What I'm Reading

Here I am with a new batch of books.  I was thinking I'd do a reading post monthly, but I go through the books fairly quickly, with the odd massive exception so perhaps every two weeks would be more appropriate?!

One of those exceptions would be Don Quixote.  I've always wanted to make my way through "The Classics", whatever that might be.  I'm not sure why.  I guess I remember reading through a few of the so-called classics in high school and finding most of each book incredibly hard to get through and quite dry. But toward the end, there were chapters full of "AHA!!" moments where one seemingly random piece of information fit in just right, out of nowhere things connect and make sense.  It was such a thrill!  So slugging through some hard reading may not seem worth it at the time, but, to me at least, it's worth it in the end.

So, Don Quixote, which I've renewed and re-renewed out of my library so many times I'm not even sure how long I've had it in my room, is the "Classic" I'm currently reading.  I'm following the advice of one an author I really respect - Susan Wise Bauer, and her book "The Well-Educated Mind".  She suggests using a journal and writing a few lines upon completion of each chapter.  Only a line or two, mind you, which is actually harder than it sounds.  She also advises keeping a list of characters as they're introduced because, as many of us know, those long old-fashioned books have many, many, MANY characters that come and go repeatedly. 

I'm not sure I recommend Don Quixote, it hardly needs my recommendation! It's on every list of Great Books ever put out there, I'm sure! I think you need to be a determined reader to get through any of those types of books.  If you're one of those types, then you hardly need my encouragement!  If you're interested in reading a book like this, but have been overwhelmed in the past, take heart!  I recommend Ms. Bauer's book, The Well Educated Mind which has practical, simple advice to help you read many different genres as well as a chronological list of suggested books in each genre she covers.  It's kept me going, slowly but surely, thus far!  I tend to keep both of these books in my bedroom and I use them when I'm feeling like I've deserved a break before I get to nap time chores, just after I get the kids to sleep.  This is probably why I'm making such slow progress, as I don't often give myself that luxury!

Secondly, in my bedroom, I've just finished "The History of the Middle Ages" and 'moved-on' to "The History of the Ancient World".   I know, of course, the Ancient World comes before the Middle Ages, but my Library didn't have the Ancient World, but I ordered it from Amazon.  So the one I had on hand was read first!  Now I look forward to catching up those first few thousand years I missed!  See my previous What I'm Reading post to see what I like about these books, as I've only just started the Ancient World and can't make much further comment.

Finally, in the kitchen, I have "Keeping A Family Cow" by Joann S. Grohman.  It's come highly recommended  all over the place for those who are looking into aquiring a dairy cow to meet their family's needs.  That's about where I'm at.  In fact, I've informally agreed to purchase a Jersey cow from a friend in September!  I'm very excited!  And although I live on a ranch with hundreds of cows, I don't know anything about dairy cows!  So I'm reading up on what to expect and what to prepare.  So far I've only covered the introductory chapters on the benefits of owning one's own cow as well as the goodness of un-processed milk fresh from your own cow.  Very interesting indeed!  I realize this is a pretty specialized book but I've posted the book below if it's interesting to you.

Thanks for checking out my current reads, hope you're enjoying a good book of your own!