Henry V (No Fear Shakespeare) by William Shakespeare and the people of SparkNotes - link to my post (purchased copy)Calico Bush by Rachel Field is a book about Marguerite, a French girl bound out to a family that moves to the coast of Maine during the French and Indian War. Marguerite is a Roman Catholic, and derided for being so by the family, but I think this merely serves to show a common prejudice of the time. First Daughter will be reading this in her American History course as independent reading, mostly for fun. (library copy)
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo is a fairy tale of sorts. A carefully crafted and much loved china rabbit is separated from his owner. Through trials of his own and of those he encounters, he learns to love. In the end, he's reunited with his original family, a finer rabbit for his travels. I think Second Daughter might appreciate this book as a break from her Little House reading, which is coming along slowly. (library copy)
Augustine Came to Kent by Barbara Willard was one of our world history read-alouds this year, chronicling a young boy's journey with Father Augustine who was sent to England by Pope Gregory. The children enjoyed it greatly. It provides an excellent picture of life in England at the time of his arrival and the kinds of struggles all missionaries face. (purchased copy)
King of the Golden River by John Ruskin is a fairy tale. Three brothers embark on a quest. The older two are greedy and unkind; their journeys end appropriately. The youngest shows sacrifices his own comfort and success, which leads to his reward. (free Kindle version)
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing - link to my post (purchased used copy)
Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together so You Can Live too by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish - This is a follow-up book to How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk, a book I've read twice and have found incredibly useful in all kinds of relationships. I found some useful advice in this book, though I've also found it difficult to implement it. It might be easier if I focused on one skill at a time. Still, I'm glad I read it and hopefully I'll be able to adjust some of my behavior to help my children interact with each other. (I did not care for the comparison of a new sibling to a new spouse, but that can be overlooked.) (library copy)
John Paul II: A Personal Portrait of the Pope and the Man by Ray Flynn - link to my post (purchased used copy)
The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh is a weird book depicting a whole cast of characters from the deplorable to the callous to the ignorant. Waugh's sharp wit attacks everyone. Sometimes it's quite funny (in a deliciously nasty kind of way) but sometimes it's just sad. This was a book I picked for our book club, but we haven't had a chance to discuss it yet (inter-library loan copy)
The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh is a weird book depicting a whole cast of characters from the deplorable to the callous to the ignorant. Waugh's sharp wit attacks everyone. Sometimes it's quite funny (in a deliciously nasty kind of way) but sometimes it's just sad. This was a book I picked for our book club, but we haven't had a chance to discuss it yet (inter-library loan copy)
Love in a Fearful Land: A Guatemalan Story by Henri Nouwen - This book tells of Nouwen's journey to Santiago Atitlan three years after the murder of Blessed Stanley Rother. It followed the biography nicely by providing a picture of life at the parish a few years after Bl. Stanley's death. It's a memoir of a trip and therefore intertwines Nouwen's life and feelings with those of the people of the parish and their new pastor. (library copy)
Books in Progress (and date started)
- Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. 2 (sixth edition) (August 2014)
- A Century of Sonnets edited by Feldman and Robinson (May 2017)
- The Complete Ramona books by Beverly Cleary (July 2017), listening with the kids
- History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration from The Great Courses (July 2017), listening with the kids
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (July 2017), listening on my own
- Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time by Frank Cottrell Boyce (September 2017), listening with the kids and Kansas Dad
- Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild (October 2017)
- The Curious Nature Guide by Clare Walker Leslie (October 2017)
- Beorn the Proud by Madeleine Polland (October 2017)
- My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (October 2017)
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These reports are my honest opinions.
