Summer Reading Hits

Summer is so active that I don't get to read as much as I like, but I still manage to work in reading time before bed each night and sometimes on rainy days or a few hours that I just take off to indulge my love of reading. I wanted to share my favorite books that I read this past summer. 

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand is a 'summer by the pool read' and very entertaining. It has a Bernie Madoff type of storyline from the wife's viewpoint. I always enjoy her female relationships.

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See. I'm a huge fan of Lisa See. She brings the Chinese culture and time period to life. Her characters are fully formed and the stories very exciting.

Day of Honey - A Memoir of Food, Love and War by Annia Ciezadlo. The author is a war correspondent in the Middle East and with her journalist husband moved to Lebanon, his home, as home base for their reporting. She manages to bring the conflict and culture of the Middle East to life and through her immersion of food and cooking, she adds a personal perspective...and some fabulous recipes! Annia Ciezadlo is a gifted writer and her memoir is worth the time to read.

Spoken From The Heart by Laura Bush. This is really an excellent book by a good hearted and intelligent woman. I thoroughly enjoyed this deeply personal memoir learning about her early life as well as her life in the spotlight both in the Texas Governor's Mansion and in the White House. She's a beautiful writer.

Gardening for a Lifetime - How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older by Sydney Eddison. This is my new favorite garden book since I totally relate to wanting to simplify as I get older. I want to continue to garden but without the back breaking work. She has so many fabulous ideas for all gardeners not just older gardeners. The book is packed with great ideas, lists, etc.

Gathering - Memoir of a Seed Saver by Diane Ott Whealy. I loved this book written by one of the co-founders of Seed Savers Exchange. She has had an interesting life that started on a farm in Iowa where she learned to save seeds from her Grandpa and later in life with a singular passion to save seeds for greater agricultural biodiversity. The focus of seed saving was a common thread throughout her life while having a family, being a homesteader and canning all that she grew and foraged from the land  - oh I admire her work ethic and her accomplishments. Seed Savers Exchange is the nation's premier nonprofit seed-saving organization and I'm a grateful member.

I hope you choose to read one or more of these wonderful books. I have a pile of books for my fall/winter reading and can't wait to get to them...that is, after all the produce is put up and the garden in put to bed for the winter.
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