Read a book from Dad's library

[Stina]

This was a very personalized prompt from my second go-round of the Modern Mrs. Darcy's build-your-own reading challenge last year. So no, I'm not expecting anybody to go ask my dad for a book. Though I have no doubt he would happily give you one.

Cheryl has asked for some of his book recommendations. Here's the thing, though: my dad is not much of a reader for leisure. Leisure in general is kind of a foreign concept to him. When he retired from teaching, Mom suggested they buy an RV and go see the country. Dad's response was, "Wait. You want me to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a vehicle that does not generate revenue?" And then he went down to International and bought a car-hauling rig with a fancy sleeper, and Mom and Dad spent many years hauling cars and seeing the country. So at the top of my list for this prompt last summer was Chilton's Automobile Repair Manual 1962: 33rd Year. I DNFed it when Dad and I could manage to get only 3 of the 4 wheels on the Newport to turn. And believe me, we tried. I still have the sunburn marks. Moral of the story: don't leave your car in a hay field for 30 years. And if you're wearing sandals, don't forget to put sunscreen on the tops of your feet.

So now my plan is to read Our Margin of Life. It's nonfiction about soil.

The only fiction recommendation from him that I can think of is The Fabulous Saga of Alexander Botts and the Earthworm Tractor. It is a collection of humorous short stories about a tractor salesman, and it has stood the test of time remarkably well. And it's epistolary!

[Cheryl]

Wow. I may stick to seeing if I have any unread books from my dad's library in my stack. Auto repair is a foreign language for me (just trying to read the owner's manual on how to replace my windshield wipers took days). I am not sure about a book on soil -- although I will keep my eyes out for your review. The tractor book might be interesting, but I would have to track it down.