DFed's Reading Fun in 2021

Hello all! My name is Dawn and I live in Lexington, KY with my husband and we both work in the equine industry. Last year was such a tizzy that I didn't get much reading done as I would have liked but I generally enjoy horse-related books (especially horse racing), biographies and travel memoirs with a few young adult reads thrown into the mix.

Here's hoping that this year goes a bit more smoothly with lots of fun and exciting new books!

My 2020 thread can be found here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/314738#

And keep up with my friends here, Dawn. Have a great 2021.

Welcome back!

Happy reading in 2021, Dawn!

Hope you have a great year of reading!

Happy 2021! I look forward to another year of seeing what you've been reading.

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! 2021's already off to a good start with two good reads:



#1 - An Ark On the Flood by Anne Knowles, 208 pages (own). This is the sequel to the lovely The Work of Her Hands that I read last year. Knowles is a very skillful author and if you enjoy veterinary stories, such as James Herriot's, please be sure to pick up a copy of each!



#2 - Maddie Lounging on Things by Theron Humphrey, 160 pages (own). I've adored Maddie's photos for years, so this was a lucky (and reasonably priced!) find at a local estate sale this weekend.

Happy reading in 2021! Yay for two good reads to start off the year!

Thanks aktakukac! And...on to some more reads:



#3 - Maddie On Things by Theron Humphrey, 160 pages (own). Another Maddie book - these just make me so happy :)



#4 - Blessing the Hands That Feed Us by Vicki Robin, 323 pages (own). Robin challenges herself (with the help of a local farmer friend) to eat within a 10-mile radius of her home in Washington state. It's a challenge to say the least. But, what she really gets into is local (and national) food politics and how local eating can affect local economies, etc. It certainly made me think about what else I could be doing in my life to support the local food economy, though I do subscribe to a CSA, shop my local market/food products and (pre-covid anyways) volunteered at my local food pantry...I'm passing this one on to my friend who is manager of the local farmer's market so maybe he'll have some ideas?



#5 - Talking With My Mouth Full by Gail Simmons, 289 pages (own). I know absolutely nothing about Simmons and I never watch Top Chef (or any of its off-shoots). Regardless, this was still a very interesting book. She's living a charmed foodie life, for sure!

Which leads me to state...I completely forgot to list one of my most favorite book genres...cooking and food books!! I absolutely adore reading cookbooks, even though they don't always make it on this thread because it's rare that I fully "read" a whole cookbook...

#6 - A Morbid Taste For Bones by Ellis Peters, 272 pages (own). Picked up for free (long story), this was a most enjoyable mystery read. Luckily, I also picked up a few more by this author that, though they are not in order, will no doubt be read shortly :)



#7 - The Secret School by Avi, 153 pages (library). I'm currently "reading" another book by this author I hadn't heard of before and am enjoying it enough that I picked up this other one. Ida was definitely a character and I so enjoy children's books like this!

Solid reading start, Dawn.

Have a great weekend.

Thank you PaulCranswick!



#8 - Gold Rush Girl by Avi, audiobook (library). I'm all about some strong girl fictional characters - especially in youth/children's books. But Tori's character was a little much for the time period it was set in - though clearly the author did their research on the era and what San Francisco was like back then.



#9 - The River's Bend by Jayne Blodgett Murray, 280 pages (own). Murray has had a pretty fascinating life: not least of which, she was a lover of John F. Kennedy's. But, there was an awful lot of name-dropping, and the whole book was very much train-of-thought without much continuity or even detail where it would have been important (for instance, there was no mention for the longest time of one of

#10 - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again by Frank Cottrell Boyce, 213 pages (library). The author readily admits he was nervous resurrecting Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for his own, more modern take on the story. I think he pulled it off well - this would be very entertaining to young readers - and apparently this is a series?



#11 - Winter's Tale: the Study of a Stable by Ivor Herbert, 186 pages (own). The touchstones aren't working for this one, which is a shame. Herbert himself is a former steeplechase trainer but here he's profiling Fred Winter's stable in England in the 70's. It made me miss being around racing stables...



#12 - Sunday Silence by Ray Paulick, 215 pages (own). Sunday Silence is my all-time favorite racehorse. Despite all of that, I maintain that these Thoroughbred Legends books are boring and not my style. Now I'm on the fence as to whether or not I want to keep this!

#13 - Ruthie's Gift by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, 150 pages (library). Ruthie is always being told to be a lady but she just can't seem to do it. Will she ever get it right?



#14 - Texas Cowboy by Kirby Warnock, 128 pages (own). These are the memoirs of Warnock's grandfather who tells the tales of growing up in the Rio Grande Valley of TX in the early 1900's. Especially fascinating was the murder, in cold blood, of his own father (in front of him!) by a future Adjutant General of the state. As the author himself states, it's a shame the family didn't write down more of his stories!

#15 - The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium by Gerald Durrell, 193 pages (own). A variety of stories in classic Durrell style. Unexpectedly, there were a couple of spooky stories included - and I'm still not sure what, exactly, to think of them!



#16 - The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: the Long-Lost Home by Maryrose Wood, 440 pages (library). It's been long enough since I read the last book, that I kind of forgot the storyline and so was reading this with lots of "oh, yeah!" moments. But, it was a very good ending to a wonderful series!

#17 - Shoot Low Boys, They're Ridin' Shetland Ponies by Lewis Grizzard, 233 pages (own). I've never read anything by Grizzard before, but this book was part of a large book haul we got our hands on last year. I thought I'd give it a shot? Southern, self-deprecating and somewhat sexist, Grizzard's humor just wasn't for me.



#18 - Hold On, But Don't Hold Still by Kristina Kuzmic, 253 pages (library). I recently saw a few funny videos by the author on Facebook so I thought I'd check out her book. Full of parenting-based advice, I may actually find a copy to give to my sister.

#19 - An Actor's Life For Me! by Selma Lanes, pages (own). A children's book about the childhood of actress Lilian Gish - what an interesting tale and it was astounding what her mother went through to keep the family fed and together (as much as possible)!



#20 - Harvest of Yesterdays by Gladys Taber, 224 pages (own). As the title of the book states: Taber writes of her years "before Stillmeadow." This was right up my alley, as I love reading books about childhoods in the early 1900's...I've enjoyed both of the books I've read by Taber so far and look forward to reading many more!



#21 - Rose: My Life In Service to Lady Astor by Rosina Harrison, 354 pages (own). I was so excited to be next on the list to receive this long-awaited book from PaperbackSwap! I know I've read about Nancy Astor before (though via which book(s), I can't remember). She was quite a difficult woman but certainly met her match with her lady's maid, the author. An very well-written book about many years in service, I enjoyed this very much.

#22 - Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis, audiobook (library). I'm so glad I listened to this one as Hollis is a very motivational speaker. By the end of it, I was certainly ready to "wash my face!"



#23 - The Little Brown Horse by Margaret Glover Otto, 28 pages (own). A cute children's book that I had to read before passing on to my young nephews :)



#24 - The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen, 290 pages (library). Oh, how I love this series!!



#25 - Spatzies and Brass BBs by Ken Ohm, 276 pages (own). Ohm grew up on the prairies of Oklahoma in the 30's and these were tales of his childhood. The writing was a bit simplistic, the photos included were not the greatest, but I still enjoyed the read.



#26 - Atomic Habits by James Clear, audiobook (library). This book is seriously life-changing. Clear has outlined so many ways to look at the implementation of habits in your life. For a good many years now, I've been trying to nail down diets and fitness routines for myself. This book was enlightening.



#27 - Outfoxed by Rita Mae Brown, 368 pages (own). Shame on me for waiting this long to finally pick up a Rita Mae Brown book! I enjoyed that the characters in this foxhunting-themed mystery included the foxhounds, the horses and the foxes! I've already requested the next in the series and have passed this book off to my foxhunting boss.

#28 - She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother by Bryan Batt, 288 pages (own). Batt - a character in his own right (and known for his Broadway career, as well as his role in Mad Men), writes with love of his one-of-a-kind mother and growing up in New Orleans.



#29 - Felicity's Cookbook by Polly Athan, 44 pages (own). I'm going to let my dork flag fly here - I adore the American Girl books and was super-excited to see that there were American Girl cookbooks too!



#30 - Lady In Waiting by Anne Glenconner, 336 pages (library). What an extraordinarily well-written book. Glenconner is the daughter of an Earl and had a childhood closely linked with (the future) Queen Elizabeth and her sister Margaret. Later in life, she was to be Lady-in-Waiting to Margaret.

That wasn't even the most interesting bits of her story however! She married (the future) Lord Glennconner - who was mentally ill. It's absolutely amazing that their marriage lasted as long as it did and I don't what that says, exactly, about "upper crust" marriages at the time. Believe me, I would've filed for divorce before the honeymoon was over! Not to mention, she had a very rough time with several of her children as well...

#31 - At Home With Madame Chic by Jennifer Scott, 285 pages (own). I recently discovered Scott's YouTube channel which reminded me that I owned this book...she has some solid information to consider in order to keep your home running smoothly and providing the best life for you and your family but I think her video channel does that even better.



#32 - Better Than Beauty by H. Valentine, 176 pages (own). An advice book from the 30's, it was very surprising how relevant the advice is nowadays as well.



#33 - The Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig, 515 pages (library). The last of the Pink Carnation series?? (sob)...I'm not sure this final novel went in the direction I would've most liked it too but the very end of this book was the most interesting. Apparently, Willig was quite torn about how to end the series or even whether to branch off several characters while simultaneously writing other novels.



#34 - Life in the Fasting Lane by Jason Fung, 268 pages (library). Written in conjunction with two other authors, Fung elaborates on intermittent fasting as well as how a keto diet can increase your chances of success with fasting. I've been intermittent fasting for over a year now, seem to have plateaued a bit and am looking for some additional inspiration. I'm not too sure about keto diets however...

Oops - I haven't been very good about my updates lately, am I?



#35 - A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas, pages (library). Was randomly reminded of this "wishlist" book so I got it out of the library. I'd love to get my hands on the exact copy the library had, to give to a friend, as the illustrations were amazing!



#36 - Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott, pages (own). I've been dipping into this off-and-on for years. Don't get me wrong, I love Alcott's books but this one was particularly "wholesome." I've since read that Alcott meant for it to be as it was a statement against the ways girls were being raised at the time?



#37 - Country Grit by Scottie Jones, 248 pages (own). Jones' husband is going through a midlife crisis which results in their buying a small farm in rural OR. Funnily enough she takes to farming much more than he does and does her best to run a profitable farm of sheep, turkeys and even mushrooms! What I found most interesting was her work on promoting "farm stays" in the US and her essay at the end of the book on the history of farming. It's a shame that small, family farms are being driven out of business - to the entire country's detriment!!



#38 - The Year of Less by Cait Flanders, 189 pages (library). While battling with alcohol addiction and crippling debt, Flanders decides to not to buy anything for year (with the exception of a "necessity" list she created). This is her story of the far-reaching ramifications of her decision.

This last year has made me realize how much excess stuff we own and I've made some bolder moves to get rid of it all. This book was encouragement to keep up with that task and minimize any shopping trips in the meantime!



#39 - Sugar Busters! by H. Leighton Steward, 143 pages (own). A small diet book that I've had on my shelf for awhile. This can be easily summed up by stating that "sugar = not good." However, it could be quite revelatory for anyone who hasn't yet learned of the dangers of sugar?



#40 - Lone Cowboy: My Life Story by Will James, 427 pages (own). James' Smoky, the Cowhorse was a standard childhood read for me. So how excited was I to find that he had written a biography?! And, what a life! Orphaned at a very young age, James was brought up by a trapper. He then went on to work for cattle outfits throughout the US, Canada and Mexico. He even rode in movies before ultimately becoming an artist and author. If you're into reading about the cowboy way of life, this is it!

#41 - The Bad Seed by Jory John, pages (library). Brought to my attention on someone's thread here, I read this as a potential purchase for the nephews. What a cute book!



#42 - The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi, 217 pages (library). This book spoke to my soul...I may have mentioned previously that I've been trying to minimize the stuff in our house and work on systems to keep our house cleaner. Adachi outlines several different "tools" on how to figure that out and streamline your life! The book has a Christian aspect to it but I seriously recommend it to anyone looking for the same!



#43 - The Home Edit Life by Clea Shearer, 255 pages (library). Speaking of organzing...I'd never heard of the Home Edit until I came across their show on Netflix. Their style, though beautiful, is a little much. They also encourage you to keep all the things, just make the organizing of all of the things pretty! Yeah...that doesn't work for a lot of people. But, like I said, it's pretty to look at.



#44 - Homestead by Jane Kirkpatrick, 276 pages (own). Kirkpatrick is (apparently) a pretty famous Christian book author. However, this book is her terribly honest tale of a life of two people (Jane and her husband) attempting to homestead a remote property in the wilds of OR - which includes natural predators, wild weather, a plane crash (!) and the "snake road" - along with plenty of family drama and a reliance on faith to get through.



#45 - Every Frenchman Has One by Olivia de Haviland, 144 pages (own). What an amusing book - De Haviland has such a great sense of humor! She married a Frenchman and moved to France with her young son to set up life in a new country as a terribly ignorant American.

>22 DFED: Anything with a "snake road" is to be avoided! It sounded interesting until I got to that "s" word.

thornton37814 - they named the road after its shape. There's a map in the front of the book of the property and it winds around various landscape features. It actually plays a big part in her story of the homestead but, yes, there are also the "s" words involved...



#46 - The Rural Diaries by Hilarie Burton, 261 pages (library). Burton was (apparently) a former cast member of One Tree Hill and an MTV VJ. She does reference her career throughout the book but only with regards to how it helped to make her farm life viable. She's just so relatable in her writing style and I enjoyed her do-it-yourself journey towards her dream farm, family and lifestyle.

So, I was recently reminded of Barbara Cooney's books and thought I'd read what I hadn't already from my local library. Unfortunately, I'd read them all! But, I hadn't read what she'd illustrated!:



#47 - Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall, 40 pages (library). Does anyone else remember this book being featured on Reading Rainbow?? Funnily enough, I've read one of the author's adult books and was recently contemplating reading another of his!



#48 - The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston, pages (library). What a wonderful story! I think I might purchase a copy of this one to give to my mom so she can read to the nephews...:)



#49 - The Food Babe Way by Vani Hari, 369 pages (library). I came across Hari's Facebook page and thought I'd check her book out too. Though much of the information I already knew, it was worth reading for the reminder that I need to keep a better eye on my diet, as I've let it slip a bit lately. Another LT reviewer noted that she blew off alternative diets throughout her book which I also agree with but there's definitely some solid information for anyone interested in making a dietary change for the better.

#50 - The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, audiobook (library). Wow, what a great book! My heart was in my throat for most of the book because I grew to care about the characters so much. And, it was on one my favorite subjects: the pack-horse librarians.



#51 - The 13th Apostle by Richard Heller, 384 pages (own). This was very reminiscent of The DaVinci Code - minus better character development and plus some editing mistakes (Pontius Pilot instead of Pilate??).



#52 - Without Reservations by Alice Steinbach, 295 pages (own). Steinbach seems to have "lost" the essence of herself in work and motherhood so she takes the leap of traveling in Europe, by herself, for several months to see if she can find that again. Steinbach is an excellent writer and I truly enjoyed reading about the ups and downs of her travels in France, England and Italy.

>25 DFED: I enjoyed Moyes' book too.

thornton37814 - I'm so glad to hear that. I just fell in love with most of the characters and wanted it all to work out in the end!



#53 - Year of No Clutter by Eve Schaub, 320 pages (library). Can you tell I'm on a tear about decluttering my house? And I'm looking for inspiration at every turn! Schaub has what her family has deemed "the Hell Room" - a large room in their house completely overtaken by family clutter. The book is documenting her year of attempting to clean out that particular room. Unfortunately, it seems that Schaub was dealing with a hoarding problem (which she was terribly honest about), so this book may not apply to anyone just looking for hints and tips.



#54 - Eat Like You Give a Fork by Mareya Ibrahim, 246 pages (library). I've already added this one to my "to be purchased" list. Ibrahim has formulated a "process" for cleaning up one's diet. A lot of it I had hear before and, as a program, I'm not too sure about it's effectiveness. However, I liked her tone of voice throughout and the recipes look amazing. I'm going to hang onto this one a bit longer to try some of them out.



#55 - Chanticleer and the Fox by Geoffrey Chaucer, 31 pages (library). Another Barbara Cooney (as illustrator) book - though I don't feel like this was very easily read by most kids?



#56 - Growing a Farmer by Kurt Timmermeister, 336 pages (own). I own one of Timmermeister's lovely cookbooks and, after reading that, was excited to discover I also owned this! Well, it's time to be read has finally come and I appreciate the author's honesty of the hard work and little glory of turning an abused piece of land into a productive farm - he's clearly found his life's work. However, many of the chapters were meant for actual farmers and were quite descriptive in the procedures and problems with doing certain farm tasks, such as cheese-making and pig slaughtering (fair warning for any vegetarians or those with weak stomachs)...

#57 - Home to Woefield by Susan Juby, 306 pages (own). Prudence Burns inherits a rundown Canadian farm from an uncle she's never met and she is determined to make it a profitable, working farm. What she fails to factor in is the cast of characters her farm will attract! Such a cute, funny story and I can't wait to read the next in the series.



#58 - Village School by Miss Read, 239 pages (own). I recently came across some vintage Miss Read books. I've enjoyed her autobiographical books so far, but haven't yet read about the Fairacre School. This is the first in the series.

Adding several titles to my reading list. Your thread is always good for book bullets!

aktakukac - I very much take that as a compliment :)



#59 - Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 256 pages (own). A re-read (many times over) for me but cue the adorableness...my husband has had the misfortune of being sick lately as well as having never read the Little House on the Prairie books. So, I read this out loud to him while he was laid up in bed. It's so charming and low-key, who could resist??



#60 -Running North by Ann Mariah Cook, 324 pages (own). I have a weakness for books about dog sledding. Cook, her husband and niece move from NH to AK to compete in the Yukon Quest race with their group of Siberian Huskies, which is quite an undertaking. I found the similarities between the treatment of racing sled dogs and racehorses to be eerily similar, with all of the usual ethical dilemmas involved.



#61 - Breaking Clean by Judy Blunt, 320 pages (own). I've been working on this one for awhile now because I've enjoyed Blunt's writing so much. Blunt grew up in a poor family in a rural ranching community in Montana and this is her honest account of her rather "narrow" life there, where marriage to a rancher was one of her few options as she grew older. Particularly heartbreaking was her account of a massive blizzard her family and its stock experienced growing up.

#62 - The Scandi Sense Diet by Suzy Wengel, 256 pages (own). I finally got my hands on a diet book that I've been eye-balling for a while now. It's really very simple: use the size of your palm to dictate how much you eat at every meal. The author is Danish and the nutrition guidelines are based on Denmark's requirements.

Can you tell I need some comfort reading lately? Miss Read books definitely fit the bill!:



#63 - Miss Read Farther Afield by Miss Read, 224 pages (own).



#64 - No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read, 148 pages (own).

#65 - No Offense by Meg Cabot, audiobook (library). I SO wanted to like this book! I love Cabot and a librarian for a heroine - of course! But, my God, Molly was so naïve and John was such a stick-in-the-mud...it was all just a bit too much.



#66 - Bachelor Brother's Bed & Breakfast by Bill Richardson, 152 pages (own). This has been a long-time favorite here on LT and, as I find it, rightly so! What an enjoyably, tongue-in-cheek tale of twin brothers running a bed and breakfast in Canada. I'll probably read the next books at some point for sure.

>32 DFED: The Bachelor Brothers were a great read.

#67 - One Trick Pony by Nathan Hale, 127 pages (library). In a post-Apocalyptic planet, a robotic horse comes to everyone's rescue!



#68 - Caravans and Wedding Bands by Eva Petulengro, 288 pages (own). I wanted to read Eva's other book first, but this was an interesting tale of a Romany (gypsy) marrying and settling into a "typical" life.



#69 - Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis, audiobook (library). I highly recommend listening to Hollis' books. She reads them herself and can certainly get you fired up about whatever subject she's talking about!

#70 - The Little Fellow by Marguerite Henry, pages (own). HOW have I never read this adorable little book by one of my all-time-favorite authors?!?!



#71 - Phoebe the Spy by Judith Griffin, 48 pages (library). Phoebe Fraunces, a 13-year-old freed slave, saves the life of General George Washington.



#72 - Gaining Ground by Forrest Pritchard, 320 pages (own). What an engaging book! Pritchard tells the tale of "saving" his family's farm in VA from the ground up while simultaneously becoming one of the first fully grass-fed meat producers in the region.

#73 - Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes, 147 pages (own). What an adorable tale of Forbes' savvy mother!



#74 - Ann's Story, 1747 by Joan Lowery Nixon, 160 pages (own). I had no idea that the Colonial Williamsburg organization put out this series of books! A lucky find at Goodwill, the characters needed a little development but I enjoyed Ann. For those looking for educational resources, the end of this book contained quite a few chapters about Colonial Williamsburg, growing up during that time period and medicines of the day.



#75 - My Way West by Elizabeth Goss, 48 pages (own). An Early Reviewer book, review to follow.



#76 - The French Don't Diet Plan by William Clower, 384 pages (own). I already read Clower's The Fat Fallacy and so didn't expect a whole lot out of this one. But, I was pleasantly surprised! Clower's has lots of easily applied to real life advice on how to eat that I've already begun working on. What my biggest takeaway is - eat everyday/every meal like Miss Manners would like you to! Don't rush, sit down at the table, eat small bites & converse with your family and/or make the experience special. That's so easily lost nowadays...

Congrats on passing the goal!

>36 DFED: Congratulations on reaching 75, Dawn!

You've surpassed the magic number! Congratulations!

Thank you thorton37814, FAMeulstee and drneutron!!

I may have actually read 75 books earlier than planned as I seem to have forgotten to list a few...



#77 - The Provincial Lady in London by E.M. Delafield, 344 pages (own). Oh, how I love Delafield's books!! Shame on me for forgetting to list this read.



#78 - The Egg & I by Betty MacDonald, 288 pages (own). An absolutely tongue-in-cheek hilarious account of the author "embracing" the farming life in remote WA state. Newlywed, she is told to support her husband in all of his endeavors - which includes chicken farming.



#79 - Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm by Betty MacDonald, 127 pages (library). I just love when one book leads you to others...this is an amusing children's tale written by the author of the above. I've already got a few more on hold from the library...



#80 - Summer At Fairacre by Miss Read, 241 pages (own). More comfort reads in the shape of Miss Read's tales of Fairacre.



#81 - Year of the Cow by Jared Stone, 320 pages (own). Stone buys an entire grass-fed steer as an experiment. Weirdly, the purchase turns out to be life-changing and causes he and his family to focus on slowing down and enjoying life. A surprisingly good read!

#82 - One Pair of Hands by Monica Dickens, 220 pages (own). Dickens (apparently the great-granddaughter of Charles) is fed up with the social whirl and instead decides to try her hand at cooking and serving for a living. You have to admire a person of her time and social status taking a leap like that - it's clear her family thinks it a lark. And, yes, she was rather fortunate to have her family to fall back on for support but her tale of learning her trade as she goes was quite interesting.



#83 - The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson, audiobook (library). By chance, Anastasia, the owner of a narrowboat meets Eve and Sally who are both facing some major life changes. Anastasia needs their assistance sailing her boat while she undergoes cancer treatments. A very pleasant and well-written tale ensues.

#84 - Home Girl by Judith Matloff, 304 pages (own). Matloff is a foreign correspondent, married to a Dutch foreign correspondent, who is tired of living that life and decides to move back to her hometown of NYC and to buy a home there. She finds a "bargain" home in heavily drug-trafficked West Harlem. Chaos ensues as she and, eventually, her husband begin to renovate the house - while simultaneously trying to keep the local crack-addict from harassing them, making friends with gang leaders in the area, getting to know her (for the most part honest) neighbors and joining in the fight to end drug crime in the area. A truly fascinating look at a neglected neighborhood and its environs.



#85 - Notes From a Roman Terrace by Joan Marble, 288 pages (own). A series of essays on life in Rome, with a focus on gardening on her terrace. She also wrote Notes From An Italian Garden that I also look forward to reading.



#86 - The Provincial Lady in America by E.M. Delafield, 120 pages (own). Oh, how Delafield's books make me laugh! After her book is published, the author goes on a speaking tour of America.

#87 - Jane Was Here by Nicole Jacobsen, 127 pages (library). The illustrations on this were just gorgeous and made me (sob) want to travel to England!! However, a lot of the references were lost on me as it's been awhile since I've read a lot of Austen's work.



#88 - Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline, audiobook (library). This could have been...better. It was exciting but could have been a little "edgier." Also, that Prince chapter went on for waaay too long!



#89 - A Gathering of Days by Joan Blos, 144 pages (library). A re-read for me - though I didn't remember that when I picked it up! An enjoyable tale nonetheless of a colonial girl growing up in a small New England community.

>43 DFED: I remember enjoying A Gathering of Days when I read it years and years ago.

Wow, you flew through the 75 mark! Congrats!

alsvidur - I guess I have, haven't I? :) This year really feels like slow going - I'm so close to finishing quite a few books but can't quite seem to get there!



#90 - Land of the Burnt Thigh by Edith Eudora Ammons Kohl, 332 pages (own). What an amazing book! Kohl attempts to file and settle a claim with her sister on the Rosebud Reservation in SD in the early 1900's. I guess I had never thought of settlers still "settling" around that time?!? She and her sister have very little money and even less skill in what it takes to settle a claim but I'll leave it to the reader to find out how Edith makes ends meet! A fascinating tale by a fascinating person.



#91 - Nancy's Story by Joan Lowery Nixon, 160 pages (own). I thought I'd give this Colonial Williamsburg-based series another shot and, though an enjoyable read, Nancy's character seemed just too grown up. There were a lot of characters that kind of came and went throughout and the ending was rather abrupt. I'm also not enjoying the modern-day tie-in aspects of these books.

#92 - The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner, audiobook (library). There are so many Austen spin-off books out there but I promise you this one is actually good! The story of the formation of "The Jane Austen Society" by Austen-loving readers to save Austen's belongings and her family's historic home.



#93 - Cake: A Cookbook by Maira Kalman, 96 pages (own). What an interesting cookbook! Beautifully illustrated with author commentary and storytelling along with recipes scattered throughout. None of the recipes are life-changing, exactly, but they would definitely provide you with...cake!

#94 - Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, 110 pages (own). What a sweet story of sheltered/beleaguered Elizabeth Ann who is foisted off on relatives to become strong, capable Betsy!

Side note: there was a fascinating bio of the author at the front of the book - what an amazing woman!



#95 - Gluten Is My Bitch by April Peveteaux, 240 pages (own). My sister has had Celiac Disease for some years now, so I'm pretty familiar with it but this title was too good not to pick up and I appreciated the deeper look into what it means to be gluten-free.

#96 - Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella, audiobook (library). One of those comforting romance stories that almost don't work out but then....



#97 - Broken (In the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson, 285 pages (library). Lawson is still her delightfully quirky, raw self in her latest book!



#98 - 100 - Bramble and Maggie: Horse Meets Girl, Bramble and Maggie Give and Take and Bramble and Maggie Spooky Season by Jessie Haas, various pages (library).

What delightful, realistic books about a girl and her horse. You just know the author has horses (& she does, according to her bio!)



#101 - Fields and Pasture New: My First Year as a Country Vet by John McCormack, 265 pages (own). If you enjoy James Herriott, you'll enjoy McCormack's tales of being the "vet'nary" in small-town AL in the 60's.

#102 - A Place Called Sweet Apple by Celestine Sibley, pages (own). So, I own a book written by Sibley's granddaughter and though Sibley sounds like a very interesting woman, every time I've gone to read it I realized that I just didn't know enough about her to give the book a fair chance. So, I've gotten my hands on some of Sibley's original works and enjoyed the heck out of this tale of finding "Sweet Apple" an abandoned cabin in rural GA. I'm also definitely going to make some of the recipes listed!



#103 - Village Centenary by Miss Read, 236 pages (own). #MissRead4life - Seriously, I just love her Fairacre books...



#104 - Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney, 235 pages (own). I have to own up now that I never read this book as a child. It's very typical of the era it was written in - poor family with loving, helpful children makes good - but I did enjoy the unique writing style with all of the typical interruptions that children make in conversation with one another.

>50 DFED: A Place Called Sweet Apple looks interesting, Dawn.

PaulCranswick - it was! I've also got The Sweet Apple Gardening Book that I'll be sure to get to sometime soon.



#105 - My Brother's Farm by Doug Jones, 192 pages (own). I'm still not entirely clear how Jones ultimately came up with the idea of his vegetable delivery business in NYC but this book was an amusing tale of the business itself, visits to local farms that provided products for their business and somehow the author wrangled recipes throughout from high profile (at the time) NY restaurants.



#106 - Declutter Like a Mother by Allie Casazza, 201 pages (library). I picked this up because my sister's a big fan of the author. However, this book is a waste of time. I have no doubt that the author's live decluttering programs are valuable but her tone throughout the book- though very motivating - implied there would SO MUCH direction on how to declutter your home. The reality is there was a short chapter on each room in your house with some guidance but not enough of a road map and/or steps to make a real difference with anyone struggling with decluttering. I also didn't appreciate being continually guided to her website for inspiration or more info.! Or, to sign up for her program! Uh, no thanks...

I DO, however, recommend The Minimal Mom's YouTube channel if anyone else on LT is looking for some declutter inspiration!

#107 - The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright, 177 pages (library). What an adorable book! The Melendy family form a "Saturday Club" wherein they all pool their allowances to allow each of them in turn to have an individual experience of their choosing. Adventures ensue. I'll have to get my hands on the rest of the series!



#108 - Arabella by Georgette Heyer, 336 pages (own). A fun Regency romp - I'd love to read more about the rest of Arabella's family. But - the Regency slang in this one!! Luckily there was a guide at the back of the book but it wasn't all that helpful when you're in the midst of a conversation...



#109 - Where the Grass is Green and the Girls Are Pretty by Lauren Weisberger, audiobook (library). Weisberger always points out aspects of high society that I'm kinda glad I can't relate to...

#110 - The Secrets of Chocolate by Franckie Alarcon, 112 pages (library). This one just called to me from the library shelves - how lucky that the author got to follow around a world-renowned chocolatier for a year (a fact that he is very pleased about) and what a neat look into the manufacture of good chocolate. I so wish I could try some myself!!



#111 - The Queene's Cure by Karen Harper, 288 pages (own). Another in the Elizabeth I mystery series. This one felt like it could have been a bit more detailed...



#112 - Murder Under a Silver Moon by Abigail Kearn, 284 pages (own). I recently found a bunch of the "Mona Moon" series at a local Goodwill by a previously unknown to me Kentucky author! I enjoyed this introduction to Mona - it was a quick read and based in the hills of eastern KY.

#113 - A Talent To Annoy by Nancy Mitford, 217 pages (own). What a lucky find at my library's recent book sale (an exciting event in and of itself, since they didn't have a sale last year)! This is a collection of columns written over Mitford's lifetime on a variety of subjects and for a variety of publications. Most were put in context by quotes from letters to her friends and family at the time.



#114 - Food Saved Me by Danielle Walker, 336 pages (library). Walker is the author of the bestselling Against All Grain cookbooks and blog. This was her compelling story of dealing with a diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis and using diet to alleviate symptoms when resources and support weren't as readily available as they are now.



#115 - Nine Women, One Dress by Jane Rosen, audiobook (library). What a cleverly written book! This is the tale of a season's LBD and the lives it touches along the way...

#116 - God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen by Rhys Bowen, 294 pages (library). Oh, Georgie, I do enjoy your mysteries!



#117 - Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald, 118 pages (library). I read Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm a few months back so I thought I'd start at the beginning with this one. It just wasn't as engaging though maybe that's understandable from the first in a series of books?



#118 - Becoming Trader Joe by Joe Coulombe, 264 pages (library). Yes, Coulombe is THE Trader Joe of Trader's Joes fame. This really was a fascinating business book but I could have done without the endless references to other chapters of the book throughout...



#119 - The Plague and I by Betty MacDonald, 240 pages (own). What DON'T you read while being laid up from the Co-vid booster? A book about someone dealing with Tuberculosis treatment in a sanitorium!

That being said, MacDonald handled her situation with as much grace as she could muster and it was a fascinating idea for her to document it!



#120 - The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Transformation by Mark Sisson, 192 pages (own). I bought this thinking it was something else - though this would be a good quickie intro. to Sisson's The Primal Blueprint. I'm continually drawn to this diet/lifestyle - maybe one day I'll finally follow through?

Well, my reading seems to really be slow-going this year for some reason...I've got a nice, long Christmas vacation coming up and I've promised myself some quality reading time during that - hopefully finishing up some lingering reads! We'll see how it goes...in the meantime, I have finished the following:



#121 - Murder Under a Wolf Moon by Abigail Keam, 284 pages (own). Another in the Mona Moon series - the mysteries aren't terribly mysterious so far, but they are an enjoyable read.



#122 - Addy's Cook Book by Jodi Evert, 44 pages (own). If you've been hanging around my thread for awhile, you'll know I have a weak spot for the American Girl books - I'm now collecting the cook books and was pleased to acquire this one recently.



#123 - Tales From the Homeplace by Harriet Burandt, 160 pages (own). Burandt is a descendant of the book's heroine Irene and tells several exciting tales of Irene's childhood on a Texas farm during the Depression - including outwitting a panther and surviving a hurricane in a stack of hay bales!



#124 - An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten, 184 pages (library). Oh my gosh - this book was a surprise! It was such a small book and I fully expected a story of one murder throughout but it's a series of short vignettes of several murders...



#125 - Her Troublesome Boys by Greta McDonogh, 148 pages (own). I picked this up on a whim from a local ReStore. It features Lucy Furman, a fixture of the Hindman Settlement School in eastern KY and was a very well written, quick read.

#126 - French Dirt by Richard Goodman, 224 pages (own). Admittedly, it took me a looong time to get around to finishing this one! But, I'm not sure why as the author passionately writes about his garden when he lived in France.



#127 - On the Beaten Path by Robert Rubin, 256 pages (own). Rubin is fed up with his job and is losing his direction in life, so he decides to hike the Appalachian Trail and immerse himself in hiking culture.

Have a lovely holiday.

Thank you for the lovely wishes Paul!

Well, here we are at the end of 2021! It's been a hard year personally, so I didn't get as much reading done as I would have liked but still managed to finish up a few before the end of the year:



#128 - Paradise Fields by Katie Fforde, 400 pages (own). I've given Fforde yet another chance because the premise of this one included a farmer's market. The heroine, Nel, though likeable, was as scatter-brained as they come and the plot dragged on a bit.



#129 - The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders, 334 pages (library).



#130 - The Case of the Wandering Scholar by Kate Saunders, 362 pages (library). I came across the above two "Laetitia Rodd" mysteries by chance at the library and what excellent mysteries they are! A clergyman's widow whose brother is a barrister helps to solve little cases for an income. Very well written and based around events of the period, I can't wait to read the next one.

I sincerely hope that everyone had a lovely holiday season and you can join me in 2022 at my new thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/338182

>60 DFED: I intended to read the first in that series, but a professor checked it out. Then she retired and apparently kept it as her own.