The Big White Farmhouse

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January: the month of new goals and fresh starts!  I love a good book that explores someone’s year-long adventure and what they learned along the way.  Here are nine books on my radar, including a few currently on my shelves!

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
Kingsolver’s family “abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they’d only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it.”  I’ve had this book on my shelves for a few years now and can’t believe I haven’t gotten to it.  It sounds right up my alley!

The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs
A new addition to my shelves is this memoir about a man who tries to read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z.  (All 32 volumes!)

365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life by John Kralik
The author of this book had a lot of things going wrong in his life: his law firm was failing, he was in divorce proceedings, he was overweight, etc etc.  On New Year’s Day, “John was struck by the belief that his life might become at least tolerable if, instead of focusing on what he didn’t have, he could find some way to be grateful for what he had.”  He decided to show that gratitude by writing 365 thank-you notes in the coming year.

A Year Without Made in China: One Family’s True Life Adventure in the Global Economy by Sara Bongiorni
This one is about a family’s attempt “to outrun China’s reach by boycotting Chinese made products.”  In a world where Chinese products dominate the majority of our lives, I find this fascinating.  Is it even possible?

Howards End Is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home by Susan Hill
“Early one autumn afternoon in pursuit of an elusive book on her shelves, Susan Hill encountered dozens of others that she had never read, or forgotten she owned, or wanted to read for a second time.  The discovery inspired her to embark on a year-long voyage through her books, forsaking new purchases in order to get to know her own collection again.”  Ironically, I’d love to own this as I embark on my own “book buying pause.”  Maybe one exception is okay? ha!

Year of No Sugar by Eve O. Schaub
This was my last purchase of 2022!  The author “challenged her husband and two school-age daughters to join her on a quest to eat no added sugar for an entire year.”  A goal I would love to accomplish someday and this book may help.

Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year by Esmé Raji Codell
This is a bit different from the rest of the books on this list as it chronicles a woman’s first year of teaching.  Listen to this: “Educating Esmé is the exuberant diary of Esmé Raji Codell’s first year teaching in a Chicago public school. Fresh-mouthed and free-spirited, the irrepressible Madame Esmé—as she prefers to be called—does the cha-cha during multiplication tables, roller-skates down the hallways, and puts on rousing performances with at-risk students in the library. Her diary opens a window into a real-life classroom from a teacher’s perspective. While battling bureaucrats, gang members, abusive parents, and her own insecurities, this gifted young woman reveals what it takes to be an exceptional teacher.”

This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm by Ted Genoways
Another different spin on the yearly theme.  In this book, the author explores the changing dynamics of small, traditional farming through one family’s growing year, harvest to harvest.  Another book that sounds like something I’d love.

Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come: One Introvert’s Year of Saying Yes by Jessica Pan
Calling all introverts!  This book asks the questions: What would happen if a shy introvert lived like a gregarious extrovert for one year? If she knowingly and willingly put herself in perilous social situations that she’d normally avoid at all costs?  Through a series of personal challenges, the author pushes herself to be brave and try new things.