Books I Have Read in 2012

I have managed to read a lot of good books this year. One hundred and twenty-four, just one short of last year's total, and I still have all day so maybe I'll have time to finish the one I have started.

Some were biographies (Every Day in the Sun by Dean Faulkner Wells), some were classics (T.S. Stribling's trilogy The Lodge, The Store, and Unfinished Cathedral), and some were historical (Shelby Foote's Shiloh).

Some books were required reading from the library book club: What it is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, Nafertiti by Michelle Moran, plus nine others.

Many, many more were books I read just because they made me happy.

With so many books and so little time to read them all, a book has to be extra special for me to reread it. This year, I reread A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck, Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson, Twilight by William Gay, and All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg. It was time well spent.

Some of the books I enjoyed more than others. Here's some that I highly recommend.

Unbroken by Laura Hillabrand
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
The Heart Mender by Andy Andrews
Oral History by Lee Smith
The Last Girls by Lee Smith
One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus
Man in the Blue Moon by Michael Morris

I challenge all of you to read at least fifty books in 2013, a little less than one a week. Keep a list, and this time next year, you can look back and be proud. It will change you, I promise.

Comments

100 miles or less: Rattlesnake Saloon

The Rattlesnake Saloon was opened on Labor Day, 2009. Dining there is an unique experience. It is way out in the boonies in Colbert County, Alabama. It is hard to get to, even for locals, but they have had visitors from all over the United States and many countries throughout the world. Sitting comfortably under the huge rock overhang, I couldn't help but think about the people who have sought shelter there from storms or heat. I can imagine the Native Americans using this place for a meeting area or a dry place to camp for a while. Not so many years ago, it was used as a pig pen. They have good food and live music and a hitching post if you want to ride your horse there. Most of us were picked up in a pickup, called the "Saloon Taxi", that runs from the parking lot to the restaurant continuously while they are open. The Rattlesnake Saloon is aptly named. During construction, workers unearthed a mother rattler with twelve babie...

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee. It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures. We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything. Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

Old Water Tower in Florence, Alabama

So, we have lived in Florence since 1986 and I didn't see this old water tower until last week. Shame on me. It is located on Seymore Street, in a residential neighborhood in Florence. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this tower of native stone was completed in 1890 as the foundation for a wrought- iron tank with a capacity of 280,000 gallons of water. It is 70 feet high and is located on the highest elevation in the city. Water was pumped here from Cypress Creek. It was constructed during the Industrial Boom at which time the population of Florence increased from approximately 2,000 in 1887 to over 6,000 in 1889. It was replaced by the adjoining standpipe in 1935. (from historical marker on site.) I'm sure there was lots of planning, lots of discussion about funding, and lots of joy when this water tower was completed. Not one person who was there to celebrate its completion is alive today, but the water...

Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Search This Blog