a fairly blah discussion.... Everyone saying 'Yes, great book!' and then that finishes the discussion...

Pat Meadows

Anonymous said...

While I did not intend to participate in this book club, I thought I would add my 2 cents. When I left a MA foreign language literature program for another course of study, I swore never to again to finish reading a book if I did not enjoy it or find it useful. No shame in putting down and not finishing a book if you get bogged down in the middle, even gasp if it is a classic.

--Ave

Anonymous said...

Wow, I've been wondering about this book and keep meaning to read it. I picked it up at the used bookstore once and wasn't enthused but I figured I needed to give it another chance because the subject is perfect.

After reading your views and the comments here, looks like I'll pass and move onto another book!

Anonymous said...

I checked out the book from the library and barely finished the first chapter. Let's move on.

Anonymous said...

CTDaffodil here - and I vote for Sharon's book - D&A!! Not one of the ILL's that my library swapps books with has it - but I have a giftcard so I'm ordering it today....lets read that instead

Anonymous said...

I'm a book person (even work in publishing) and at the risk of repeating what everyone else has already said...all I can say about FNL is that this seems like a real case of the editor/publisher not pushing the author enough to make the book accessible to a general reader. It's simply a poor mix of material that is too personal with material that is too deeply detailed--which is a shame because I really love the IDEA behind the book.

Maybe, oh Crunchy, you could talk Anna Banana into doing a Q&A about her experiences with this sort of thing in lieu of slogging through the book??

Sonnjea said...

Yeah, I basically skimmed FNL, gleaning what useful information I could without getting mired in the rest. Moving on!

Suz said...

I am new to online book clubs. how does it work?

Anonymous said...

Miz Crunchie - no library in my town, primitive place, Spanish anyway. I killed my lawn and put a tropical fruit tree nursery there as soon as I rented the complex, which makes money and spreads happiness. Not that I have anything to say about FNL, just that I guess I could go on to something else, since I suppose I am a member of the FNL choir -- if I were actually reading books these days, too busy, too sleepy at night. I read books very little now. Again, no library here.
I read about 20 blogs and on-line periodicals daily, yours and Sharon's mostly daily, but you have skipped some days recently and Sharon does too. I want you to have the book club so everyone else can read the lovely books and I can read their comments like Blog Cliff Notes. Thank you all in advance. I do love your reader's observations and I might actually break down and read Sharon's book, buying it from her of course. Some of her posts are more than 28 pages, so I think I could hang with her text.
When I was about ten {1962} all my friends latched on to the Tulip Mania of the day which was "The Hobbit" They all insisted I should read it. Until a few years ago, I read from 3 to 5 books a week so this was no challenge. But that book was bad, really bad, very over valued by my peers. I lost a lot of respect for the human race as a result of my experiences with that book. I got to page 28 and refused to read any more. To this day I observe the rule of 28. If I get to page 28 and cannot resist reading 29, I go on to the end {well, over a few days}, or almost always do. If it hasn't stuck a hook in me by then, the author has failed, or we are just not meant to be reading together.
Please, Hobbit maniacs, I can't be persuaded. Don't jam up Crunchie's
electronic yak fest area with pleas or scorn. For me "The Hobbit" is only a very efficacious
soporific. I do realize the iconoclastic nature of that view.
Pardon my rant, I'll go back to checking the Sharon site now.

Beaweezil said...

I'm already reading D&A, though life hasn't had much quality reading room in it lately. I could go for that.

Crunchy Chicken said...

Ok, then it's settled. I'll move onto Depletion and Abundance then. I'll make an announcement later this week, but expect the book club posts to start in early October.

Maybe I'll revisit some sections of Food Not Lawns sometime in the winter gardening doldrums to get people excited about gardening season. But for now, I'll drop it.

Lindy said...

Whew! I thought it was just me but when you wrote, "I guess I have to admit that I'm just not excited about reading this book. The hokey fluff that encompasses some of the content in the first few chapters just turned me off even though there was a lot that also got me excited."

I never finished reading this book either and I don't plan to although it will probably remain on my sustainability bookshelves.

I like the line someone wrote, "Food Not Lawns brings on the yawns."

Lindy

Anonymous said...

What happened to the orig. posts about this book? If you deleted the whole thing due to lack of participation, or bad comments then I don't blame you! :)

I could not get past a few chapters.

I'm looking forward to your new read in October!

Love your Blog - Sue in Renton