Book Review: Own Your Past Change Your Future by John Delony

Own Your Past Change Your Future: A Not-So-Complicated Approach to Relationships, Mental Health, and Wellness. John Delony. Ramsey Press (2022). 261 pages. Genre: Nonfiction.

First Line: "I quietly slipped out of my bedroom, careful not to wake my wife or young son."

Summary: Dr. John Delony helps us understand that our past is made up of different kinds of stories and how those stories are affecting us today. He then gives us steps to take to heal from our past hurts and live a heathier, more whole life.

My thoughts:  John Delony takes a unique approach in helping the reader understand their past.  The first part of the book looks at the different stories that make up each of our pasts; stories about the world, about ourselves, about relationships, stories we're told and that happened and stories we tell ourselves.  He then asks the reader to own their stories. There are questions at the end of each of the chapters that he suggests you write answers for that will help you identify what your own stories are.  In each chapter he uses personal examples or examples of others to help you see what each type of story might encompass.  It was really helpful to pause and think about what my stories might be.

The second part of the book gives the reader five steps that will help with the healing process.  They are:

*Own your stories

*Acknowledge reality

*Get connected

*Change your thoughts

*Change your actions

He gives a clear explanation of each step and how this might play out in an actual life.  He repeatedly acknowledges that it will not be easy and that this is not a one time thing.  This is something you will have to do over and over, but eventually you will begin to see change.  I appreciated his honesty as he tells his own story of going through the process.  He has also worked with numerous people as a counselor and a student affairs administrator on a university campus.  

I had heard Dr. Delony interviewed and thought he sounded like a down-to-earth, practical person which is why I wanted to read his book.  All of us have trauma that we are carrying and many of us don't realize it.  Here is how Dr. Delong defines trauma: 

"We often think of trauma as the big car wreck, tsunami, heart attack - or when you find out your husband has been cheating on you after twenty-five years of marriage.  As Bessel van der Kolk notes, 'Trauma is an event that overwhelms the central nervous system.' But trauma is so much more than the single bad event.  Trauma is also neglect, not being seen, experiencing hard things alone, or any other experiential or environmental stressor that causes your body to take over and react for you, using its primitive response system.  Trauma can be big or small, and it can accumulate over time."

This book will open your eyes to your own past and give you a vision for a better future.

Quotes:

"Grieving is a practice.  It's the movement toward the pain, where you take ownership of what has happened and allow it to integrate into your body.  Grieving is allowing your amygdala to recognize that the threat has passed and allowing your frontal lobe to slowly come back online.  It's acknowledging that the loss is real."

"Control what you can control.  You can control what you think. What you say. What you do. What you want. Who you speak with.  Who you allow into your life and how much they influence what you believe.  Where you work.  Where you live. How you spend your money.  How you process emotions.  How you spend your time."

"You cannot control what happened.  You control how you think about it and what you do next."

Book Review: The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee by Marja Mills

The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee. Marja Mills. Penguin Press (2014). 278 pages. Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir, Biography.

First Line of the Prologue: "In the summer of 2005, I was having coffee at Burger King with Harper Lee."

Summary: Journalist Marja Mills was given an assignment to visit Monroeville, Alabama, hometown of Harper Lee.  Mills worked for the Chicago Tribune.  The Chicago Public Library had recently launched a program called One Book, One Chicago and they had chosen To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book.  The idea was to get people from all parts of Chicago reading and discussing the same book.  The Chicago Tribune wanted to run a story on the famous author of To Kill a Mockingbird. 

Harper Lee had said very little on record since the publishing of the book.  It was expected that she would refuse an interview.  So, Marja Mills headed to Monroeville with the goal of gaining as much information as she could about the author's life from other sources.  Before leaving town to return to Chicago, she and her photographer stopped by the home that Harper shared with her sister Alice.  Mills wanted to be able to tell her boss that she attempted to contact the author.  She was surprised when the door was opened by Alice Lee.  She was even more surprised when she was invited in for a conversation. 

My thoughts: I really enjoyed the author's narrative style.  The book reads like a novel. While the book is very much about Harper Lee and Alice Lee, it is really a memoir about the author's time spent with them.  So it is told from her perspective.  Along the way, the reader learns a lot about Monroeville - both past and present, and the Lee family.  You get to know Alice, Harper and their friends.  I also listened to some of the audiobook read by Amy Lynn Stewart.  She used different voices for the characters which really gave a southern flavor to the story.  

Marja Mills met Alice Lee first and made an impression on her.  It was because of this meeting that Harper Lee was willing to meet with her.  Known to her family and friends as Nelle, Harper Lee was ready to set the record straight.  For years, reporters had been trying to get an interview with her.  From their very first meeting, Nelle made it clear that, "This would not be an interview." "'Just a visit.'"  Because Marja was agreeable to that, their relationship began to grow.  When the article finally came out in the Chicago Tribune, Nelle gave her approval.  

A few months after the article was printed, Marja Mills was struggling with her health.  She has Lupus and was having a flare.  Usually flares passed in a few days, but this one was worse.  She was told by the newspaper that she needed to take a leave of absence.  She decided that would be a good time to go back to Monroeville and visit Alice and Harper.  It was during this time that it was decided that Marja would write a book about their lives.  She eventually rented a house next door to the Lees.  

If you are curious about the life of Harper Lee or just like a good memoir, I highly recommend this book. 

Quotes:

"When she moved to New York, she had little money and lived frugally.  Even after the unexpected success of her book, she still lived frugally when it came to spending on herself."

"Once home, they would get to clucking over each other, Alice telling Nelle to drive carefully and Nelle telling Alice not to work herself to death.  The two women had this in common:  Sisterly admonition aside, they did as they saw fit."

"She lamented the passing of an era she said I was too young to remember, one in which a reporter's first and only job was to get the facts right, not to inject personal opinion."

Book Review: The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt: Letters from 1920's Farm Wives and the 111 Blocks They Inspired

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt: Letters from 1920's Farm Wives and the 111 Blocks They Inspired.  Laurie Aaron Hird. Krause Publications (2009). 256 pages. Genre: Non-fiction.

First Line: "The year 1922 lies between two important events in American history."

Summary:  In 1922, The Farmer's Wife, a popular women's magazine, posed a question to their readers: "If you had a daughter of marriageable age, would you, in light of your own experience, want her to marry a farmer?".  Cash prizes were offered to the best 68 answers submitted.  The best answers to the question are included in this book along with the quilt blocks they inspired.  

My thoughts:  I am not a quilter, but I do enjoy quilts.  My interest in this book was the letters written by women living in the rural areas of America in 1922.  I was first made aware of this contest when I came across this blog post. It includes one of the letters that was left out of the book.  I was so intrigued that I wanted to read more.  

Each page of this book includes pictures of two quilt blocks inspired by one of the letters along with a transcription of the letter.  The quilt blocks are beautiful and I was fascinated by the names given to them.  But, my favorite part of the book was the letters themselves.  

The magazine received over seven thousand responses from their readers and 94 percent of them stated that they would, indeed, want their daughters to marry a farmer.  

My heart and mind were filled with the daily details of life for the 1920's American family.  I was struck by how many of the letters mentioned time for reading as a benefit of the farm wife's life.  

"Her leisure (she really will have more than the city dweller might suppose) will be spent in delightful companionship with the good books and magazines her education will have taught her to appreciate."

"The average farmer's wife who plans her work can find a number of hours for reading, writing and social pleasures and in this day of autos and good roads, has time and opportunity for movies, concerts and lectures."

"I also am interested in dietetics, child-welfare books or magazine articles, good farm magazines, and, for recreation, books by good authors, poets and playwrights.  I probably read about eighty books per year, besides magazines."

Something else mentioned in many of the letters was the wholesomeness of life in the country.  The children would not spend all of their time away from home with their friends, but rather families spend time together and with other families.  Husbands would not be tempted by women who practiced vamping.  This was a new word to me, but the author provided definitions of some of the words that came up repeatedly and that would be unfamiliar to modern readers.  Vamping is "practicing seductive wiles on men." 

"On the farm my daughter's husband and her growing boys are more aloof from vicious allurements.  Instead of vaudeville and moonshine, they have box-social and friendly games of skat.  Vamping is very uncommon, and the necessity of birth control is not so apparent."

Many of the letters spoke about the difficulty of farm life, but they all said they wouldn't trade it for city life.  Most of them spoke of time spent outdoors.  One woman ended her letter this way:

"So, I want my daughter to marry a farmer and I want to see her in her own home on a good American farm with the cleanness and wholesomeness of country life lived close to nature, in daily intercourse with flowers and birds and bees, chickens, and cows and pigs, horses and autos and tractors, pianos, Victrolas and telephones, with all the joys and pleasures of an American home in God's wonderful out-of-doors."

Another benefit mentioned that I thought was interesting was not having to worry about keeping up with the latest fashion.

"On the farm, you are quite independent of fads and fashions.  Cotton stockings, sun-bonnets, bloomers and overalls are all right, and you feel happier than the walking fashion-plate."

I really enjoyed reading these letters.  If you are a quilter, the second half of the books gives directions for each quilt square and how to put them together.  

Book Review: The Summer of the Great-Grandmother by Madeleine L'Engle

The Summer of the Great-Grandmother (The Crosswicks Journal - Book 2). Madeleine L'Engle. Harper & Row (1974). 245 pages. Genre:  Non-fiction, Memoir.

First Line: "This is the summer of the great-grandmother, more her summer than any other summer. This is the summer after her ninetieth birthday, the summer of the swift descent."

Summary:  Madeleine L'Engle tells about the summer she noticed drastic changes in her mother due to senility.  

My thoughts:  The author's mother always spends the summer with her family at Crosswicks, the country home owned by Madeleine and her husband Hugh.  She spends her winters in warmth of Florida.  It has been four summers since the Great-Grandmother earned her title.  She loves being a Great-Grandmother and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.  However, this summer she is not herself.  She is fearful and hesitant.  She has difficulty carrying on a conversation, let alone enjoying time with her family.  It seems to have happened suddenly, but looking back, Madeleine can see that changes began to happen a couple of years ago after a major surgery.  

The author describes the things she is seeing in her mother as well as her thoughts and feelings about them.  The book is divided into four sections.  The first section, Summer's Beginning, tells what Madeleine is seeing and feeling.  The next two sections, The Mother I Knew and The Mother I Did Not Know, tell about her mother's past.  The final section, The Summer's End, comes back to the present.  When I first read the description of this book, I thought it would be terribly sad.  While there is some sadness, there is also quite a bit of beauty and joy.  The reader is immersed in the family life of the author with all of its ups and downs.  There are long walks, family dinners and weddings.  This is what I love most about The Crosswicks Journals - the immersion into the daily details of the author's life. 

I highly recommend this book and the first book in the Crosswicks Journals - A Circle of Quiet.  You could read this one as a stand alone, but reading the first book will give you a glimpse into the author's years as a newlywed and young mother.  

Quotes:

"The times I have been most fully me are when I have been wholly involved in someone or something else; when I am listening, rather than talking; cooking a special, festive dinner; struggling with a fugue at the piano; putting a baby to bed; writing."

"School was mostly something to be endured; I don't think I learned nearly as much from my formal education as from the books I read instead of doing homework, the daydreams which took me on exciting adventures in which I was intrepid and fearless, and graceful, the stories Mother told me, and the stories I wrote."

"I have her battered Bible, which Mother had rebound for me. It was much read, much marked, and there are stains which came, I think, through private tears.  Perhaps through it she will teach me an alphabet of grace."

"I have occasional binges of reading English murder mysteries or science fiction, not so much as an escape but as a reminder that there is still honor and fidelity in the world, despite murder and crime; and that the sky above me is full of billions of solar systems and island galaxies, and that nobody has yet been able to put the creation of a galaxy into the language of provable fact."

Book Review: For Such A Time As This by Kayleigh McEnany

For Such A Time As This: My Faith Journey Through The White House And Beyond. Kayleigh McEnany. Post Hill Press (2021). 256 pages. Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir.

First Line: "Beams of sunlight poured through the shutters of my bedroom window."

Summary: Kayleigh McEnany gives the reader a glimpse into her time spent as Press Secretary for Former President Donald Trump.  Along the way we learn about the path she took to get there, how this role affected her personal life and how faith carried her through every circumstance. 

My thoughts:  Memoir is my favorite type of non-fiction book.  One of the things I enjoy about memoirs is that they are often full of daily details that might get left out of a biography.  For Such A Time As This was just such a book.

Before reading this book I knew very little about Kayleigh McEnany.  I admire her diligence and her dedication to what is important.  It was fascinating to see the inner workings of the White House.  I gained a deeper understanding for the time, dedication and sacrifice every member of the President's staff must give.  While this is Kayleigh's story, she spent much of the book shining a light on those around her, pointing out how they helped her or sacrificed for others.  

I really appreciated the way Kayleigh shared the struggles she faced in being a wife, mother and White House Press Secretary.  Even though she loved her job and took it very seriously, she often shed tears when leaving her daughter whether for a week or a day.  She was fortunate to have a mother who was willing and able to help her out.  She also highlights the way the President and White House staff emphasized the importance of family and gave her flexibility.  

As a Christian woman, Kayleigh's faith comes through on every page.  In most chapters she shares a situation, either in her work or personal life, where she relied on her faith.  I found this encouraging and refreshing. 

The Acknowledgements pages at the end of the book give further testimony to the type of person Kayleigh is.  I don't think I have ever read a book containing nine pages of Acknowledgements!  Each one was very personal and specific and I am sure let each person know what they meant to her.  

If you enjoy memoirs, especially those of Christian women, or are curious about the inner workings of the White House, I recommend this book.  

Quotes:

"If we all endeavored to recognize loss wherever it occurs, rather than taking sides, we would be far better off."

"I believe God wants everyone to embrace an Esther-like outlook.  You are sitting where you are sitting geographically, professionally, and personally for a reason.  God wants you to fulfill His purpose.  He has great plans and a solemn mission for all of us to further His kingdom."

Book Review: Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson

Own Your Life: Living with deep intention, bold faith and generous love. Sally Clarkson. Tyndale (2015). 224 pages. Genre:  Non-fiction.

First Lines:  "'What will be the legacy of your life? What story will the days of your life tell? Will you invest your life for eternity, or spend it, wasting the days on things that do not matter, on issues that will quickly fade away?'"

Summary:  In our fast-paced, overwrought world, it can be easy to lose sight of our purpose.  Sally Clarkson encourages the reader to examine her life in light of what really matters.  She begins by reminding us that our lives matter and we are leaving a legacy to those who come after us.  Living a life full of meaning takes intention.  In each chapter, Sally shares examples from her own life along with steps you can take to begin owning your part of the life you have been given.

My thoughts:  I have enjoyed Sally Clarkson's writing for many years.  She has a gift for encouraging women wherever they are in life.  I always appreciate the way Sally shares examples from her own life that help the reader understand that she has struggled and continues to struggle.  I find it encouraging when I read a book and am able to say, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way or has gone through this." I often find myself encouraged in this way through Sally's writing.

In this book she walks the reader through the steps she took when she began asking herself what the purpose of her life was.  She reminds us that we were created for a purpose.  Each of us has been given a unique life and the choices that we make matter.

"The grid through which I had lived my life was based on my understanding that in order to live a flourishing life of influence, I had to own my life - to take responsibility for my choices, attitude, will and actions, knowing they would all have consequences for eternity."

At the end of each chapter is a section titled "Own Your Part". This contains things to think about or actions to take to put the subject of that chapter to work in your life. 

As things in our world continue to feel out of our control and uncertain, this book is a good reminder that we can be in control of some things in our lives.  We can choose to live with intention.  This book encouraged my faith and my determination to live a meaningful life. 

Book Review: Simplicity at Home by Yumiko Sekine

Simplicity at Home: Japanese Rituals, Recipes, and Arrangements for Thoughtful Living. Yumiko Sekine with Jenny Wapner.  Photography by Nao Shimizu. Chronicle Books (2021). 224 pages. Genre:  Non-fiction.

First Lines: "Several years ago, my friend Stephanie came to Tokyo from New York and stayed at our house for a few days.  After her visit, she told me how different my life was from what she expected."

Summary:  Yumiko Sekine is the founder of Fog Linen Work, a home goods brand that focuses on linen housewares and clothing.  She wrote this book to give readers a glimpse into the way Japanese people really live.  It is common in Japan to have a lifestyle and aesthetic of simplicity along with a mixture of Japanese and Western influences.  

The book is organized by season.  Each section includes thoughts on decorating, organizing, rituals, food preparation, simplifying and other things.  

My thoughts:  I first heard about Yumiko Sekine in an online article.  She and her partner had recently built a home in Tokyo.  The article contained pictures of the home and mentioned that she had written a book that was to be released soon.  I was intrigued and requested the book from the library.  I am so glad I did!

The book contains many beautiful pictures of Yumiko's home, her shop and Tokyo.  The book begins with a section called "My Life with Linen" where Yumiko tells some of her history and how she became interested in linen.  The book is then separated into seasons.  Each section begins with the author's reflections on that particular season followed by recipes or instructions for completing a project. Some of the projects include: what to do with old linen sheets, repairing ceramic dishes, creating a wreath, or making bath salts.  Also included are photos of things around the author's home to give the reader examples of the what the author is describing.  

The photographs were gorgeous and would have made a beautiful book by themselves.  However, I enjoyed getting to know the author through the stories she told.  She briefly tells about her family and life growing up in a city in northern Japan.  She has some interesting ancestors who contributed to the person she has become. I also have a better understanding of what Tokyo is like in each season.  

I recommend this book to anyone interested in home decor, organization, Japanese traditions, homekeeping or just looking at beautiful pictures.   

*Link to the article I originally read:

Fog Linen founder Yumiko Sekine at home

The Japanese Literature Challenge can be found at Dolce Bellezza. 

Book Review: A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle

A Circle of Quiet (Crosswicks Journals #1). Madeleine L'Engle. Seabury Press (1971). 246 pages. Genre:  Non-fiction, Memoir.

First Line: "We are four generations under one roof this summer, from infant Charlotte to almost-ninety Great-grandmother."

Summary:  These writings are taken from the author's journals about the early days of her marriage when her children were little.  She and her family lived year round at Crosswicks, a big old New England farmhouse. It is about daily life, the author's struggle to fit in time to write, trying to balance the work of a mother and homemaker with attempting to get a book published, and the people who make up the community.  It includes reflections on motherhood, writing, the state of the world, and God. 

My thoughts:  This was my second attempt at reading this book.  The first time I tried to read it, I just wasn't in the right frame of mind and couldn't get into it.  I decided to give it another try and am so glad I did.  It has become one of my favorites reads of 2021.  

In these pages we meet the author, who is best know for her book A Wrinkle in Time.  We also meet her husband, Hugh Franklin, an actor and their children.  Things are not told in a linear fashion like a story would be, rather we get glimpses into their lives combined with reflections on various things.  Sometimes quotidian details are included, other times lofty thoughts.  

Although this was published in the early 1970's, the actual journals were written in the 1960's.  Many of the things she was concerned about are still concerns today and have become even more prevalent.  I found it really interesting to get inside a mind living during the 1960's and to see what her concerns were, what she thought about.  Of course, I always love all the details of daily life, so journals appeal to me.  

There are three more books in the Crosswicks Journals series and I am eager to read them.

Quotes: 

"'But what about the mystery writers? They don't make any response to the problems of the world in their stories.' And I cried, 'Oh, but they do!' and cited some of my favorite writers, Josephine Tey, John Dickson Carr, Dorothy Sayers - I could go on and on - and said, 'Think about them.  Their mysteries may be nothing but exciting stories on the surface, but there's a definite moral response to the world in every single one of the really good ones."

"The more limited our language is, the more limited we are; the more limited the literature we give to our children, the more limited their capacity to respond, and therefore, in their turn to create.  The more our vocabulary is controlled, the less we will be able to think for ourselves.  We do think in words, and the fewer words we know, the more restricted our thoughts. As our vocabulary expands, so does our power to think.  Try to comprehend an abstract idea without words: we may be able to imagine a turkey dinner.  But try something more complicated; try to ask questions, to look for meaning: without words we don't get very far.  If we limit and distort language, we limit and distort personality."

Book Review: The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile

The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery. Ian Morgan Cron, Suzanne Stabile. IVP Books (2016). 238 pages. Genre:  Non-fiction.

First Lines: "One Saturday morning, my cell phone rang at 7:00 a.m. Only one person in the world dares call me at that hour."

Summary:  The book begins with an introduction to the Enneagram as well as some advice on discovering your type.  Next, is a chapter for each Enneagram type.  The authors combine general information about each type with stories of people they know.  Each chapter begins with twenty statements people of that particular number might say. Next are examples of how that number might act in different contexts such as childhood, work or relationships.  Following this is some information on the Enneagram specifics of wings, stress and security.  Finally is a section on transformation.

My thoughts:  I did a read/listen combination for this book that worked really well.  The audiobook was read by Ian Morgan Cron.  The book is written from his point of view and he has a great sense of humor that made this  entertaining as well as informative. 

Conversational in tone, the book is very easy to read but packed with information.  If you go into the book knowing nothing about the Enneagram, you will come out at the end with a thorough understanding.  If you are already familiar with the Enneagram, this book is still worth reading as it offers unique stories and descriptions of the types.  I had a basic understanding of the Enneagram, but the stories and descriptions in this book helped me understand each type better.  Learning about the Enneagram has given me more compassion for myself and for others.  If you are interested in learning more about this personality type system, I recommend this book.

Book Review: Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty

Diary of a Young Naturalist. Dara McAnulty. Little Toller Books (2020). 224 pages. Genre:  Non-fiction.

First Line:  "In the darkness my dreams are interrupted."

Summary:  Following the seasons, Dara McAnulty chronicles a year in his life.  He is a young man, fourteen years old, who lives with his mum, dad, brother and sister in Northern Ireland.  Dara is also autistic.  His diary tells of his family life, the time he spends in nature, and the way he processes the world.  

My thoughts:  From the beginning, I could tell that Dara was a young man who has read and been read to.  His writing is beautiful and lyrical.  

Dara comes from a family of people with Autism.  His mother, brother and sister are all autistic.  The good news is that because his mother is autistic, she knows exactly what is going on inside the kids.  She is able to prepare them for whatever is coming their way and often does.  I was amazed at the insight Dara has in regards to his mother and how she is feeling and that he even noticed.  They have a wonderful, intentional home life and I loved hearing about it.  

One of the ways the family spends their time is by being outside in nature.  This has created a love for the natural world in Dara.  He says this about himself:

"I have the heart of a naturalist, the head of a would-be scientist, and bones of someone who is already wearied by the apathy and destruction wielded against the natural world."

His connection to the natural world helps him make sense of the world.  He says that he doesn't always understand people, but the natural world always makes sense and gives him a feeling of peace. 

This was a fascinating, well-written book that allowed me to visit Northern Ireland, learn something about how someone with Autism processes the world and gain a deeper appreciation for the natural world.  

Quotes:

"Whether it's bioluminescence or the combustion of methane, it's wonderful to let the mind wander off with banshees and will-o'-the-wisps - folklore and stories are so often inspired by the strange and beautiful in the natural world, and all these stories bring nature, deeply, into our imagination."

"I do love these stories [Celtic Mythology].  They enrich my life as a young naturalist.  Science, yes, always science.  But we need these lost connections, they feed our imagination, bring wild characters to life, and remind us that we're not separate from nature but part of it."

"Noticing nature is the start of it all.  Slowing down to listen, to watch.  Taking the time, despite mountains of homework.  Making a space in time to stop and stare, as the Welsh poet W. H. Davies wrote in 'Leisure':

    What is life if full of care,

    We have no time to stop and stare.

    No time to stand beneath the boughs

    And stare as long as sheep and cows.

    No time to see, when woods we pass,

    Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

I don't see it as 'leisure though.  This is good work.  Heart work. Taking the time to observe nature, to immerse oneself in its patterns, structures, happenings and rhythms.  It's how mathematicians and scientists are nurtured."

Book Review: My Own Two Feet by Beverly Cleary

My Own Two Feet: A Memoir. Beverly Cleary. Harper Collins (1995). 352 pages. Genre: Non-fiction; Memoir.

First Line: "The three of us, Mother, Dad, and I, stood on the sidewalk outside the Greyhound bus station in Portland, Oregon, searching for words we could not find or holding back words we could not speak."

Summary:  This is the second installment of Beverly Cleary's autobiography beginning after her high school years in the 1930's.  It covers her time at college in another state, various jobs, dating, marriage and getting her first book published. 

My thoughts: This is an interesting look not only at the author's life, but California and Oregon in the late 1930's and 1940's.  The book opens with Beverly leaving her home in Oregon to travel by Greyhound to California to stay with her aunt and uncle.  Our country was in the midst of the Depression and Beverly was weary of it.  In California, people didn't live like the Depression was so close.  She says, "The Depression had made Oregonians relentlessly practical." When she meets some friends of the family and they go to eat in a restaurant, she is amazed.  No one she knows eats in restaurants.  Her eyes are opened to many things on her trip to California.  It was fascinating to hear what things cost, how women made most of their clothing, and how far they were able to make food stretch.  It was also fascinating to read about the jobs many women had at the time.  Her aunt was a librarian at the college.  Beverly not only attended college, but worked her way through it at a time when that wasn't always easy to do.  Not only because of the work involved, but because many jobs were not given to women because that would be taking a job from a man who needed to support his family.  

Beverly had a difficult relationship with her mother.  She was an only child and her mother wasn't ready to let her go.  She had strong ideas about how Beverly should live her life and who she should or should not marry.  Unfortunately, this caused Beverly to dread going home at times.  

After finishing college, she worked at several interesting jobs.  As a children's librarian, in a bookstore and in a library on an army base.  She had always wanted to write, but was too busy.  Finally after the war, she determined it was time.  

I have always enjoy Beverly Cleary's clear writing style.  I love the way she describes things in detail, remembering the little things that make up day to day life.  I found it interesting that she mentions this advice from one of her professors - "One sentence that he repeated has stayed with me all my life, and I often think of it as I write: 'The proper subject of the novel is universal human experience.'  A phrase that has also stayed with me is 'the minutiae of life,' those details that give reality to fiction."  Those things definitely show up in her novels and in this book as well.  

If you are interested in Beverly Cleary's life or learning more about California and Oregon in the Depression era give this book a try.  I highly recommend it.

Book Review: The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction.  Alan Jacobs. Oxford University Press (2011). 162 pages.  Genre:  Non-fiction.

First Line:  "A while back my teenage son drifted into the room where I was reading, tilting his head to catch the title of the book in my hands."

Summary: We often hear these days that reading is on the decline, that fewer people than ever before are reading.  Even those of us who love reading find ourselves, at times, distracted.  In this book, Alan Jacobs contradicts the idea that reading is on the decline.  He is in contact on a daily basis with people who read and who want to know what they should read.  It is the question of "what should you read" and why that he attempts to address in this book.

My thoughts:  I found this book interesting, but I also found it frustrating at times.  I often felt that the author was going to make a point that never got made.  I found myself going back in the book to see what a section was supposed to be about.  However, I did copy many quotes into my commonplace book.  Here are some things I took away from the book:

1. A reminder that the most important reason to read books is that they bring us pleasure.

2. Don't turn reading into the intellectual equivalent of eating organic greens - because something is good for you or to check it off a list.

3.  Read at whim.

4. "Read what gives you delight - at least most of the time - and do so without shame."

5. A great way to determine what to read next is to find out what an author you love read and read that.

6. Rereading books can help you understand yourself better. 

7. Very little of our growth as readers can be planned. 

8. Serendipity (discovering things you were not looking for) in our reading life is desirable.

9. Serendipity can be cultivated.

10. "I used to try to determine in advance what books I would read over the summer, but eventually realized that to put any book on such a list nearly guaranteed that I would not read it."  This is my favorite quote from the book because I have felt and said the exact same thing.

This is probably a book that needs to be read more than once to fully appreciate.  However, I came away from it with lots to think about.  

Book Review: Love People, Use Things by Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus

Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works.  Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus. Celadon Books (2021). 336 pages. Genre: Non-fiction.

First Line of Preface:  "The streets are erumpent with uniformed men wielding titanic assault rifles."

Summary:  After doing the hard work of removing physical clutter from your life, what comes next? In this book Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, also known as The Minimalists, explore what it might look like to remove excess clutter from your inner life by looking at seven relationships in our lives.  These essential relationships make us who we are: stuff, truth, self, values, money, creativity and people.  Removing clutter in these areas can help us live more intentionally. 

My thoughts:  This is the third book written by this duo known as The Minimalists.  I have read all three.  Love People, Use Things is well written and researched.  But, it is my least favorite of the three.  

The book begins with a preface written after the book was finished, pointing out how the pandemic put things into perspective for a lot of people.  Many who had never lived intentionally were suddenly realizing that they needed more meaning and less stuff in their lives.  Joshua realized that the hard work he had been doing to remove excess from his life had left him better prepared for a pandemic than those who had not done this work.

The introduction tells a brief version of their lives before they became the Minimalists.

The rest of the book is divided into seven chapters, one for each relationship.  The chapters contain a deeper look at some of the personal stories the authors have told in their other books and some that have never been told.  In addition, they contain research or information from an expert in a field related to the relationship being explored.  At the end of each chapter is a Coda that includes questions to answer to get you to think deeper about this area in your life.  

Sometimes when I got a few pages into a chapter, I would go back to the beginning to remind myself what the chapter was supposed to be about because it wasn't clicking for me.  I couldn't remember what the chapter was supposed to be about based on what I was reading.  I did enjoy hearing more of the authors' stories.  Like I said, the book was well written, or maybe it was overwritten.  Unfortunately, this book just did not resonate with me.  However, it might be just what someone else needs.  

Book Review: Keep Going by Austin Kleon

Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad. Austin Kleon. Workman Publishing (2019). 224 pages. Genre:  Non-fiction.

First Line:  "A few years ago, I'd wake up every morning, check the headlines on my phone, and feel as if the world had gotten dumber and meaner overnight."

Summary:  Motivation to stay creative in ten different ways. 

My thoughts:  I don't think of myself as an artist, but I do create things.  We all do, whether we fix a meal, organize a closet, decorate a room, write a book review or paint a picture.  I think staying creative is more difficult than it used to be before we had so many digital things to distract us.  This book shows the reader how to stay focused and motivated so that your creativity can flourish.

Here are a few things I took away from this book:

1. "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." - Annie Dillard

2. Establish a daily routine.

3. Just because you do something well, doesn't mean you need to monetize it.

4. Take daily walks.

5. Pay attention, look around, notice things.

6. Read old books. 

7. Keep a diary.

8. Tidying up can be a way for our brain to rest.  

9. Observe the seasons in nature.

None of these things were new to me, however, it was good to be reminded of them in a unique way.  Austin Kleon is an artist and writer who reads widely and that always comes through in his books.  His books are a combination of his writing and art and usually contain lots of quotes.  If you feel stuck and need some motivation, give this book a try.  

You can find Austin Kleon online at austinkleon.com. He posts thoughtful articles, some of his art and pictures of pages from his diaries. 

Book Review: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. Margareta Magnusson. Scribner (2018). 117 pages. Genre:  Non-fiction.

First Line: "I am death cleaning, or, as we call it in Swedish, dostadning."

Summary:  Margareta Magnusson has death cleaned more than once.  Not for herself, but after a loved one has passed away.  She describes it  like this, "For me it means going through all my belongings and deciding how to get rid of the things I do not want anymore. "  This can be done at any point in your life, but the older you get, the harder it becomes. 

In this book, Margareta takes the reader through several categories of possessions and offers helpful suggestions for making decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of.  She also offers plenty of personal illustrations along the way.

My thoughts:  Swedish Death Cleaning is a topic I had heard about a couple of years ago, probably around the time this book came out.  I knew a few things about it, but had never actually read the book.  My mother-in-law recently joined a Swedish Death Cleaning Facebook group and we were again discussing the concept.  I decided I needed to read the book.  

The book is short, just over 100 pages.  I can't say that I learned anything earth shattering from reading it, but I enjoyed getting to know Margareta and felt encouraged on my own journey of getting rid of clutter. 

Margareta describes her age as, "somewhere between eighty and one hundred years old."  That is impressive and also shows that she has some life experience to share.  

From the beginning she wants to encourage the reader that death cleaning is not sad.  There is no getting away from the fact that we will all die someday.  There is also no getting away from the fact that as we age we have less energy which may make it more difficult to death clean.  Margareta encourages the reader to get started.  She has a lot of enthusiasm for the topic and says, "I have collected many things over the years, and it gives me such joy to go through them all."  Her joy and zest for life are contagious. 

She is a book lover and discusses the difficulty of getting rid of books.  She has moved to a smaller home and now, "I only keep books that I still haven't read or books that I keep returning to.  In my case these are mostly books about art and some reference books, such as a dictionary, a thesaurus, and an atlas."  Those seem to be very doable guidelines.  She mentioned that she had Bibles that were old and bound in leather.  They had belonged to relatives in her family and her husband's family.  When she was downsizing, she had trouble figuring out what to do with them.  No one in her family wanted them, the local church didn't want them.  In the end, she ended up throwing them away and felt bad about it.  However, this is what would happen to them eventually since no one wanted them.  

She discusses what it was like decluttering her home after her husband died.  She and her husband had five children who had all come home for the funeral.  However, several of them live in far away places.  She did most of the decluttering by herself and this was by choice.  She knows that if she had asked, her children would have helped her.  But, she realized that it would be difficult for them to make the arrangements.  While she admits to feeling lonely during this time, she says that it was much easier to make decisions about items without other opinions.  I appreciated her honesty.

If you are curious about Swedish Death Cleaning or maybe you have had experience cleaning up after someone else's death and would like to save your loved ones that trouble, I recommend this book.  Margareta will point you in the right direction and encourage you along the way.

Book Review: Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki

Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism. Fumio Sasaki, Eriko Sugita (Translator). Norton & Company (2015). 259 pages. Genre: Non-fiction.

First Lines: "There's happiness in having less.  That's why it's time to say good-bye to all our extra things."

Summary:  Fumio Sasaki was just a regular guy.  He had a good job, a nice apartment and the money to buy the things he thought were supposed to make him happy.  He loved to collect books, CD's DVD's, vintage cameras, knickknacks and other things he thought made him an interesting person.  The problem was he wasn't happy, didn't have much interest in anything and felt stuck.

When he came across the concept of reducing his possessions to just the minimal essentials, he was intrigued.  As he looked around his cluttered apartment, he realized that most of the things he had accumulated weren't adding value to his life.  He went from having too much stuff, to having only the things he truly needed.  What he didn't expect was to be changed in the process.  As he let go of possessions, he was able to see more clearly what he really wanted in life. 

In Goodbye, Things, Sasaki shares his personal experience with clutter and what his life is like after removing it.  He also gives tips on how to minimize and the benefits he has found by living with less.

My thoughts:   I became interested in the simple living movement over twenty-five years ago.  It was during the time before our first son was born.  At the time my husband and I both worked.  However, with the impending birth of our first child, we were considering whether we could make it on only one income.  I remember going to the library and discovering a section about frugal living and nearby were books about living simply.  We read voraciously.  Those books and ideas changed our lives.  I left my job and stayed home with our son.  And we continued to pursue a lifestyle of simplicity and frugality.  

Simple living and frugality are not necessarily the same thing, however, they often cross paths.  So do simple living and minimalism.  The idea of making your life simpler by reducing your possessions makes sense to me.  However, it is a constant battle.  Things just seem to find their way into our home.  So, I like to remind myself of the benefits of having fewer possessions.  I tend to read anything and everything I come across on this topic.  I discovered this book on a visit to my library.

I enjoyed reading about Sasaki's life before and after getting rid of many of his possessions.  Something that was unique about this book was that rather than focusing on the physical details of getting rid of things, it dealt more with our mindset about our things.  For example, the first tip he offers is "Discard the preconception that you can't discard your things."  He goes on to say,

"There's no such thing as a person whose nature won't allow him or her to discard their things.  We only think we're unable to part with our possessions.  'Learned helplessness' is a term used in psychology that can explain what's happening here. Though we have the ability to get rid of things, we've given up trying because we've experienced a number of failures."

Something else unique about the book was that it began with photographs.  There were pictures of Sasaki's apartment before and after minimizing his things, as well as the homes of others who have reduced their possessions.  Right off the bat you can see that minimalism looks different for each person.  He is also quick to admit that there is no one right way to be a minimalist, but instead it will look different for each person because each of us needs to become aware of what is truly important to us. 

"For a minimalist, the objective isn't to reduce, it's to eliminate distractions so they can focus on the things that are truly important.  Minimalism is just the beginning.  It's a tool. Once you've gone ahead and minimized, it's time to find out what those important things are."

Even after having read so widely on this topic, I found encouragement to continue to live as simply as possible.  I enjoyed the unique perspectives offered in this book. If you are interested in learning more about reducing you possessions, give this book a try.

Book Review: My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

My Family and Other Animals (Corfu #1). Gerald Durrell. Penguin (2004) (Originally published 1956). 273 pages. Genre: Non-fiction, Autobiography, Travel. 

First Lines: "This is the story of a five-year sojourn that I am my family made on the Greek island of Corfu.  It was originally intended to be a mildly nostalgic account of the natural history of the island, but I made a grave mistake by introducing my family into the book in the first few pages."

Summary:  When Gerald Durrell was ten, he and his two older brothers, one older sister and their mother, moved from England to the island of Corfu.  This book chronicles their five years there, the interesting people they met, the beauty of the island and, of course, the animals that Gerry found so intriguing.

My thoughts:  Gerald Durrell's style of writing makes this book easy to read.  He has a way with words that makes you laugh.  

I love his portrayal of his siblings.  His older brother, Larry, tends to over exaggerate most things.  He does most things big.  Whether it is his reaction to something or the number of people he invites to a party, the bigger the better.  Leslie is more down to earth and logical.  He prefers to spend his time with a gun in his hand hunting for prey.  Margo can be overly dramatic.  She prefers to spend her time reading magazines or sunbathing wearing very little clothing. 

Gerald's mother is a saint.  She tolerates with patience each of the quirks of her children and especially a house full of unlikely pets.  I tolerated my children's quirks as well, but having a house full of scorpions, snakes and large birds would have driven me crazy.  While she is tolerant, she is also not afraid to tell it like it is.  When the children are arguing, she tells them that they argue about the stupidest things.  

I loved the descriptions of the island and the beautiful things that grow there.  The animal life and Gerry's interest in them was fascinating as well.  I'll admit there were a few situations that had me squirming though.  

If you like to visit exotic places from your armchair and meet interesting people and animals, I recommend this book.  

Quotes: 

"Upstairs Margo was in a state of semi-nudity, splashing disinfectant over herself in quantities, and Mother spent an exhausting afternoon being forced to examine her at intervals for the symptoms of the diseases which Margo felt sure she was hatching."

"'A dreadful journey!' Mother agreed.  'When we came out of the cinema I thought we were going to get a car, but no, he hustled us into a cab, and a very smelly one at that.  Really, I think he must be mental to try and come all that way in a cab.  Anyway, it took us hours and hours, because the poor horse was tired, and I was sitting there trying to be polite, dying to scratch myself, and longing for a drink.  All the fool could do was sit there grinning at Margo and singing Turkish love songs.  I could have cheerfully hit him.'"

"So Dodo settled in, and almost immediately showed faults in her make-up which caused us more trouble than all the other dogs put together.  To begin with she had a weak hind-leg, and at any time during the day or night her hip joint was liable to come out of its socket, for no apparent reason.  Dodo, who was no stoic, would greet this catastrophe with a series of piercing shrieks that worked up to a crescendo of such quivering intensity that it was unbearable.  Strangely enough, her leg never seemed to worry her when she went out for walks, or gambolled with elephantine enthusiasm after a ball on the veranda.  But invariably in the evening when the family were all sitting quietly, absorbed in writing or reading or knitting, Dodo's leg would suddenly leap out of its socket and she would roll on her back and utter a scream that would make everybody jump and lose control of whatever they were doing."

Book Review: Diggin' Up Bones by Bonnie Wright

Diggin' Up Bones: One Woman's Spiritual Struggle and Her Golden Retriever Who Leads Her Out of Unconscious Transgenerational Shame. Bonnie Wright. SS Safari All-Star Press (2021). 456 pages. Genre: Non-fiction; Memoir.

First Lines: "Living a divided life is a lie.  While I appeared normal to the world, I hid the dark shadow of trauma. It got inside me and followed me."

Summary: Bonnie grew up in a home full of harsh words, anger and criticism.  There was very little affection in her home.  Had it not been for her mother's deep faith, she would never have understood that there was something more than this life.  

As she grew up and left home, she found herself patterning her life after the home life she experienced growing up.  She married a man who turned out to be just like her dad.  How could she have done that?  She never intended to do that and yet, she found herself choosing another similar man.  The warning signs were there, but Bonnie's deep longing to be loved caused her to ignore them.  

She had been blessed with a couple of pets in her life and always found them as loving companions that loved her without condition. So, she decided to adopt a male Golden Retriever.  As Bonnie began training him and helping him through the aggression issues that he had, she began to realize that she had some heart issues that needed to be worked through.  This is the story of Bonnie's journey from a young woman full of shame and longing to a woman who has discovered true love and purpose. 

My thoughts: Bonnie and her dog, Siri, attend my church.  I have often been greeted by them at the front door on a Sunday morning.  Part of Bonnie's story was recently shared in one of our pastor's sermons.  I knew then that I wanted to read her book.

Bonnie's story is incredible in many ways.  She has endured things both as a child and an adult that no human being should ever have to endure.  It was often difficult to read.  But, there were always glimmers of hope.  She is an overcomer and that definitely comes through in the memoir.  She has been knocked down many times, but doesn't stay down for long. 

Her relationship with her dogs is beautiful.  Many people never experience that depth of relationship with a human being, let alone with a dog.  I learned a lot about training a dog and the grueling work required to get a dog ready for competition.  From my own experience I know that dogs can sense a person's feelings, but I learned much about the depth of a dog's feelings.  It reminded me that often the thing a hurting person needs is just someone to be with them.  Dogs can't say a word, but their loving presence often is better than words. 

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys memoirs, is a dog lover or wants to read about an incredible faith journey.  

Book Review: A Philosophy of Education by Charlotte M. Mason

A Philosophy of Education (Original Homeschooling, Volume 6). Charlotte M. Mason. Tyndale House (1989) First published 1925. Genre: Non-fiction.

First Lines: "These are anxious days for all who are engaged in education. We rejoiced in the fortitude, valour and devotion shown by our men in the War and recognize that these things are due to the Schools as well as to the fact that England still breeds, 'very valiant creatures.'"

Summary:  Charlotte M. Mason was a nineteenth century British educator living and teaching in the Lake District of England. She wrote the first book in this series in 1886 containing what she had learned about teaching young children.  She established her "House of Education" in 1892.  This was a training college for governesses.  This is the sixth volume of the Original Homeschooling Series written by Charlotte Mason.  This volume details her philosophy of education as well as giving specific details about each area of the curriculum for elementary and secondary schools. 

My thoughts:  I have read this volume three or four times and each time I learn something new or deepen my understanding of something.  I used Charlotte Mason's philosophies while home educating my children.  I was amazed at the simplicity and rigor of the methods.  

At the crux of CM's philosophy is the use of books of literary quality in the curriculum.  Because of this, I think her methods apply to anyone who reads and I always find reinforcement for the reading life in her works. The importance of being someone who reads and thinks can not be understated. 

Something else that always strikes me when reading this book is the relevancy of her methods.  For example, I was first introduced to the importance of habits from reading this series.  Part of the philosophy are "Three Instruments of Education".  The three instruments are: Education is an atmosphere, Education is a discipline and Education is a life.  She says of Education is a discipline: 
"By this formula we mean the discipline of habits formed definitely and thoughtfully whether habits of mind or of body."  Some of the habits of the mind, intellectual habits, she discusses are; the habit of self-education, the habit of telling what they have read either orally or in writing, the habit of attention.

"Attention is not the only habit that follows due self-education.  The habits of fitting and ready expression, of obedience, of good-will, and of an impersonal outlook are spontaneous bye-products of educations in this sort.  So, too, are habits of right thinking and right judging."

She talks about what physiologists tell us about thoughts that become habits.  There are several recent books that have been written on this very topic.  

I highly recommend this series and specifically this volume for anyone home educating their children.  But I also recommend it to all parents, teachers and anyone interested in education.

Quotes:

"People are naturally divided into those who read and think and those who do not read or think; and the business of schools is to see that all their scholars shall belong to the former class; it is worth while to remember that thinking is inseparable from reading which is concerned with the content of a passage and not merely with the printed matter."

"If we fail to ease life by laying down habits of right thinking and right acting, habits of wrong thinking and wrong acting fix themselves of their own accord."

"Consider how laborious life would be were its wheels not greased by habits of cleanliness, neatness, order, courtesy; had we to make the effort of decision about every detail of dressing and eating, coming and going, life would not be worth living."

"For the mind is capable of dealing with only one kind of food; it lives, grows and is nourished upon ideas only; mere information is to it as a meal of sawdust to the body; there are no organs for assimilation of the one more than of the other."

"Education is a life.  That life is sustained on ideas. Ideas are of spiritual origin, and God has made us so that we get them chiefly as we convey them to one another, whether by word of mouth, written page, Scripture word, musical symphony; but we must sustain a child's inner life with ideas as we sustain his body with food."

The Literary Life Reading Challenge - A book on education

Book Review: The Way of Ignorance by Wendell Berry

The Way of Ignorance and Other Essays.  Wendell Berry.  Counterpoint (2005). 192 pages. Genre:  Non-fiction.

First Lines from the Preface:  "I think The Way of Ignorance is the right title for this book, but I recognize that it also is risky.  Some readers, I am afraid, will conclude from the title that I intend to recommend ignorance or praise it.  I intend to do neither."

Summary:  This is a collection of essays Wendell Berry wrote mostly in 2004. Most of them are agricultural based.  Some involve politics.  All deal in some way with how to be a good human being.  

The following essays are included:

*Secrecy vs. Rights

*Contempt for Small Places

                                                        *Rugged Individualism

                                                        *We Have Begun

                                                        *Some Notes for the Kerry Campaign, If Wanted

                                                        *Compromise, Hell!

                                                        *Charlie Fisher

                                                        *Imagination in Place

                                                        *The Way of Ignorance

                                                        *The Purpose of a Coherent Community

                                                        *Quantity vs. Form

                                                        *Renewing Husbandry

                                                        *Agriculture from the Roots Up

                                                        *Local Knowledge in the Age of Information

                                                        *The Burden of the Gospels

Also included is a letter to Daniel Kemmis, his reply and an essay by Courtney White.

My thoughts:  I choose this book to fulfill the "book of essays" category in The Literary Life Podcast 20 for 2020 Reading Challenge.  Earlier in the year I read Fidelity by Wendell Berry and really enjoyed it, so I thought I would try some of his non-fiction.  

Although I am not a farmer and don't know much about agriculture, I found most of the essays interesting and expanding.  He has a way of thinking about ordinary things that is unique and a way of writing that makes things understandable to the average person.

My two favorite essays were Charlie Fisher and Renewing Husbandry.  

Charlie Fisher is about a man who has spent many years logging with horses.  It was interesting to learn about this hardworking man's life.  About the work he does and why he has chosen to do it the way he does.  

"Charlie Fisher is a man of long experience in the woods and extensive knowledge of the timber business and of logging technology.  He has no prejudice against mechanical equipment as such, but uses it readily according to need; for a time, during his thirties, he used mechanical skidders.  That this man greatly prefers horses for use in the woods is therefore of considerable interest."

Charlie's reasons for using horses are that he likes horses, he likes the woods and horses leave the woods in better condition, he both earns and spends his money in the local community rather than with large corporate suppliers with the use of skidders, and horses cost less than skidders.  Oh, and did I mention that Charlie is sixty-six years old?

In Renewing Husbandry, Berry recalls how when he was a boy his father and grandfather farmed the land using mules.  When he was a teenager, the tractor started to become more common.  At the time he longed to be able to plow the fields with a tractor because it seemed to him that would be a more efficient way to accomplish the job.  Mules were slow and stubborn.  However, when he returned to his home in Kentucky as an adult and took up farming for himself, he saw things differently.

He defines husbandry like this:

"The word husbandry is the name of a connection.  In its original sense, it is the name of the work of a domestic man, a man who has accepted a bondage to the household.  We have no cause here, I think, to raise the issue of 'sexual roles'. We need only to say that our earthly life requires both husbandry and housewifery, and that nobody, certainly no household, is excused from a proper attendance to both.  Husbandry pertains first to the household; it connects the farm to the household.  It is an art wedded to the art of housewifery.  To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve.  Old usage tells us that there is husbandry also of the land, of the soil, of the domestic plants and animals - obviously because of the importance of these things to the household."

This really expanded my understanding of husbandry.  I always assumed it referred to the care of animals on a farm.

I am glad to have discovered this book and would recommend it to anyone looking to understand things from farmer's perspective.