What I’m Reading: Farm City

I just finished up listening to the audio book Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter.

I had seen this book several different times via my on line library-I almost checked it out and then didn’t.  I find with non-fiction authors, I either love them or hate them.  I was a little leery about this book.  Then one day my MP3 player ran out of battery when I was sewing.  There I was…no book to listen to.  I grabbed my smart phone and decided that I’d go on the on line library and grab the first book that looked remotely interesting.  Well the first book that came up was Farm City…so Farm City it was.  I clicked download and was listening in just a few minutes.

I was pleasantly surprised…I really liked it.  Being it’s a memoir, it’s written in first person-a plus for me.  Novella is such a treat to listen too…I love that she knows she a little eccentric and just goes with it.

Here’s what Amazon had to say about it, “When Novella Carpenter–captivated by the idea of backyard self-sufficiency as the daughter of two back-to-the-earth hippies–moves to a ramshackle house in inner-city Oakland and discovers a weed-choked, garbage-strewn abandoned lot next door, she closes her eyes and pictures heirloom tomatoes, a beehive, and a chicken coop.

What starts out as a few egg-laying chickens leads to turkeys, geese, and ducks. And not long after, along came two 300-pound pigs. And no, these charming and eccentric animals aren’t pets. Novella is raising these animals for dinner.

An unforgettably charming memoir, full of hilarious moments, fascinating farmer’s tips, and a great deal of heart, Farm City offers a beautiful mediation on what we give up to live the way we do today..”

The book honestly was fun to read but I have to say a few things…if you don’t feel comfortable with someone explaining their feelings about raising their own meat, and reading the description of the killing process, you’ll hate this book.  She does it in a heartfelt way but still, it’s there.

I found myself laughing, smirking, and say “WOW” more than once.  The style of her writing it just fun.

When I was writing this blog post I learned that Novella has a blog.  You can see more about that here.

Amazon readers give the book 4.4 stars…I agree.  I’m off to see if my online library has any other books by her.

I am thankful for technology and my on-line library.  Books are such a huge part of my life.  They always have been.  I was so sad when life got busy and don’t always have time to read more than a chapter a night.  In the old days I was know to read until 2 am.  Not anymore….  Technology and my on-line library has allowed me to stay in touch with my love of books.  As much as I love my audio books and my Kindle, I still prefer reading a regular good old book in paper form…but I can’t always have that so I am thankful for anything that allows me stay close to books.  I have to say if I could only have one hobby, I think I just might pick books over quilting….I love books that much!!  Today I am thankful for the technology that lets me stay close to books.