Reading Recommendations: Half Broke Horses, A True Life Novel, Jeannette Walls.

"Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith Jeannette Walls' no-nonsense, resourceful and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town, riding five hundred miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car ("I loved cars even more than I loved horses. They didn't need to be fed if they weren't working, and they didn't leave big piles of manure all over the place.") and fly a plane. And, with her husband, Jim, she ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette's memorable, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle.

Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds, against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit.

Simply unforgettable!

And, Jacques Cousteau, The Sea King, Brad Matsen.

Jacques Cousteau opened up the under-sea world as no one has done before or since. But not generally known is the fascinating and compelling individual behind the acclaimed television personality.

With the cooperation of many of Jacques Cousteau's collaborators, friends and family, Brad Matsen gives us the first full picture of this remarkable life. Here is Cousteau working for the French Resistance during World War II (for which he received France's Croix de Guerre); developing and risking his life to test the regulator that made scuba diving possible; running the world's largest scuba equipment manufacturing firm; becoming a legendary catalyst of the worldwide environmental movement; starring in The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau and in hundreds of documentaries; and publishing more than fifty books. And here is the widowed Cousteau marrying his longtime mistress, forty years his junior and the mother of two of his children, kindling a bitter feud that continues to this day.

Vividly conveying the people, the adventure, the science and the lure of the sea that shaped Cousteau's life, Matsen paints a luminous portrait of a man who profoundly changed the way we view, and treat, our planet.

And, The Deen Bros. Take It Easy, Jamie and Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark, Forward by Paula Deen.

Quick and affordable meals the whole family will love. Check out these delicious meals-made with Southern hospitality and brotherly love!

–Easy Cheeseburger Casserole, Real Easy Apple Cider Pork Tenderloin, Creamy Chicken Alfredo Bake, Homey Pot Roast with Root Veggies, Baby Buttermilk Biscuit Pizzas, Quick Spaghetti and Meatballs, Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken and Veggies, Double Strawberry Shortcake, And much more.

What fun! Try anyone or all these wonderful dishes during these cold winter days.

See You at Rylander