It’s been a long time since the last 52 books in 52 weeks post. In those weeks, I’ve read a lot, partially to rest after busy harvesting activities, and I’ve also written some reviews.
32. Still House Pondby Jan Watson, adult fiction that graphically portrays the power of the written word.
33. Beyond Opinion edited by Ravi Zacharias, recommended to every Christian.
34. Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado, inspiring but with some issues.
35. When ill one day, I breezed through How to Declutter your Life in One Week by Erin Rooney Doland. While there’s certainly much more work than anyone can do in a week, this is a very practical book. Since decluttering is a constant challenge in a house with 5 kids, lots of books, and lots of hobbies, I’ve read a lot about it. This book contains some neat hints and tips that clearly show the author went through a massive transformation herself, from packrat to organizer. Here are some that struck me: why you need a shredder for sensitive papers, how to manage paperwork and set up a filing system, how to organize your digital files so you can find them again, what’s the difference between 200 and 400 thread count bed sheets, and more about emails, fridges, pantries, recipes, and hobbies.
36. Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe by Todd Wilson, a lighthearted look at a serious subject. This would be a great gift for homeschooling moms on your Christmas list. I’m planning to review it soon.
37. Uncle Sam’s Plantation by Star Parker, a fascinating look at how big government aid policies actually hurt the poor people they are intended to help.
38. Scout: The Haunted Castle. I reviewed the entire Scout youth adventure series at once. What a wonderful collection of books!
39. Scout: The Sailing Sleuths
41. Of Courage Undaunted: Across the Continent with Lewis and Clark, by James Daugherty, which I read aloud to the children. What a journey that was! Even though it is strictly non-fiction, this was a fascinating book for all of us. It went very well with the Treasures of America’s National Parks, a DVD series.
42. Scout: The Treasure of Rodensteyn Castle
45. Scout: The Secret of the Swamp or Snuf de Hond in the original Dutch, which was the book Mr. 15 and I were reading aloud.
46. Christmas at Harrington’s by Melody Carlson, a pleasant, optimistic story about justice and hope. I plan to review this soon.
Current books:
Gilead by Marilyn Robinson. Real literature with a Christian attitude.
Prince and Heretic: A Novel on William the Silent, Prince of Orange Nassau, Vol. 1 by Marjorie Bowen. An old historical novel, more history than novel, that has recently been reprinted.
The One Year Book of Encouragement by Harold Myra
Read Alouds:
History: We are waiting for The Magna Charta by Daugherty to arrive by interlibrary loan.
Fiction: The Good Master by Kate Seredy. I read this book to the older children before, but when I started it for the Little Misses, everyone settled in to listen. We all love this book.
The Story Bible for Older Children by Anne de Vries. At one story a day, this is going slowly, but it is very good.
The children and I are also reading Dutch books together, as mentioned in another post, but during harvest time we don’t spend much time doing that.
Homeschool Preparation:
Advanced Chemistry in Creation, Second Edition by Jay Wile. This is, obviously, a serious, heavy read, but very interesting. I will be reviewing this new edition.
French Three Years, a grade 11 French text from AMSCO. I’m skimming through this because tests are not included with it, so I need to make them myself. Sigh!
Contact Canada, Third Edition, the current edition of a popular grade 9 Canadian geography text. I need to finish skimming through it to co-ordinate it with The Homeworks Study Guide, a Christian study guide for the second edition that we have used in the past.
So, in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge, I’ve finished 46 books by week 40. That sounds impressive, but don’t forget that some of these are not adult books.
I’ve met Todd Wilson a couple of times, and heard him speak. DD bought all of his homeschool cartoon books. They are pretty funny.