Beccy Joe Stuart

1. Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
The best book I have read in recent memory. Written in the first person about a country girl's experience in a posh boarding school, her awkwardness and self-consciousness from that age I can completely relate to. The realness of it kills me.

2. John Henry - the van I live in
It's a 1984 Chevy camper van in various tones of brown. Featuring stove, fridge, sink and seats that convert to bed. Cramped but comfortable. Very loveable. Only fits what you need. Takes you anywhere you wanna go. Here's to mobile homes and life on the road.

3. Kentucky - the state
I love Kentucky for the bluegrass music and the horses and the friendly southern hospitality. And the fireflies at night. And the Appalachian mountains. It's dreamy.

4. BJ, my husband.
Can I say that? Sigh. I love him so much!
He's so good at directions and so easy to get along with. I'm so happy to be married to him.

ALTERNATIVELY

4. American micro-brew beers
All over the U.S. and Canada, you can get locally made "micro-brew" beers. They're local and cheap and seem to transcend the ugly beer culture created by big corporate beer brands etc. I was never a beer drinker until I discovered these. They have all kinds of flavours, my favourite so far is a Honey Lager from St Louis. I find them very drinkable and they often have beautiful labels.

5. The Dry Branch Fire Squad
This is the band we saw at the bluegrass festival we went to on the weekend. The lead guy sings beautifully and tells long rambling funny stories between songs about growing up poor and the horses he's loved. They've been around for over 30 years... We've been listening to the CD in the car.

Beccy Joe Stuart is currently in Kentucky, driving around in a van that shares a name with an American folk hero. She owns seven versions of the traditional folk song, In The Pines, and recently put out a zine called Note To Husband. She even has a blog, currently only available in one version (although lots of singers might release their own cover of it one day).