Testing

The Good, Good Pig

This is a very funny book , by Sy Masterson about a couple in a tiny town in New Hampshire who take in a runt piglet - and what happens after that. Though most pigs are killed when they reach about 65 pounds, this one was not, and it is an hilarious account. This would be fun to read ( most of it) with kids. Sally

Little Heathens; Hard Times & High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression

This book is a real GEM!. John and I have both laughed and cried while reading it. If you know anyone from Iowa, or anyone who grew upon a farm, pass it on. It is about a hard working, disciplined, creative and dedicated family life, that is a real joy. And fun. The author loved her childhood!



My parents both grew up on smalller farms, in Michigan, and I recognize some chores, quotes, home remedies, recipes, etc., etc. This is the best book we have read in a long time. Sally

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman

I am pretty much on a Neil Gaiman kick right now. He is a pretty fascinating and excellent writer. I read his blog daily.

I just read this one, "Fragile Things". It is a collection of short stories. I actually got the audio version of this book for Christmas. Gaiman reads it himself and I quite like having the author read the book as he wants it to be read. He uses the proper voices and says things in the way he intended them to be said. Many wonderful stories. Definitely worth checking out.

I am now reading "American Gods", a novel by Gaiman. Excellent so far.

--
marnie

Birmingham

Has anyone read a book called The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan. Non-fiction about the depression?

Paige

Great new book

Read a review about this in the newspaper and then stumbled upon it. Read it, loved it, bought it and am reading it to Sophie. A "big kid" book with a wonderful message. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane...by Kate DiCamillo. Love- Lexi

music

thought maybe i should participate on here.

musical suggestion, van morrison, live from san fran. also, i think wilco is a great band, i don't know how main stream they are. i'm not very hip when it comes to music. i've been on a big tim mcgraw kick lately.

i'm working on the reading thing. i've been pretty limited by the likes of US Weekly and People Magazine lately. But recently bought a book called a Wedding in December. I'll let you know how it is.

love the suggestions!

Abby

Birmingham

Very impressed with the amount of reaing that everyone is doing! I am simply building my stacks around the house and feeding the Borders store many dollars here in Birmingham. I just read a great review about "Thirteen Moons" written by the same author of Cold Mountain. It is said to be excellent and a less tightly written book. Yes, I plagarized that directly from the review. I also picked up a book called The Wild Girl by Jim Fergus. I am into the American Indian right now. I am also going to suggest that this may be a great forum for music as I know that my relatives all have excellent taste in that realm and it would be a way to include those who don't love to read. I need help in my diversity. What made me think of this is that about 3 weeks ago I bought Two Lights by Five For Fighting and have been listening to it non-stop. Love it. Great. All of their albums are outstanding in my opinion. Kind of Billy Joel but more current in sound.
Love to hear any suggestions. Bring it.

Paige

Busy week of reading

I do get a bit obsessed with different activities... sometimes I'll go on a reading binge and take a break from real life. This week I read Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund. It was ok, but I liked Four Spirits better. Then I read the book for this week's bookclub (I'm hosting it so I thought I'd better read it) which was Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass (written in 1845). It is EXCELLENT, and I don't know why I haven't read it before now. I highly recommend it to anyone --
Finally, I just finished this afternoon a fairly recent "thriller" The Promise of a Lie by Howard Roughan. Very enjoyable. I'm going to get his first book, The Up and Comer, this week. This
compares favorably with John Grisham type books.

Oh, and I read Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza in the past couple of weeks -- very gripping true story of her experience in Rwanda during the genocide. Not the best written of books, but extremely chilling.

Martha