Books read in January

There is ice beating against the window, which does not bode well for the power staying on here in the Rural Electric Company region.

Just in case... 
cell phone is charged,
flashlight out,
hurricane lamp covers ready for candles (I do have a cat, you know),
dishwashing almost all caught up,
essential laundry washed and dried,
made our "larger" meal at lunch and planning sandwiches for dinner,
have a thermos filled with hot coffee (hey, I have my priorities), and
cinnamon rolls are baked and iced (thanks for the idea, Heather!).

I'm quickly typing up this post... which will explain any typos.  Once the dishes which are soaking are washed and in the red Rubbermaid drainer... I'm done for the day regardless of the power grid.

So...  books read in January are:

Fiction

I started The Lord of the Rings but set it aside until next month as I don't want to interrupt it once I start reading.  This occurring when I was able to get Marriage to a Difficult Man from the library.

Non-Fiction

Marriage to a Difficult Man; The Uncommon Union of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards
by Elisabeth D. Dodds
Could be my favorite biography of all time... and I've read a lot of biography.  Although I'd heard of this book before, it is often quoted in Noel Piper's Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God.  I was able to find a copy in my library albeit I had to ask for it at the reference desk as it was not on the main shelves.

It is not only the story of the Edwards' and their family but of the Great Awakening during that time and it provides real insight into Colonial America and New England history.  Deliciously written, just as if one were reading a newsy letter from a good friend.  It took me the full two weeks I had it from the library to read it, only because it is so full of rich material.  Highly Recommended!

Tea and Crumpets by Margaret Johnson
I really liked this library book about tea time.  Easy to read with a lot of authentic English (as in England) tea time recipes. This would make a great book to keep on the cookbook shelf if you love to have tea parties.

Tea With Friends by Elizabeth Knight
Another library book about tea time.  An entertaining book to read with sweet illustrations... a good gift book to give a tea loving friend with a tin of favorite tea.

Organically Raised by Anni Daulter
This is actually a recipe book for making organic foods for babies and toddlers but as I scanned through it on the New Non-fiction shelf of the library, I thought it had enough general information to be useful.  It's a little bit on the new-agy side of whole foods but it has a lot of useful ideas regarding healthy eating for kids.

The Farm Chicks' Christmas by Serena Thompson
I was thrilled to see this on the New Non-Fiction shelf of the library.  I had read mixed reviews of the book on Amazon (some people disappointed it didn't have very many recipes) but I loved their first book and wanted to read this one by Serena.

I found it to be a delightful Christmas book with a lot of vintage decorating ideas, Christmas crafts that actually made things I'd want to display (come on, you know what I mean...), and while it doesn't have many recipes what it does have are tried and true family favorites.  Definitely a book I will consider buying and would make an excellent gift to a friend who loves "all things Christmas".

Grow Great Grub; Organic Food from Small Spaces by Gayla Trail
This is a book I purchased with Amazon credit and am I ever glad I did!  You know how Amazon recommends books to you?  I think this one was recommended while perusing Sharon Lovejoy's books on Amazon (you must read Sharon's books!)

It is written by Trail, who also wrote a gardening book called You Grow Girl, a gardening book written for girls.  She blogs at YouGrowGirl.com.  I thought it would give good information for my raised bed garden but she has inspired me to grow veggies on the deck, too...  (Link corrected for You Grow Girl).

This book (Grow Great Grub) is absolutely wonderful, full of PICTURES (which a visual learner like myself needs) and while it would be very helpful for the experienced gardener, it is simple enough for someone like myself who is just beginning to expand a garden past the occasional tomato plant and basil.

Picture: Kim Sun Book Shop; allposters.com