Two books I read recently, or, Mrs. Dude is lazy

I could write a separate post about each of these books. But I won't. And you can't make me.

1. Animal vegetable, miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

It took me all of May to read this book. I'm not sure if that speaks well of Kingsolver's ability to draw me into her story or poorly of her inability to keep me hooked. I enjoyed Kingsolver's story of moving her family from Tuscon to Virginia and, in the process, deciding to spend a year growing as much of their own food as possible and supplementing what they couldn't grow with locally produced food. Each chapter documents a month in her family's life, as each month presents different challenges for the family. Additionally, each chapter contains a short piece by Kingsolver's husband, a biologist, and her eldest daughter, a college student.

I enjoyed the book, but sometimes felt like Kingsolver was nagging me to make better decisions about my food consumption. If you enjoy the book, though, be sure to visit Kingsolver's website for more recipes and information.

2. Lock and key by Sarah Dessen

I love Dessen's writing, and this book is no exception. I will say, though, that it's not the best jumping-off point for those who have never read anything by her. What I love about Dessen's style is its lightness. She is more interested, it seems to me, in exploring the connections that people have rather than the issues they face. In this case, Dessen tries to do both and it doesn't work as smoothly as it could. Still, I found Ruby and her family to be engaging characters. And I was sad when the book ended. I did end up wishing that she'd spent more time working through the plot from the beginning instead of including so much exposition and then racing to finish the story. Overall, though, it was everything I'd anticipated it to be.