Once again I have failed to update for a long time. Heather and I have been home for a couple of weeks now, and if you want to know more about our trip across Europe you can go to her blog here. Although I think even it is only updated to cover half the trip so far. I'll post some pictures to give you a general idea...

Now that I'm home I'm more or less biding my time until the ECHO internship in Fort Myers, FL begins in October. My knowledge of farming is limited to reading Wendell Berry short stories and having a killer farmer's tan. So I should have a lot to learn when I reach Florida. I can't wait to start.

During the trip and since returning I have had a lot of opportunity to read, which has been a nice change from the busy schedule of the school year. Purely out of spite, I'm going to inflict last month's reading list on my readers...

- Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco - I found this book really enjoyable, though I hardly think Eco considers himself a friend of the church.

- The Road, Cormac McCarthy - I read this book at Jeff Pipe's suggestion, and it was haunting, if a bit (intentionally) sparse. It's by the same guy who did No Country for Old Men, so don't expect a terribly bubbly story.

- All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy - I actually enjoyed this more than The Road, and can't wait to read the other two related novels.

- Peace Like a River, Leif Enger - An author/blogger I've been reading picked this book as one of his favorites, and it very well may be one of mine now as well. Couldn't put it down.

- Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy - Potentially the least depressing Hardy book I've ever read. I liked it.

- Two Ears of Corn, Roland Bunch - This is not a novel, but I'm reading it in preparation for my ECHO internship. It's about general good practice for doing agricultural work, including things like introducing appropriate technologies. Crucial if you're interested in Ag. Dev. Otherwise skip it.

- Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien - Hardly my first time.

- Two Crichton novels - State of Fear and Congo. Good quick reads.

- King Solomon's Mines, H. Rider Haggard - I had never read any Haggard before, but both Mr. Narayan and Heather (who read him at Oxford) recommended him. This one is a great adventure story, and a fun read. You do have to deal with the unthinking racism of Haggard's time (England was still an empire).

- She, H. Rider Haggard - Still reading this one, but so far I like it more than King Solomon's Mines.

I'm probably forgetting a couple. Anyone read anything recently they recommend?