Reading in the Garden

The Chicken-Driven Life Still Life with Chickens by Catherine Goldhammer is a memoir about a woman who divorces and must sell her home in an upscale neighborhood.  She buys a smaller home (which probably still cost twice as much my home) on a six-mile peninsula on the Massachusetts coast where she begins a new life with her daughter, massive renovations, and chickens. Like the title suggests, chickens play a major role in this book: the care, the coop, the eggs, the money, the time commitment, as well as the responsibilities that come with ownership. And while, in general, I have no great interest in chickens, nor do I have a desire to bring any home (except the roasted kind), I did find interest in these chickens and Catherine’s story about starting over. I liked her energy, enthusiasm, and “go-get-em” attitude.  I enjoyed this brief memoir about hope and determination…..and chickens. Update: My sister read it too, and really liked it! This book met two of my 20

Strength of Sisters The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls.   Two sisters, 15- and 12-year-olds, decide to leave their California home after their mother, an unstable aspiring singer, abandons them to “make some time and space” for herself, so she can find “the magic” again.  The two girls head out to Byler, Virginia, the town they were born in—the town their mother never wanted to return to.  There they find their Uncle Tinsley, a recluse who lost his wife six years ago.  Bean, the narrator, is the younger of the girls.  She’s a spunky, self-assured girl who takes matters into her own hands.  Her sister, Liz, is a gentler spirit who loves nothing more than to keep her nose in a book.  Together they start to forge a new life in the small town; there’s just one big snag. And this new problem turns things upside down for them. I really liked this book.  Bean was such a bold, outspoken, forthright girl; it’s hard not to like her.  She reminded me a bit of Ava, the 13-year-old girl in

Stretching the Mind and Body Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo is about a man who takes an unexpected cross-country road trip with a spiritual guru.  As Otto reluctantly chauffeurs a monk from New Jersey to North Dakota he stops to show him slices of American life while the monk slowly gets Otto to open his mind about reincarnation, meditation and the meaning of life.  The Rinpoche (rin-po-shay, a title of respect) even tricks Otto into taking a yoga class. This book was a gentle and enjoyable tour through the U.S. and the beginning of a teacher/student relationship. Both Otto and the Rinpoche were easy to like and the book was thought-provoking without being too preachy. In fact, I felt a little refreshed after I finished the book.  It offered a positive light on spirituality, not religion.  No doom or gloom, just little encouragements to self-betterment. I give it an uplifting, thought-provoking, amusing thumbs-up. _____________________________________________

It’s Not Always the Destination Quirky Sleeps by Bruce and Susan Armstrong is a travel book that lists unusual hotels across the United States.  If you’re ready to ditch plain old ordinary motels and make your sleeping quarters part of your vacation adventure, you may want to check out this book.  Organized by state, you will find information on unique hotels including contact information, price range indication, and a description of the room as well as the Armstrongs’ personal experience at the facility.  You can also look up quirky sleeps by genre.  Whether you’re looking to spend the night in a boat, railroad car, wigwam, or even a jail, you’ll find it in this book.  While all this information may be available on the Internet, it is not compiled and organized in this easy-to-use, easy-to-get-excited-about handy reference.  The only small complaint I have about this book is that the black and white photos are not on the corresponding pages with the descriptions—they’re ran