Recommended Reading: Farms, Farm Women, Cave People, and Heists

No one can say that my reading list is not diverse!  Let's start with the Cave Men.

1. Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

I saw this on a list of modern classics and remembered vaguely that my Aunt Jill once told me that it was a good book, but I was too young to read it at the time. I love historical fictions and recognize that they require extra work to write well because of the amount of research that goes into them.  This level of historic fiction was completely mind blowing. I have never read about this period of history before and I have no idea which parts of the setting are long shot guesses and which parts are supported by scientific evidence, but the plot was very compelling and thought provoking. I enjoyed reading it. It is a slow paced book, but never seemed to drag on.  The ending is unresolved as this is actually the first book in a series.

2. Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter (Heist Society Book #2)
I listened to this book on the way to and from New Jersey for Grandma Jane's funeral.  It was just right for a long road trip.  I was absorbed in the story and the time flew by.  Another great plot, consistent characters with book 1, and plenty of quirkiness made this a fun read.

3. Storey's Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep, Goats, Cattle and Pigs by Carol Ekarius
Obviously this book is not going to interest a wide audience. But I am happily daydreaming about my future farm and so I thought it would be fun to pick out which types of livestock I would like to have... just in case I have to choose in a hurry or something.  As the title says, it is illustrated with lots of great photos and per Storey's usual level of excellence, it gave me just the sort of advice I was looking for with phrases like "good breed for small homestead" and such.

4. Mama Wears Two Aprons: Women in Farming and Farm Marketing by Margaret Coleman

I chanced upon this title when I was searching for farm books at the library and was intrigued to see that it was about farm women in the DC area.  I read it in an evening and was awed by the farm women's capacities. They took care of their families, with few or no modern conveniences, and still managed to bake 70 cakes, dozens of cookies, and pies to take to market every Saturday...  I spent this week wondering "how did they do it all?" as I waded slowly through my own homemaking duties. Not for the first time, I wished I could have watched a day in the life of a real farm woman. They must have been very efficient with their time and had lots of helpful tricks that have been lost over the years of modernizing.