Strangers in the Forest by Carol Ryrie Brink. In preparation for a long trip out west, (my first time ever to California), I packed up some books to travel with me. Perhaps the highlight of my trip was a day ferrying across the bay from Fisherman’s Wharf to head to John Muir Woods. The redwoods… Read More Books I Finished with the Summer
My summer self-indulgence has been to read a good number of children’s books. This is a refreshing breather in my busy season and helps me keep my balance. I have read several novels by old and beloved author friends of mine, some gems of theirs I have not read before. Hilda van Stockum, of course,… Read More Summer Goody: The Bantry Bay Series
My summer diversion this year is to look for unread titles by some of my favorite children’s authors. I came to know Gary D. Schmidt three years ago and devoured The Wednesday Wars, Okay for Now, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, and Orbiting Jupiter in rapid succession, truly excited to read worthwhile young adult… Read More Summer Goody: Poetry for Young People, Robert Frost
Coriolanus by William Shakespeare. From the first scene, it is difficult not to make comparisons to today’s political climate. This play, if you are interested in the historical alignment for your children’s school studies, takes place in Rome’s days of the republic. If you are interested in it morally, it is a play about what… Read More Books Finished in May
The fuller life gets, or the older I get, the faster the years fly by, so incredibly I close the 2017 chapter so shortly after having lived 2016. Here are the books I completed in November and December. I am sorry I didn’t post November’s sooner but let the holiday season take precedent over publishing my… Read More End of Year Wrap-Up
Thanksgiving, of course, is always fitting, but in honor of our national celebration, we want to thank all our faithful readers for your ongoing support and encouragement. We also thank God for the gift of words, language, and books. Our lives would be unimaginably dreary and dull without them, our minds weak and dim, our… Read More Thanksgiving
Sometimes I feel a bit odd posting the books I’m reading, but the feedback I get keeps me continuing this ritual. The titles I offer are not necessarily my top recommendations for others, but simply an account of my own reading trails. I hope they encourage some readers in new or different directions. Till We… Read More October’s Harvest
When I began homeschooling, I of course knew that math was an unavoidable subject. I had some trepidation as my own relationship with math was less than delightful. Surely as a child I at first found numbers fun. There was a certain sense of excitement and gratification in putting bigger sums together and solving increasingly… Read More Why I hate to Teach Math
Can we ever say a book has reached the end? Do we ever really close the covers and surrender the time spent in the pages of a book to permanent forgetfulness? Perhaps, but even if one idea survives, something in any book we have spent time with, thought on, or enjoyed is woven into our… Read More Books Closed in September
Thanks to a lovely and long vacation, I was able to finish many books, begin others, and end the summer feeling refreshed. The books carry me through the busy times and are a relaxation in the leisure times. Though the common expression is, “I’m too busy to read,” and reading surely takes a commitment of… Read More End of Summer Reading