The List

Last night I was reminded of a list that an author had compiled of books he believed that others should read. Then this morning I ran across a blog post from a friend who had a list of books she wanted her daughter to read before marrying.
Occasionally I think about compiling my own list of essential books, but generally you need free time to do this, and I seem to have less of that than I used to. (I know this isn't true. If you have all day, you'll take all day- as Flylady says.)

So I think I'll just make it a series of blog posts. That means two things:
1. I'll be forced to post more frequently.
2. I'll get to put my lists together.

So today I'll put together my list of books I recommend to busy Moms.

1. "Eat This, Not That" by David Zinczinko and Matt Goulding
This book has completely changed the way I shop for groceries. After I read the next book on the list I wanted to find some way to determine what was worthwhile to buy and eat in the grocery store, and what really wasn't worthwhile. Instead of staring at labels for a long, long, long time, this book is my cheat sheet. And if my grocery store doesn't have the product they are recommending, I can compare the ideal label to what they do have. Get it from the library and then buy your own copy.

2. "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life" by Barbara Kingsolver
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this book before, but I just recently got to read it. Josh and I were lucky enough to get to hear Barbara Kingsolver read the first chapter of this book when I was still in grad school, and long before it was published. It was a fundraiser for Appalachian Sustainable Development- a company Josh really wanted to work for, but sadly had no experience at the time (Dear Anthony Flaccavento, my husband has experience now, and we would still love for him to work for you!)- but that's not my point. This book is inspiring for anyone who wants to grow a garden, be more aware of where their food comes from, or just wants to know more about what it's like to live a year eating only things that are locally or home grown.

3. "The Cinderella Pact" by Sarah Strohmeyer
This was a wonderful read. True, the story is slightly implausible, but who wants to read a practical story? Oddly, this book preceeded the previous two, and inspired me to read them. Part ofthe book is about the struggle to lose weight, and another part is about being honest with who you are. Not a great description of the book as a whole, but it also made me laugh a lot, and that's pretty important. Completely a girl book.

4. "In Search of Eden" by Linda Nichols
Okay- also a girl book. I love Linda Nichols, and have read three of her books (I would actually recommend all of them). She is very adept at weaving story and scripture.

5. "I Know This Much Is True" By Wally Lamb
This is long book, but it is completely worth the read. I'm a twin, and I'm sure that's part of why I love it, but I also know I love it because I'm someone who can't help feeling responsible for other people, and this book speaks to that part of me very clearly.

That's all I've got for now- I could name three or four more, but It's almost 11 o'clock and I've got stuff to do.

Chara