Berry Pickers and Farmers

It’s only the end of February but I’m compelled to share two ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’ve started the year with, making 2025 pretty awesome already!

My friend Amy, recommended the novel The Berry Pickers to me last year. It was published in 2023. It took me a while to get to it. Despite being a national bestseller and winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, I kept picking Jenna’s pick or Resse’s pick or Oprah’s pick, not necessarily on purpose, they just get a lot of buzz. It’s too often that if a book isn’t on the “it” list we don’t pay it much attention. It’s a real shame. After reading The Berry Pickers and loving it so much I am reminded that the best book recommendations most often come from our best friends.

The Berry Pickers is a five star read for me because of the characters. They didn’t have an easy life and they weren’t super relatable for me but there was a genuineness about them that made me care deeply about them driving my hand to turn the page. It reminded me of Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. They both capture sibling relationships and all their beauty and challenges.

Now as far as the movie Green and Gold all I can say is go to this movie in the theater as soon as possible if it’s playing near you. It’s not available (hopefully yet) on streaming. My friend Mary recommended this movie with such enthusiasm I had no choice but to go see it the next day. And she went to see it again with us.

It’s the best movie I have seen in a LONG TIME! Bring Kleenex and be ready for a movie that tells a beautiful meaningful story. If you are from WI or MI or MN this movie celebrates everything about being from those beautiful farming states that still know what community means. I can’t say anything more, you just have to go see it.

This book, this movie and my dear friends remind me that life can be simple if we stick close to good people, take loving care of our animals and appreciate nature.