| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Farm Chick Teri |
Posted - Mar 31 2004 : 6:17:16 PM
Ok, it's always risky recommending a book. Everyone has a different opinion about what makes a good read. I'm always drawn to non-fiction. I especially enjoy books about women and their everyday lives. I gobble up stories of pioneer women and their daily struggle to maintain a home and raise a family. I guess it's a good reality check for me. It reminds me of how easy and convenient my life is compared to women from that era.
Right now I'm reading Ada Blackjack by Jennifer Niven. It's a true story of survival in the Arctic. In 1921 four men and one Eskimo woman set out for uninhabited Wrangel Island in the Arctic. What was supposed to be an "easy" colonization turned out to be a struggle to survive.
Even though I haven't finished the book, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys true stories of survival. Let me know what you think!!!
http://www.thefarmchicks.com |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| leenora |
Posted - Jun 12 2004 : 9:39:47 PM
Cecelia, I am a HUGE fan of the Mitford series. Have even made the trek to Blowing Rock NC to the little town Jan lived in when she wrote the first books in the series and modeled her town of Mitford after. I just love those stories.
Have you been to the Jan Karon website? There is a great forum there too. We are organizing a Mitford "HOmecoming" for June of 2005 and hoping to get Jan there. You should check it out. |
| cecelia |
Posted - Jun 09 2004 : 5:24:57 PM
Has anyone read the "Mitford" series of books by Jan Karon? They're good stories about a variety of people in small town America, modern times. For a good laugh, read "It Takes a Village Idiot" by Jim Mullen - this is about a city couple who buy country property and find out the country life isn't quite what they expected!
I am a voracious reader! Last year I couldn't get out much due to some back/neck problems and I read over 30 books. I keep a diary of the story lines, title, author & date read also.
 Cecelia
ce's farm |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Jun 09 2004 : 11:54:38 AM
Wow, farmgirls are great readers, too! I was about to suggest one of my favorites, "Pioneer Women - Voices from the Kansas Frontier", when I saw it was already suggested. That is a great book, and I found a copy of it in an old bookstore on the square in Springfield, Illinois. They had two copies at the time. It may be out of print, but if you find a copy, it a good book of interviews and a detailed record of everyday life on the frontier from the mouths of authentic pioneer women from Kansas.
Here is another non-fiction book I have enjoyed. "Where the Heart Resides - Timeless Wisdom of the American Prairie" by Daisy Ann Hickman. It is newer and should be easier to find. It spotlights the ability to be sustained by the simple attainable things of life.
Jeannie |
| teripittman |
Posted - May 11 2004 : 04:24:08 AM
Have you tried "Life of an Ordinary Woman" by Anne Ellis?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0395957834/qid=1084274233/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1__i1_xgl14/103-8193227-5601409?v=glance&s=books
(You may have to copy & paste that URL to get it to work.)
She grew up in the gold mining towns of Colorado during the gold rush. Great book and some wonderful wisdom. |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Apr 17 2004 : 10:54:06 PM
Sounds like a book I will have to check out. I have the same taste in books from what it sounds like! I also love books set in the 1930' and 1940's.
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
| cecelia |
Posted - Apr 17 2004 : 11:29:39 AM
Re: the book "Ada Blackjack" - great book, great story, but
as you say, not everyone might like it. I thoroughly enjoyed
reading it - it made me wonder if I'm as tough as I think I am!
ce's farm |
| HiDez Gal |
Posted - Apr 17 2004 : 09:28:17 AM
Hi,
I also enjoy reading about pioneer women - don't know if these books are still in print because they have been in my library for quite a while but here are a couple i've enjoyed:
Women of the West by Cathy Luchetti -a wonderful collection black and white photos and excerpts from pioneer diaries and letters. One of my favorites is the story of Elinore Pruitt Stewart, the film "Heartland" was based on her diary.
Pioneer Women, Voices from the Kansas Frontier by Joanna L. Stratton.
Like Teri i prefer non-fiction, however, once in a while i find some really fun fiction like the books below. I like short stories because i often read in bed at night and short stories are easy to finish before i get too sleepy.
She Won the West, An Anthology of Western and Frontier Stories by Women editied by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini
Another but not exclusively by women but some great writing:
The Portable Western Reader edited by William Kittredge
Going to check out the books recommended by both FC Teri and Teripittman as they sound like books i would enjoy.
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| teripittman |
Posted - Apr 17 2004 : 12:01:53 AM
I'd like to recommend any of the books by David Grayson. Adventures in Contentment is a good place to start. He is like the original back to the lander. Under his real name, he was one of the muckrackers and won a Pulitizer for his bio of Woodrow Wilson. You'll love his descriptions of farm life and his neighbors. |
