Summer Reading

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. ~Francis Bacon

Every summer I like to revisit some of my old friends - Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte or Elizabeth Gaskell. This year it is Jane Austen. I just love her wit. I've recently read Emma and now I'm beginning Persuasion.

I'm also revisting some homeschooling books to stoke the fires again. Real Learning is my favorite. It is so practical and chock full of ideas from moms who have been there and done that. There is also a wonderful picture book list too.

I love books about books. Two new homeschooling books that I've read through earlier in the year, Maureen Witmann's For the Love of Literature and Cay Gibson's A Picture Perfect Childhood deserve another read through. This time, I'll be taking notes.

I'll be reading through some of Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series as well as The Advanced Montessori Method and Teaching Montessori in the Home: The School Years. These last three will be the ones that I have to "chew" and "digest" as I try to see how to implement these ideas in our home.

I've also have gotten involved with a Charlotte Mason Summer Study of three books: Education Is..., Laying Down the Rails and Hours in the Out-of-Doors: A Charlotte Mason Nature Study Handbook. I think these books will fill my need for learning.

Update on the 888 Challenge

I've changed some of the genres and titles around to fit my need to go down "rabbit trails." I like the idea of having a game plan for reading. Yet, I know that I need the freedom to explore other books. Of course, there are some books that I'm reading now that don't even fall into any of these categories.

1.) Jane Austen related Books

1. Jane Austen in Boca by Paula Marantz Cohen (April)

2. Jane Austen in Scarsdale by Paula Marantz Cohen (April)

3. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James (April)

2.) The First in a Series of Mystery Books

1. Fr. Brown Mysteries by Chesterton

2. Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mysteries by Carrie Bebris (March)

3. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Club by Alexander McCall Smith

4. Beatrix Potter Mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert

5. Jane Austen Mysteries by Stephanie Barron (March)

6. Brother Cadfael Mysteries by Ellis Peters (March)

7. Father Blackie Ryan Mysteries by Andrew Greeley

8. Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle

3.) Historical Fiction

1. O Pioneers by Willa Cather

2. The Fighting Ground by Avi (January)

3. My Brother Sam is Dead by Jame Collier (January)

4. Land of Goshen by Shirley Wietzel(February)

5. The Heaven Tree Trilogy by Edith Pargeter

6. The Agony and The Ecstasy by Irving Stone

7. Crispin : The Cross of Lead by Avi (February)

8. Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

4.) Fantasy

1. At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald (February)

2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (February)

3. Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia by C.S. Lewis (March)

4. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (March)

5. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (March)

6. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (May)

7. The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

8. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

5.)History

1. Scotland's History by H.E. Marshall (April)

2. Augustus Caesar's World: A Story of Ideas and Events from BC 44 to 14 AD by Genevieve Foster (February)

3. John Adams by David McCullough (May)

4. My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams by Abigail and John Adams (May)

5. Characters of the Reformation by Hillaire Belloc

6. William the Conquer by Hillaire Belloc

7. The Crusades by Hillaire Belloc

8. The Great Heresies by Hillaire Belloc

6.) Christian Oriented Books

1. The Inklings : C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and their friends by Humphrey Carpenter (February)

2. Gilbert Keith Chesterton by Maisie Ward (March)

3. Collected Works of St. John of the Cross vol. 1 by St. John of the Cross

4. Science of the Cross by Edith Stein

5. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (February)

6. The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald (February)

7. The Light Princess by George MacDonald (February)

8. Collected Works of Theresa of Avila vol.1 by St. Theresa of Avila

7.)Women Authors

1. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (February)

2. Hildegard of Bingen : The Woman of Her Age by Fiona Maddocks (February)

3. A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep by Rumer Godden (March)

4. Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset (January)

5. The Joy of the Snow by Elizabeth Goudge (February)

6. The Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer (January)

7. Dean’s Watch by Elizabeth Goudge (March)

8. Tiger Lillie by Lisa Samson (February)

8.) Hobby

1. Hillside landscaping by Hazel White

2. The All-in-one Garden : Grow Vegetables, Fruit, Gerbs and Flowers in the Same Space by Graham Rice (February)

3. The Backyard Berry Book : A Hands-on Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden by Stella Otto (February)

4. The 60-minute Flower Garden : Have A Yard Full of Dazzling Flowers in One Hour A Week by Ed Ball

5. 100 flowers and how they got their names by Diana Wells

6. Flowers, the angels' alphabet : the language and poetry of flowers with an American floral dictionary and twenty-eight literary calligraphy illustrations by Susan Loy

7. Mary's flowers : gardens, legends & meditations by Vincenzina Krymow

8. Fallscaping : extending your garden season into autumn by Nancy J. Ondra and Stephanie Cohen

6 Week Update

I've been enjoying the books immensely. Cranford made me smile at the simpleness of the ladies. I could see this as a Masterpiece Classic film.

I'm not a fantasy type of person. However, reading that George MacDonald's books were the inspiration behind C.S. Lewis' Narnia books was intriguing enough for me. At the Back of the North Wind was a surprise for me. I did find the first few chapters hard to get into. I'm glad I stuck it out. I now see why so many others like it.

The Fighting Ground and My Brother Sam is Dead both presented a different view of the American Revolution. These were short reads but they didn't rank there as worth reading again.

Kristin Lavransdatter was a very long book but worth reading all the way through. There were many sad parts throughout the book but it is something that I would read again.

The Fighting Ground by Avi (January)
My Brother Sam is Dead by Jame Collier (January)
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald (February)
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (February)
The Light Princess by George MacDonald (February)
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (February)
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset (January)
The Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer (January)

My Lofty 2008 Reading Book List

I'm going to do the 888 Challenge this year. Here are the rules if you are interested in joining in.

Sitting down to come up with 8 categories and 8 books for each category was fun. It helped me to organize all the books that were rambling around in my mind.

Humor
1. James Thurber
2. P.G. Wodehouse
3. Peter Mayle
4. James Herriot
5. E.F. Benson
6. Edmund Love
7. Robert Benchley
8. Clarence Daly
9. Thyra Bjorn*
10. Frank and Ernestine Gilbreth*

The First in a Series of Mystery Books
1. Fr. Brown Mysteries by Chesterton
2. Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mysteries by Carrie Bebris
3. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Club by Alexander McCall Smith
4. Beatrix Potter Mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert
5. Jane Austen Mysteries by Stephanie Barron
6. Brother Cadfael Mysteries by Ellis Peters
7. Father Blackie Ryan Mysteries by Andrew Greeley
8. Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle

Historical Fiction
1. O Pioneers by Willa Cather
2. The Fighting Ground by Avi
3. My Brother Sam is Dead by Jame Collier
4. Land of Goshen by Shirley Wietzel
5. The Heaven Tree Trilogy by Edith Pargeter
6. The Agony and The Ecstasy by Irving Stone
7. Crispin : The Cross of Lead by Avi
8. Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes


Fantasy
1. At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
2. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
3. The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald
4. The Light Princess by George MacDonald
5. Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
6. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
7. Watership Down by Richard Adams
8. Redwall by Brian Jacques

5.) History
1. Phillip II by William Walsh
2. Augustus Caesar's World: A Story of Ideas and Events from BC 44 to 14 AD by Geneiveve Foster
3. Characters of the Inquisiton by William Walsh
4. Christ the King, Lord of History by Anne Carroll
5. Characters of the Reformation by Hillaire Belloc
6. William the Conquer by Hillaire Belloc
7. The Crusades by Hillaire Belloc
8. The Great Heresies by Hillaire Belloc

6.) Books on Catholics
1. The Inklings : C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and their friends by Humphrey Carpenter
2. Gilbert Keith Chesterton by Maisie Ward
3. Hildegard of Bingen : The Woman of Her Age by Fiona Maddocks
4. A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep by Rumer Godden
5. Isabella by William Walsh
6. Collected Works of Theresa of Avila vol.1 by St. Theresa of Avila
7. Collected Works of St. John of the Cross vol. 1 by St. John of the Cross
8. Science of the Cross by Edith Stein

7.)Women Authors
1. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
2. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
3. From Childhood to Adolescence by Maria Montessori
4. Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
5. The Joy of the Snow by Elizabeth Goudge
6. The Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer
7. Dean’s Watch by Elizabeth Goudge
8. Tiger Lillie by Lisa Samson

8.) Hobby
1. Hillside landscaping by Hazel White
2. The All-in-one Garden : Grow Vegetables, Fruit, Gerbs and Flowers in the Same Space by Graham Rice
3. The Backyard Berry Book : A Hands-on Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden by Stella Otto
4. The 60-minute Flower Garden : Have A Yard Full of Dazzling Flowers in One Hour A Week by Ed Ball
5. 100 flowers and how they got their names by Diana Wells
6. Flowers, the angels' alphabet : the language and poetry of flowers with an American floral dictionary and twenty-eight literary calligraphy illustrations by Susan Loy
7. Mary's flowers : gardens, legends & meditations by Vincenzina Krymow
8. Fallscaping : extending your garden season into autumn by Nancy J. Ondra and Stephanie Cohen

* In case my library doesn’t have some of these authors, I've had a few more to my list.