Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Blithe Tomato - A book review

A few weeks ago, one of the other Friends of the Market volunteers who was helping me with my Saturday market booth, brought with her a book that she thought I might enjoy: Blithe Tomato, by Mike Madison. Curious, I accepted the book and began to read it later that day.

To my surprise and delight, this book is a series of short stories (many of them no more 2 pages long) written by a farmers' market vendor. It's a refreshing perspective on the life of a farmer and his view of the world around him. 

You won't learn how to save the world, start a garden, or enjoy a healthy diet. There's no studies involved, no tasks to perform. This is a simple book, written by a man living a simple life. In fact, it's best read slowly. Perhaps one chapter each day, giving you time to meditate on his insight and carefree observation. 

So here's the best part - I've discovered that Google Books offers the entire text of this book on-line for free. So grab a nice hot cup of tea, curl up on the couch, and be prepared to see the world through different eyes. Enjoy!

4 comments:

Donna said...

I read an excerpt -- what a charming little book! But the biggest find was Google books itself. I can't believe I've never heard of this site before! Thanks for the tip.

hmd said...

Donna - For some reason I never look to see if a book is on Google Books until after I've read it :) I must be getting old. It is a great resource though! Enjoy!

BeeMickSee said...

whoa! now i know that's on google books i'm going to make everyone read it. ;)

-boots

hmd said...

Boots - It was an awesome book too so it's icing on the cake that it's free. I love free...