The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard - link to my post (copy from PaperBackSwap.com)
The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet by Henry Fountain - link to my post (library copy)
Who Gets in and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey Selingo - link to my post (library copy)
Richard III by William Shakespeare - I read this just ahead of my eleventh grader. Richard III has few redeeming qualities, though some wonderful lines. I thought the most dramatic scene must be one in which ghosts of Richard's victims file across the stage in the dark of night, condemning him and comforting his rival for the throne. It's fairly long, so I split some of the acts over two weeks. (purchased copy)
The Beginning Naturalist by Gale Lawrence - I grabbed this book at a library sale to read aloud as our nature study book. The book follows a year in New England with essays of 2-3 pages on a variety of topics. More than once I was delighted by Second Daughter's discoveries on our land to match the topic of essays in the book. (purchased used)
The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe by Roland Smith - This book is on my younger son's historical fiction list for the year (fourth grade) and I think he's going to love it. Seaman's perspective is a doggy one, which is fun. The author also manages to show some of the events and actions of the Lewis and Clark Expedition as ones we'd find unacceptable today. (purchased used)
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien (first book: The Fellowship of the Ring) - I read this trilogy when I was in middle school but knew it deserved another read. I invested in the audiobooks and enjoyed every minute of them. (purchased from Audible)
Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - I follow this author on Amazon because I saw her amazing TED Talk. This short story was available to borrow for Kindle and, somehow, the Audible book was available for free as well for listening. (I'm not able to download it on my laptop, but I could listen on the app.) It was beautifully written and provided a look into a completely different life than my own. The ending was rather abrupt, almost not an ending at all. (borrowed Audible audiobook)
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