This month was all about the Little House series. I did have some time to sneak in a couple other books, but for the most part it was reading Laura Ingalls Wilder books, and I so enjoyed them. My mom read many to me when I was young and so my love of these books began there. I had already read the earlier books with my kids, some more then once, and I know we will continue to read them. This year I wanted to finish her later books and I’m so glad I did.
On the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Such a lovely read. I loved Laura’s description of the land, how much she loved wild, uninhabited places. Her description of the storehouse and the winter her family spent there was my favorite part.
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
This was a fascinating read. One of Laura’s unbelievable stories of family struggle and life in a new frontier. Almanzo Wilder makes his first appearance in this book.
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
This is the book where the story become more about Laura and her life and less about her family’s life. I loved the happy events of living in the town. We get to know Almanzo and they began their courtship. We also meet Nelly Olsen again and see the drama that surrounds here and Laura’s relationship.
These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura is all grown up (at 15 years of age), begins teaching school, and Almanzo continues to show interest in her. Their rides through the winter snow as he takes her to and from school are delightful. It had me guessing throughout the story if Laura would ever marry Almanzo.
The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
When I began this book it was fascinating to discover that Laura hadn’t written in for publication. This was a little notebook of the story of her and Almanzo’s first four years of marriage, really a rough draft of these events that were not published by her or her daughter Rose in their lifetimes. It wasn’t published until after their deaths by a friend of the family. Again, an amazing read of struggle and hardship. Not as polished as her other books, but even more intriguing for that reason.
The Dirty Life: Memoir of Farming by Kristin Kimball
This book, oh man, I could not put it down. I have a love for farming, animal husbandry, gardening, working hard, and living off the land. I’m not sure where this came from since I have never actually been required to live this way. My husband reminds me often that this is an idealistic dream. Would I really want to get up at 4am every morning to milk a cow? Would I want to raise my own meat and harvest it? He says no, and I halfheartedly agree and I’m sure he is right, but secretly I wonder if I would love it. This book is Kristin Kimball’s story of leaving her life in New York, falling in love, and starting a farm with her fiance and later husband. Loved it!
We are enjoying listening to this classic on CD right now. My only problem is getting my oldest to stick with us. He likes to take the CD and finish on his own. Not really a problem, I love seeing him embrace the classics. It is available free for your kindle!
Find May Book Report here.
Find March & April Book Report here.
Find January & February Book Report here.
Also, you can find my 2014 Book List here.
Joining Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Twitterature and the Simple Woman’s Book Club this month.
Thanks for sharing. I love the Laura Ingalls books, but I don't think I appreciated The Long Winter fully until I re-read it as an adult and realized how much the family actually suffered during that time.