On the bookshelf this week

I'm making my way through a bunch of books and thought I'd share with you what I'm currently reading.

1. The Wisdom of the Radish: and other lessons learned on a small farm, by Lynda Hopkins. Two ex-suburbanites move to the country to grow crops, raise chickens and sell the fruits of their labor at the local farmer's market. It first starts out sounding all pastoral and idyllic but ends in disaster with crop failures, worm infestations and a flood. I'm about midway through this one and, for some reason, I'm finding the writing kind of annoying. Hopefully that will change.

2. The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure. This one is kind of self-explanatory but suffice it to say, it describes the author's childhood obsession with Laura Ingalls Wilder. I got this book last week and finished it over the weekend. A few parts drag a little bit, but for the most part, I'm loving this book. The writing is crisp and humorous and the content is highly enjoyable. I learned a ton about the seedier side of Laura Ingalls Wilder's life.

3. Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology, by Eric Brende. Just re-reading through this one again for the book club, which starts this Wednesday.

4. See You in a Hundred Years: Discover One Young Family's Search for a Simpler Life... Four Seasons of Living in the Year 1900 by Logan Ward. I just got this one from the library, but it's got some great reviews. It sounds like Better Off, minus the Amish.

From Publisher's Weekly: Manhattan freelance writer Ward and his wife, Heather, faced a steep learning curve when they abandoned harried, technology-driven lives for a year not just in the country but in the country as it was a century ago.

Their mantra was, If it didn't exist in 1900, we will do without, and they did—no electricity, no telephone, no computer. This breezy account of their stubbornly quixotic odyssey begins in June 2000, with Logan exhausted pumping water from a well, ineptly milking cantankerous goats and confronting his fear of a 2,000-pound Percheron, while Heather coped with the cooking stove's suffocating heat, her fear of snakes and hand-scrubbing two-year-old Luther's cloth diapers. Their garden, planted late, was soon parched by drought and plagued by pests, the most severe of several crises, since it was their winter food.

5. The Backyard Goat: An Introductory Guide to Keeping and Enjoying Pet Goats, from Feeding and Housing to Making Your Own Cheese by Sue Weaver. Okay, it's highly unlikely I'll be getting a backyard goat anytime soon, but I love reading about this stuff and hey, it was from the library. You just can't go wrong!

6. Best Slow and Easy Recipes: More than 250 Foolproof, Flavor-Packed Roasts, Stews, and Braises that let the Oven Do the Work from Cook's Illustrated. I'm still on the quest for easy weekday recipes using my slow cooker and this one has quite a few that I'll be trying out over the next few weeks so stay tuned for recipes and reports back.

As you can see, I'm mostly working through non-fiction these days. What are you currently reading?

On the bookshelf

Aside from the myriad books I'm reading in researching my potential new book, I thought I'd share some of the things I'm currently reading:

1. The Wisdom of the Radish: and other lessons learned on a small farm, by Lynda Hopkins. Two ex-suburbanites move to the country to grow crops, raise chickens and sell the fruits of their labor at the local farmer's market. It first starts out sounding all pastoral and idyllic but ends in disaster with crop failures, worm infestations and a flood. I haven't gotten far enough along to give you much of an opinion on this one.

2. The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year-Round Vegetable Production, by Eliot Coleman. This is a classic which teaches you all the ins and outs of trying to grow food year round, in inclement weather, too far north and under pretty much any crappy condition you can think of. I'm using this to plan my winter crops.

3. Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers' Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University. This little gem is invaluable if you are even contemplating writing a nonfiction book. So, for all of you bloggers out there thinking of writing something a little longer, I implore you to buy this book and read it NOW.

It may not necessarily help you get a book contract but it can give you useful information for producing a book proposal and, if you already have a book deal, will aid you immeasurably in writing an excellent book.

What's on your bookshelf?

On the bookshelf

I mentioned yesterday a couple of books that I was working my way through and April had a post yesterday mentioning what she was reading and I thought I'd share the complete list of things I'm currently reading:

1. Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology, by Eric Brende (almost done)
Non-fiction. The story of a husband and wife who move to a Mennonite-type community for 18 months where they use no technology. It sometimes is a little overly navel-gazing, but I'm really enjoying this book and its cast of characters.

2. The New Normal: An Agenda for Responsible Living, by David Wann
Non-fiction. How to create a sustainable culture under the challenges of 21st century living with the increase in population and reduction in energy and resources.

3. Doodle Stitching: Fresh & Fun Embroidery for Beginners, by Aimee Ray
Craft. Because you can never start too many craft projects.

4. Solar Electricity Basics: A Green Energy Guide, by Dan Chiras
Non-fiction. Because we are thinking of "Going Greenpa" and I spent about 10 minutes yesterday talking with our neighbor about the solar panels they just had installed.

That's about it right now. What's on your bookshelf?