madeleine decided to behave as though she was two for a few weeks at 18 months, so i decided to read 1-2-3 magic, the discipline system that we had growing up. i really like the system and it was good to actually read the book on it (it is short and an easy read) to know some of the details about it that weren't readily apparent to me as a child but which are very important as the one disciplining. fortunately, it has worked well with madeleine and (most) of her tantrums have ceased.
a tree grows in brooklyn was a fun novel to read. it seems like it was pretty autobiographical at times, so it felt like a very accurate portrayal of growing up in brooklyn during the beginning of the 20th century. not in my top ten book list or anything, but i would recommend it as a good novel.
this was my favorite book that i've read in a while. barbara kingsolver (author of poisonwood bible, another favorite) spent a year with her family eating only local foods - either those grown on their own land or within about a 100 mile radius. the book documents her family's experience as locavores and touches on themes of food consumption, gardening, raising poultry, and other issues relating to their experience. she is a little preachy in the first few chapters, but once she really launches into her family's year-long experience, i really enjoyed it. her writing is humorous and insightful. i came away from the book feeling inspired (rather than overwhelmed) to be a more socially responsible eater, more self-sufficient, and to be more involved in my own family's food consumption.
i read this book for bookclub and one of my favorite parts of the whole book experience was getting together with the women in my bookclub to discuss the book. we always have refreshments, and after reading the book, the woman hosting decided to use completely local refreshments. it was a delicious meal of local vegetables, cheeses (my favorite), and other food items made and grown by women in the group or from local sources. it was a fun way to wrap up the book and a delicious meal to eat. it did help that we read the book in july/august, rather than january.
2 comments:
I loved Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It was such a surprisingly fun read. When I try to explain it to people it sounds so boring, but she did such a great job writing it. That's part of the reason we go to the farm, and did I mention that we bought half a cow? I know I'm crazy...
R - i actually thought of you and the farm several times while reading the book and wish that we had something more similar here. the csa scene just isn't as good here yet.
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