Prior to this year, an occasional glance at other people's "What I've Been Reading" blog posts kind of depressed me, as did hearing friends here and there mention a book or book club discussion. Even though I am an avid reader and always in the middle of at least a dozen books easy, I noticed that most books on people's reading lists were ones I'd never even heard of, let alone read. I wondered when and how other moms (especially other homeschooling moms) read so much of "those types" of books, and if maybe I was missing something.
As a homeschooling mom, I am always reading. I read aloud to my children from all sorts of books all the time; I preview some fiction to see if it's what I want to incorporate into our studies; I read masses of nonfiction to either refresh or add to my knowledge base, and also either as a preview for assigned reading for the kids or as material to share in a discussion. I carry a bag of books with me everywhere I go in case there is some waiting/down time that I don't want to waste. And this is just the books--I read newspapers and websites galore, too! But any fiction I read is mostly considered juvenile/youth fiction, or it's a classic often read by youth or on a high school recommended reading list, etc. Where once I used to read John Grisham and Frances Parkinson Keyes, I now tend to read a lot more of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Frances Hodgson Burnett.
So, I've given all this some thought and come to some determinations. First, for the most part, I'm not interested in much of the adult fiction out there. At least, I'm not interested in most modern adult fiction. It's fluff. Life is short and there are so many good books; I can't possibly read everything so I need to choose wisely. There are many, many classics I have not read, and I'd like to get those under my belt. I'm not against fiction at all, but I want to read solid, life-changing books. I want what I read to uplift me, inspire me, make me change for the better. I hear some women say that the books they read are their "guilty pleasures." Um, no, thanks.
Second, there is a lot of really good youth fiction. I like to discuss books with my kids, but I can't if I'm not reading what they're reading. And if I consider a book worthwhile for my child to read, to shape and mold him, then it's worthwhile for me to read as well for my own molding and shaping. Being an adult doesn't mean that I'm done changing and growing, nor does it mean that books intended for a younger audience are beneath me. So if for the time being I don't read as many "grown up" books as I have in times past (or will in times future) it's okay.
Third, it isn't that other moms have more time to read--we all have the same 24 hours in a day. I could sit and read books all day if I wanted, but that would be irresponsible. My point is that if I want to spend more time reading books, I have to spend less time doing something else, so I need to determine where I truly need and want to spend those 24 hours and be content.
Keeping all this in mind, I've made some changes this year. First, I've never kept track of the books I read. I read and read, but have nothing to quantify or show for it. I decided to keep a list of all the books I read this year so I can see how much I read. Now, I'm not listing the picture books or magazines or scriptures, or even the smaller nonfiction books of which I read many. I'm only keeping track of novels, chapter books, or larger nonfiction works. Next, I'm tackling some bucket list books--those books I've always wondered or heard about and intended to read. I won't get to every one of them, but consciously choosing to read some of them this year and then doing it has already made me feel really good about myself and how I spend my time. Lastly, I'm walking away from my computer earlier in the evening and spending more of that time curled up with a book before bedtime. Not only is this helping me accomplish more of what I want (because, let's face it, no matter how innocently or purposely I start out, the internet literally sucks vast quantities of time into a deep, dark, black hole) but it's also helping me sleep a little better.
So, with that lengthy introduction, let me share the books I have read cover to cover from January 1, 2016 until today.
Abigail Adams, The President's Lady by Regina Kelly--There are many biographies out there about dear, amazing Abigail Adams and I'd like to read more of them. This is an older book from the library that my daughter and I read. It tells more about her life as a girl. She was always remarkable and different.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle--Movies of Sherlock Holmes have gotten my kids interested in the character and we needed to read a different literary genre, so as part of our literature studies we read this book and a few of the Holmes short stories. It was interesting to learn that Doyle got sick of Holmes and didn't want to write about him anymore despite his popularity. The Hound is a comeback novel after an 8-year public outcry raged against Doyle killing Holmes off in a previous story. It's also interesting to see if as a reader you are as smart and/or observant as Holmes. Fun fact: The Guiness Book of World Records lists Sherlock Holmes as the "most portrayed movie character" in history.
Alone Yet Not Alone by Tracey Leininger Craven--I didn't love the way this was written, but the message of this book is powerful. As a parent I sometimes wonder how much of what I teach or how much of what we do in our home will stick with my children. This true story of two sisters who are taken captive by Indians and then separated for years shows how meaningful and powerful gospel teachings and even a single hymn can be to give hope, courage, faith, and guidance to our children. In fact, it is a hymn sung often by the family prior to the Indian attack that enables the family to find the last missing sister. .
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee--This was a bucket list book. I'm not sure how I managed to live over four decades on this planet before reading this book, but I did. It's even been on my shelf waiting for me for at least eight years! I LOVED this book! Full of rights and wrongs, a myriad of neighbors and their personalities and insight into how we should treat people, a good father as an example, and even some fantastic commentary on education...there is so much to think about and process that I need to read it again, and I will, with my kids, because this is a MUST READ.
A Separate Peace by John Knowles--I've been trying to put together a reading list for my high school-aged kids. This was a book I had to read in one of my high school English classes. I revisited this book because while I could remember the A+ essay I wrote following the reading of this book, I couldn't remember the book itself--just a vague melancholy relating to it. I certainly had remembered the mood correctly. While I am not sorry that I reread this book (there were some things in it that were good for me for personal introspection) it's not one that I'm putting on a reading list. The story of the recollections of a young man from his pre-war boarding school years, and mostly of his regretful actions, it's just not uplifting or inspiring.
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck--It's incredible to me that one of my favorite books--this one--is a hotly contested book that's been controversially protested by parents and placed on a banned book list. I get it--the talk and descriptions of animal husbandry aren't what you'd call G-rated, the description of butchering a pig isn't pleasant in any way, and there are also some adult situations and conversations pertaining to adultery. This is NOT a book for children and had I read it as a child I probably wouldn't have like it. But this book changed me in deep places from the first time I read it--as an adult. This was my THIRD reading, trying to determine if I wanted my 18-year-old to read it. (I still haven't decided but am currently leaning toward...yes...but still hesitating.) This book passed all my tests for a "best book:" it made me laugh out loud, it made me think and want to change some things about myself, and it made me cry so hard I couldn't breathe. I love the authentic Shaker talk, I love the lessons learned (and hate them, because life is just hard), and I just really love this book.
The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman--This book, and it's sequel below, are by no means excellent literature in the classical sense. Still, they served their purpose well as I read them aloud during our studies of presidential elections and U.S. government. Not only did they demonstrate many of the ins and outs, ups and downs, rights and wrongs of politics, elections, and being the President of the United States, they did it in a way that wasn't stiff and stuffy--the story was interesting and the kid's experiences made us laugh, even if we didn't agree with everything he did or didn't do.
The Kid Who Became President by Dan Gutman--See above. These books were good for kick-starting discussions.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque--Before rated R war movies there was this--"the greatest war novel of all time." If you want to experience the horrors of war in detail, this book is for you. That's not why I read it. I really didn't know what I was getting into. For the longest time I was somehow under the impression that this was a book about the Civil War. (I never have known much about World War I. That is going to change!) This book was another on my bucket reading list, probably just for the fact that I've heard the title mentioned many times throughout my life, and I was wondering about it for the high school reading list. The jury is still out on whether I'll recommend this for my oldest kids, but I am glad I read it. I was sucked into it pretty quickly just for the fact that it was written in present tense from the perspective of a young German soldier--the "enemy," who was the same age as my sons are now, and not at all unlike them.
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater--I remember being charmed by this book as a second grader when my teacher read it aloud to our class. I know I read it to my older children when they were younger. We revisited it for the sake of discussion after I read Deconstructing Penguins (see below) and as it coincided with our geography studies of Antarctica. I didn't enjoy the book this time and was even bugged by the improbability of it all. (Being broke with no income and giving up your fridge to a penguin? Purchasing an ice machine and turning your basement into a winter wonderland?) I suppose I was feeling extra realistic during those days.
A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole--Wanting to introduce my younger children to John James Audubon, I was excited to find what looked like a charming work of youth fiction that incorporated a particular time in Audubon's career. The cover promises "a story about art, inspiration, and the meaning of home;" I felt let down after reading the book. The story is told from the perspective of a mouse living on the estate of a home Audubon stayed at for a while as he searched for more bird species to paint. The mouse has a series of troubles and upsets but becomes friends with Audubon's assistant. I suppose finding out the irony that Audubon killed his subjects in order to pose them as he liked, looking alive and in motion, may have had a lot to do with my disappointment, but this book just didn't live up to my expectations. I found only one truly likable character: the osprey, Lafayette.
Grammar Land by M.L. Nesbitt--This is a fun and delightful way to look at and understand grammar through the reading of a story. The Parts-of-Speech in Grammar-land have been arguing with each other and it is up to Judge Grammar, Serjeant Parsing, and Dr. Syntax to sort everything all out so the children in Schoolroom-shire, who will grow up to be the people of Matter-of-fact-land, will know how to use Parts-of-Speech correctly so there will be peace among them.
You can download this book for free here.
Deconstructing Penguins by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone--This book has come highly recommended by other homeschooling moms. In the last year I borrowed it from the library TWICE, and read the first half twice. I finally just bought my own copy (because I wanted to mark it up) and finished it. I am about to go back through it with highlighters and pens. This is a must read for all homeschooling parents and/or adults who like to read and discuss books.
