Book Review: The Senator's Wife

The Senator's Wife chronicles the lives of two women whose stories become intertwined when they become neighbors. Meri and Nathan are newly married, and Meri is filled with the insecurities of an unstable childhood. Delia is in her 70s and has lived a complicated life as the wife of an openly unfaithful Senator. Meri is instantly drawn to the elegant but mysterious Delia, and she begins a hunt for the story of Delia and Tom. In the course of the story, Meri makes a critical error that changes the course of both of their lives.

I like this book by Sue Miller. I don't think I've read anything by this author since Family Pictures, back 15 years ago or so. This isn't a breathtaking novel; it isn't one that I thought much about when I finished it. But Miller is a good writer. She creates characters I can almost see perfectly, and she has some wonderful insights that made me stop and say, "Yes! Exactly!" I love those moments when something that I've thought, but not verbalized, is put into words. Like this bit on the study of history:

"Doesn't it all start--our interest in the past--with our wanting to know more about our own parents? … That drive we all have to get to the root of their attraction to each other. We always want their story, don't we? It's the first history we're really curious about. And the last one. It haunts us. Because it's a history with the most important consequence in the world--is. Us and our story. Our history."

And this one toward the end of the book, as Meri reflects upon her marriage:

"She had thought [15 years ago] that she knew already what their marriage was, what its limits were. She had thought they were in it. She didn't know they'd barely begun. She couldn't have imagined the long, slow processes that would change them, change what they felt for each other. She would never have guessed, either, the way the children would remake them and their love."

I've read some criticism of this book that points to disappointment in Delia's "stand by your man" policy, but I thought Miller did a great job of revealing Delia's dilemmas and her decisions. Meri's choices were a little harder for me to take, but still--I enjoyed the book.

Book Review: The Birth House

I've had this book by Ami McKay on my TBR list for such a long time. I love the cover art, but that isn't always indicative of the art within. Now I'm not saying this book doesn't have its good points; it does. The story itself, which takes place in the early 1900s in a tiny Nova Scotian village, is compelling. Dora Rare is an anomaly from birth: she is the first girl born in five generations of Rares. But anything unusual sets a person apart, and she is looked upon with suspicion. Eventually she becomes an apprentice to the midwife, Mrs. B., who, although essential to the village women, is also regarded suspiciously (i.e., they call her a witch).

The first half of the book flowed nicely. Dora is sweet, smart, and helpful. But then the book begins to lose its subtleties and become preachy with the advent of the Villain. Enter the Evil Doctor, who, with his clean hospital and medicines, seeks to destroy all the women in the village by insisting that they birth according to his new-fangled methods. Forceps, straps, ether, etc. McKay's goal seems, on one level, to show the arrogance of the professional medical community vs. traditional healing. But rather than doing this with the grace of Geraldine Brooks in Year of Wonders, for example, she thrusts it upon the reader.

(I feel that I must insert here that I'm all for midwifery and that my one birthing experience with a midwife was absolutely the most fabulous, but I also appreciate MDs, so there. I'm making a literary criticism, not a medical criticism.)

And I don't like fiction books that tell me how I'm supposed to feel. (I talked about this recently in my review of John Grisham's The Appeal.) I don't like things to be so stereotypical. Surprise me. Let me see something in a new way. Let me figure things out for myself.

The second half of the book tries to do way too much. We've got war, medicine vs. healing, feminism and a variety of women's issues, abusive marriages, and the influenza epidemic. Many stories are begun and not finished, their surfaces barely scratched. This is not not unusual, and I can even imagine how an author might feel: "I really want to get this story in, and introduce this character, and make this point..." but sometimes those things are better cut out and made into a new novel.

McKay's writing itself is very good. Her dialog is believable and her language flows nicely. My assessment: too much material for one book, and too didactic for my tastes.

Book Review: Winter Wheat

I can't imagine why, in all my years of high school, college, and graduate school as an English major, I had never heard of Mildred Walker. Her writing is entirely along the lines and quality of Willa Cather and Wallace Stegner--OK, maybe not quite as spectacular--but pretty darn close. So why isn't she included in American Lit anthologies/reading lists? Why aren't we teaching her when we study the American West or the impact of WWI and II? I have no idea. All I can say is that if I were teaching American Lit again, I would seriously consider including Winter Wheat on our reading list.

But back to the book. Winter Wheat tells the story of Ellen Webb, a young woman born and raised on a wheat farm in Montana, during a 2-year span of her life. Ellen has spent an idyllic childhood on the farm, loved by her parents and completely satisfied with ranch life. She is a hard worker on the farm but desires a college education. With a good crop, her parents are able to send her to college in Minnesota, where she quickly falls in love. As Ellen says, "I hadn't meant to fall in love so soon, but there's nothing you can do about it. It's like planning to seed in April and then having it come off so warm in March that the earth is ready."

Ellen's troubles begin when Gil comes to Montana for a visit, and Ellen begins to see her parents and herself in a whole new way. She is painfully aware of her mother's foreignness (she's from Russia) and her father's sickness, and she convinces herself that they are trapped in a loveless marriage.

The story is beautifully written. Ellen is a tremendously likable character. I loved her romanticism mixed with a healthy dose of sensibility. Mr. and Mrs. Webb are also extremely well-drawn, memorable characters., and Walker's descriptions of Montana are wonderful, as well. This is one of my favorite books so far in 2008.

My Ever-Growing TBR List

Nearly all of these suggestions have come from book blogs, Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books, The Sunday Salon posts, and Sonlight's bibliovores lists. I've only just begun to note where I've read the review. If you've reviewed any of these books on your blog, feel free to post a comment with the link and I'll add it to my list.
*Indicates books added in 2009.

A Country Doctor’s Casebook by R. MacDonald
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by D. Eggers
All Good Gifts by Kathleen Morgan (my 2009 review here)
Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler (my 2008 review here)
*Annie's Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg.
Aprons on a Clothesline by T. DePree
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez
Arctic Homestead by Cobb
Atonement by Ian McEwan (my 2008 review here)
Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
Behind the Burqa by Sulima and Hala (reviewed by Semicolon)
Birth House by Amy McKay (my 2008 review here)
Black, White and Red trilogy by Ted Dekker
Bless Your Heart, Tramp by Celia Rivenbark
Blood Hollow by W. Krueger
Blood of Flowers by A. Amirrezvani
Blood Work by M Connelly
Blue Ridge by TR Pearson (my 2008 review here)
*Bonesetter's Daughterby Amy Tan (my 2009 review here)
Book of a Thousand Days by S. Hale (reviewed on Semicolon and Maw Books)
Book of Lost Things by J. Connelly
Bookseller of Kabul by A. Seierstad (my 2009 review here and reviewed on Semicolon)
Bootletter’s Daughter by M. Maron
Born on a Blue Day by D. Tammet (reviewed on Sam’s Book Blog)
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Capote
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (Reviewed here in 2008 at SmallWorld Reads and at Maw Books)
Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo (Reviewed at Bookstack)
Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center (reviewed by CaribousMom)
Buffalo Soldier by C. Bohjalian
Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway (my 2008 review here)
Child of My Heart by Alice McDermott (reviewed by Educating Petunia and here in 2008 on SmallWorld Reads)
Commoner by J.B. Schwarz
Confederates in the Attic (reviewed by Semicolon)
Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman (reviewed by Literary Feline)
Conversations with a Fat Girl by Liza Palmer (recommended by Kristina; my 2009 review here)
*Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (my review here and reviewed at The Book Lady's Blog)
Dancing Under the Red Star by K. Tobien (my review here)
*The Dawning of the Day: A Jerusalem Tale by Haim Sabato (reviewed at Fresh Ink Books)
Dear Enemy by Jack Cavanagh
Death in the Family by James Agee (my 2008 review here)
Death’s Acre by William M. Bass
Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Strauss (My 2009 review here; Reviewed by Bookstack)
Departed, The by K. Mackel
*Diary, The by Eileen Goudge (Reviewed at Lesa's Book Critiques)
Digging to America by Anne Tyler
Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by D. Gregory
Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst (my review here)
*Dough: A Memoir by Mort Zachter (reviewed by Lisa at 5 Minutes for Books)
Eat, Pray, Love by E. Gilbert (reviewed by Maw Books)
Echo Maker by R. Powers (Reviewed by me here in 2008 and reviewed by CaribousMom)
Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim (reviewed by Musings)
Executioner's Song by Mailer
*Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Darie (reviewed at Maw Books)
Family Nobody Wanted by Doss
Fatal Vision by J. McGinnis
Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (my review here)
Flowers by D. Gilb
Fortune Cookie Chronicles by J. Lee
Franklin and Lucy by Joseph Persico (reviewed by A Bookworm's Dinner and Ex Libris)
*German Woman, The by Paul Griner (reviewed at Bookworm's Diner)
Ghost Map by S. Jackson
Ghost Writer, The by J. Harwood
Gilead by M. Robinson (reviewed by Semicolon)
Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary (my 2009 review here)
Girl in Hyacinth Blue by S. Vreeland (my review here)
The Girls by Lori Lansens (Reviewed on Reading, Writing, and Retirement)
**The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen (reviewed at Lesa's Book Critiques)
Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson (reviewed by Clare at Blue Archipelago)
Giving Up the Ghost by Hilary Mantel (reviewed by Harriet Devine)
Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton (reviewed by Caribous Mom)
God Is the Gospel by J. Piper
Gods and Kings series by Lynn Austin
Gods in Alabama by J. Jackson (my review here)
*Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls (reviewed by Wisteria)
Half of a Yellow Sun by C. Adichie (my 2008 review here and reviewed by CaribousMom)
Hava: The Story of Eve by Tosca Lee (added 1/09; reviewed by My Friend Amy)
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by D. Eggers
Heaven by R. Alcorn
*Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel by Audrey Niffenegger (my review here)
*The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent (reviewed by Gautami at Reading Room)
High House, The by James Stoddard
Hiroshima by John Hershey
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan C. Bartoletti (reviewed by Natasha at Maw Books)
Hot Zone by R. Preston (reviewed by Semicolon)
House at Riverton by K. Morton (my 2008 review here and reviewed by CaribousMom)
How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen (mentioned by The Magic Lasso)
Human Cargo by C. Moorehead
Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan (reviewed at These Words)
I Am Scout by Charles J. Shields (reviewed by Becky)
I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia B-Jackson (my review here)
In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason
Iris and Ruby by Rosie Thomas
Ishmael by E. Southwark
Keeping the House by E. Baker
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (my 2009 review here)
Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones (reviewed by Bookeywookey)
Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger (reviewed at Thoughts of Joy)
Last Storyteller by D. Noble
Leave it to Claire by T. Bateman
Left To Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza (reviewed at Maw Books and Just a Reading Fool)
Liar's Club by Mary Karr (my review here)
Liar’s Diary by P. Francis (reviewed by Semicolon)
Life Among Savages by Shirley Jackson (reviewed at Dwell in Possibility)
Life Is So Good by R. Glaubman
Little Altars Everywhere by R. Wells
*Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker (Reviewed at Maw Books)
Living End by L. Samson
A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka (reviewed at The Lost Entwife)
Lost Children of Wilder by N. Bernstein
Loving Frank by N. Horan
Mad Girls in Love by M. West
Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts (My review here)
Man without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
Many Sleepless Nights by Lee Gutkind
Margaret’s Peace (Place??) by Linda Hall
Mariner's Compass by E. Fowler
Marley and Me by J. Grogan
Martyr’s Song by T. Dekker
Mater Biscuit by J. Cannon
Mercy Falls by WK Krueger
Minding the South by J. Reed
Moloka’I by A. Brennert
*Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway (Reviewed at The Bluestocking Society)
More Than You Know by Beth Gutcheon (my 2008 review here)
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (Reviewed by Just Another Blogger)
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier (Reviewed by Reading to Know)
Namesake, The by Jhumpa Lahiri (My 2008 review here)
Never Let Me Go by K. Ishiguro (reviewed by Semicolon)
Not without My Daughter by B. Mahmoody
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
*Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (reviewed at Book Club Classics)
Omnivore’s Daughter by M Pollan
On Agate Hill by Lee Smith
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (my 2008 review here; reviewed on The BlueStocking Society)
Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash (reviewed by Natasha at Maw Books)
Other Boleyn Girl, The by P Gregory
Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson (My 2009 review here)
Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote
The Outcast by Sadie Jones (reviewed by Gautami at Reading Room, my review here)
Papua New Guinea: Notes from a Spinning Planet by M. Carlson (reviewed by Clean Reads)
Paula by I. Allende (my 2009 review here)
People of the Book by G. Brooks (my review here, and reviewed by Caribous Mom and at The Magic Lasso)
Perfect Example by John Porcellino (reviewed at The Hidden Side of the Leaf)
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (my 2009 review here)
*Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas (my review here; reviewed at Lesa's Book Critiques)
*Promise Not To Tell by Jennifer McMahon (reviewed at Missy's Book Nook)
Property by Valerie Martin (reviewed by The Magic Lasso)
Purple Hibiscus by C. Ngozi Adichie (reviewed by CaribousMom)
Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson
Queen of the Big Time by A. Trigiani
Quilter’s Apprentice by J. Chiaverini
Raising Demons by Shirley Jackson
Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen
Rises the Night by C. Gleason
River King, The by Alice Hoffman (my 2008 review here)
River Wife, The by Agee
Road, The by C. McCarthy (my 2009 review here)
Ruined by Reading: A Life in Books by Lynne Schwartz (reviewed on Shelf Life)
Rumspringa by Shactman
Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall
Saffron Kitchen, The by Y. Crowther
Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins (reviewed by Just a Reading Fool)
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (my 2009 review here; recommended by Gautami at Reading Room)
Saving Levi Left to Die by Lisa Bently
Secret Between Us by B. Delinsky (my review here)
**Secret of Everything by Barbara O'Neal (reviewed on Lesa's Book Critiques)
Senator's Wife, The by Sue Miller (SmallWorld review here; reviewed by Insatiable Reader)
Sentimental, Heartbroken Rednecks by Greg Bottoms (Reviewed by Sage)
Seven Loves by Trueblood
Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer (Reviewed here in 2008 at SmallWorld Reads, reviewed at Maw Books, reviewed at Nonfiction Lover )
Short Guide to a Happy Life by A. Quindlen (my 2009 review here)
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian (my review here and reviewed at The Magic Lasso)
* Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf (reviewed at Maw Books)
Song of the Cuckoo Bird by Amulya Malladi
Song Yet Sung by James McBride
Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan
Soon to Be a Major Motion Picture by Donna Partow
Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
Stillwater by William Weld
Stoner by John Williams (suggested by JoAnn at Every Day Matters)
Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank by Celia Rivenbark (my review here)
Summer Crossing by Truman Capote (reviewed by CaribousMom)
Summerland by M. Cabon
Sweet Potato Queen by J. Browne
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas (reviewed by me here in 2008 and by Lesa at Lesa's Book Critiques)
Tea Rose, The
Teahouse Fire, The by Ellis Avery
Stones Cry Out by M Szymusiak
There Are No Children Here by A. Kotlowitz
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (my review here)
Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself by Alan Alda
*Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (reviewed at Gautami's Reading Room)
This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff
Thousand Years of Good Prayers by Yiyun Li
Three Cups of Tea by G. Mortenson
To My Senses by A. Weis (reviewed by J. Kaye)
Tomorrow, the River by D. Gray
Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur by D. Hari (reviewed by CaribousMom and Maw Books)
Trauma and Ghost Town by P. McGrath
Twilight by S. Meyer (reviewed here in 2008 at SmallWorld, reviewed by Semicolon)
Unbearable Lightness of Being by Kundera
Uprising by Margaret Haddix (reviewed by Semicolon)
Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton (reviewed by Kinnic Reads)
*Well and the Mine, The by Gin Phillips (reviewed by Semicolon)
*What I Though I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen
What Is What by D. Eggers (reviewed at Maw Books)
What Peace There May Be by Susanna Brarlow
What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn (Reviewed at Big A, Little A)
When I Lay My Isaac Down by C. Kent
Whistling in the Dark by L. Kagen
Who Killed My Daughter by Lois Duncan (Reviewed at Nonfiction Lover)
Winter Seeking by V. Wright
Winter Walk by L. Cox
Winter Wheat by Margaret Walker (my 2008 review here)
Women of the Silk by G. Tsuriyama
Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs (reviewed by Andi Lit)
Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon (reviewed by The Magic Lasso)

Book Review: Child of My Heart

This is what I love about the world of book bloggers: fantastic recommendations. I read about this Alice McDermott novel over at Educating Petunia, ordered it from Paperback Swap, and brought it on vacation. I had two books in line in front of it to read, but once I got to it I could hardly put it down.

The story is of one summer in the life of 15-year-old Theresa, a capable only child whose parents moved out to Long Island in hopes of providing their daughter with a better life among the elite. Theresa becomes the town's most sought-after babysitter and pet watcher, and she takes care of the poorest kids and the richest kids with equal love and compassion. Her younger cousin, Daisy, comes to spend the summer with her, and Theresa cares for the fragile girl with grace and maturity. There are all kinds of summer dramas that Theresa must deal with in the course of all her care-taking: alcoholic fathers, absent mothers, affairs, arguments, discarded children. She weaves her way through all of these lives, keeping what she needs and storing information to use to navigate her own life.

I'd relish a sequel to this book. I'd love to know what happens to Theresa in her 20s, or even in the next summer. One particular scene with a famous artist leaves me wondering exactly what Theresa has planned for her own life and how this might differ from the life her parents have planned for her.

Book Review: Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank

It's almost embarrassing for me to read a Celia Rivenbark book because I sometimes cannot control my laughter, to the point that I am snorting and practically in need of an oxygen tank. Like We're Just Like You, Only Prettier (my review here), this book by Rivenbark is a running commentary on various absurdities in America, and, particularly, in the South. You don't have to be a Southerner, or a transplant, to appreciate Rivenbark's books, however; her satire transcends the South, and she hits on subjects ranging from parenting to ballet to cancer-smelling dogs.

On parenting: "If you ask me, the Supernanny should put the parents, not the kids, in the naughty room and not let them out until Mom promises to buy some clothes that fit and Dad can stop being such a wimp. ('Brandon calls his Mama names and I just wanna cry!') Grow a spine, you freak. It's time to 'man up'!

On ballet: "Ballet is beautiful, but I'm a new soul, incapable of appreciating scene after scene of young girls standing on their toes and mincing about and then standing on their toes and mincing about some more. And the plots? Sneaky fairies and magic feathers and stuff. Oh, just let me eat my own flesh till I quietly disappear."

On cancer-smelling dogs: "I hate to admit this, but it's obvious: Dogs have it all over my beloved but totally useless housecats. I could drive up to the house on four flat tires, with a ticking bomb and a kilo of cocaine in the trunk, tumors hanging off me as big as pie plates. and my selfish cats would just yawn, stretch, and go back to sleep."

Pulled-out of context, these quotes can't possibly do Rivenbark justice. I am really not a comedy person, but writers like Dave Barry and Celia Rivenbark send me into hysterics. And that's a fun place to be, even when it does leave the rest of my family saying, "What? What? What's so funny?" Some things you just can't explain.

About SmallWorld Reads

In an effort to keep my family life somewhat separate (publicly, anyway) from my reading life, I've created a separate reading blog here at SmallWorld Reads. I'm slowly moving my book reviews over from my other site, but it may take a long time!

Book Review: The Songcatcher

I love Sharyn McCrumb's Appalachain series. These books, including The Songcatcher, paint an amazing portrait of life in the Appalachains. Each book can stand on its own. Many of the same characters pop in and out of the books, but each books is written to be read by itself. My husband actually discovered Sharyn McCrumb when we lived in Iowa. He was looking for books on the Appalachain Trail and found her book She Walks These Hills. My Dad, voracious and insatiable reader that he is, picked it up off the bookshelf and plowed through it. He said it was absolutely enthralling. Of course I immediately read it--and it was amazing. All of McCrumb's books in this genre (she also has a detective series that I'm not crazy about) weave an "old" story in with a current one. Lots of good history. Anyway, I highly recommend starting with She Walks These Hills and reading all of them. Perhaps the books are more poignant to me because I live in this area, but I think they would have a wide appeal.

Book Review: Even Now

My mother is a voracious reader. Best of all she loves books like Karen Kingsbury's Even Now. I love her for that. For my own taste, Kingsbury is too formulaic and predictable. Yes, I did get teary-eyed a time or two, the goal of a sentimental, inspirational author. If you need an extremely light read with a happy ending, Kingsbury is a good choice.

Book Review: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

My friend Patti recommended this book by Alexander McCall Smith (at my library it is under the "Ms" on the shelves for McCall), and then I saw the series listed on loads of "Books I Read in 2005" lists. I loved it! On the surface it is the life of Precious Ramatswe, a private detective in Botswana, and snippets of her cases. But the meat of this book (and the whole series, I hope) is the fascinating life of the people of Botswana. I have to say, too, that McCall Smith is a lyric and often simply profound writer. I re-read some of his lines over and over just for the sheer pleasure. Like this one: "His life was unrecorded; who is there to write down the lives of ordinary people."

Book Review: Two by Adriana Trigiani

So I wanted to start off my year with lots of good fiction. I have a huge list of books to read this year. I finished • Milk Glass Moon at a few minutes before midnight on Dec. 31, but I'm counting it as a 2006 book. This is the third book in the series that include Big Stone Gap and Big Cherry Holler. Unfortunately, it's been a few years since I read the first two books, so I didn't remember a whole lot of the story. I have a bad habit of doing that. Anyway, I remember really like the first book in the series. Part of the allure for me is that much of the story takes place in the Tri-Cities, TN, where I went to college and lived for many years. The third book was OK. Just OK, and definitely not great.

However, Lucia, Lucia was terrific. I read this in one day. It was completely different than the Big Stone Gap trilogy. The novel is set in the 1940s-50s in New York City, and the character of Lucia is compelling. This one I highly recommend. Very sweet.

Book Review: A Very Small Farm

I just finished this book by William Paul Winchester last night. My friend Leigh has been recommending it for years and she finally loaned it to me. What a beautiful book. A Very Small Farm is a beautifully written journal of one man's life on his small subsistence farm in Oklahoma. In the busyness of the Christmas season, I was especially drawn to the simplicity of his life. It's the "other" life I have always felt in my bones that I was made for, being in the seventh generation of fruit farmers (but not being one myself).

I was surprised (though I suppose I shouldn't be), when coming upon the section on Winchester's fruit trees, to come across his description of Liberty apples, one of my dad's varieties. He goes on to mention getting trees from Geneva, NY, where my father ran a fruit breeding program for 30 years.

Before I turn this over to Randy and my dad to read, I wanted to record a couple of my favorite quotes from the book. I love this first quote because it is so true of being a mother as well as a farmer:

"The best thing about my work is that it is of my own choosing and done in my own way. Under those circumstances even the most menial work is pleasure. Since I didn't know much about farming in the beginning, almost nothing, I made mistakes. But they were my mistakes to put right or live with. The work was difficult enough that I had to be inventive, but not so difficult I couldn't learn....The nearest equivalent to the small farmer is the housewife, especially if she is the mother of young children. We are amateurs, working for the pleasure of it rather than for hire."

The second quote is shorter, but one I wholeheartedly relate to: "As for boredom, the word has no meaning. It's inconceivable with so much to do and such and intriguing world to do it in."
A lovely book.