My goal has been to read more fiction, especially highly acclaimed books. It has been difficult to stick to this plan, though. The only books I want to read right now are YA books or how-to books. The kids' books are easier to jump into and finish in a couple afternoons, while the how-to books fuel my fantasies of a well-rounded life. I like to dream about gardening and knitting when I don't have the energy to actually do it.TODAY'S BOOK: I'm reading The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen. It is a book filled with step-by-step instructions for projects like creating your own self-watering planters and routing your washing machine water out to the garden. I'm only 50 pages into this book, and I've already recommended it to my best friend. What I like most about this book so far is that they are sticking to the "urban" in their title. Many books that I've read on self-sufficiency may have a couple paragraphs on planting in containers, or they talk about ways to save money so you can buy a place in the country. This book assumes that you are going to stay in the city and gives you strategies for working around the limitations of not being on a farm. I hope that I will get a chance to try a few of these projects this summer.
UPCOMING BOOK: I have several books on my bedside table (see sidebar) but I am probably going to read Whatever, Mom: Hip Mama's Guide to Raising a Teenager by Ariel Gore. Most of the parenting information I've found online and at my local library is about raising babies and toddlers. I'm well past that stage of mothering, so I hope this book will offer me some insight on dealing with my teen and tweens.
2 comments:
I like your reason for choosing those kind of books Dani and I figure you should read whatever you feel like. That sounds like a good book actually, as someone who lives in the inner city (and who would literally die if I had to live in the country) but who tries my hardest to make sustainable choices I need that kind of information too.
Wow, I need to check out that self-sufficiency book. I'm very interested in the subject - especially guides that don't harp on how you can't really do it until you live in the country.
JM @ TheBookStacks.com
Post a Comment