Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Harper (2010), Edition: 1, 320 pages
Description
"Michael Perry meets David Sedaris in this follow-up to Josh Kilmer-Purcell's beloved and bestselling debut memoir, I AM NOT MYSELF THESE DAYS--another riotous, moving, and entirely unique story of his attempt to tackle the next phase of life with his partner on a goat farm in upstate New York"--Provided by publisher.
Media reviews
But the amusing side of “The Bucolic Plague” makes up for a lot of lapses. After all, while writing about canning produce, Josh compares skinning tomatoes to “trying to peel leather pants off of a sweaty, hairy, fat guy.” And when he watches a goat give birth to multiple offspring, he is
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reminded not only of his old drag act but also of clowns getting out of a clown car. Show Less
Unlike other farming memoirs I’ve read, life for the Beekman Boys is not always smooth – partially by their own mistakes and partially from the pressure they put on themselves. Before moving out to Beekman full-time, Ridge worked and believed in the mantra of Martha Stewart, making him a
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consummate perfectionist and a contrast to Kilmer-Purcell’s more Oprah-esque “live your best life” philosophy. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member richardderus
Oh no you don't! No sighing, sneaking past this review, and saying how good it is! Sit there and READ this.
Josh and Brent, two of the most annoying perfectionist queens Manhattan has ever sucked into its lapidary drum of the effete, are bare-naked and warty as all get-out in this hilarious,
Then there's the short one. (Brent.) He isn't writing the book, so of course he doesn't get all the best lines. Just most of them. He's the alpha perfectionist of the pair...good gravy, he worked for MARTHA STEWART!...and he decides, on hearing the tall one articulate his dream to live in their fantabulously gorgeous mansionfarm full time, that He Will Make This Happen. Because he loves, so much, the tall one. The scene in the book where they have that conversation, about why they'd have to give the place up in the rancid economy of 2008, made me cry. What they wanted, what their dreams hung on, *pffft* because the rotten shits on Wall Street wanted morebiggerfatter bonuses.
Now these two aren't guiltless little cogs in the Murrikin Machine, mind. They were both in the sizzle biz, taking home oodles of the spondulix selling people an unattainable dream's unattainable health goals for old farts (the short one) and unnecessary, overpriced goods and services (the tall one). But they made so much more out of their lives...they worked hard, they deserved their success...than the standard script for rural gay boys reads.
And then they found, accidentally and because the tall one is a lousy navigator, the perfect place to turn their well-honed swordsmanship skills at these useless pursuits into the plowshares of a real, and really funny, and very satisfying life.
Their website makes me drool. (Not over them, keep your minds out of the gutter.) The farm, the recipes, the products, the involving and addictive blogs, and of course Polka Spot the llama are tremendous pleasures.
Their TV show, The Fabulous Beekman Boys, is a gem and it's worth seeking out on Planet Green, the little bitty Discovery Networks offshoot they run on. This is Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House for the 21st century. Buy it, read it, and heavenly days, recommend it to your friends! The boys need money! Farmer John's goats don't eat air, and that hip replacement wasn't free, and the boys have aging parents who'll need to come live with them soon enough.
Think of the scuff marks. Poor short one. (Brent.)
Josh and Brent, two of the most annoying perfectionist queens Manhattan has ever sucked into its lapidary drum of the effete, are bare-naked and warty as all get-out in this hilarious,
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touching, brutally honest memoir by the tall one. (Josh.) And he memoirs the way it feels to be human, alive, selfish and self-absorbed and sweet and lovable better than most. He's honest about how hard it is to work like a (highly paid) slave so you can have a dream come true. Then, as so many before him have, he wonders when in the HELL he's going to have time to enjoy the said dream.Then there's the short one. (Brent.) He isn't writing the book, so of course he doesn't get all the best lines. Just most of them. He's the alpha perfectionist of the pair...good gravy, he worked for MARTHA STEWART!...and he decides, on hearing the tall one articulate his dream to live in their fantabulously gorgeous mansionfarm full time, that He Will Make This Happen. Because he loves, so much, the tall one. The scene in the book where they have that conversation, about why they'd have to give the place up in the rancid economy of 2008, made me cry. What they wanted, what their dreams hung on, *pffft* because the rotten shits on Wall Street wanted morebiggerfatter bonuses.
Now these two aren't guiltless little cogs in the Murrikin Machine, mind. They were both in the sizzle biz, taking home oodles of the spondulix selling people an unattainable dream's unattainable health goals for old farts (the short one) and unnecessary, overpriced goods and services (the tall one). But they made so much more out of their lives...they worked hard, they deserved their success...than the standard script for rural gay boys reads.
And then they found, accidentally and because the tall one is a lousy navigator, the perfect place to turn their well-honed swordsmanship skills at these useless pursuits into the plowshares of a real, and really funny, and very satisfying life.
Their website makes me drool. (Not over them, keep your minds out of the gutter.) The farm, the recipes, the products, the involving and addictive blogs, and of course Polka Spot the llama are tremendous pleasures.
Their TV show, The Fabulous Beekman Boys, is a gem and it's worth seeking out on Planet Green, the little bitty Discovery Networks offshoot they run on. This is Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House for the 21st century. Buy it, read it, and heavenly days, recommend it to your friends! The boys need money! Farmer John's goats don't eat air, and that hip replacement wasn't free, and the boys have aging parents who'll need to come live with them soon enough.
Think of the scuff marks. Poor short one. (Brent.)
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LibraryThing member tututhefirst
Two gentlemen with great New York City jobs--one, Dr. Brent Ridge, works for Martha Stewart, the other--the author--is an advertising agency rep, when they decide on an impulse to buy an old mansion they discover while on their annual apple picking trip. They take on the task of re-doing the
They are the stereotypical gay yuppie couple trying to have it all--living at the mansion on the weekends while still working full time in the city, driving and training back and forth, weeding, painting, pickling, weeding, canning, entertaining, weeding, sweeping flies (you gotta read the book), slaughtering a home grown turkey for a REAL Thanksgiving, etc etc etc. They are spending so much time trying to be perfect, that their relationship begins to suffer. When Brent is 'pink-slipped' by Martha, and Josh becomes disgusted with the advertising world and quits his job, they suddenly find themselves without a steady income, with a business that is severely impacted by the economic downturn that cost Brent his job, and with emotions they are not used to dealing with. They are in danger of losing everything---the mansion, the farm, themselves and their relationship.
Told with compassion, wit, and a unexpectedly deep understanding of human emotion and vulnerability, this is a well-written memoir of middle-aged reflection and contemplation. On his thirty-ninth birthday, spent alone in his garden, Josh reflects that
Flowers don't blossom then disappear into thin air. They fade. Then the plant drops its leaves. Then the stem browns. And then the whole thing topples over. I figured I was lucky to have been as colorful a bloom as I had been.... pg 225.
Their ability to see the beauty and positives in their lives, including the friendships they formed in the small town, allows them to muddle through and arrive at the other side of their troubles with a recommitted relationship, a re-energized business, and a future that bodes well.
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mansion, putting in a huge garden, and also take on 70 goats and a goat farmer to tend them. The plethora of goat milk leads to a booming online business selling hand-made goat milk soap. Ahh....the bucolic life is wonderful ....except...They are the stereotypical gay yuppie couple trying to have it all--living at the mansion on the weekends while still working full time in the city, driving and training back and forth, weeding, painting, pickling, weeding, canning, entertaining, weeding, sweeping flies (you gotta read the book), slaughtering a home grown turkey for a REAL Thanksgiving, etc etc etc. They are spending so much time trying to be perfect, that their relationship begins to suffer. When Brent is 'pink-slipped' by Martha, and Josh becomes disgusted with the advertising world and quits his job, they suddenly find themselves without a steady income, with a business that is severely impacted by the economic downturn that cost Brent his job, and with emotions they are not used to dealing with. They are in danger of losing everything---the mansion, the farm, themselves and their relationship.
Told with compassion, wit, and a unexpectedly deep understanding of human emotion and vulnerability, this is a well-written memoir of middle-aged reflection and contemplation. On his thirty-ninth birthday, spent alone in his garden, Josh reflects that
Flowers don't blossom then disappear into thin air. They fade. Then the plant drops its leaves. Then the stem browns. And then the whole thing topples over. I figured I was lucky to have been as colorful a bloom as I had been.... pg 225.
Their ability to see the beauty and positives in their lives, including the friendships they formed in the small town, allows them to muddle through and arrive at the other side of their troubles with a recommitted relationship, a re-energized business, and a future that bodes well.
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LibraryThing member Jenners26
Brief Description: The subtitle pretty much sums up the book: “How Two Manhattanites Became Gentleman Farmers.” After stumbling upon the rundown but filled with potential Beekman Mansion near Sharon Springs, NY, Kilmer-Purcell (former drag queen turned advertising guru) and his partner Dr.
My Thoughts: This was a such fun read! This is just how I like my memoirs: a writer with a wicked sense of humor, a “fish out of water” story (Kilmer-Purcell’s account of transporting a flock to baby goats to appear on Martha’s television show was downright hilarious), and celebrity close encounters (mostly with Martha Stewart herself, who Kilmer-Purcell regards with a mix of wonder, admiration, snark and disbelief). Mixed in with the light-hearted and humorous account of their farming experiences is the story of a relationship that starts to flounder due to financial strains and a schedule that leaves little time for togetherness. The fact that Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge ended up making a reality show about the Beekman (called The Fabulous Beekman Boys and airing on Planet Green) after this book was released was a relief to me, as I was rooting for this couple to stay together and continue making the Beekman a successful working farm. A delight from start to finish, I would highly recommend this book to just about anyone.
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Brent Ridge (who at the time was working as “Dr. Brent” for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia) impulsively decide to purchase the mansion and the surrounding 60 acres and become weekend farmers. Their experiences are chronicled in this highly amusing memoir.My Thoughts: This was a such fun read! This is just how I like my memoirs: a writer with a wicked sense of humor, a “fish out of water” story (Kilmer-Purcell’s account of transporting a flock to baby goats to appear on Martha’s television show was downright hilarious), and celebrity close encounters (mostly with Martha Stewart herself, who Kilmer-Purcell regards with a mix of wonder, admiration, snark and disbelief). Mixed in with the light-hearted and humorous account of their farming experiences is the story of a relationship that starts to flounder due to financial strains and a schedule that leaves little time for togetherness. The fact that Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge ended up making a reality show about the Beekman (called The Fabulous Beekman Boys and airing on Planet Green) after this book was released was a relief to me, as I was rooting for this couple to stay together and continue making the Beekman a successful working farm. A delight from start to finish, I would highly recommend this book to just about anyone.
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LibraryThing member OldRoses
This is another Book Giveaway on Goodreads.com that I entered on a whim. It turned out to be much funnier than I had anticipated. The author had me midway through the prologue where he describes transporting five baby goats from his farm in upstate New York to Manhattan, a trip that takes several
I practically fell out of my chair laughing. I knew exactly how he felt. I once transported a kitten from a breeder two hours distant from my house, a kitten that was so nervous he began pooping forcing me to drive two hours with the car windows wide open in January. Unlike the author, whose passengers were confined in a cage in the backseat of his vehicle, in my case the kitten was loose in my car and being a typical feline, sought the highest elevation on which to perch. That elevation being the top of my head, with his claws firmly implanted in my scalp for balance.
I found this book both entertaining and disappointing. Mr. Kilmer-Purcell makes frequent references to his former career as a drag queen and to his partner’s career on Martha Stewart’s show. Too many references. I understand that being a drag queen and within the orbit of Martha Stewart were two defining experiences for him and his partner, but there is whole other world outside of that small universe that he seems almost unaware of.
After a lengthy set-up in which the author and his partner, find, fall in love with and purchase a “mansion” in upstate New York as a weekend house that eventually becomes a goat farm, I felt let down with the rest of the book. There is almost no discussion of their friends and activities in Manhattan, where they lived five days a week. He manages somehow to devote most of the book to the mansion cum goat farm while revealing almost nothing about the surrounding area or the inhabitants.
I would like to have learned more about his rural neighbors and his urban friends. How did those two worlds compare and contrast? What was their life like before they bought the weekend house? They had been a couple for almost a decade. What did they do during that decade? How did their lives in Manhattan change after buying the weekend house? Did they attempt to mingle the two worlds by inviting friends to visit them at their upstate retreat?
This is a great human interest story, but I feel that a big part of it is missing. It is a quick, entertaining read that is more sequins and boas than compost and canning.
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hours, during which time the goats develop diarrhea and he is forced to drive with his head out the window to get away from the smell. I practically fell out of my chair laughing. I knew exactly how he felt. I once transported a kitten from a breeder two hours distant from my house, a kitten that was so nervous he began pooping forcing me to drive two hours with the car windows wide open in January. Unlike the author, whose passengers were confined in a cage in the backseat of his vehicle, in my case the kitten was loose in my car and being a typical feline, sought the highest elevation on which to perch. That elevation being the top of my head, with his claws firmly implanted in my scalp for balance.
I found this book both entertaining and disappointing. Mr. Kilmer-Purcell makes frequent references to his former career as a drag queen and to his partner’s career on Martha Stewart’s show. Too many references. I understand that being a drag queen and within the orbit of Martha Stewart were two defining experiences for him and his partner, but there is whole other world outside of that small universe that he seems almost unaware of.
After a lengthy set-up in which the author and his partner, find, fall in love with and purchase a “mansion” in upstate New York as a weekend house that eventually becomes a goat farm, I felt let down with the rest of the book. There is almost no discussion of their friends and activities in Manhattan, where they lived five days a week. He manages somehow to devote most of the book to the mansion cum goat farm while revealing almost nothing about the surrounding area or the inhabitants.
I would like to have learned more about his rural neighbors and his urban friends. How did those two worlds compare and contrast? What was their life like before they bought the weekend house? They had been a couple for almost a decade. What did they do during that decade? How did their lives in Manhattan change after buying the weekend house? Did they attempt to mingle the two worlds by inviting friends to visit them at their upstate retreat?
This is a great human interest story, but I feel that a big part of it is missing. It is a quick, entertaining read that is more sequins and boas than compost and canning.
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LibraryThing member alabraham
This was a refreshing and honest book about two people's relationship as they grow as individuals and businessmen. I could appreciate the hard work it took to start a new business and try to maintain a relationship.
LibraryThing member Nikkles
The Bucolic Plague is well written and funny. The story is interesting and has some tension and build up despite being a memoir. While it didn't make me rip through the book in one go, I never got bored with the narrative. It seems a great sort of book to read when you have a few loose moments or
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may be an afternoon. Show Less
LibraryThing member gmmoney
One of the best books I've read so far this year. Funny and insightful, this memoir made me fall in love with the Mohawk Valley (my old stomping grounds) all over again. Kilmer-Purcell's characters are engaging and complex, his writing descriptive and yet very clear. He's a very talented writer. I
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look forward to reading more of his books, and hopefully visiting the farm sometime soon.Also: best book title EVAR. Show Less
LibraryThing member mochap
how an ex-drag queen ad exec and his Martha Steward doctor partner sort out life and love on their 200 year old goat farm mansion. I'm becoming kind of obsessed with these guys.
LibraryThing member emed0s
Nice and funny book about pursuing one's dreams and returning to a simpler kind of life, although in the case of the author his life seems to get more complicated instead. It could have been a better reading if Martha Stewart wasn't mentioned almost in every page (that's 201 mentions in roughly 300
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pages), it goes way beyond mere admiration or the need to refer her as the author's partner boss, it really feels like if her name was used to promote the book at hand. Show Less
LibraryThing member KathyAck
A fast, rather funny read--consumed it in a day. Recommendec
LibraryThing member shannonkearns
i really enjoyed this book. it tells the story of two men who buy their dream home in upstate new york and decide to turn it into a working farm again. the book follows the ups and downs of their attempt as well as the strain it puts on their relationship. the book was funny and moving. my only
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complaint was that it ended too soon and without a lot of resolution. since the publication of the book things have continued to happen with their farm. i hope the paperback edition (that just released) has a better epilogue as i want to know more about what happens! Show Less
LibraryThing member JackieBlem
I am soooooo in love with this book! Josh is an ex-drag queen and writer turned
advertising maven, Brent is 'Dr Brent' on The Martha Stewart Show. They've been together
for almost 10 years and seem to thrive on the big city lifestyle despite their 700 square
foot apartment--until they take a wrong
It's HUGE, 200 years old and in need of a whole lot of work--but they want it. Dreams
of leisurely weekends away from the city as gentlemen farmers dance merrily in their
heads, so they take the plunge. Then Josh sneaks in a caretaker for the place that just
happens to have a herd of goats. And, well, if they have goats now, they might as well
have chickens. And a cow. And a garden. And then a bigger garden--MUCH bigger. Then a
handmade Christmas project became a full on artisan soap company, and Beekman 1802
began--and grew...and grew...and grew. This is a wonderful tale of two Type A
personalities taking on the bucolic life big city style, with some bonus ghosts and
legions of zombie flies thrown into the mix. It's equal parts inspiring and exhausting,
but you can't help but fall in love with these guys and the small town who has come to
embrace them. The good news is they have a 'docu-series' coming out in June 2010 on
Discovery Channel's Planet Green called 'The Fabulous Beekman Boys' so the laughs won'thave to stop when the book cover closes.
advertising maven, Brent is 'Dr Brent' on The Martha Stewart Show. They've been together
for almost 10 years and seem to thrive on the big city lifestyle despite their 700 square
foot apartment--until they take a wrong
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turn on a drive and discover The Beekman Mansion.It's HUGE, 200 years old and in need of a whole lot of work--but they want it. Dreams
of leisurely weekends away from the city as gentlemen farmers dance merrily in their
heads, so they take the plunge. Then Josh sneaks in a caretaker for the place that just
happens to have a herd of goats. And, well, if they have goats now, they might as well
have chickens. And a cow. And a garden. And then a bigger garden--MUCH bigger. Then a
handmade Christmas project became a full on artisan soap company, and Beekman 1802
began--and grew...and grew...and grew. This is a wonderful tale of two Type A
personalities taking on the bucolic life big city style, with some bonus ghosts and
legions of zombie flies thrown into the mix. It's equal parts inspiring and exhausting,
but you can't help but fall in love with these guys and the small town who has come to
embrace them. The good news is they have a 'docu-series' coming out in June 2010 on
Discovery Channel's Planet Green called 'The Fabulous Beekman Boys' so the laughs won'thave to stop when the book cover closes.
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LibraryThing member alanna1122
Very readable memoir of a couple moving and changing their lives from fast paced Manhattan-ites to farm life in upstate new York.
I found this pretty interesting. The two main characters are interesting guys with interesting lives. I found that somethings were retread a little too often (mentions of
One thing I did not like (which is true of many "farm" books) was the detailed description of the slaughter of their turkey. I almost stopped reading the book at that point. I also didn't enjoy the light hearted references to the slaughter of their cow. Some people wouldn't be bothered by such things - I only mention them because sensitive readers such as myself my choose to give a book like this a pass based on those parts.
I found this pretty interesting. The two main characters are interesting guys with interesting lives. I found that somethings were retread a little too often (mentions of
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the authors life before meeting his partner were speckled through out and were pretty much always the same - yes yes we get it - you were a wacky crazy drag queen with a substance problem!) . Basically though it is a pretty breezy read - something that would go very well on an airplane trip.One thing I did not like (which is true of many "farm" books) was the detailed description of the slaughter of their turkey. I almost stopped reading the book at that point. I also didn't enjoy the light hearted references to the slaughter of their cow. Some people wouldn't be bothered by such things - I only mention them because sensitive readers such as myself my choose to give a book like this a pass based on those parts.
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LibraryThing member knitwit2
I really enjoyed reading more about the television program "the Fabulous Beekman Boys" that I enjoy so much. These men are doing something that many of us say we'd like to do, but never would - live our dream even at the expensive of lucrative careers.
LibraryThing member mikerr
This humorous and engaging memoir follows two gay Manhattanites who buy a farm / mansion in upstate New York, and restyle their lives as gentleman farmers. It's a light souffle that will leave you smiling.
LibraryThing member bookworm12
This is the hilarious and yet touching true story of a former drag queen and his partner who decide to buy a mansion and become farmers. The pair are New Yorkers at heart and the transition to small town life is a tough one.
They tackle everything from raising goats to exploring the crypt on their
It’s not all funny stories on the farm though. The book chronicles not only their country escapades, but also their personal struggles and their full-time jobs in the city. It’s a bittersweet look at attaining your dreams and trying to live up to someone else’s. It’s about trying to find the balance between happiness and perfection and trying to determine what you really want out of life. It’s less about the actual act of farming and gardening and more about living the life you want.
BOTTOM LINE: I was expecting this to be a quick fun read, but I actually really liked it. The guys struggle with the things we all struggle with; balancing your personal life and work, balancing your expectations for yourself and others, etc.
They tackle everything from raising goats to exploring the crypt on their
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property. All the while they are making new friends and trying to keep up with their old lives. The author works at an advertising agency and his partner works for Martha Stewart. Their attempt at running a farm isn’t an easy adventure, but it’s a unique one! It’s not all funny stories on the farm though. The book chronicles not only their country escapades, but also their personal struggles and their full-time jobs in the city. It’s a bittersweet look at attaining your dreams and trying to live up to someone else’s. It’s about trying to find the balance between happiness and perfection and trying to determine what you really want out of life. It’s less about the actual act of farming and gardening and more about living the life you want.
BOTTOM LINE: I was expecting this to be a quick fun read, but I actually really liked it. The guys struggle with the things we all struggle with; balancing your personal life and work, balancing your expectations for yourself and others, etc.
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LibraryThing member ownedbycats
Fun book to read. Only wish it had been longer.
LibraryThing member ParadisePorch
Very entertaining backstory of what is now a thriving business.
LibraryThing member LisaLynne
I love a good memoir! I tend not to enjoy celebrity memoirs as much as I do those books written by relatively ordinary folks who have lived really interesting lives. I’ve reviewed a number of them over the last few years, but The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers is
"The names of some characters have been changed, and some are composites of various people, experiences and conversations I had then. If you think that’s unfair, you’ve obviously never lived in a small town and written a memoir about your neighbors."
Josh and Brent are partners, living in Manhattan. During their annual apple-picking weekend, they come across a For Sale sign that changes their life. The Beekman Mansion, built in 1802 by William Beekman, is a lovely, historic place. It has been lived in, abandoned, restored and left unoccupied, but Josh and Brent have no problem seeing the potential. Before they’ve even gotten the realtor on the phone, Josh is imagining their life as gentlemen farmers:
"I was already imagining my life at the Beekman Mansion. I concluded that Brent and I would probably be known as the Beekman Boys. Or at least I hoped so. It would be far better than, say, the Fag Farmers."
Read my full review here.
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by far the funniest — from the title, which would have made me pick it up all on its own, to Josh’s thanks to Martha Stewart in the Acknowledgments. I started out marking funny passages that I might want to share in this review, but the book quickly became a forest of pink and green Post-It flags."The names of some characters have been changed, and some are composites of various people, experiences and conversations I had then. If you think that’s unfair, you’ve obviously never lived in a small town and written a memoir about your neighbors."
Josh and Brent are partners, living in Manhattan. During their annual apple-picking weekend, they come across a For Sale sign that changes their life. The Beekman Mansion, built in 1802 by William Beekman, is a lovely, historic place. It has been lived in, abandoned, restored and left unoccupied, but Josh and Brent have no problem seeing the potential. Before they’ve even gotten the realtor on the phone, Josh is imagining their life as gentlemen farmers:
"I was already imagining my life at the Beekman Mansion. I concluded that Brent and I would probably be known as the Beekman Boys. Or at least I hoped so. It would be far better than, say, the Fag Farmers."
Read my full review here.
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LibraryThing member mckait
67. [The Bucolic Plague]: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir by Josh Kilmer-Purcell non-fiction
This is the story of Josh and Brent and how Martha Stewart and Oprah taught them a few things. I won't be the one to tell youabout them though, you really need to
I began the book laughing, because Josh has quite a way with words.
I found myself crying, because things happened that made me sad.
I also found myself beginning to wonder if this whole book had been cooked up to be a giant advertisement for what has become a business. I then stopped caring about that, because it is a business, as well as a way of life for not only Josh and Brent who are both endearing and annoying but so very real and vulnerable.
These two were both very gainfully employed in New York city, when fate carried them to Sharon Springs, New York. Sharon Springs was a small town filled with the most wonderful, and colorful group of hard working folks one could imagine. Luckily, they didn't have to as they found themselves face to face with most of them only minutes after arriving.
From the townsfolk to Bubby the cat, Farmer John and the goats, there is not one of them that I would not like to meet and pass the time of day with. Here is part of their story.
I rate it 3.7 here and trying to decide whether to 3 or 4 it for amazon.. no half stars there. I will probably go with four. I will also seek out other books written by this author.
This is the story of Josh and Brent and how Martha Stewart and Oprah taught them a few things. I won't be the one to tell youabout them though, you really need to
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read this book. I began the book laughing, because Josh has quite a way with words.
I found myself crying, because things happened that made me sad.
I also found myself beginning to wonder if this whole book had been cooked up to be a giant advertisement for what has become a business. I then stopped caring about that, because it is a business, as well as a way of life for not only Josh and Brent who are both endearing and annoying but so very real and vulnerable.
These two were both very gainfully employed in New York city, when fate carried them to Sharon Springs, New York. Sharon Springs was a small town filled with the most wonderful, and colorful group of hard working folks one could imagine. Luckily, they didn't have to as they found themselves face to face with most of them only minutes after arriving.
From the townsfolk to Bubby the cat, Farmer John and the goats, there is not one of them that I would not like to meet and pass the time of day with. Here is part of their story.
I rate it 3.7 here and trying to decide whether to 3 or 4 it for amazon.. no half stars there. I will probably go with four. I will also seek out other books written by this author.
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LibraryThing member CatheOlson
This is a memoir of the author, Josh (a former drag queen turned ad exec) and his partner Brent (health expert for Martha Stewart) who buy a old mansion in the country and try to make it in pay for itself by raising goats and selling goat's milk soap. This was both funny and sad, but always
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interesting. Josh is a great writer with a sharp wit that he employs on himself as well as everyone else in the book. This book is as much about relationships as it is about farming and living out one's dream. This was an enjoyable read. Show Less
LibraryThing member reader1009
nonfiction; memoir (advertising exec and his partner buy historic mansion and become part-time farmers/bloggers/soap-sellers = not all happy goat times, but a thoughtful reflection on life and self). I really liked the goat parts, and liked the comforting friendships found in the small town
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community. Show Less
Awards
ALA Over the Rainbow Book List (Selection — Memoir/Biography — 2011)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
320 p.; 6 inches
ISBN
006133698X / 9780061336980