reading

Before I talk about reading books, let's talk about reading blogs for just a moment! I know that many of you were using Google Reader as your RSS blog reader, and are perhaps scrambling now (as I was) to find a replacement. I've been using Feedly for a few weeks now and am pleased. There's also Blog Lovin, and The Old Reader. I've just added a newer subscribe set up in the bottom of the right column (or click here), where you can choose your RSS reader, and also subscribe to the blog via email if that's your preference. Now, back to the books....

I am chronically optimistic about how much can get done in a given period of time. Sometimes this works out to my advantage in really wonderful ways (those things! they get done! because I believe they will!). Sometimes it's just silly - like packing three books to read on a 48 hour trip - a working trip, no less. Oh well, no harm done, just a heavier bag, tis all. I did touch base with each of these books though just for a moment each, in the early morning hours of not sleeping and not wrangling a toddler in my bed. They have all been on my nightstand at home for a little while now, each of them rotating in and out of my hands depending on the time and the mood and the moment. I am enjoying them immensely and for very different reasons...

One Man's Meat

by E.B. White
I go back to this wonderful collection of personal essays over and over. Written in the 1930's and 1940's from his Maine saltwater farm, the range of essays covers all of his life - from war and peace to family and farming. They are witty and smart, heartfelt and humorous. And written so gracefully, I think, that they're a familiar pleasure to read again and again. Though I haven't done so yet, there are a few that I've bookmarked to read to the kids. Maybe this winter. 

Saved: How I Quit Worrying About Money and Became the Richest Man in the World 
by Ben Hewitt
Ben's new book centers around money in America, and particularly around how we define 'wealth' in our lives. It's such an interesting read and adds so much to the ongoing discussions that we frequently have in our marriage, and in our community of friends, about work and home, health care, and most especially - raising children in this culture so driven by consumerism. I appreciate Ben's ability to dive into this meaty subject with humor and storytelling and a self-effacing nature that makes it all the more accessible. He's been having some really frank and interesting discussions on his blog lately about the subject of this book that I've also been enjoying. 

How to Move Like a Gardener: Planting and Preparing Medicine from Plants
By Deb Soule

Yes, she is in Maine and no, we are unfortunately not related. But she is the magic behind Avena Botanicals (until I can make my own, it's their Elderberry Elixir that I have sworn by for years and years now). Though I haven't talked about it much in my garden posts* this summer, it is no secret among those nearest to me that I have been working on having more medicine coming out of our garden than already does. In little pockets of quiet time, with a little bit of a prayer, a new comfrey plant gets tucked over here, the elderberries go over there, and a patch of chamomile is started here. All the while, I'm soaking up and reading books like this one - Deb's is particularly beautiful in its balance of story, information, and spirit. I think this will become a much-loved guide to me in the coming years.

(*garden posts! I'll be skipping mine this week, in honor of the holiday tomorrow. I'll give you the condensed update right now - More Rain! More Bugs! More Broccoli! - and look forward to sharing something new and different with you in next week's garden wrap up.)

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What are you reading these days? Is there a book that's captivating your attention and in your hands right now?