JOSEPHINE DEFALCO
Josephine Books
Book 1 of the Butterfly Series
Growing up and figuring out who you are has never been easy. When Leandra’s mama yanks her off the family farm in Appalachia to fulfill her own big city dreams, Leandra learns that survival is best accomplished by pushing aside her country identity to fit into city life. Yet her Appalachian ways call to her heart, pulling her back to Mamaw, Papaw, the butterfly bush, and home.
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While her rich, city boyfriend makes plans to start college, she struggles to find work while juggling family issues. As Mama turns to alcohol to ease her disappointment with her new husband, Leandra is left to look after her little brother burdened with trouble of his own. Soon she discovers she doesn’t belong in the city or the country and must see her journey to the end. But where that journey will lead remains both a mystery and a surprise, especially to Leandra.
"Josephine DeFalco gives us an unflinching, honest look at the struggles of the Appalachian people."
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Fannie Flagg, author of the book and Academy Award nominated screenplay
Fried Green Tomatoes
The Nightbird's Song
In Bisbee, Arizona, following the sudden death of her husband, Brenna McEvoy finds herself a widowed mother of three young children, and despite her privileged upbringing must somehow find a way to survive and make a living for her family. Brenna's only asset is her charming Victorian home which she transforms into a boarding house for local miners. Although Brenna is unskilled at managing a house full of men, she quickly rolls up her sleeves to embrace the challenge, but the struggle of day-to-day living forces her to open her eyes to the suffering and bigotry surrounding the working class. As time passes, she learns to survive in a competitive mining town, where tongues wag quickly and tales spread quicker. When she falls in love with a working man, Manuel Rodiguez, and she finds herself shunned by her family and friends, she must decide to follow the rules of society or follow her heart. The nightbird's song reminds Brenna that we are strengthened by the struggles we survive ... but will her resolve be enough to save her children?
I found a message in The Nightbird's Song. With life, there will be sadness, happiness, love, and loss. Through it all, we need people around us who love us and whom we love to help get us through. I really enjoyed reading this book--it's a book to savor; to wish it wouldn't come to an end. I hope Josephine will write many more books. Highly recommended!
The Best Little Herb Book
New gardeners will follow the garden path to growing, processing, and utilizing fresh, home grown, organic herbs. Create mint ice cream from your own mint plants! Taste a raw fennel bulb for the first time.
Recipes have been tested in a home kitchen by a dietitian with decades of gardening experience. Invite nature into your life and reap the healthy benefits of growing your own herbs.
"I love, love this herb book! A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, I find Josephine DeFalco's Best Little Herb Book invaluable. It's informative, comprehensive, and a delight to read."
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Very informative I learned all about the herbs I am trying to grow and interest in herbs I have never used before.
The Best Little Bread Book
Bread, created from whole grains, has been a mainstay of humanity for thousands of years, and should continue to be an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. Enjoy the simplicity of the recipes as well as the wisdom about baking this comforting food for your family shared by a woman who is a dietitian, farmer, EMT, nurse, mother and grandmother, and organic bread master.
Yum! Don't you love to walk into a bakery? The heady scent of yeast hits our olfactory then our mouths start salivating for something our brains have already distinguished as delectable! That is how it was (without the smell- dang it!) when I started reading Josephine DeFalco's The Best Little Bread Book.
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I loved this book! Nearly every page offered an invaluable tip about bread baking, which virtually guarantees success for even the hobby bread baker! I'm excited to learn from Ms. Defalco how to never have flat, dense, whole wheat bread again! Don't let the book's brevity or easy language fool you - this book is a fount of wisdom!
Click here to get a sneak peek at a recipe that is included in the book.