Reading Report :: March 2015

FLYING BY.

That was March. There really wasn't that much on the calendar this month - so many things being cancelled due to our crazy cold weather. Maybe it's just because the last week was so busy! We went to the Nashville Teach Them Diligently conference at the tail end of our spring break and it was such a wonderful time of encouragement. If there is one of these conferences anywhere near you, I highly, highly recommend it!



Now we are thick into soccer season and counting down the end of our CC year and school year. Only four more weeks of Classical Conversations to go and, at last tally, 48 days of school left for Shepherd Academy. Not that we have a countdown on our white board or anything. Ahem.

I seem to always be pleasantly surprised when I get to the end of a month and look back at the list of what I have read. I definitely got through more in March than I thought! Granted most of these books were very quick reads (a couple of them I was even able to tackle in an afternoon thanks to spring break and nice weather outside where kids could play).

• The Council of Mirrors (The Sisters Grimm book 9) by Michael Buckley This is the last book in the Sisters Grimm series. N2 is deep into this series and I decided I needed to read the last book before she beat me to it. I definitely lost steam near the end of this series.
• The Friendship Riddle by Megan Frazier Blakemore (started and didn't finish) I was so excited about this book but after the first couple chapters ended up setting it aside. I adored her first two books but this one introduced some social issues that I'm not ready to hand off to my girls in casual reading.
• The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery 3/5/2015 (read-aloud) We were all very sad to get to the end of this two book series based around the King family.
• Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater I read this as part of Amy's Newbery challenge as my book pick from the 1930s. A fun cute story that will probably pop up as a read-aloud for us down the road. I can totally see our boy loving this one.
• Somewhere Safe With Somebody Good by Jan Karon (reread) I'm really not sure why I picked this one off the shelf and reread it! But still, time in Mitford (in my opinion) is never wasted!
• The Practice of the Presence of God by A.W. Tozer (skimmed last 1/2-1/3) This was the book of the month for Carrie's bookclub and I staggered through this one. Man, is my brain out of the habit of reading something a little meatier. Note to self: read non-fiction (and older non-fiction) more often to stretch those lazy brain muscles.
• Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates (R/a) We read this as a tie in with our American history studies for this year on Amy's recommendation and it was wonderful! Such a beautiful story of a life well-lived in the face of great odds. I shared a quote that I loved here and have several others that I might come back and share if time permits.
• King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry My selection for this month's books in Amy's Newbery Challenge. I needed to read a book from the 1940s and having never read a Marguerite Henry book that seemed an obvious choice to me. (We have Misty of Chincoteague around here somewhere, but I've not read that one). I am now eager to read another of her books, and definitely putting her on our to-read-aloud list. 

What I'd like to get to in April:

• the 4th book in the Penderwicks series arrived today and I'm eager to dive into it, though I may have to race the 11 year old to get to it first.
• the 5th book in the Incorrigible Children series arrives later in the month. Also high on my list.
• a book for Amy's Newbery challenge from the 1950s. Right now I'm thinking of The Witch of Blackbird Pond (if I have read that one before, it's been YEARS), Theodore Roosevelt by Clara Ingram Judson, or one of another handful I have on a post-it in my planner to decide from. 
• 1984 by George Orwell is the book selection for Carrie's bookclub and it's on my kindle waiting for me.
• We also started The Green Ember as our next read-aloud. Excited to dive into this one with the kids!

I'm sure other books will crop up as well. : ) Happy reading!