Friday night I went to Borders in search of a book my sister said I had to get… See You In A Hundred Years by Logan Ward.  Ward and his wife gave up big city New York life and turned back the clock to live like it was 1900.  They bought a farm in Virginia, got rid of their computers, gave up their jobs, their cell phones, bought a horse-drawn carriage and vowed to live off the land for a year.  

Here's a brief description:

Logan Ward and his wife, Heather, were prototypical New Yorkers circa 2000: their lives steeped in ambition, work, and stress. Feeling their souls grow numb, wanting their toddler son to see the stars at night, the Wards made a plan. They would return to their native South, find a farm, and for one year live exactly as people did in 1900 Virginia: without a car or electricity–and with only the food they could grow themselves. It was a project that would push their relationship to the brink–and illuminate stunning hardships and equally remarkable surprises.

From Logan’s emotionally charged battles with Belle, the family workhorse, to Heather’s daily trials with a wood-fired cooking stove and a constant siege of garden pests and cantankerous animals, the Wards were soon overwhelmed by their new life. At the same time as Logan and Heather struggled with their increasingly fragile relationship, as their son relished simple joys, the couple discovered something else: within their self-imposed time warp, they had found a community, a sense of belonging, and an appreciation both for what we’ve lost–and what we’ve gained–across a century of change.

There are photos of their adventure on their website… I'll drop them in below (hopefully they won't mind?)… 

I cannot put the book down.  I lived in New York for a short stint… it was during that time that I realized I was a country girl.  The city was fast and bustling, but lonely and empty.  I think I could give it all up and live off the land for a year.  I think in this gloomy economy we all long for something more simplified.  I don't think it would be easy to give it all up, but I do think I could do it.  Don't get me wrong – I'd miss a warm bath and my coffee pot that has a timer. 

Could you give it all up for a simpler life and time? 

Another book that I failed to mention that I finished: Trail of Crumbs… it deserves recognition too.  Obviously I haven't finished Ward's yet, but when I do I'll give another review.  Kim Sunee's writing is some of the most beautiful I have read.  And each chapter ends with amazing recipes.  The imagery throughout the book makes you feel like you are right there with her on her adventures and search for love.  

Here's a brief description:

At a South Korean marketplace, three-year-old Kim Sunee's mother deposits her on a bench with a fistful of food and a promise to return. Three days later, a policeman takes the little girl and what is now a fistful of crumbs to a police station, where she learns that her mother isn't coming back. From here, her extraordinary life journey begins. Adopted by a young New Orleans couple, Kim spends her youth as one of only two Asian children in her entire school and church. At the age of 21, she becomes involved with a famous French businessman, and suddenly finds herself living in France, mistress over his houses and stepmother to his eight-year-old daughter. But despite this glamorous lifestyle, Kim feels like an outsider, and it is in food and cooking that she finds solace and a sense of place.

Kim has a blog that is great too… check it out HERE.

I highly recommend both of these books… what are you reading?  Any recommendations for me?