3/25-3/31 What are you reading? What would you recommend for the rest of us? What's your favorite book? What's the most helpful book? Please talk about it here or comment on what someone else has written about a book.

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 25, 2001

Answers

Carla Emery's "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" is hands down my favorite helpful book. It's absolutely full of practical advice, and it's written in a warm story-telling way that keeps it from being dry.

I also use JD Belanger's "Raising Milk Goats the Modern Way", and Gail Damerow's "The Chicken Health Handbook" frequently. For the horses, I use the "The Horse" I can't put my hands on the book and I'm not sure of the author but it's a group of people, and "The UC Davis Book of Horses". As for magazines, I subscribe to "Countryside", and I freguently buy "Back Home".

For fictional reading I enjoy anything by Morgan Llywelyn, Anne McCaffrey (especially the Pern series), and John Grisham.

Stacy Rohan in Windsor, NY where it's cold! I am *so* ready for spring.

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), March 25, 2001.

Right now I'm reading Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel. It is the older edition (1979) but has lots of great information. I also recommend Carla Emery's Book of Country Living as well. I am always referring to it for something.

Silvia

-- Silvia Stoddart (organic_farmer@hotmail.com), March 25, 2001.

I just ordered (and fishished reading) Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks by Dave Holderread, 2001 edition. It is wonderful. It covers almost all the breeds and goes into genetics and has feed recipes. It was previously published as Raising the Home Duck Flock but the new additions is 128 pages longer. If you have ducks I highly recommend this.

-- Trisha-MN (tank@linkup.net), March 25, 2001.

Some of my favorites, all of which I highly recommend, are: Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening"; Tom McCubbin's "Florida Homegrown 2- The Edible Landscape"; everything written by Sue Hubbell and Gene Logsdon; Andy Lee's "Chicken Tractor"; and Joel Salatin's books, the best of which I think is "Pastured Poultry Profits". For fiction I love all of John Grisham's books. I also read everything written by Virginia Lanier- if you haven't read her books, she writes a series of mysteries featuring a Bloodhound trainer in Georgia. Some of the best books I have read- some of her titles are: "Death in Bloodhound Red"; "The House On Bloodhound Lane"; "Blind Bloodhound Justice". This week I am re-reading two old favorites- Ruth Stout's "How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back" and Faulkner's "Plowman's Folly".

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), March 25, 2001.

I have carla emery's book sitting by me as I type! It's such an excellent book! Also, I just got Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties by DC Beard. It's a great book that was written in the 20's I think about various shelters that can be made with what you have on your land. I don't know if anyone else on this site likes Barbara Kingsolver, but Prodigal Summer is the best novel I've read in a long time! It's really well written and it definitely is about living with nature! Cheers!

-- Elizabeth (Lividia66@aol.com), March 25, 2001.

I love all of Gene Logsdon's books - I just got his _Small Scale Grain Raising_ from the library. All the Storey animal care books are terrific - I like them much better than _...The Modern Way_ series. I'm trying to Bill Mollison's _The Permaculture Design Manual_ through ILL. For fiction, do you know Laurie Colwin - she has lovely short novels that are just fabulous (_A Big Storm Knocked It Over_ and _Family Happiness_ are the best), as well as two of the best cookbooks in history - _Home Cooking_ and _More Home Cooking_.

-- Sharon (astyk@brandeis.edu), March 26, 2001.

An oldie but a goodie that I still recommend every chance I get is "How to Grow More Vegetables" by John Jeavons. It covers 'bio-intensive' growing techniques, charts, and give soooo much information on individual and companion plants!! It also gives, in the back, a list and diagram for growing all of a family of four's (plant-based) food in a plot 30' x 40'!!

I have used his methods since I got the book over ten years ago, and they have never failed me - not once!

I recently got a catalog called 'Bountiful Gardens." I would recommend that to anyone as well (and the book can be ordered from there for $16.95!

The catalog gives tons of information on each variety of vegetable, herb, flower and grain they sell. All of their seeds are open-pollinated and some are heirlooms. All are untreated!!! They have the second lowest prices I have ever seen for full packs of seed, and offer bulk by special request. Most of their seeds are at about a dollar a pack - rare ones going for around $2 - $3.00. (The cheapest thus far has been from Pine Tree Garden Seeds, averaging 90 cents per pack)

They also have the subsequent books on Jeavon's approach, and some pamphlets that I will review when they arrive.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 26, 2001.

I love books and read a variety of subjects. You never know what book you will catch me with. I love to read. I just finished "Life Lessons" a new release by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler. They specialize in books on death and dying. This book focuses on living your life so you have as little regret as possible when your time comes. Forgiveness, power, patience, and fear are just a few of the topics they discuss. A very touching and uplifting book that has made me think about what is important in my life.

-- Shau Marie (shau@centurytel.net), March 27, 2001.