So far my little scheme to make a reading plan for each month has been working pretty good for me! (Granted I’m only two months into this but still…)
My February plans were to read:
- Running Away to Home for the Reading to Know February book club selection, blogged here
- The Core - written by the founder of Classical Conversations, a well known homeschool tutorial
Both of which I completed!
I also read:
- The Cheshire Cheese Cat by Carmen Deedy, recommended by Amy and thoroughly enjoyed
- The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, read aloud with the girls and blogged here
- The Magic Half by Annie Barrows (of Ivy & Bean
AND The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society fame), pre-read for N1 and it’s just okay.
- Ben and Me by Robert Lawson, read aloud with the girls and blogged here
- Seasons of a Mother’s Heart by Sally Clarkson, read quickly because I was enjoying it so much. Now I want to go back through it slooooowly and do the devotional thinkerly parts of the book.
That’s more than I have crammed into a month in a long time. (Eliminating Facebook and Twitter from daily reading DOES free up more hours in your day … who’d have thought it!?) : )
For March, I’ve got so many things that I’m itching to read that I’m a bit overwhelmed with my list. That’s a good problem to have, though. Up for this month I want to tackle:
- Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick – I started this last month, but didn’t finish.
- Beautiful Girlhood by Mabel Hale/Karen Andreola
- Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter (my book for the RtK bookclub that I’m leading in June)
- finish The Trumpet of the Swan with my girls and start a new read-aloud.
The Reading to Know bookclub is tackling Pilgrim’s Progress this month and I think I’m going to sit this one out. I actually found my copy yesterday and flipped through it, but I don’t think I have the mental fortitude for it right now … and I’m feeling the need to focus some of my reading time on some parenting issues that are stretching and testing me right now. (Nothing bad or unusual … just normal children stretching and growing and wearing this mama out). : )
I’ve also brought home a stack of books from the library to pre-read for N1 in anticipation of (gulp!) THIRD GRADE next year. These (and others) are in my book basket, but may or may not be tackled in the next thirty-one days. I make no promises!
- Strawberry Girl by Lois Lensky
- The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
- Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
- The Bears of Blue River by Charles Major
That sure seems like a lot for March, but I’m finding just having the plan helps, even if I don’t complete all the books. We’ll see what happens when I hopefully check back in at the end of next month!
I’m taking the opportunity to link up with What’s on Your Nightstand at 5 Minutes for Books today as well. It’s been a while since I have had my act together to join in with them. : )
Sounds great, Stephanie! I'm always inspired by your lists, not to mention your pre-reading for N1! (By the way, how'd you come up with that little stack of books?)
ReplyDeleteMost of these titles came from reading lists at Ambleside Online and Charlotte Mason Helps.
Deletehttp://amblesideonline.org/
http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/
They have lists by suggested grade and I gleaned lots of ideas from those books. : ) A favorite homeschooling blog (that’s not really a book or homeschooling blog) of mine is http://inthemidstofit.blogspot.com and if she raves about a book, I make a note.
That’s where these came from anyway! I’m always adding to my to-read lists – lots from your blog as well make it on there or on my Amazon wish list! : )
Great list! I've tried reading Robin Hood a couple of times but had a hard time getting into it - for such an awesome story with so many amazing movie and television adaptations, I found the book awfully dry.
ReplyDeleteGood to know! I'll keep that in mind if I end up fading out on it. :)
DeleteI can't wait to read Girl of the Limberlost! I'm glad you picked it! :)
ReplyDeleteYay! :)
DeleteI enjoyed Beautiful Girlhood and passed it on to my tween. The Little House series was great fun to read with my young son. We talked about living as they did. WOW! But many of your titles are new to me...will have to check that out! :)
ReplyDeleteI've been reading the Little House books too, and I want to start reading them with my boys before they pre-conceived notions that they're only for girls! By the way I see the Girl Who Chased the Moon on your stack and I really enjoyed that one. You have had some great reading!
ReplyDeleteYay! Glad for the recommendation on the Girl Who Chased the Moon. I've not read any of her books before and have wanted to for some time. : )
DeleteI've heard so many things about Clarkson but haven't read her yet, but I need to. My active parenting days are about over -- my youngest is a senior -- but in some senses you're always parenting. Plus sometimes younger moms want good resources and are more interested in what's being written these days rather than 30 years ago, so it is good to keep up with the newer books.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I am up to Pilgrim's Progress either.
I'm looking forward to Girl of the Limberlost -- I remember liking that as a child but I don't remember much about it.
I just zipped over to your review of The Long Winter and left a comment there.
Thanks for commenting (and inviting me to your linky party). : )
DeleteI have never read Girl of the Limberlost before but it’s been on my to-read for too long!
My kids absolutely loved The Little White Horse and Bright of the Grand Canyon! My daughter just read The Bears of the Blue River and really enjoyed that. A great list of books!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear that they were enjoyed! I can’t wait to dive into some of these. : )
DeleteI'm impressed by the pre-reading. I'd like to do more of that for my son, he reads so much and I'd like to be able to talk about more of it with him. I think that's a new goal for next year. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYour welcome - I've been trying to do that off and on, but I've renewed my commitment to prereading more, too. I don't want to miss out on the good books either. : )
DeleteI want to read The Strawberry Girl simply because the cover is red and that is visually appealing to me. (My indepth reasoning for choosing a book!)
ReplyDeleteYou did read a lot this past month. I was wondering what you had decided about Facebook!! It's weird getting off of it. I'm trying to untrain myself to think of status updates in my head that are the pre-requisite 540 characters. ;D (I've come up with some good ones in the last few weeks!)
Sitting out some months of the bookclub is perfectly acceptable and sometimes a very good idea. I picked up a copy of Pilgrim's Progress at the library and I already feel as if I'm going to have to find the Modern English version BUT I'm still looking forward to this one. The story excites me.
I think the color looks adorable as well. I totally get that. : )
DeleteYes, I've been off now for over a week and it's been a good thing. I'm not deleting it at this point - I occasionally need to get on there for church reasons, but not checking it daily? I like. I do miss twitter. I followed several blogs through there, and I'm guessing that I'm out of the loop, but I'll live!
Classical? Are you considering moving away from Charlotte Mason and more toward classical? I'm impressed by the amount of reading you accomplished last month! I think I read 1.5 books the whole month. sigh.
ReplyDelete