Good Reads

[Nancy Farmer]

At last fingertips meet the keyboard to tap out what's been rolling around in my mind - what list can I add to Lynn's excellent BB thread?  Risking that "pretty good initial impression of a person's salient persona by observing their reading preferences," here we go:

Stellaluna, written and illustrated by Janell Cannon - one of my all-time favorite picture books, doesn't matter how old you are to appreciate it!  Yes, we can make friends with others who are very different from ourselves.

All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriot - I practically memorized all of the books in this series when I was in that magical stage around 10 to 12 years old, when so many parts of the world are opening up to your newly-found awareness.  Sleep is some of the best medicine.

Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver - I read this pretty much every summer, loving the different voices and how their stories weave together.  It's the first place where I ever heard about the Volterra Principle (oh, don't just Google it, try the book ; ) The audible book, read by the author is wonderful, too.

Solviva:  How to Grow $500,000 on One Acre & Peace on Earth, by Anna Edey - part of my education when I aspired to have a small farm/greenhouse.  It might happen yet.  What other books have you seen that discuss how to manage a greenhouse partially heated by solar energy, partially by animals like chickens and rabbits (with reference to the BTU's put out by said animals)?  Carly, I will actually get this over to you to borrow. ; )

The Clan of the Cave Bear, by Jean Auel - OK, sure, there are lots of juicy parts in this series of novels about possible stories of how some of our ancient ancestors lived.  There are also some nice pieces of herbal medicine.  But the thing that I like the most is how these books make me ponder how we are social animals and how we evolve (and devolve) in ways to live in communities of ever-increasing concentric circles.

Polish off your reading glasses and enjoy!!!

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Well, not sure how I managed to make a blank post, but here I am now. Favorites of mine:

Ken Follett's "Pillars of the Earth" - about the building of a cathedral in England over hundreds of years, and generations of people.

James Michener's "Centennial" (Actually a lot of Michener's books, but Centennial is about Colorado, and it's part of what brought me here lo, those many years ago.) Starts with the dinosaurs and proceeds to the 20th century - what a saga! 

I'm with Rose about James Herriot's "All Creatures Great and Small" and "Clan of the Cave Bear" by Jean Auel - some of my most enjoyable reads in my younger days. 

These days I'm into more escapist reads like the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series by M.C. Beaton (English cozies and the misadventures of a  Scottish detective), as well as a historical fiction series by Phillipa Gregory about the battle for the throne of England by Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots - lots of drama and intrigue and all set in complete analog times.

One more - "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert, about embracing and releasing your creative energies.

Thanks for starting this thread, Lynn - I know my tastes are pretty plebeian in comparison to yours, but I do enjoy reading when I can tear myself away from binge-watching TV, but we're not going there! :0

Also, I love the photo of the Jimtown Jug Band (or at least members thereof - Johnny Buzzard, Buddy, Nancy, Cosmo, Bianca, and some names that won't come to mind at the moment.