This Page

The Laws of Harmony by Judith Ryan Hendricks is a book about love, loss, strong women and friendship.  The story starts out with Sunny Cooper trying to force her boyfriend to level with her and tell her what has gone wrong with their relationship.  Something is wrong with them...money problems? another woman?  She's at a loss and he's not talking.

A tragic accident changes her life, and the story follows Sunny as she remakes her life, all while her childhood memories color and influence her feelings and choices.  You see, Sunny grew up on a hippie commune in New Mexico- and while she despised parts of her childhood, you can see that it also contributed to the caring and very strong woman she has become.

Her thoughts, memories and journey in this story are gripping.  I think she does what all of us sometimes long to do, step out and claim a full life in a new, beautiful place.  There is a bit of mystery in the story, a few big surprises, and a few possible love interests. I enjoyed how real the author made the people in this story, how real she made the places feel, and how authentic Sunny's experiences were.

The end was warm, full and satisfying...though I can be a bit simple and kind of like everything to be all tied up neat and happy at the end- I didn't exactly get that, but the author gave a satisfying nudge in that general direction.  I closed the book satisfied, happy and feeling warmed by this story of grace and strength. 

*like to read? You can join the challenge here

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

Katy Carter Wants a Hero by Ruth Saberton.  A very fun, British,chick-lit book.  Katy Carter is a school teacher secretly dreaming of finding true love and also secretly working on a steamy romance novel.  She thinks her life is on the fast-track finally, to happily ever after; engaged to the handsome hero of her dreams.  Problem, her fiance doesn't seem to like her much these days.  Katy is busy trying to please her fiance and squelch who she wants to be.  Her story takes a very decided turn after a very important dinner party she is supposed to host to impress her fiance's boss.  Problem: she is not a very good cook and not good at planning- enter her best guy friend to rescue her. Maybe.

This story had quite a few twists and turns, most of them very silly fun.  A few points were just out-and-out fantasy...but in a good way.  Yes, we would all love to bump into a gorgeous movie start and be asked to be his girlfriend for the tabloid's sake...not going to happen, really- but this book is so much fun that you sit back, watch it all unfold and enjoy the ride.

This book put a smile on my face, I couldn't put it down- wanting to see what crazy thing would happen next to Katy.  This one will go on my fav list.  Several adult situations, though pg I would say...and quite a bit adult language that would make it unsuitable for youngsters. 

You can join up with the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge here*

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

oy, I am so behind!  I've actually finished a few books, but haven't written the reviews for them yet :(

Week 7's book was a fun read:


Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon

This story is about Rachel, who all in a short span of time, lost her boyfriend, her job, her flat and inherited her late aunts' house.  She moves into the house, to sort out the will and see into selling it.  The house also comes with a dog rescue shelter that is not in the least profitable. 

Rachel's aunt had a way with dogs, and a special gift for matching up just the right dog with the right owner.  Rachel resents it a bit that the town assumes she will be the same.

Rachel is sorting out the house, her aunt's secrets, unraveling family miss-understandings and sorting out her messed-up love life.  We also meet some interesting people who become side-stories to Rachel's story.  In this small village, we meet the cute, single Dr.- the cute, rugged and single Vet, a struggling divorced mother dealing with a puppy her ex gives the kids, and Natalie and Johnny- young married couple longing to have a baby.  Of course, we have lovable and lonely dogs, too.

I really enjoyed this read, it was a bit deeper than a chick-lit novel and did not tie everything up into a tidy, perfect, slightly unbelievable package at the end.  Real life is not usually that tidy, and this book gives you a satisfying ending- but realistic and hopeful one, too.

A really good read, I recommend it!

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

I really enjoy fiction loosely patterned after a Jane Austen work. She is one of my very favorite authors, I think her stories were brilliant and timeless. I love a good story patterned after one of her books -or one that takes a book and continues the story. Mind you, I did say a "good" story. I have read some that were badly done.
Jane Austen in Scarsdale- or Love, Death, and the SATs by Paula Marantz Cohen is a Jane Austen re-telling: done well.

Anne Ehrlich is a quiet, well-liked high-school guidance counselor.  She is mild and kind, but her family life is a bit stressful.  Her father and sister are extravagant and are now deep into debt, Anne is faced with the task of persuading them to downsize.  Anne's old flame comes back into her life, now successful and with a fiancee.

This story, I'm sure you've guessed by my description- is a re-telling of Jane Austen's  "Persuasion" 

Anne has to work out selling her family home,  the old flame she once rejected come back into her life, her aging and loving grandmother,  the craziness that is college admissions time at her work...and perhaps a new love interest.  The story is very entertaining, full, and satisfyingly Jane-ish.  The story works out just as satisfying as Jane Austen would have wanted.

This was my second time reading this story, it was just as engaging as the first time.

 *you can join up with the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge here**

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

Balancing Acts by Zoe Fishman is about 4 old college friends who re-connect over yoga class.

Charlie has given up her high-powered Wall Street life to open a yoga studio, she is athletic, confident and pursuing a rewarding career that she loves- but she can't quite put a past hurt behind her.  Sabine and Bess are both writers, but stuck in the entry-level jobs they thought they would have long left behind for serious writing.  Naomi is a beautiful ex-model/photographer and a single mom.

These friends re-connect over yoga- a class Charlie offers hoping to boost her new studio, Bess joins up for less than admirable reasons and the others join up hoping yoga will help their stuck lives. 

Balancing Acts is a nice read about the positive power yoga can have on life.  Reading about these womens' deepening friendships and the changes in their personal and professional lives was enjoyable- the characters were all interesting enough to keep me reading and I liked the blend of friendship/empowerment/ and change.

A warm/fuzzy story that is positive and easy to relate to.  Makes you kind of want to get your yoga mat out too, a plus. :)

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

Ms.Taken Identity by Dan Begley is chick lit with a twist, the main character is a man and the book is written by a man.

Mitch Samuel is a young English college professor, working on his PhD and also on a deep, literary masterpiece that he cannot get published.  As the book progresses, he slowly realizes how pretentious and uppity he is, as are all the girlfriends he selects.  A sequence of hilarious man-tantrums leaves him face-to-face with a famous author of chick-lit.  While formulating the perfect uppity put-down, he somehow ends up telling her about his cousin who is trying to write a book in the chick-lit genre and the author offers to help sell it.  Mitch, thinking that trash/formula chick lit would be a slam-dunk project- tries to write one, and cannot.  His research into the female mind leads him into a different world, new friends he would have passed by before, new love- and a web of lies he must untangle.

This was a very fun read, a lighthearted look at life through a guy's eyes.  Mitch was very endearing, but also very dense at times.  It was satisfying to follow his adventures as he 'grows up' in some things. 


A fun read, I recommend it. :)


*you can join up with the 52 books in 52 weeks here

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

I have joined up with the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge. Here is my 3rd book...

Dune Road by Jane Green

Fiction, a fun read, but a tad deeper than chick lit.

This is the story of Kit, newly divorced mom of two- living in a town full of wall-street families.  Their coastal town of Highfield is close enough for the high-powered wall-street bankers to commute...leaving their beautiful mansions and families behind during the day, visiting/playing on weekends.  Kit was one of these banker's wives, till she decided her marriage was dead, and that she did not want the lifestyle anymore.

The beginning of the book follows Kit as she enjoys her new-found freedom, her comfortable down-scaling, and finding a dream job as an assistant to a famous writer.  We meet her friends, and get drawn into a bit of mystery...something you don't usually find in chick lit.  Kit struggles with missing her husband, realizing he is her best friend and the person she turns to for safety.  She gets thrown several family/friend complications, it keeps you guessing and hoping for a happy ending for her. 

It was a fun read, and made me thankful for my husband- my best friend and the person I turn to.

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- review:

I heard an intriguing talk-up of this book on the radio one day, the story of the author-convinced by a loved one to finally submit his story and then dying before it was released, never knowing what a huge hit it became...hooked me.  Also that it has been translated many times, is a best-seller and has already been made into a movie overseas- with plans to make a movie here in America- and it has sequels....sounds like a must-read. 

It's got action/adventure/mystery/intrigue/sex...not my usual genre, but every once in a while I enjoy such a book. 

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist- headed to a short jail stay for libel, is hired to solve a 40 year missing person mystery by the head of one of Sweden's wealthiest family.  40 years ago, at a family gathering on an island, a young niece disappeared- 40 years later, no body, no answers.  Her aging uncle wants peace before he dies.

Lisbeth Salander- the girl with the dragon tatto- petite, much younger looking than she is- the perfect victim..as her concerned boss thinks of her- is hired to help Blomkvist.  Lisbeth works for a security firm, as the book unfolds, it is revealed that everyone, including her boss, severely underestimates her abilities.  Lisbeth as a character is a mystery- but she has this underdog quality and you find yourself liking her. 


This book had disturbing story lines of abuse, bondage, torture, murder.  I read around these as best I could-trying to not lose too much of the story...any lesser of a book, I would have walked away- but even though I was repelled by some of the story content, I really liked the two main characters- and the mystery was irresistible.  This book was definitely a page-turner, very hard to put down. 

As the book was ending, I struggled with myself, trying to decide if I would continue with the series.  I truly liked the heroine, Lisbeth, and wanted to see what happens to her in other books..but I was wary of more disturbing content.  I was hopeful that the content was story-driven, and that perhaps the other books would take a different turn.  However, the end of the book provided a teaser excerpt from the next book, and it was, disappointingly, more bondage/abuse.  Decision made, I will not be reading any more of the series.

This book was very well written, likable characters, despicable villains..but pretty disturbing. 

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

I am joining up with the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge.  If you are interested, you can go to the
52 Books in 52 Weeks blog and link up.  You can join up at anytime.  I love to read, I usually have more than one book going at a time...but, there are times I read in spurts.  The challenge for me will be to finish a book every week and to then take the time to blog about it.

Here is my first book of the year:

Beyond the Rainbow Bridge: Nurturing our children from birth to seven
by Barbara Patterson and Pamela Bradley.




This book was recommended on several Waldorf homeschool blogs, I had looked at it a year or two ago, and did not order it because my kids are on the older end of things, my baby is 9. sob, sigh.
I tend to like a lot of bang for my book buck....

I ordered it this time, and found it pretty informative.  It explains a lot about Waldorf schooling, something of which I knew a little, but this book connected some dots for me. I was interested mostly in learning how to create gentle, rhythmic order for my kids day- this book was helpful with that. 


The chapter titled "Creative Discipline" was the most informative for me, the sub-chapters included;
*Clear Messages and Limited Choices, *Rhythm, *Imitation and Self-Discipline, *guidance.  I was pleasantly surprised to agree with and have used some of the disciplining philosophy in our own parenting.  We've always been kind of old-fashioned/no-nonsense as far as parenting- I have read and explored many of the more popular child-rearing books out there...and frankly, I don't gel so well with the ideas of reasoning with your toddler, etc....I was pleasantly surprised to read this Waldorf teacher's views on limited choices, something we practiced with our very young children.

All in all, I did enjoy this book and found much to ponder on.  I think anyone desiring a more gentle/creative atmosphere in their home would benefit from this book, as also would parents wanting to know more about Waldorf education and how it all works. 

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

Book Review: The Two Princesses of Bamarre
by Gail Carson Levine.

This is one of my favorite books, a real treat to give to a young teen reader. The Two Princesses of the kingdom Bamarre, Meryl and Addie are as different in personality as they are different in appearance. Meryl has always, even in childhood, been the brave, adventurous sister. She memorizes and acts out the great epic poem of her country and looks forward to the day she can set out to rid her country of monsters, dragons and illness. Addie is the timid sister, afraid of shadows, afraid of spiders, clinging to Meryl-her protector, fearful of the day her sister will leave her for adventure.

Meryl's favorite childhood game is acting out the Gray Death adventure, a mysterious illness that kills hundreds of people in Bamarre every year. A mystery about how to catch it, and uncurable, their mother died of the illness when they were small. In Meryl's favorite game, her sister Addie is stricken with the illness, and Meryl goes forth on adventure, returning just in time with the unkown cure.

When Addie is 16, the unthinkable happens, Meryl is struck by the Gray Death. Addie hopes her father, a cowardly King- will fulfill the prophecy; "When cowards found courage and rain fell over all Bamarre, the cure would be found"
When the king comes home very quickly from his quest, Addie realizes she must go out and attempt to save her sister.

What follows is a wonderful adventure, filled with peril, love, wickedly intelligent dragons and courage found. She has a bit of help from a sorcerer and some magic gifts her mother left; luck, determination, and deep abiding love for her sister to keep her feet on the adventure thrust upon her.

It is a beautiful story, filled with suspense, and not quite the ending you were expecting.
Not a bad ending, mind you- I would have thrown the book across the room for a bad ending...but it wasn't what I expected..which is good sometimes; formula endings are a bit too-easy, mostly.

For a story hard to put-down, and for a story to inspire your girl to be the hero in her own life, The Two Princesses of Bamarre will truly satisfy.

Labels: book review, reading basket

I wrote in an earlier post about audio books being one of my homeschool secret-weapons.
In this post, I would like to share one of our all-time favorite audio stories, A Coyote's in the House by Elmore Leonard.

Read superbly by Neil Patrick Harris- (really, I could go on and on about what a splendid job he did with this..) this is the story of Antwan, hip & wild Hollywood coyote- living the good life in the Hollywood hills, content to dine on left-overs scrounged outside movie-star homes, watching movies at the drive-in and through windows of homes, enjoying the wild/free life of living coyote.

Antwan is curious about the lives of domesticated dogs, and when he meets Buddy and is invited by Buddy to switch places with him, his curiosity gets the best of him, and he hilariously learns how to be dog. Antwan becomes the new family pet, sharing the house with Buddy and Miss Betty- a showdog. In return for lessons on being a dog, Antwan agrees to teach Buddy how to be wild and to introduce Buddy to Antwan's pack.

This story shines because of the fast and funny dialog between characters. It's wonderful on audio with the entertaining accents done by Neil Patrick Harris. Antwan calls Buddy "homes" and runs with a gang called the "wild diablos"- he exudes coolness. Buddy is the stern ex-dog star, Miss Betty the elegant, stuck-up show dog. The best character reading had to be Lola, the show cat Miss Betty talks Antwan into cat-napping, instead of eating...she is read as a valley-girl-talking aspiring actress, and it is just hilarious.

Antwan is accepted in the family as "our Timmy", Buddy becomes more depressed at being the over-the-hill dog star and Miss Betty comes up with a plan to cheer him up. The plot and adventures get all tangled up in good fun. All my kids, ages 7 up to 14 loved this book, they begged to continue listening everytime we got into the car.
-One warning, the *b word is used twice, in referring to a show dog- it's done in a technical, matter of fact way, not meant to be used as a bad word at all- but it might startle you if you don't know it's coming. My kids don't realize at all that it is used in a bad way, so it did not cause any comment with my bunch. -just a warning.

love this story, give it a 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Labels: book review, reading basket, secret weapon

Give this photo a name and win this picture book, "Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken" - click over *here to see my review of it.

I have 1 copy of this book to give away to the best entry as judged by Sky
Runner-up will win a $10 Barnes & Nobles card.

entries will be judged by Sky. Contest ends Friday November 6th, 9 P.M. Pacific time.

Labels: book review, contests, hens

A Stolen Life -by Jane Louise Curry is written for kids ages 10 to 14. It's a well-written historical novel with engaging characters, lots of action and some suspense.

Jamesina Mackenzie, lively, educated, living in her clan's highland homelands of Scotland is kidnapped by "spiriters' , taken on the ship Sparrowhawk to be sold as bond slave in America. The book takes you from the clan life of Scotland to an ocean crossing and then to southern plantation life, even to a Cherokee village. This pre-revolution story is historically accurate, giving readers a look at the indentured servant system as well as the slave trade. Jamesina's sorrow and helplessness as an unwilling indentured servant is profound, she is very likeable, resourceful and in the end- couragous. The very happy ending, with her surprise re-uniting with her brothers in a Scottish regiment is a little contrived, but it's the ending you really want, so it works.

A really good read for kids looking for a little bit of suspense, and the historical facts tucked in makes it a little bit educational, too. There are many subjects touched upon in this novel that would make for very good parent/child or group conversation.

Labels: book review

Where I'd Like To Be by Frances Dowell is written for ages 10-14. This is the story of 12 year old Maddie who lives in a children's home. The story is told in 1st person, beginning with the the appearance of the new girl, Murphy, who is exciting with an exotic past- someone Maddie is hopeful will be her new friend. Murphy tells Maddie right off that Murphy is not her real name, along with stories of traveling with her parents before they were killed in an accident. Maddie is intrigued with the new girl and wants to believe her wonderful stories, even though part of her knows she shouldn't.
Maddie, Murphy and several other unlikely friends with different backgrounds/ different stories come together to build a playhouse- a real life extension of the dream homes they each carry in their hearts.

This story was sweet, innocent and a really great introduction to some of life's hard truths...that some kids do not have families, some kids are abandoned, some kids have parents that cannot care for them, all these kids hide hurts and hopes in their hearts. This story is a gentle look into these hard truths, without being brutal- shows the shadows and hurts without bruising the soul.

Where I'd like to be is a worthwhile read for this age group, a good first step into more mature themes. I firmly believe that even though there is much evil and ugliness in this world, that we do not need to bury our young children in it at a young age. This book told an interesting story without ugliness, the characters range of emotions are believable and change as the story unfolds, and best of all, hope and friendship are woven throughout.

a good read, I enjoyed it and your children will enjoy it also.

Labels: book review

We are using Janice VanCleave's 201 Awesome, Magical, Bizarre & Incredible Experiments for our Classical Homeschool group. I have to give it 5 stars out of 5 stars. The experiments are simple, the ingredients are easy to gather and best of all, the directions are easy to follow. We have done maybe 8 or 9 experiments so far, and they have all worked the way they are supposed to, and they all captured the interest of the kids.

The explanations for each experiment and discussion on concepts are brief, to the point - important science concepts are in bold to catch your eye, such as "osmosis" ...you are then free to find more resources on the subject if you wish, to flesh it out, or to just leave it be...which is nice, too, sometimes.

So far, the favorite experiments were the shrinking and na**ked egg. Big wow factor with all the kids, and again, very easy to set up.

If you are looking for just a little bit of science to round out your school year, short but not overwhelming..not a full on science curriculum...this would fit the bill.

Labels: book review

I stumble upon The Awe-Manac a daily dose of wonder by Jill Badonsky at the bookstore, and I had to have it! It's a daily almanac of sorts, but each day it gives you creative quotes, thoughts to inspire you, and ideas to challenge you to act out in some creative way each day. It's got lovely illustrations, too. Love it!



Healthy cooking for your kids is bargained priced over at Barnes & Nobles. It's a hardback and has great photos and some really good sounding recipes.
The Dragon slippers by Jessica Day George -this series is much loved at our house. I've read the first one, it was everything a good fantasy tale for kids should be. Josie is reading book three right now.

Labels: book review, reading basket

Picture books about hens catch my eye, I have a soft-spot for that particular genre. This particular book, I took home with me. Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken is by Kate DiCamillo- the author of The tale of Despereux. It's a keeper, you have to take it home. To sum it up, Louise is a hen who longs for adventures and she has several in this book.
Chapter 1-Louise at sea...it says it all, really.

Here is an excerpt from the inside flap...

"She longed for adventure. So she left her home and ventured out into the wide world. The pleasures and perils she met proved plentiful:...Yet in the face of such daunting danger, our heroine...She was brave. She was fearless. She was feathered. She was a chicken. A not-so-chicken chicken. Her name? Louise."

Illustrations by Harry Bliss are a combination of comic and scenic..-wonderful.

Here are some of the quotable parts that just tickle me, and I quoth these often..as often as I can work them in...

"Louise stood alone on the deck of the ship and let the wind ruffle her feathers..."

and

"Her heart beat fast within her feathered breast." -that is my favorite quote, and it is repeated throughout the story, much to my delight...

..."And inside the henhouse, safe and warm, all the chickens slept the deep and dreamless and peaceful sleep of true adventurers."

sigh. Love it.

Labels: book review, hens, reading basket

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books printed.

The Rules:

1) Look at the list and put one * by those you have read.
2) Put a % by those you intend to read.
3) Put two ** by the books you LOVE.
4) Put # by the books you HATE.
5) Post.

**1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (love,love,love it, read it often!)
**2 The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
**3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
**4 Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling
%5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

**6 The Bible
*7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
#8 1984 - George Orwell (horrible, stinking ending, wanted to kick the book across the room, why couldn't he have left me with some kind of hope???)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (not very likely-saw the Golden Compass movie and was disturbed by it)
**10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
**11 Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (I've read several, but not all-I even had a huge "complete works of" book, including sonnets, but didn't read it all)
15 Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier (I liked the black and white movie..doesn't really count tho')
**16 The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
%20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
*22 The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald (didn't really like, it upset me)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (read parts of it and studied it in H.S. AP class, but that doesn't count as really reading it)
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams -
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh -
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (again studied it, but didn't read the whole thing)
#28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (depressing, I think it shouldn't be given to moody Jr. High students, why would you do that??)
*29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
%30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
*31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
**32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
**33 Chronicles of Narnia- C.S. Lewis
**34 Emma - Jane Austen
**35 Persuasion - Jane Austen (it's hard to pick a favorite of Jane Austen, but this is probably my favorite of 2)
**36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis -
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis de Bernières -
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
**40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne
*41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins -
**46 Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery (love the whole series, I re-read them every year or so, usually in the fall- it's a fall thing...)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
%49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
%51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
**52 Dune - Frank Herbert (I loved this book, captures the imagination-but the sequel was weird and I gave up on the series after that)
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
**54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
**57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (wonderful!!)
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
#61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (hated it...)
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
%65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
**68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding (a great read!! It is a re-telling of Pride & Prejudice, and hilarious!!)
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
*70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
*71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
**73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Émile Zola
%79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - A.S. Byatt
*81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
#83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker (a horrible, horrible, vile book. I was too young to realize I should just walk away from it. The book that convinced me to never read any of Oprah's book list ever again)
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
**85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
*87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
*89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle (the BBC series with Jeremy Brett is addicting)
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
*92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (read it in French!)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
**94 Watership Down - Richard Adams (Beautiful and intriguing, going to read it to my kids)
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
%97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
**98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare (my favorite Shakespeare play)
*99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
%100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I came up with 39...

Not too shabby. How did you do?

hat tip to Angelina at Permanent Things.

Labels: book review

Flipping through my Tapestry of Grace curriculum guide, I noticed that we would be coming up on The Odyssey in a few weeks. I am very much looking forward to this, and I already had planned on checking the library for The Adventures of Odysseus by Barefoot Books- to read with my 3 youngest students. If they didn't have it, I was going to purchase it, because it just looks beautiful. This week at the library I stumbled upon it and checked it out, what serendipity!

Demi-Sky pounced on it, curling up with it the other day- and he asked me to read to him the page about the sirens, wondering what the bird-like creatures with women's heads were.

I have to tell you that this book is a simplified re-telling of The Odyssey for children. I studied The Odyssey in a High School AP class, years ago- but frankly, we rarely had time to actually read the works we studied- I was lucky if we read one of the stories (I can't remember), most likely we outlined it and discussed major themes and literature types and importance.

I sat down with Demi, Sky was in the room listening, and read this aloud;

...."The shimmering song began. I begged my crew to change their course. I threatened them and cursed them but they were deaf to my pleas....

....As for me, I could see nothing. I could only hear a song so searingly beautiful I nearly lost all reason.

In the song I heard so many sounds: the beating of a swan's wings, the hiss and drag of the sea on sand, the moan of the wind as it blows across the broad face of the world, the rythm of the passage of the seasons, my wife singing-and all the sounds I heard were in harmony. For those few moments I heard the Song of the Spheres. Ever since then, all music has been clatter to me; the sound of a shield as it falls on a cobblestone floor."

I began to choke up, and I looked at Sky and said, "dang, if this is a simplified paraphrase, I have to read the real thing now!" (-I know, I'm profound and poetic, aren't I? Just keeping it real, bloggy friends...)

just wow.
go get this book! You can buy it at the Chinaberry catalog here* or from any other bookseller.
The illustrations are beautiful.

Labels: book review, homeschool, show and tell

Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson is a prequel to the beloved and classic Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.

Writing a sequel or prequel to a beloved book with a cult-like following can be a precarious undertaking. Followers of such books will have their own opinions on what the heroine would or would not do, how they would feel or react...we love and defend our favorite literature characters fiercely. I have read sequels good and bad to other classic books, most bad...a rare one or two well-done.

This book was well-done. The author approached the story as an answer to a question serious lovers of the Anne series must ponder...I know I have wondered this;
How can such a bright, hopeful, resilient child-with such a love and knowledge of poetry and big words-spring from such a dismal early life full of violence, drudgery and poverty. I've wondered myself how Anne would have received any schooling caring for Mrs. Hammond's eight children. (Including the famous "twins three time in succession"...) I've wondered how she could grow up sweet and full of love, did anyone love her as a baby or toddler? Who bothered about her when she was sick or sad? Who taught her big words and listened to her endless talking?

This book not only fills in the gaps of Anne's early life filled with work and want, but fills in her story in a truly satisfying and believable way. I think the author did a wonderful job and actually evokes some feeling of sympathy for the Thomas and Hammond families- something I did not expect to feel.

I think this book would be a great addition to your Anne library. A little different in flavor, after all, it was not written by Montgomery- but a very satisfying, likeable read. I plan to assign this book to my girls after they read the entire Anne series.

Labels: book review