accordingtocarey.com

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Growing up on the farm and the only child for at least a mile, well let’s just say it could get dull. But besides being a nature lover the other thing that saved me from dying of boredom was my love of reading. The only problem was there weren’t enough books on the ranch. We had a small library of books, some too old for me, so after reading my own books at least 3 times and then reading all of my Grandpa’s National Geographic’s and lastly mom’s Reader’s Digests, I would finally resort to taking down a volume of the encyclopedias stuffed in the back of my closet. There are never enough books.

Now I’m all grown up and not only can I buy my own books, the internet provides 24/7 reading fulfillment.  But I still love to hold a book in my hands so I always have a little stash of books waiting to be read and people (especially cousin Jill!) buy me books for my birthday and holidays because they know I love them so much.

Cookbooks are their own “simple thing”, I read them as prolifically as some people read trashy novels.  So does my Grandma Shirley (read cookbooks, not trashy novels!), I came by it honestly.  Rick Bayless is an American authority on authentic Mexican cuisine and I love all his books.  This one focuses on quick, simple, healthy Mexican dishes and every recipe I have made from it was delicious.

This book is sitting on my nightstand, waiting to be devoured.  My high school English teacher (Verlaine Stoner McDonald) wrote it!  It is about organized communism in Sheridan County, Montana in the 20′s.  I bought it with an Amazon gift card I got for my birthday (which is probably the perfect gift).

I’ve been wanting to read this book for quite some time and I think my cousin bought it for me for Christmas. It is the tale of the 1985 sale of a bottle of wine that supposedly dates back to 1787 and allegedly was owned by Thomas Jefferson.  If you are a wine enthusiast you might be interested in this book as well as The Rise and Fall of the House of Mondavi which I found fascinating.

This book caught my eye at first because I thought it was a historical fiction book (my favorite genre), then I realized it was in fact a memoir but “dark and humorous”, which is right up my alley.  It also gives a sneak peak into a society I would never know of otherwise.

There are also books that I read over and over.  No big shocker here, but Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is one of them.  Here is another one I go back to time and again:

A Sweetness to the Soul by Jane Kirkpatrick.  It is historical fiction based on the story of Jane Sherar and her husband Joseph who was responsible for many of the bridges throughout Washington state.  I love Jane Kirkpatrick’s ability to weave a story and this one brought me to tears the first time I read it.  Folks, I rarely cry so that was a big deal.  I’ve read this book so many times that I have to get it rebound.

Reading books is one of the simplest ways I know to make me happy.  Now what should I read next…..