~The first book I read was One Farm Woman: My Life Shared with Sheep, Pigs, Chickens, Goats, and a Fine Fiddle. Jenna is the author, and also blogs at Cold Antler Farm. I loved reading her story, and her struggles.
My favorite words from Jenna: "And I strongly believe that loving this lifestyle-whether it's a goat in your Seattle backyard or 40 acres in the Virginia backwoods-is the only way to be successful. And by successful, I mean living a life that makes you happy, surrounds you with good meals, and builds community and a sense of place. If you are truly in love with the idea of producing your own food and caring for your own livestock, then it will happen because it simply must."
It is Joe and I's dream to own a piece of land raising chickens, turkeys, bees, dairy goats, cattle, and a couple of pigs. Jenna's words come straight out of our heart. "You won't be content until then; you'll give up what you have to give up. You'll take the leaps and risks that you need to take, and you'll sweat and work until you can't see straight or feel your hands through the calluses."
"You'll do it because it sustains you. You'll do it because the lack of it will eat you up."
Although Jenna doesn't bring anything profound to the table of this book, there is something about her straightforward simplicity that drew me in.
Four out of five stars from me.
~The second book I read this month was a free Kindle book I had purchased several months ago. Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free by Cherie Lowe. This book is a daily book of encouragement to pay off your debt. Joe and I are not battling a huge financial debt and that includes our mortgage, but I still love to read different financial books to get a different perspective from others, to see if I'm missing some new tips, etc. Some authors, like Lowe, don't consider a mortgage a financial debt. I do; to me any debt owed, whether it's a mortgage, student loan, or whatever, is a just that-a debt. Lowe necessarily didn't provide new strategies to pay off debt, but it was more of an inspiration or motivational word of encouragement to getting out of debt no matter where you are in your journey. The book was a very easy, straightforward read.
Three out of five stars from me.
~One of my on-the-shelf books to read-Ditch the Joneses, Discover Your Family: How to Thrive on Less Than Two Incomes, has been read. I picked it up to find my last reading spot, and realized that I did finish that book. I would recommend that book to new parents, or families considering eliminating two incomes and not for someone already living on one income.
2014 Reading List
1. Rivers of Gold (February)
2. Shadowed by Grace: A Story of the Monuments Men (February)
3. One Farm Woman (March)
4. Inspiration to Pay Off Debt (March)
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