The Ultimate Guide to Homesteading

An Encyclopedia of Independent Living

by Nicole Faires

Instructions for how to do almost everything yourself; building houses and animal shelters, digging a well, growing and preserving food, raising and slaughtering animals, health care, waste disposal and even homeschooling.

This is a really nice book; lots of pictures and diagrams and very thorough information. Although very few people would use all of this knowledge, almost everyone would find some of it useful.

The big wander

by Will Hobbs


It began as a summer trip... and turned into the adventure of a lifetime.

Clay and his older brother go searching for their missing uncle in southern Utah. When his brother decides to go back home, Clay stays and spends time among the Navajo people. This is a great adventure story for teens, but I liked it too. It's set in the 1960's.

The pioneer woman

Black heels to tractor wheels: A love story

by Ree Drummond

Ree was a city girl who moved back to her small-town home temporarily where she unexpectedly met and fell deeply in love with a cowboy whom she calls Marlboro Man. She recounts their romance, explains her feelings about her parents' crumbling marriage, describes her wedding to Marlboro Man, their honeymoon and first year of marriage. There are a few recipes at the end of the book for foods mentioned in the story.

Interesting and funny.

Visit the Pioneer Woman's blog at thepioneerwoman.com.

National Velvet

by Enid Bagnold

14-year-old Velvet Brown wins a piebald horse in a raffle. With the hired man's help, she enters the Grand National Race.

I started reading this book to my children, ages 9 and 12, but stopped after a couple of chapters because they had trouble understanding the story and it was inappropriate for young children. I finished it by myself and enjoyed it.