A few of the stack
Well if the last few months were a bit...ahem...slow, this was where everything came together! I finished a ton of titles I was in the middle, and started and finished quite a few, as well.
*Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - Again, I will read everything RR writes (....except have little interest in the fanfic that's actually a spin-off of this title) because it's like candy to me. A little bit of a romantic interest, Gilmore-esque humor, and setting that I know intimately (this one was on my university's campus! and MY COLLEGE BUILDING!) always make these books so enjoyable. I think I have one left, Landline, in her collection that I haven't read it. I get that the nostalgic place levels these up in my eyes, but I think anyone who wants a smart and funny beach reach would really enjoy these, especially Attachments.
*Quarrels by Eve Joseph - I know I read this book of poetry in November, but...(so sorry!) I can't really remember anything specific. I read poetry once in a blue moon, and often the book as a whole doesn't usually give me a tangible memory to hold on to outside of "I liked it" or "Not for me". Thankfully, this was a like.
*Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes - This was a book I heard about via the Simple podcast with Tsh Oxenreider. I can't remember the comment that made me want to read this, but I thought the research was very interesting. This is a book that is about 10 years old, before everyone knew about the term "keto" (or at least, everyone who wasn't looking into Atkins or too young to know about it). After two years of disappointments with my weight loss with WW, I'm considering doing keto for awhile to get my body re-calibrated. Through reading this book, I think I've found my issue: possible insulin resistance, or (as I had guessed years ago) some sort of hormonal issue. I exercise a lot, I sleep well and (mostly) long, and aside from the usual stresses of life, I eat pretty well--gluten-free even! I'm hoping the knowledge I gained in this book helps me when I'm day 4 come January.
*Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcy - This might be one of the best books I've read in 2019. It is a bit academic, and quite heavy content-wise, but so important for our culture that is both seeped in fake news and dripping with both body shaming, positivity, transformations, etc. It's a confusing time to sift through the cultural milieu but Pearcy does it with an expert hand. She's a philosopher at heart and that really does shine through her writing. I learned so much (personhood theory, mind/body breaks in value + fact, etc.) and though I felt her personal anecdotes to be a bit shoved-in at times, this did not tamper my final rating of 5 stars. Excellent. (You will either LOVE or HATE this book. Be warned.)
*Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo - Sigh. Another Kate DiCamillo book in the Raymie, Louisiana trilogy. This one didn't disappoint either, and DiCamillo has an almost uncanny way of keeping the simplest story intact with minimal description and filler. She is just a master at story-telling. I'd read her take on the phone book. This was one just as satisfying as the last two, and I look forward to what she makes next!
*John Milton: Classical Learning and the Progress of Virtue by Grant Horner - As I've recently started working at Classical Education Books, I've begun to see books in the Classical world that I never knew about, and these Giants of the History of Education series, by Classical Academic Press, are in that category. I read Plato's last year, and thoroughly enjoyed learning more about John Milton and read through his treatise on education in this one. Next is the music book, followed by the Liberal Arts Tradition, before moving on to the next...there are so many to choose from!
Read Alouds with Kids
*Heidi by Joanna Spyri - The 1993 Disney film version of Heidi was my only recollection of this classic tale, but I have been so pleased with the three books I've read aloud to the kids on our Switzerland "tour" this Fall. Heidi was the last, and it was the cream of the crop. I had no idea how beautiful this story was in it's original form, and both kids really loved this story of the young whippersnapper who livens up every scene she enters with both playfulness and joy. Heidi, a young orphan, is delivered to her grouchy grandpa who lives up in the Swiss Alps ("Uncle Alp" as he rarely comes down to the town), and who she softens into love and the gospel using her child-like faith, enriching her neighbors' lives, and even a young girl living in Frankfurt, Germany, by being her companion and chief mischief-maker. Strongly recommend you read this to your kids before they leave the nest! You won't regret the time spent with this one.
*Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - Again, I will read everything RR writes (....except have little interest in the fanfic that's actually a spin-off of this title) because it's like candy to me. A little bit of a romantic interest, Gilmore-esque humor, and setting that I know intimately (this one was on my university's campus! and MY COLLEGE BUILDING!) always make these books so enjoyable. I think I have one left, Landline, in her collection that I haven't read it. I get that the nostalgic place levels these up in my eyes, but I think anyone who wants a smart and funny beach reach would really enjoy these, especially Attachments.
*Quarrels by Eve Joseph - I know I read this book of poetry in November, but...(so sorry!) I can't really remember anything specific. I read poetry once in a blue moon, and often the book as a whole doesn't usually give me a tangible memory to hold on to outside of "I liked it" or "Not for me". Thankfully, this was a like.
*Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes - This was a book I heard about via the Simple podcast with Tsh Oxenreider. I can't remember the comment that made me want to read this, but I thought the research was very interesting. This is a book that is about 10 years old, before everyone knew about the term "keto" (or at least, everyone who wasn't looking into Atkins or too young to know about it). After two years of disappointments with my weight loss with WW, I'm considering doing keto for awhile to get my body re-calibrated. Through reading this book, I think I've found my issue: possible insulin resistance, or (as I had guessed years ago) some sort of hormonal issue. I exercise a lot, I sleep well and (mostly) long, and aside from the usual stresses of life, I eat pretty well--gluten-free even! I'm hoping the knowledge I gained in this book helps me when I'm day 4 come January.
*Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcy - This might be one of the best books I've read in 2019. It is a bit academic, and quite heavy content-wise, but so important for our culture that is both seeped in fake news and dripping with both body shaming, positivity, transformations, etc. It's a confusing time to sift through the cultural milieu but Pearcy does it with an expert hand. She's a philosopher at heart and that really does shine through her writing. I learned so much (personhood theory, mind/body breaks in value + fact, etc.) and though I felt her personal anecdotes to be a bit shoved-in at times, this did not tamper my final rating of 5 stars. Excellent. (You will either LOVE or HATE this book. Be warned.)
*Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo - Sigh. Another Kate DiCamillo book in the Raymie, Louisiana trilogy. This one didn't disappoint either, and DiCamillo has an almost uncanny way of keeping the simplest story intact with minimal description and filler. She is just a master at story-telling. I'd read her take on the phone book. This was one just as satisfying as the last two, and I look forward to what she makes next!
*John Milton: Classical Learning and the Progress of Virtue by Grant Horner - As I've recently started working at Classical Education Books, I've begun to see books in the Classical world that I never knew about, and these Giants of the History of Education series, by Classical Academic Press, are in that category. I read Plato's last year, and thoroughly enjoyed learning more about John Milton and read through his treatise on education in this one. Next is the music book, followed by the Liberal Arts Tradition, before moving on to the next...there are so many to choose from!
Read Alouds with Kids
*Heidi by Joanna Spyri - The 1993 Disney film version of Heidi was my only recollection of this classic tale, but I have been so pleased with the three books I've read aloud to the kids on our Switzerland "tour" this Fall. Heidi was the last, and it was the cream of the crop. I had no idea how beautiful this story was in it's original form, and both kids really loved this story of the young whippersnapper who livens up every scene she enters with both playfulness and joy. Heidi, a young orphan, is delivered to her grouchy grandpa who lives up in the Swiss Alps ("Uncle Alp" as he rarely comes down to the town), and who she softens into love and the gospel using her child-like faith, enriching her neighbors' lives, and even a young girl living in Frankfurt, Germany, by being her companion and chief mischief-maker. Strongly recommend you read this to your kids before they leave the nest! You won't regret the time spent with this one.
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