May Reviews List

In reverse order, the books I've read and reviewed this month. I'd intended to have Heinlein's novel The Number Of The Beast on here as well given that I was about a day away from finishing it, but my copy has disappeared. I simply can't find it now.

Pilgrimages The Great Adventure Of The Middle Ages
John Ure
Caroll & Graff Publishers
Copyright: 2006
978-0786717804

An extract from my review:

John Ure wrote in a rather entertaining, light way, which does get the information across, but rather casually. This might be a better fit for somebody looking for something closer to travel literature, which is the author's normal area of writing, rather than an in-depth examination of the subject. The accounts of the pilgrimages are interesting, as he liberally uses quotes from the sources, but he moves fairly quickly from one pilgrimage route to the next.

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way To Garden In Less Space With Less Work
Mel Bartholomew
Rodale Press
Copyright: 2005
0425070506

An extract from my review:

I absolutely love Bartholomew's book. You don't need much space, the weeds don't take over, and it really doesn't take up much time to maintain the garden (at least once you've dug it out). Generally, I'm actively hunting for weeds when I'm out there now, as they don't have the chance to get very big. Maybe twenty minutes every couple of days is all it takes.

Time Enough For Love
Robert Heinlein
Berkley Books
Copyright: 1974
0425070506

An extract from my review:

Robert Heinlein really is a writer of classic science fiction that just keeps on going. For all that this book came out in 1974, there is nothing dated about it.It'll probably still be a readable classic in another fifty years or a century. Perhaps even longer, so long as real technology doesn't outpace the stuff Heinlein dreamed up. I first read Time Enough For Love a couple of years ago, and have enjoyed rereading it at least twice since.

Twilight of Avalon
Anna Elliott
Touchstone
Copyright: 2009
978-1416589891

An extract from my review:

Anna Elliott seems to know which details to include in order to make the time period come alive. There's not too much detail, but enough to make the characters and settings vivid in the mind's eye. Things like details relating to healing treatments, character traits, and clothing mostly.

...this is Anna Elliott's first published novel. I think she's got a very promising career in front of her with Twilight of Avalon and it's forthcoming sequels.

Lover Avenged
J.R. Ward
New American Library
Copyright: 2009
9780451225856

An extract from my review:

The world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood is one that keeps getting more and more involved and in depth as the books progress. First of all, we had just the vampires and the Lessers, then it progressed to their aristocracy, and now we have the Sympaths as well, which also has a couple of different castes. Not only that, but various members of each plotting against the others in both groups. Each book shows another facet of their lives and customs, all of it building together to form an interesting whole.

Lover Enshrined
J.R. Ward
New American Library
Copyright: 2008
9780451222725

An extract from my review:

I've said it before, but I do like the vampires Ward has created as they seem to go against most of the typical vampire stereotypes. It makes for a refreshing read. Not only that, but there's plenty of story in each book as well. J.R. Ward makes absolutely certain that the reader gets plenty of book for their dollar, something I appreciate given the growing number of books with larger fonts and margins, especially as a fast reader.

Island In The Sea Of Time
S. M. Stirling
New American Library
Copyright: 1998
9780451456755

An extract from my review:

As I started reading this trilogy, I found that it strongly reminded me of the Ring Of Fire series (1632 and sequels by Eric Flint). On the other hand, this series is turning out to be far more to my preference, if only because the characters go further back in time. It's neat seeing the depictions of Mycenaean society and the British Isles in this period. I love the hints of history. While I was reading the book though, I couldn't help but wish to know how much of an effect the characters actions were having on history as they (and we) knew it.

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way To Garden In Less Space With Less Work - Mel Bartholomew

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way To Garden In Less Space With Less Work
Mel Bartholomew
Rodale Press
Copyright: 2005
0425070506

From the cover of Square Foot Gardening:

You CAN garden with
Less work, Less weeding, Less watering

Say good-bye to the hard work and endless maintenance of gardening in long rows, and say hello to Square Foot Gardening. This easy, fool-proof, and ingenious method of gardening allows you to grow more vegetables than you ever thought possible in less space than a traditional garden takes.

With Square Foot Gardening, you build your garden in a series of one foot squares. Each square holds a different vegetable, fruit or herb planted in quantities that you'll actually use. Gone are the long, labor-intensive rows that need to be thinned, weeded and maintained over the growing season. Gardening in squares means that you won't need to thin because you'll only plant what you can use. You'll water less because there's no wasted space in the bed, and you'll weed in record time because you can reach weeds from all sides of the square bed. By replanting squares as soon as you harvest, you'll guarantee a steady crop of vegetables throughout the growing season. Best of all, there are no elaborate structures, tools, or equipment to buy when you start your square foot garden.

All it takes for this simple system to work is a little bit of planning, just an hour or two of maintenance each week, and a bundle of enthusiasm. Once you start square foot gardening, you'll join millions of other square foot gardeners who are enjoying garden that are manageable, beautiful, and productive all season long.

I'll admit it right off. I did review Square Foot Gardening last year, but I'm following the method again this year. This is now a reference work for me, for reminding me of the spacings, water quantities and pest problems etc., and not a book for reading through for me. I bought it last year and tried the method in one 4x4 foot patch. I got the first successful vegetable garden I've ever had last year.

This year I've set up two patches. One of which, it turns out, gets a couple of hours more sun each day than the other. As a result, I'm giving the bell peppers another try. I got no result last year, but I did start things a bit late.

Otherwise, I'm repeating last year's crops (tomatoes, lettuce, swiss chard, radishes, bush beans, chives, parsley) with a couple of exceptions. I'm going to try growing a squash plant. The radishes didn't work last year, but are growing this year (if I can keep the slugs away). I'm also trying celery (which isn't in the book), a rosemary plant and spinach. The lettuce and swiss chard are all ready harvest-ready, as are the chives that survived from last year.

I absolutely love Bartholomew's book. You don't need much space, the weeds don't take over, and it really doesn't take up much time to maintain the garden (at least once you've dug it out). Generally, I'm actively hunting for weeds when I'm out there now, as they don't have the chance to get very big. Maybe twenty minutes every couple of days is all it takes.

There's a newer version of the book available as well: All New Square Foot Gardening. I've only taken a cursory look through it, but the book looks to be the same for the most part. The photos and drawings are in color, which is a help, but on the other hand, I noticed that the planting grids for spacings have been removed from the sections on the individual plants. Those are what I'm finding that I use the most. I haven't checked to see if the book includes any different plants from the 2005 version, which would be nice. As far as I can see, it's a matter of choice as to which is preferable.

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way To Garden In Less Space With Less Work - Mel Bartholomew

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way To Garden In Less Space With Less Work
Mel Bartholomew
Rodale Books
Copyright: 2005
ISBN: 9781579548568

The publisher describes this book as a 'bestselling garden book' (on indigo.ca). I waited to review it from when I first read it at the beginning of the month because I was inspired to try the methods the author describes.

In my experiment, I'd have to say it's a success so far. Last night I harvested the first lettuce and swiss chard from the garden. The beans are blooming and one of the tomato plants as well. I'm actually thinking of setting up another patch this year.

Square Foot Gardening is good for the beginning gardener as well as the advanced gardener. It starts out describing the method, tells you how to set up the garden, and even gives a few recipes to use the vegetables in. Not to mention plant spacing and growth to harvest spans as well as how long you can harvest and replant the plant before the season is over. At the end of the book it gives detailed information down to the pests to watch out for for each of the plants the book discusses.

Speaking as someone who's never had success with a vegetable garden before, I have to recommend this book highly.