Tall Reader loaned me a book she'd found on a recent trip to Victoria, B.C.: On Their Own Terms: True Stories of Trailblazing Women of Vancouver Island, by Haley Healey. The author did a wonderful job of research to write short biographies of 17 pioneer women who defied what society determined 'proper' for women. One was a photographer who created amazing images long before Photoshop came along (there's one on the cover). She became the first official police photographer for the Victoria Police. Another woman, when no one would teach her how to fly, built her own plane and taught herself! Another would be the first woman to drive around the world. Amazing!

If you have chickens, or know someone who does, then you'll enjoy Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them, by Tove Danovich. Not only does the author have chickens, but she's also a journalist, so there's a lot of factual information here, too. Not all of it is nice (think huge egg or poultry farms), but it's a well balanced accounting and very interesting. Most fun is the stories of the author and her chickens.

Reading Hermit With Dog