What I am Reading

I am waiting for the sun to come up over the mountains so I can get out into the garden and start working. This is supposed to be the last really nice day before the bottom drops out this weekend and I want to get as much done in the garden as I can. I need to pick grapes, bring the pumpkins into the greenhouse, collect and roll up all the hoses, and get the hoops up over the lettuce. We’ll see how far I get.

Cathy texted me the other day to see if I had gotten my flu shot (I have such thoughtful friends checking on me), and I am happy to report that yes, as of yesterday, I am vaccinated for this season. Apparently, there are already some confirmed flu cases in western Montana.

I’ve been wanting to mention some of the books that are on my reading list. We’ll start with Where The Light Enters:

Sara Donati is the pen name of Rosina Lippi, an author I consider to be one of the very best at storytelling. The depth and accuracy of her research is unparalleled. She is the author of five books known as the Wilderness series, named for the first—Into the Wilderness—set in the late 1700s in what is now upstate New York. That series followed members of the Bonner family through the 1820s. When she announced that The Endless Forest would be her last book, fans were devastated. I happened to be traveling through Spokane a few years ago when I spotted The Gilded Hour on the new releases shelf at Barnes and Noble. I scooped it up, not even caring what the story was about, just that she had written something new, and was delighted to find that Sara/Rosina had started a new series featuring two of the descendants of the Bonner family, women physicians practicing in New York City in the late 1800s. Where the Light Enters is the second book in that series and was just released this month. I read it over the weekend when I was in Seattle and it’s just as good as the others.

I’ve been trying not to buy any new books just because our house is filled with them—not a bad thing, I know—but I treated myself while I was traveling a few weeks ago. Besides Where the Light Enters, I also picked up this little gem:

The history of bitters laid out in this book is fascinating. I was a bit disappointed in the recipes for the bitters themselves, as I was hoping for more guidance on making individual flavors and learning how to mix them. These recipes all have the same base and incorporate multiple flavors. Oh well. I suspect they are still worth some experimentation, as are the cocktail recipes included.

I am kicking around the idea of adding some elderberry bushes to the garden next year. (Not that I need something else to process, but whatever.) One of the members of the Living Free in Tennessee podcast Facebook group wrote a book on elderberry cultivation, so I purchased a copy for research purposes.

I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but it’s a beautifully laid out volume and looks like it will have plenty of great information.

And finally, a friend and neighbor, Bob Muth, wrote a book of poetry about Glacier National Park:

Bob knows more about the park than most people, especially the places off the beaten path. This has been put next to my bed and I treat myself to a poem every night before I go to sleep.

With gardening season nearly over, it’s time to wind down and work on winter projects. And yes, sewing.