3 books. Sort of.

 Caught up on my reading, and perhaps some more, since we have a big bunch of rain coming in.

Book #1. The Ruth Stout no-work garden book. I give my first Excellent... I think. Anyway, it took me quite a bit to read, because I was actually using her method to redo my garden this year! 

She explained how she came up with the idea, not having someone available to till for her. So he decided to make a big mulch pile, and see how it went. She used a deep bedding of hay, and found out the weeds were nearly non-existent, the veggies and flowers thrived, and she didn't have to work so hard doing it. 

She then broke down the various things she did, and didn't do, and why. Responses from people who were experts, and why that it worked, or on occasion, needed a bit of a boost. 

She writes with great enthusiasm and humor, and more than a smidge of sass... It was a fun read, and I hope my garden will do her spirit proud. 

The next book was Roy, the Most Chaotic Midlife Crisis in Cosmic History. 

In two words: it sucked. To the extent I didn't bother to finish it. I can't say I wasn't warned. The author mentions that there was a lot of language. And, boy, oh boy, was there. If that had been the only thing, I probably could have been okay with the book, he's a pretty good writer. However, the main character is an alien, who can disgorge his stomach acid on command, is a bigot, and what finally finished it for me, he had a scene in a communal toilet (!), and gets in a fight with some of the aliens he'd been badmouthing, who were all male. We know this because he makes a point of discussing their genitals. 

It was like he was trying to disgust me. So, I say, Bad, next...

Which was EMP, and that I will say is good, drifting close to very good. 

It is a story focused on one man, who goes home to see his parents after a separation from his wife. A giant solar flare causes most everything electric to fry, pretty much thrusting the planet to the late 1800's, technologically. 

The story follows him and the community as they deal with the after effects, how they deal with food, mental health, safety, even morals. And how he grows, learns, and ends up helping the community, and they encourage him to go see if he can get back to his wife... 

The only drawback to this book, it occasionally reads more like a prep manual for emergencies, but all in all, an excellent story with tension, mystery, sadness, and even some laughs. 

There is a second book, but I don't have it downloaded yet, so I will read that later!

So, threefur, and maybe I can get a few more chalked up soon.