Ship's Boy with Magellan by Milton Lomask - link to my post (purchased copy)
On Blue's Waters, In Green's Jungles, and Return to the Whorl by Gene Wolfe - These three books make up the Short Sun trilogy, which follow the Book of the Long Sun (mentioned in the last book report). Overall, I enjoyed the trilogy more. If I had more time, I'd write an entire post about some of my thoughts on the series. Wolfe's story is enjoyable, but also dabbles in ideas of what it means to be human, how to worship that which is superior, and how to be good and loving when so much of existence is not. Ultimately, I think he fails to describe the complete answer, but I suppose he might point in the right direction. (As much as books "say" what an author "wants" them to say, that is.) (two books from our local library, one from inter-library loan)
History's Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach (from The Great Courses) by Gregory S. Aldrete - I listened to this course with the children in the van (ages 14, 12, 10, and 8). There were a few references to adult themes, but mostly this went over the younger one's heads and were few in number. There is, of course, a great deal of death, much of it unnecessary and therefore more tragic. The professor had an annoying habit of over-emphasizing every third of fourth word for no explicable reason. My children never complained about that, but I found it distracting. I was surprised at how interested the kids were, even the younger ones, and at how much they picked up. After one lecture, my 8 year old asked me to get out an atlas and show him the former boundaries of Prussia as the Russian army would have encountered them in the battle described. My 12 year old enjoyed them so much, she has listened to the entire series again. As with many of The Great Courses, there is a PDF with lecture notes. It has some illustrations, but I wish it included some maps. (purchased with an Audible credit)
One Beautiful Dream by Jennifer Fulwiler - I bought this Kindle book during a sale and then let it sit on my Kindle until I suggested it to my book club. At first I wasn't sure how this book reflected my own life, but after contemplating it for a while, I came to a new understanding about my life as a homeschooling mom: I love planning and organizing our homeschool lessons. It is unfortunate I cannot monetize it as Fulwiler has her writing (or, perhaps I could, but I'm not willing to take those steps). I also haven't managed to balance my desire to plan our lessons with the way those lessons play out in real life, but at least I have an idea of how I might be able to prioritize my focus to be more balanced in the future. I figure I'll hit that stride right about the time Second Son, my youngest, graduates from high school. Ha! (purchased Kindle copy at a sale price)
Nature's Everyday Mysteries by Sy Montgomery - link to my post (purchased copy)
How to Read and Understand Shakespeare (from The Great Courses) by Professor Marc C. Conner - link to my post (purchased with an Audible credit)
Hi Bob! by Bob Newhart and friends - This is a kind of series of podcasts by Bob Newhart during which he interviews a bunch of famous comedians. It was one of the free books offered to Audible members in recent months and I picked it thinking I might be able to share it with First Son, who appreciates humor more than any other medium. I'm not sure how much he'd enjoy it, given the number of references to older movies and shows, without more context. There were many references I didn't quite catch myself. It was an entertaining book, though, and I often laughed to myself while listening (and folding laundry or washing dishes). (one of the free monthly selections with Audible membership)
Black Panther: The Young Prince by Ronald L. Smith - I purchased this during an Audible sale for a deep discount because I thought the kids would enjoy it. They did! It was a middle-grade kind of fan fiction novel full of inconsistencies. Sometimes I couldn't stop myself from pausing the playback to tell them about how school would really work (being homeschooled they wouldn't have known) and I was gratified to hear them counseling T'Challa to tell his father all or talk to another responsible adult. Even with all its problems, they all enjoyed it and would probably gladly listen again. (Audible, purchased during a sale)
Links to Amazon are affiliate links. As an affiliate with Amazon, I receive a small commission if you follow one of my links, add something to your cart, and complete the purchase (in that order). Links to RC History and PaperBackSwap.com are affiliate links. Any other links (like those to Bethlehem Books) are not affiliate links.
These reports are my honest opinions.
