September 2022 Book Reports

Talking Leaves by Joseph Bruchac - link to my post (library copy)

The Foundations of Western Civilization by Thomas F. X. Noble (Great Courses audiobook) - This is one of the honors selections for high school history in the Mater Amabilis plans for Level 5 and Level 6. It provides an overview of the history of Europe from the flourishing of Mesopotamia through the beginning of the modern world. (The history plans then introduce a few other audiobooks for more recent history.) I listened to these lectures relatively slowly alongside my student and enjoyed them. (purchased audiobook)

Works of Mercy by Sally Thomas - link to my post (purchased copy)

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - I didn't assign this book to my older three kids, but decided to assign it to my youngest in Level 3 for one of his classic books. (We recommend three a year in Level 3.) Most of the book was rather slow, compared to more modern books, but there was value in reading it. (copy received from another member of PaperBackSwap.com)

Herodotus and the Road to History by Jeanne Bendick - I read this aloud to my kids back in 2016. I never assigned it for independent reading, so I read it aloud once more for the benefit of my youngers. (purchased copy)

Post Captain by Patrick O'Brien - This is the second in the Captain Aubrey series, which begins with Master and Commander. Sometimes I think I miss half of what goes on in these novels, but I love them. They're exciting and funny, though certainly not for young ears. (copy received from another member of PaperBackSwap.com)

Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein - This book points out all the ways our judgment is flawed, and not just for the kinds of biases you anticipate. Despite finding it a bit repetitive at times, I am glad I listened to it and definitely think about how my current state of mind or circumstances can make a difference in how I'm making decisions. It's a worthwhile book to check out. (purchased audiobook)

The Pink Motel by Carol Ryrie Brink - This book by the author of Caddie Woodlawn was recently republished. I saw it shared on Facebook and asked our local library to buy a copy, which they did! It's a fun little story with a fair bit of excitement and adventure, parents who are a bit flakey, and kids who discover all the answers. There is a black character depicted in a way that is friendly, but not up to modern standards. The publishers have a little explanation and warning in the publisher's note before the story. I enjoyed this little book and encouraged my younger kids to read it on their own. (library copy)

Walking the Nile by Levinson Wood - Mr. Wood wrote this book about his attempt to walk the length of the Nile from its source to the Mediterranean Sea. His struggles with the weather, the terrain, and the people remind the reader that traveling in Africa still presents difficulties to the earliest European explorers. It's riveting. At first I was considering including it in the geography supplemental reading for my high school students, but by the end I decided the violence and griefs were a little too real. There is also a documentary, but I haven't watched it. (library copy)

Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare (No Fear Shakespeare edition) - I read this ahead of the school year because I decided to assign it to my younger daughter (eighth grade, Level 4). It was a nice change from our usual selections. (purchased copy)

Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness by Kevin Nye - link to my post (library copy)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon, Bookshop, and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

January 2022 Book Reports

 

Wisdom from the Lives and Letters of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal edited by Louise Perrotta - link to my post (purchased copy)

Brain Myths Exploded: Lessons from Neuroscience by Indre Viskontas (The Great Courses) - I selected this audiobook thinking it would be a good contrast to our psychology book by offering a more contemporary perspective on psychology and neuroscience. In the end, I decided not to use it, mostly because we ran out of time in the course. Overall, this would be a good addition to a psych class that already had a text that covered introductory and basic information on psychology. The first few lectures were a little frustrating as they seemed to be aimed at dispelling the myth that there is a Creator and that faith is reasonable. That theme resurfaces a few times, but not as annoyingly as in the first two or three lectures. (purchased copy)

The Temperament God Gave You by Art and Laraine Bennett - link to my post (purchased copy)

The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor - link to my post (received as a gift from a family member)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links.

What they Mean: The Federalist Papers

Books that Matter: The Federalist Papers
by Joseph L. Hoffmann

First Son used the Mater Amabilis beta government plans, which included lots of primary source reading like some of the Federalist Papers. Sometimes he seemed to struggle to understand the context of the essays, especially ones in response to other essays. He would have benefitted from a lot more structure and support around them. He was reading other books, but they were more things read side-by-side with the primary sources rather than anything to hold them all together. At some point, I bought this audiobook (probably during a sale), thinking it would be just the thing.

This series of twelve lectures of about thirty minutes discusses many of the Federalist papers, the reason they were written, clearly explains what some of the more complicated language meant, and applies the arguments to the ongoing conversations of modern government.

The current Mater Amabilis government and civics plans have been revised, but now that I have this audiobook and The Birth of the Republic, I think I'm going to make a course focusing on the Constitution for a semester of government credit for First Daughter. I'm not sure she needs it, because she has already read extensively on the Constitution, but she'll love it. If she has time later one, I'll follow it up with a modern government course focused on current issues.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I purchased this audiobook. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

October 2021 Book Reports

Henry IV Parts One and Two by William Shakespeare - Kansas Dad helped choose these two plays for First Son's senior year of high school (along with King Lear). He reads them with his college students and thought they'd be a good complement to what First Son had already read. I love that our kids read so many Shakespeare plays. First Son read eleven plays in high school and three plays in earlier years. There are some great themes in Henry IV, though I wouldn't read it younger than high school and maybe not with all ninth graders (as First Daughter was this year). Falstaff is a bit...mature in his humor. I like the No Fear Shakespeare series for older kids. Use with caution with younger ones because they do make the mature jokes quite clear. (purchased copy)

How to Become a SuperStar Student by Michael Geisen (Great Courses) - I listened to this just a little ahead of First Son. I'd heard it recommended for homeschooled students as a way to prepare them for classroom work. It has some useful parts, some information and advice for working in teams and with teachers, that may be helpful for First Son, but the course probably works best for younger students. I think it would be perfect for a late elementary or middle school student preparing to go to a brick-and-mortar school for middle school or high school. In fact, I put it on First Daughter's list for the year, though I don't think she had time for it. There are a few lectures where the teacher mentions some more mature topics, so you would definitely want to pre-listen for a younger student. The course was recorded as a visual course, so there are some parts that might be slightly confusing if you only have the audio version. I think the main point was generally clear, though.  (purchased audiobook)

John Henry Newman: Snapdragon in the Wall by Joyce Sugg - link to my post (purchased copy)

The Anglo-Saxon World by Michael D. C. Drout (from the Modern Scholar series) - link to my post (purchased copy)

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry - This is not my favorite Wendell Berry book. I always find Jayber's relationship with Mattie Chatham weird and possibly not really acceptable. And it's all a little bit sad. But this was my second time reading it, and I appreciated it more this time around. (library copy)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

Classic Novels: Meeting the Challenge of Great Literature

Classic Novels: Meeting the Challenge of Great Literature
by Professor Arnold Weinstein (The Great Courses)

In this course, Professor Weinstein discusses some of the most challenging books of world literature in order to illuminate for listeners some of the themes within each one. His goal, I believe, is to encourage people to read these books, even if they are sometimes difficult, because they have something important to offer people as we think about how we live and our relationships with others. He also points out how they are part of the development of literature, as later authors write novels that play on the same themes or offer alternative viewpoints.

I love the Great Courses on Audible and listen to a wide range of topics. One of the aspects I appreciate about the ones focused on literature is that they help me to better appreciate books, even if I don't enjoy the books themselves. Wuthering Heights, for example, is a book I've read and listened to as an audiobook. I don't care for it much, but listening to Professor Weinstein's lectures on it, I could see how it accomplished something innovative.

The books covered by the course are:

• Moll Flanders by Defoe (1 lecture)
• Tristam Shandy by Sterne (1 lecture)
• Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Laclos (2 lectures)
• Père Goriot by Balzac (2 lectures)
• Wuthering Heights by Bronte (2 lectures)
• Moby Dick by Melville (2 lectures)
• Bleak House by Dickens (2 lectures)
• Madame Bovary by Flaubert (2 lectures)
• War and Peace by Tolstoy (2 lectures)
• The Brothers Karamazov (2 lectures)
• Heart of Darkness by Conrad (1 lecture)
• Death in Venice by Mann (1 lecture)
• "The Metamorphosis" by Kafka (1 lecture)
• The Trial by Kafka (1 lecture)
• Remembrance of Things Past by Proust (3 lectures)
• Ulysses by Joyce (3 lectures)
• To the Lighthouse by Wolfe (2 lectures)
• As I Lay Dying by Faulkner (2 lectures)
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by García Márquez (2 lectures)

I'm also always asking myself, "Is this something I would share with my high school students?" In this case, most of the novels covered would be tremendous challenges for a high school student. In addition, some of the themes addressed may be more explicit than you may want to include in your high school English class. I don't intend to assign any of them to my own students, but I would not be opposed to one of my children wanting to listen to this audiobook in senior year.

In the last lecture, Professor Weinstein mentioned Kierkagaard who, in the second chapter of Fear and Trembling, said:

An old proverb fetched from the outward aspect of the visible world says: “Only the man that works gets the bread.” Strangely enough this proverb does not aptly apply in that world to which it expressly belongs. For the outward world is subjected to the law of imperfection, and again and again the experience is repeated that he too who does not work gets the bread, and that he who sleeps gets it more abundantly than the man who works.

But in the world of literature, Professor Weinstein noted that we do have to work for our bread. We can read a book and get nothing out of it, but when we work, we reap the benefits. An apt reminder for Charlotte Mason's ideas of narration.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links. I purchased this audiobook.

History, Geography, Culture...Life: Food: A Cultural Culinary History

Food: A Cultural Culinary History (The Great Courses)

by Ken Albala

Professor Albala attempts to cover all of human history through food. His focus is Western culture and Europe, but there are survey lectures for areas in Asia and Africa as well. In the later lectures, there is a definite bias toward local food and the kind of farm and table philosophy espoused by Wendell Berry and others, a bias that happens to coincide with my own. The last lecture, where Professor Albala predicts future movements in food, was my least favorite. Perhaps that's just because I don't want all his predictions to come to fruition.

In the video version of this series, he makes a few recipes. These are less interesting on audio, though they tended to be small parts of the lectures. I think all of the recipes are included in the PDF of the course guidebook. (These seem to be available on only some phones or apps, but they should always show up in your library on the actual Audible website.)

As I was listening, I found many connections and relationships with the high school coursework we are using, including that from Mater Amabilis™. I think a high school student (there are some references to mature themes, though none I remember being central to the ideas) could listen to this course from beginning to end as part of a high school course. It's a little short by itself to be an elective, not quite enough hours even for a quarter-credit.

Many of the lectures, however, would be a fun addition or supplement to other courses. Here are some ideas I had while listening.

European History - Many of these would be enjoyable and give a welcome respite from the heavy reading of Europe: A History.

• LECTURE 2: What Early Agriculturalists Ate
• LECTURE 3: Egypt and the Gift of the Nile
• LECTURE 5: Classical Greece—Wine, Olive Oil, and Trade
• LECTURE 6: The Alexandrian Exchange and the Four Humors
• LECTURE 9: Dining in Republican and Imperial Rome
• LECTURE 11: Europe’s Dark Ages and Charlemagne
• LECTURE 13: Carnival in the High Middle Ages
• LECTURE 15: A Renaissance in the Kitchen
• LECTURE 17: 1492—Globalization and Fusion Cuisines
• LECTURE 18: 16th-Century Manners and Reformation Diets
• LECTURE 19: Papal Rome and the Spanish Golden Age
• LECTURE 20: The Birth of French Haute Cuisine
• LECTURE 21: Elizabethan England, Puritans, Country Food
• LECTURE 22: Dutch Treat—Coffee, Tea, Sugar, Tobacco
• LECTURE 26: Eating in the Early Industrial Revolution

British History

• LECTURE 21: Elizabethan England, Puritans, Country Food
• LECTURE 25: Colonial Cookery in North America (or American History)
• LECTURE 26: Eating in the Early Industrial Revolution
• LECTURE 30: Food Imperialism around the World

Geography of Africa

• LECTURE 3: Egypt and the Gift of the Nile
• LECTURE 23: African and Aboriginal Cuisines

Geography of Asia

• LECTURE 4: Ancient Judea—From Eden to Kosher Laws
• LECTURE 7: Ancient India—Sacred Cows and Ayurveda
• LECTURE 8: Yin and Yang of Classical Chinese Cuisine
• LECTURE 12: Islam—A Thousand and One Nights of Cooking
• LECTURE 24: Edo, Japan—Samurai Dining and Zen Aesthetics

Geography of the Americas

• LECTURE 16: Aztecs and the Roots of Mexican Cooking
• LECTURE 25: Colonial Cookery in North America

Geography of Australasia

• LECTURE 23: African and Aboriginal Cuisines

Health

• LECTURE 27: Romantics, Vegetarians, Utopians
• LECTURE 29: Big Business and the Homogenization of Food
• LECTURE 32: War, Nutritionism, and the Great Depression
• LECTURE 33: World War II and the Advent of Fast Food

Economics

• LECTURE 29: Big Business and the Homogenization of Food
• LECTURE 32: War, Nutritionism, and the Great Depression

I have received nothing in exchange for this post of my honest opinions. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. I purchased this audiobook from Audible.

December 2019 Book Reports

The Confessions by Saint Augustine, translated by Maria Boulding, O.S.B. - link to my review (Kansas Dad's copy)

Wild Coast: Travels on South American's Untamed Edge by John Gilmette - link to my review (library copy)

Children of Summer: Henri Fabre's Insects by Margaret J. Anderson - link to my review (library copy)

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah - link to my review (library copy)

The History of Science: 1700-1900 (The Great Courses) by Frederick Gregory - This series of lectures was not as good as The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, but I'm a biologist by training who has always enjoyed the history of science. I appreciated the even-handedness of the professor when discussing the relationship between faith and science. He included frequent reminders that most of the scientists in this time were devout (or lukewarm) Christians and that the apparent separation of faith and reason as understood in modern times really didn't develop at all until later. In fact, he specifically refers to the Scopes trial in the American South. (purchased copy in an Audible sale)

A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati by Luciana Frassati - link to my review (parish library copy)

The Man Who Knew the Way to the Moon by Todd Zwillich - This short audiobook is like an extended NPR segment. It follows the story of one man who championed the use of a lunar module for the Apollo moon landing, in the course of which it explores the history of science, the sometimes contentious relationships of scientists, and the most interesting question of whether we'd be farther along in space travel if President Kennedy had not made a moon landing a political deadline. (one of the free Audible offerings for members in an earlier month)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - This book is presented as a series of letters, which I found a bit annoying at first. I find it difficult to keep track of who is writing when the narrator bounces around so much. After a while, though, I was able to enjoy it. The people of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands between France and England, remain hopeful amid the harsh conditions of the German occupation during World War II. (library copy)

The Sea-Hawk by Rafael Sabatini - link to my post (purchased used)

Antarctica's Lost Aviator: The Epic Adventure to Explore the Last Frontier on Earth by Jeff Maynard - This book focuses on Lincoln Ellsworth who was one of a two-man team to first fly across Antarctica and who must surely rank among the most incompetent successful explorers. It seems to be exceptionally well-researched. In addition, the description of the flight was exciting. Overall, though, I just didn't find Ellsworth inspiring and will look for another option for our high school geography course on Antarctica. (library copy)

Alone Across the Arctic: One Woman's Epic Journey by Dog Team by Pam Flowers with Ann Dixon - link to my post (library copy)

I have received nothing for this post. All opinions are honest and my own. Links to Amazon or PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

Context for All the Books: The Rise and Fall of the British Empire

The Rise and Fall of the British Empire (The Great Courses)

by Patrick N. Allitt

We've been immersed in Mater Amabilis™ for over ten years now. Repeatedly in that time, there have been issues raised with recommended books and Charlotte Mason herself regarding attitudes toward non-Western people and the history of England. This course has helped me put vast amounts of those readings in context. Professor Allitt came of age as the British Empire disintegrated and therefore is able to provide a personal story alongside the historical context. He touches on all aspects of the Empire, including the American colonies, the spread of cricket, and two lectures on some of the relationships between British literature and the Empire. (He pointed out some details in Jane Austen's novels I would never have connected with the Empire. Guess I'll have to read them again!) Many of the lectures touch on important milestones and attitudes that continue to impact world relations today. Quotes from primary sources intersperse all the lectures.

I think you could substitute this lecture series for Churchill's A History of the English-Speaking Peoples in Level 5 (the abridged one). You would lose the early British history and Churchill's sardonic wit, but it would probably be easier than reading Churchill. You might also read Churchill to the end of his book, then pick up this lecture series to follow just the decline of the Empire. If you wanted an honors level course, I think Churchill and this series would fit marvelously together.

The PDF included in an Audible purchase includes recommended reading for each lecture and questions to consider, some of which would make excellent exam or essay questions.

Another option might be to use a subset of the lectures either in history or geography courses.

America / The New World

Lecture Two: The Challenge to Spain in the New World
Lecture Three: African Slavery and the West Indies
Lecture Six: Wolfe and the Conquest of Canada
Lecture Seven: The Loss of the American Colonies
Lecture Eighteen: How Canada Became a Nation
Lecture Thirty-Three: The White Dominions

Africa

Lecture Three: African Slavery and the West Indies
Lecture Eleven: Abolition of the Slave Trade and Slavery
Lecture Twelve: Early African Colonies
Lecture Nineteen: The Exploration and Settlement of Africa
Lecture Twenty: Gold, Greed, and Geopolitics in Africa
Lecture Thirty-One: Israel, Egypt, and the Suez Canal
Lecture Thirty-Two: The Decolonization of Africa

Asia

Lecture Four: Imperial Beginnings in India
Lecture Five: Clive and the Conquest of India
Lecture Thirteen: China and the Opium Wars
Lecture Sixteen: India and the "Great Game"
Lecture Seventeen: Rebellion and Mutiny in India
Lecture Twenty-Seven: British India between the World Wars
Lecture Thirty: Twilight of the Raj
Lecture Thirty-One: Israel, Egypt, and the Suez Canal

Australia / New Zealand

Lecture Eight: Exploring the Planet
Lecture Ten: The Other Side of the World
Lecture Thirty-Three: The White Dominions

This is one of my favorite courses from The Great Courses. I enjoyed it immensely and would happily listen to it all over again.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post of my honest opinions. I purchased this course during one of Audible's recent two-for-one sales. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

Paradise Lost and Milton in Tenth Grade: The Life and Writings of John Milton

The Life and Writings of John Milton

by Seth Lerer

I selected this audiobook as a supplement to First Son's tenth grade English course. The Mater Amabilis™ beta high school plans recommend Paradise Lost as the second of three epics for English. I tried to read Paradise Lost when I was in college and failed. I was hoping to find something that would help put Milton in context for First Son (and myself) without putting too much strain on our schedule with a bunch of lectures.

This is a reasonably short series of lectures, six hours in total. There are a few that cover Milton in general but most focus on one or more of his works, or part of a work in the case of Paradise Lost. I listened to the whole series without reading any of Milton's works and was able to follow along, though I think it would be better to read the work in question and then listen. Milton is still not my favorite writer, but I think I will be able to grapple better with Paradise Lost after listening to these lectures.

I do think these will be helpful for First Son, so I included some of them in his assignments. I have decided to use the online edition of Paradise Lost found at the Dartmouth College website, The John Milton Reading Room. I appreciate being able to click on words for additional information.

Our schedule takes more than twelve weeks, so we will have to move through The Song of Roland and Idylls of the King a little faster. I have a sense that Paradise Lost might be the most difficult of the three and therefore worth the additional time, but I haven't read any of these three epics so we'll have to see how it goes. Here's what we have scheduled for the second term of epics.

Week 1

1. The Life and Writings of John Milton Lecture 5: Paradise Lost--An Introduction - listen and narrate (Note: we skipped lectures 1-4)

2. Book 1 lines 1-399 - narrate.


Week 2

1. Book 1 lines 400-798 - narrate.

2. The Life and Writings of John Milton Lecture 6: Paradise Lost, Book 1 - listen and narrate


Week 3

1. Book 2 lines 1-527 - narrate.

2. Book 2 lines 528-1055 - narrate.


Week 4

1. The Life and Writings of John Milton Lecture 7: Paradise Lost, Book II - listen and narrate.

2. Book 3 lines 1-371 - narrate.


Week 5

1. Book 3 lines 372-742 - narrate.

2. The Life and Writings of John Milton Lecture 8: Paradise Lost, Book III - listen and narrate


Week 6

1. Book 4 lines 1-504 - narrate.

2. Book 4 lines 505-1015 - narrate.


Week 7

1. The Life and Writings of John Milton Lecture 9: Book IV—Theatrical Milton - listen and narrate

2. Book 5 lines 1-460 - narrate.


Week 8

1. Book 5 lines 461-907 - narrate.

2. Book 6 lines 1-445 - narrate.


Week 9

1. Book 6 lines 446-912 - narrate.

2. Book 7 lines 1-338 - narrate.


Week 10

1. Book 7 lines 339-640 - narrate.

2. Book 8 lines 1-337 - narrate.


Week 11

1. Book 8 lines 338-640 - narrate.

2. Book 9 lines 1-612 - narrate.


Week 12

1. Book 9 lines 613-1189 - narrate.

2. The Life and Writings of John Milton Lecture 10: Book IX—The Fall - listen and narrate


Week 13

1. Book 10 lines 1-590 - narrate.

2. Book 10 lines 591-1104 - narrate.


Week 14

1. Book 11 lines 1-452 - narrate.

2. Book 11 lines 453-901 - narrate.


Week 15

1. Book 12 lines 1-334 - narrate.

2. Book 12 lines 335-649 - narrate.


Week 16

1. The Life and Writings of John Milton Lecture 12: Milton's Living Influence - listen and narrate (Note: we skipped lecture 11)

2. Test on Paradise Lost (not yet written)



I purchased this audiobook. I have received nothing for this post which only shares my honest opinions. I did attend Dartmouth College but had nothing to do with the creation of the website devoted to John Milton. The links to Amazon are affiliate links.

Egypt in Stories: The History of Ancient Egypt

The History of Ancient Egypt

by Bob Brier

This is a fantastic series of 48 lectures, each one around thirty minutes long. Professor Brier starts with the earliest records of humans in the Nile delta and follows the Egyptian civilization up to the Roman conquest and the death of Cleopatra, focusing mainly on the elite and pharaohs.

The professor is not a Christian, but he has two fascinating lectures on the two most famous Hebrews of Egypt: Joseph and Moses. His treatment is refreshingly positive, showing how the people and civilization described in the Biblical narrative is, if nothing else, accurate as far as we can tell from archaeological evidence.

I do think he mistakenly attributes the "idea" of a single omnipotent God to Akhenaten. While Akhenaten did turn away from the hundreds of Egyptian deities, his devotion to One God was hidden by the priests of Egypt and did not contribute to the growth of the Hebrew religion following the time of Abraham.

I listened to this course because the three younger children will study ancient Egypt at the beginning of the school year (Connecting with History volume 1) while the oldest will study Africa in his geography course. I always enjoy expanding my own background knowledge even though it's not really necessary. After listening to a few lectures, I started to consider sharing the whole course with the kids. After a few more, I convinced myself it was just too much and would take us years to get through the whole thing. But by the end, I was swayed. It's really too excellent not to share, especially when Second Daughter is completely fascinated by ancient Egypt. So I think we will listen to them together while riding in the van. We may take breaks for other books if we're overwhelmed and it will certainly take more than the few weeks of the ancient Egypt unit, but it's worth it.

For those who are considering sharing it as well, you can use just some lectures. While they build on each other, each one can stand on its own. Please be aware the lectures are meant for adult or mature listeners so there are some off-hand comments that may be surprising for younger listeners, though mostly they'd probably be ignored or not understood.

There are two lectures that deserve special attention and probably a pre-listen. Lecture 17 (Queen Hatshepsut) refers to her intimate relationship with a man who was not her husband, including descriptions of graffiti depicting them together in...disreputable circumstances. Lecture 33 (The Decline of Dynasty XIX) describes Merneptah’s unusual method of counting the Libyans killed in a battle. Often they would cut off one of the hands, but in this case they might have wanted to prove they were fighting men. It's more than just a brief mention of the episode.

I purchased this audiobook, probably during one of the 2-for-1 sales that often include the Great Courses. I have received nothing in exchange for this honest review, but the link to Amazon above is an affiliate link.

Following Odysseus: The Odyssey

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald

As I mentioned in my post on The Iliad, First Son and I read this along with Elizabeth Vandiver's The Odyssey of Homer as part of his honors level ninth grade English course, expanded from the suggested epics in the Mater Amabilis™ beta high school plans available in the Facebook group.

I purchased this course during a sale last summer. I also managed to find an audiobook of the same translation as First Son's. I had considered letting First Son listen to it, but he seemed to be doing fine with just the book. Instead, I listened to it. The narrator read slowly, but it was a great way for me to keep up with the reading while folding laundry and washing dishes. One disadvantage of the audiobook is that I don't have any selections to copy into my commonplace book. You can tag places with the audiobook, but I'm usually not where I can tap the screen at the right time so I don't usually bother.

As with The Iliad, Vandiver's course provides a wealth of background and cultural context in addition to a richness in discussions of translations and themes. There are definitely mature themes in The Odyssey which are sometimes made more explicit in the lectures. As First Son is in high school, I didn't find it inappropriate, but I would not have listened to the lectures with our younger children.

The Schedule

Week 1
1 - Book 1
2 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 1
3 - Book 2

Week 2
1 - Book 3
2 - Book 4
3 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 2

Week 3
1 - Book 5
2 - Book 6
3 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 3

Week 4
1 - Book 7
2 - Book 8
3 - Book 9

Week 5
1 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 4
2 - Book 10
3 - Book 11 lines 1-375 (stop on p 187 after "there I also a time for sleep.")

Week 6
1 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 5
2 - Book 11 lines 375-end
3 - Book 12

Week 7
1 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 6
2 - Quiz on first 12 books and 6 lectures
3 - Book 13

Week 8
1 - Book 14
2 - Book 15
3 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 7

Week 9
1 - Book 16
2 - Book 17
3 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 8

Week 10
1 - Book 18
2 - Book 19
3 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 9

Week 11
1 - Book 20
2 - Book 21
3 - Book 22

Week 12
1 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 10
2 - Book 23
3 - Book 24

Week 13
1 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 11
2 - Great Courses: The Odyssey of Homer Lecture 12

3 - Quiz on the second half of the Odyssey

The Quizzes

Quiz 1

10 points each

1. What is xenia?
2. Where have you seen xenia practiced well in The Odyssey so far? How so?
3. Where have you seen xenia practiced poorly in The Odyssey so far? How so?
4. Describe what is happening on Ithaca as The Odyssey begins. Give three examples of ways the kingdom is suffering because of his absence.
5. Consider the implications of Odysseus’s refusal to accept Kalypso’s offer of immortality. What does this refusal imply about Odysseus’s view of what it means to be human, as compared to Achilles in The Illiad?
6. How do the songs of the bard of the Phaiakians, Demodokos, affect Odysseus?
7. Do you think Odyssus’s telling Polyphemos his name is an instance of reckless pride, or is he justified in doing so? Why so?
8. Compare and contrast Kalypso and Circe and the relationship between each of them and Odysseus.
9. What happens to all of Odysseus’s companions? Do you think Odysseus is responsible for their fates?
10. Give one example of Odysseus’s skill in rhetoric, in choosing his words and story to his audience.

Quiz 2

10 points each

1. How does Odysseus arrive back on Ithaka?
2. What disguise does Odysseus use on Ithaka? Describe how this disguise is perfect for his needs.
3. Who is Eumaios? How does he show Odysseus xenia?
4. Odysseus lies about who he is to Athena, and again to Eumaios. What do you make of his willingness to resort to lies as soon as he is back on Ithaka? Does it have any significance for our understanding of Odyssesus’s character in the first half of the Odyssey?
5. Describe the first meeting of Telemakhos and Odysseus in the swineherd’s hut. What happens after Eumaios leaves?
6. Describe the first meeting of Penelope and Odysseus.
7. Do you think Penelope knows this beggar is Odysseus? Use what you know of the text to defend your position.
8. How does Odysseus reveal himself to the suitors? What does he do to resolve the situation?
9. Describe the meeting between Penelope and Odysseus after the palace has been cleansed.
10. Did the Trojan War actually happen? Do you think it matters for our appreciation of The Iliad and The Odyssey? Defend your position. 

I received nothing for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. I purchased the Audible course and the audiobook, but The Odyssey was already on our bookshelf.

Understanding Achilles: The Iliad

The Iliad translated by Robert Fagles

The Mater Amabilis™ high school plans (currently available in beta version in the high school facebook group) proposes an ambitious series for Level 5 Year 1 (ninth grade) epics: The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid. To prepare myself to "teach" them, I ordered a few Great Courses by Elizabeth Vandiver from Audible including The Iliad of Homer. After listening to the first few lectures, I rearranged our schedule so First Son could listen to them as well.

The lectures provide background material and context for the book. A few at the beginning of the course covered general background material including the all-important Why should we continue to read and study the Greek classics?. In The Iliad of Homer, she explains and elaborates on the concepts of time (honor) and kleos (fame or glory). While I had never read The Iliad in its entirety, I was familiar with the story. Listening to the lectures gave me an understanding of Achilles and his actions that reframed the entire epic for me. (That's the lecture that convinced me First Son needed to listen as well.)

Dr. Vandiver also provides translation commentary that brings out the poetic allusions to the text that are missed when only reading it in translation. I appreciated how often she reiterated how much more there is to learn about the epics.

First Son loved listening to the lectures. While part of that love was because he was able to build with LEGOs while listening, he also found them fascinating in their own right and a relaxing break from the reading itself. I asked him to read or listen and narrate each lesson. He did a marvelous job narrating the lectures.

The supplemental materials (available as a PDF if you purchase the course from Audible) include an outline of each lecture, suggestions for further reading, and questions to consider. The outline and suggested questions were invaluable as I wrote quizzes for each epic, though many would not be appropriate if your student didn't also listen to the lectures.

First Son does not have access to my Audible account on his Kindle. I didn't want him wandering around with my smartphone which has access to the internet. We have a filter and I don't have any games on the phone, so mostly I was afraid it would be distracting. I use bluetooth earbuds when I'm listening to audiobooks but I didn't want to share them so we purchased these iJoy headphones for First Son and he leaves the phone on the counter. These are actually much nicer than mine and automatically connect to the phone. I had thought any of the kids could use them, but First Daughter (age 12) tells me they are a little uncomfortable for her because even at their smallest setting they are too big. First Son, being 15 and over six feet tall, doesn't have that problem.

I would assign First Son the books to read in The Iliad, then have him listen to the corresponding lecture. In order to make each lesson manageable, I scheduled Epics three times a week and assigned only one book or one lecture each lesson.

When combined with our study of one Shakespeare play each term, the course load for English earned an Honors designation. I think another option would be to read The Iliad and The Aeneid without the lectures, but include them for The Odyssey. Though the first two lecture series on The Iliad and The Odyssey are designed to go together, you would still get a lot of background material and richness from what I think is the most important book of the three.

A note on the translation for The Iliad: First Son and I read the Robert Fagles translation shown above because that is the one Kansas Dad had purchased for a college course. I can't remember which one Dr. Vandiver quotes from within the lectures, but it's not necessary to chose the same one.

The Schedule

Week 1
1 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 1
2 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 2
3 - Book 1

Week 2
1 - Book 2
2 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 3
3 - Book 3

Week 3
1 - Book 4
2 - Book 5
3 - Book 6

Week 4
1 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 4
2 - Book 7
3 - Book 8

Week 5
1 - Book 9
2 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 5
3 - Book 10

Week 6
1 - Book 11
2 - Book 12

3 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 6 (quiz next week)

Week 7

1 - quiz on first 12 books and 6 lectures

2 - Book 13

3 - Book 14

Week 8

1 - Book 15

2 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 7

3 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 8

Week 9

1 - Book 16

2 - Book 17

3 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 9

Week 10

1 - Book 18

2 - Book 19

3 - Book 20

Week 11

1 - Book 21

2 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 10

3 - Book 22

Week 12

1 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 11

2 - Book 23

3 - Book 24

Week 13

1 - Great Courses: The Iliad of Homer Lecture 12

2 - quiz on the second half of The Iliad and last six lectures

It takes a bit more than a term each to get through The Iliad and The Odyssey when incorporating the lectures, but The Aeneid is shorter so does not need an entire term.

The Quizzes

Quiz 1

10 points each

1. What do you know about Homer?
2. Define kleos (fame/glory) and timê (honor) as they were for the ancient Greeks.
3. Why are the Greeks besieging Troy?
4. Who is Agamemnon? Tell everything you know about him.
5. Why does Achilles initially recuse himself from battle?
6. Tell about the embassy to Achilles (who they are, what they say, how Achilles responds).
7. Who is Hector? Tell everything you know about him.

Quiz 2

1. How are the Homeric gods different from the modern Christian understanding of God? (12 points)
2. Describe how Patroclus convinces Achilles to let him rejoin the battle. What arguments does he make? (8 points)
3. Patroclus kills Sarpedon, the son of Zeus. How does what happens to his body prefigure the deaths of Patroclus and Hector? (What is the same about them?) (12 points)
4. What happens to Achilles when he learns of Patroclus’s death? (8 points)
5. Describe the new armor of Achilles. (8 points)
6. Contrast Achilles and Hector, describing at least two ways they are different from each other. (12 points)
7. Tell about the conference between Priam and Achilles. How does it come about? How do they behave and speak to each other? (8 points)
8. Pretend you are talking to a friend and want to convince him or her to read the Iliad. What would you say? Mention specific ideas or events from the poem. (12 points)

I received nothing for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. I purchased the Audible course and the headphones, but The Iliad was already on our bookshelf.

November and December 2018 Book Reports

Lots of reading, not lots of time at the computer when I can write about what I've read. Here's a quick look at November and December, not including all the school pre-reading I'm trying to juggle in between getting kids to their activities and appointments.

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.

Shakespeare for Everyone: How to Read and Understand Shakespeare

How to Read and Understand Shakespeare, one of the Great Courses audiobooks, with Professor Marc C. Conner

Over the past few years, I have been purposefully reading and studying Shakespeare, both as an aid to teaching my children and for my own personal enjoyment. We've been reading and memorizing using How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare (highly recommended) and I've read many plays directly using editions like Shakespeare Made Easy and No Fear Shakespeare. I listened to Peter Saccio's course, "William Shakespeare: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies," (mentioned here) and found it helpful.

My sixth grader and my ninth grader are both reading three plays each this year and I've read them all myself in preparation. (Realizing I never studied any Shakespeare in college, I decided to expose my children to as large a number of his plays as I can before they leave home just in case it's all they get.)

I picked up this course, How to Read and Understand Shakespeare, in order to continue my Shakespearean education, especially as my oldest started high school. Now that my children are older, I listen to audiobooks using bluetooth headphones while I'm washing dishes and folding laundry and they've practically changed my life. I love doing chores!

In this course, Professor Conner, explores the themes of twelve of Shakespeare's plays over a series of 24 lectures.

• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Romeo and Juliet
• Twelfth Night
• Richard II
• Henry IV, Part I
• Henry IV, Part II
• Henry V
• Macbeth
• Hamlet
• The Merchant of Venice
• Measure for Measure
• The Tempest

As he introduces each play, he teaches "tools" for understanding Shakespeare like the order characters are introduced or the contrasts between characters or places in the plays. These tools can be applied to many different plays and he showed connections between them I had not recognized before.

The PDF included with the audiobook contains all the tools and extensive notes on the lectures.

Despite the tools being introduced and explained in a particular order, I do think a student could listen to just the lectures on a particular play. Be aware that some of the lectures touch on mature themes. One of the Macbeth lectures in particular, if I remember correctly, touched on events in Othello I would not want my young children to hear.

Of all the books, plays, and lectures I've listened to in the past few years, this one was the most helpful. If I could recommend just one resource for a homeschooling mother hesitant to read and assign Shakespeare, this would be it. (Followed closely by How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, which you'll need once you've listened to this course and are looking for a place to begin.) One of the best aspects of this course is how it's focused not on the specialized Shakespearean student, but on showing how anyone can read and enjoy Shakespeare. Professor Conner wants to encourage everyone to read more Shakespeare and it shows in his lectures.

I would really like to assign this course to my high school student, but I think I may wait until junior or senior year, mostly because some of the mature content that is touched upon. There's nothing that's not also in the plays, but I don't intend to assign Othello (for example) for the same reason.

I purchased this course, probably during a 2-for-1 Great Courses sale, as a member of Audible. Links above are affiliate links. I did not receive anything for writing this honest review.

May 2018 Book Reports

World Peacemakers: Mahatma Gandhi by Michael Nicholson - link to my post. (library copy)

The Korean War (Snapshots in History) by Brian Fitzgerald - link to my post. (library copy)

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (and the Grisha trilogy) - link to my post. (gift copy of Shadow and Bone, library copies of the second and third books)

The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy - link to my post. (purchased used copy)

10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War by Philip Caputo - link to my post. (library copy)

The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski - This is the second book of the Witcher series and the third featuring him. It's politics and fantasy and ethics and mostly enjoyable, but contains an episode centered on the rape myth so, though I do intend to read the remaining books, I'm not going to recommend it. (library copy)

The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting - link to my post. (received from a member of PaperBackSwap.com)

1984 by George Orwell - I enjoyed revisiting this classic with the audiobook. It was more interesting for me after listening to the lecture on Winston in Heroes and Legends. I was able to place the story in context of post-World War II England much better than I had understood previously. (purchased on Audible)

Afghanistan (Global Hot Spots) by David Downing, September 11: Attack on America (Snapshots in History) by Andrew Langley, and The Arrival by Shaun Tan - link to my post. (all library copies)

Nino by Valenti Angelo - link to my post. (purchased used)

How Great Science Fiction Works by Gary K. Wolfe, one of The Great Courses - I thoroughly enjoyed these lectures on science fiction. It is a broad overview of the field. There's one lecture, for example, on science fiction and religion, but Kansas Dad co-teaches a science fiction and theology course that examines only Christianity in science fiction and lasts an entire semester. I recognized many of the authors, stories, and books mentioned, but also discovered many new ones. Hopefully I find some time to read some of them. (purchased on Audible with a credit)


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 Power of Silence by Robert Cardinal Sarah (December 2017) 
• In the Steps of the Master by H.V. Morton (February 2018) 
• History's Great Military Blunders and the Lessons they Teach from The Great Courses (February 2018, listening with the older two or three) 
• Ember Rising by S.D. Smith (March 2018, listening with the kids) 
• Know and Tell: The Art of Narration by Karen Glass (April 2018) - I've finished this but lent it out to first one and then another friend so I haven't written about it yet. To sum up: If you want to use narration in your homeschool, read this book. 
• The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge (April 2018, aloud to the children)
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Over the Moon by Frank Cottrell Boyce (May 2018, listening with Kansas Dad and the kids)
• Middlemarch by George Eliot (May 2018)
• Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe by Robert Matzen (May 2018)
• Beauty for Truth's Sake: On the Re-enchantment of Education by Stratford Caldecott (May 2018)

The italic print: 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.comare also affiliate links to their respective stores. Other links (like those to Bethlehem Books) are not affiliate links.

These reports are my honest opinions.

Literary Scaffolding: Heroes and Legends

Heroes and Legends: The Most Influential Characters of Literature

Professor Thomas A. Shippey

from The Great Courses

This is a series of 24 lectures, each about thirty minutes, that covers nearly all of Western literature in a quest for heroes that have stood the test of time. Nearly all of the characters were familiar to me already, at least nominally. I think the professor had to reach a little to include a few women as they didn't seem quite as "influential" to me. In later lectures, Professor Shippey described the characters and their stories as part of the basic understanding of our lives. For example, it's almost impossible to write a mystery story without incorporating some aspect of Sherlock Holmes because he has become the quintessential investigator for the modern mind.

The very first lecture is on Frodo Baggins and how a hobbit's type of understated heroism was a direct outcome of Tolkien's experiences in World War I, celebrating a kind of hero who does what is right even when alone or hidden.

I was also particularly interested in the lecture on Winston Smith from 1984 who is a kind of hero-opposite. I have read 1984 a few times, but I'm not sure I ever connected the story to the post-World War II world in which it was written.

Overall, this was a fascinating series of lectures and a convenient way to cover a great swatch of literature history. It brings together characters my children are encountering over the years in their education and prompted me to contemplate connections between them. I didn't agree with all of his conclusions. I heard other ideas on Cressida, for example, in a lecture series on Shakespeare, that I found more persuasive.

Though the lectures are in a series and build on each other a little over the course, it would be possible to listen to just one or more of the lectures. In fact, my husband happened to be preparing for a discussion on Dracula for one of his classes and we listened to that chapter together just for fun even though he hadn't listened to any of the others.

Here's a list of the heroes (with asterisks for those that are appropriate only for mature listeners):

1. Frodo Baggins
2. Odysseus
3. Aeneas
4. Guinevere *
5. The Wife of Bath * (very mature)
6. Cressida *
7. Beowulf
8. Thor
9. Robin Hood
10. Don Quixote
11. Robinson Crusoe
12. Elizabeth Bennet
13. Natty Bumppo and Woodrow Call
14. Uncle Tom
15. Huckleberry Finn
16. Sherlock Holmes
17. Dracula *
18. Mowgli
19. Celie *
20. Winston Smith
21. James Bond
22. Fairy-Tale Heroines
23. Lisbeth Salander *
24. Harry Potter

There's a PDF available to download with the purchase of the audiobook with notes from every chapter.  I've marked above the lectures I remember being particularly suited for mature listeners only, but it would be a good idea to at least preview the notes before listening with teens or younger listeners as many of these stories include themes of sexuality and violence. I don't intend to listen to any of them with my children but I found them interesting for my own education and enjoyment.

January 2018 Book Reports

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - I read this book many years ago, while in high school, and decided I didn't like Charles Dickens. Now I know better, having rediscovered Dickens and enjoying his books immensely. I thought it appropriate to return to this book to see if maturity improved it. It did, though it is not my favorite Dickens novel. It's quite long with most of the "action" taking place in just a few chapters near the end. It did give me a chance to ponder how education separates us from those we love, though Pip's separation begins not with education but with embarrassment and covetousness. One thing I don't like about the Audible books is how much more difficult it is than in print or even an e-book to mark passages. I tried with the bookmarking, but it's just not the same. So I don't have nice passages for a post or for my commonplace book. I did, however, get to listen to the book when I didn't have time to read it. (purchased Audible audiobook, though I think it's quite inexpensive if you have the Kindle version)

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, translated by H. T. Willetts - link to my post (purchased used copy)

The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries (The Great Courses) by Professor Neil deGrasse Tyson - I'm sure I picked this out during one of the many Great Courses sales Audible has. I listened to it recently when I wanted something short between novels. This course is six lectures of about thirty minutes each, during which the professor chats about mysteries of the universe particularly focused on quantum physics and astronomy. Though he wasn't always entirely respectful of a belief in God (or any higher power), the lectures themselves were interesting. I haven't had any real physics since high school, so much of the material was new to me. I learned more about quarks, anti-matter, and black holes than I knew before and was pleased. (purchased during an Audible sale)

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells - The actual science of Dr. Moreau is impossible, but the prospects for blending the human and the animal are more possible than ever with modern science. The tendency of scientists to continue along a line of inquiry without contemplating the consequences in a moral sense is also present. While the book is a kind of horror adventure story, the depictions of animals a little like humans and humans a little like animals hover in the thoughts much longer. (found on my shelves, maybe from a book sale?)

Hide the Children: A Story of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux by Brother Roberto, C.S.C. - link to my post (purchased new)

Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner - link to my post (received from a member at PaperBackSwap.com)

The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski - This is a fantasy book of short stories by a Polish author. It's for mature audiences and involves plenty of magic, but I thought it was fun. (library copy)

Report from Calabria by A Priest - link to my post (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
• The Power of Silence by Robert Cardinal Sarah (December 2017)
• Tremendous Trifles by G.K. Chesterton (December 2017)
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (January 2018), listening on my own
• To Light a Fire on the Earth by Robert Barron with John L. Allen Jr. (January 2018)
• The White Stag by Kate Seredy (January 2018)
• Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (January 2018)

The italic print: 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 also affiliate links to their respective stores. Other links (like those to Bethlehem Books) are not affiliate links.

These reports are my honest opinions.

How Explorers Created Our World: History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration

History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration (Great Courses)
by Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius

This is one of the Great Courses, a series of recorded lectures. In this course, Professor Liulevicius describes explorers from antiquity to modern times and our quest to land a man on the moon in the 1960s.

There are 24 lectures of about thirty minutes each, so a total of about twelve hours. Each lecture is presented as a story in rich language not without bits of humor. The lectures focus on explorers everyone knows like Marco Polo but also some less-well-known figures like Xuanzang (at least not as well-known in the United States) and Ida Pfeiffer. Here are some of the explorers included:

• Pythias the Greek
• St. Brendan
• Xuanzang
• Leif Eriksson
• Marco Polo and Sir John Mandeville
• Ibn Battuta
• Christopher Columbus 
• Magellan
• Conquistadors - This lecture mentions how Catholic missionaries in the Americas often struggled against those who enslaved and murdered indigenous populations in the Americas.
• Henry Hudson
• The Jesuits - There's only one sentence near the end of this lecture in which the professor indicates he doesn't subscribe to the faith of the Jesuits and (maybe) doesn't exactly approve of their evangelization efforts. Overall, this is a surprisingly favorable view of the Church and the Jesuits' efforts to protect and aid those they encountered on their missionary journeys.
• Captain Cook
• Alexander von Humboldt - The last five minutes of this lecture included a brief discussion of Humboldt's possible homosexuality. One of my daughter's asked a question about it, which I answered, and then we moved on. I don't think it added much to the lecture and you could easily just skip ahead a few sentences if you're prepared.
• Lewis and Clark
• Sir John Franklin
• Ida Pfeiffer
• Dr. Livingston and Mary Kingsley
• A few at the end looking at the exploring extreme environments: Arctic, Antarctic, ocean depths, and space

Some of these are nice introductions to the corresponding descriptions in A Book of Discovery, providing some modern context and framing. (A Book of Discovery is recommended at Mater Amabilis™ ™for Level 3.) Shackleton's ill-fated expedition to cross Antarctica is also included, which is described so vividly in Endurance in Level 4.

The professor also makes the voyages relevant - how these explorations changed the world and helped create the one we live in today.

I listened to this course along with my children without listening to it ahead of time. As I mentioned above, there were really just a few sentences I wish I could have avoided. Though they weren't always entirely excited by the lectures, they mostly enjoyed them. First Son even remembered stories of Maui from an early lecture months later when we saw Moana. I didn't, but he did.

This is an excellent choice if you have an extra Audible credit or if you come across one of the Great Courses sale when you can get two courses for one credit.

I purchased this course using a credit, which I had received as a paying member of Audible.com, an Amazon company. The links in this post are affiliate links, but the content is my honest opinion.