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2013 Book List ReCap

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Our read alouds from last school year.

Our read alouds from last school year.

I haven’t posted anything here since January 2013, so it is only fitting I post something now.  First a recap of my 2013 books and maybe I’ll get motivated to post my booklist for 2014.  I also read some extras this year including getting back into the Tana French novels thanks to an impromptu ebook club with a college friend, discovering the Wilderking Trilogy for my kids by Jonathan Rogers (we just started it as a read aloud for 2014), and having way too much fun with my kindle app & the ebooks on our library site!  Here was my list from last year & some notes on what I read.  My comments are in italics.

For Spiritual/ Personal Development:

  • Gift from the Sea- Anne Morrow Lindburgh  A short book, but a classic on looking inward.  I really enjoyed it. 
  • Against the Tide: the Story of Watchman Nee- Angus Kinnear  Watchman Nee’s life is so inspiring and I have another one of his books on my 2014 list.  The part of his biography when he was in prison for over 20 years is so moving and reminds us of the persecution that occurs all the time to all faiths.  The middle of this book got slow, but it was worth finishing. 
  • Complete Money Management- Dave Ramsey (We’re in the middle of an FPU class).  As noted, we read this as part of an FPU class but it was a good reminder.  My family hasn’t mastered even half of his “baby steps” yet, but it has helped us set priorities for getting out of debt totally. 
  • Dug Down Deep- Joshua Harris  I started this, but couldn’t finish…it got a little preachy for me.
  • The Good Life for Less: Giving Your Family Great Meals, Good Times, and a Happy Home on a Budget- Amy Allen Clark  Again-started but couldn’t finish.  I might try again.  I think I just wasn’t in a timeframe to read when I got it out of the library. 
  • Cost of Discipleship- Dietrich Bonhoffer  Didn’t start, but still on my list!

For Homeschooling/Parenting:

  • The Lost Tools of Learning- Dorothy Sayers (this is really a long monograph rather than a book).  Oh so classic!  This was a speech given in 1943 and so many things are still true today. 
  • Last Child in the Woods- Richard Louv (this is a re-read, but I want to read it with friends)  I did read it with friends & reminded me of how important free, natural play is for a child’s development. 
  • The next 4 I didn’t get to read….maybe in 2014?
  • How to Talk so Your Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk- Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
  • Project-Based Homeschooling: Mentoring Self-Directed Learners -Lori McWilliam Pickert
  • Cleaning House: A Mom’s Twelve Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement- Kay Wills Wyma
  • History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade- Susan Wise Bauer

For Non-Profits:

  • The Secret of Teams-Mark Miller- I didn’t get to read…couldn’t find it in our library & I didn’t want to buy it.
  • Set of workbooks by the Muttart Foundation around non-profit management- So helpful and contained a lot of practical stuff.

For Fun:

  • Code Name Verity- Elizabeth Wein  So, so, so good!  I couldn’t put it down after about half way through and I’m a little ashamed to admit that in order to finish it I put on a movie for my kids, crawled back into bed, and emailed the friend who recommended it at 10am that morning with the words “It’s all your fault….Your fault I’m sobbing after this book, but in a good way.” 
  • Mother Tongue- Bill Bryson (one of my absolute favorite authors)  Funny and put into perspective for me why it has been so hard to teach my kids to read & write.  There are so many *&@#% exceptions in the English language! 
  • The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table-Sam Kean  Didn’t get to, but on the 2014 list!
  • French Kids Eat Everything-Karen Le Billon  I couldn’t get into this, but good stuff initially.  Maybe just the first 3 chapters are enough?
  • The Wingfeather Saga(4 books)- Andrew Peterson  Actually in 2013 only the first 3 books were out.  this was a great series for families to read aloud.  My kids are a little young, but I think next year it will be perfect!  Besides, with titles like “North…or be eaten” and characters like toothy cows it was a good fantasy romp with important lessons about family.  I can’t wait for #4.
  • A Place of My Own- Michael Pollan  I didn’t get to this one.
  • Endangered- Eliot Schrefer  This was so good, but for me.  If you are a tree-hugging, endangered species, daydreams of saving animals in Africa kind of person this is a wonderful tale of a girls adventure and the conflicts between people where animals are caught in the crossfire.

With the kids:  They loved Charlie & the Chocolate Factory & Mr. Popper’s Penguins, but we didn’t get to the Strawberry Girl.  However, we did start the Ramona & Henry Huggins books by Beverly Cleary and they really like those.

  • Charlie & the Chocolate Factory- Roland Dahl
  • Mr. Popper’s Penguins- Richard & Florence Atwater
  • Strawberry Girl -Lois Lenski

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