Ft. Langley in Spring
The pandemic didn't really give me more time to read, like I naively thought it might. I've been too brain-dead to read most evenings, and in the afternoons, when I maybe have 45 minutes to read, I promptly fall asleep. That happening over and over is telling me my brain just needs a break. It didn't help that two of the books I spent the majority read were very heavy, topic-wise (you'll have to wait for May, or maybe even June, to see the other.)
Although this list is about as lack-lustre as they come, I am very close to finishing 3 other books, so I'm hoping that within this first week of May two of them will be completed giving me a jump on May.
*Confessions of a Sociopath by M. E. Thomas - I'm going to be frank- this was a heavy read and I wouldn't recommend it to most people. I have been fascinated by sociopathy ever since reading Dave Cullen's "Columbine" book years ago and understanding there is a difference in brain structure and response between neurotypical and those with sociopathic brains. This was a memoir from a woman who has been diagnosed a sociopath, and it was just as riveting and crazy as I thought it would be! I'm still chewing on some of the things discussed in the book, but I wouldn't recommend it for most people because I think it would be too difficult to read because it's startlingly real.
*Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - I did read this aloud to Ani while Lukka listened to it on audio, but it was really for me as I've always wanted to read this book, and talking about it with some of our co-op kids in a 4-week book club was a great excuse to do so! I now want to read the Ray Bradbury collection, because I loved this book. It's a classic dystopian published in 1953 but it was unnerving how similar his imagined future world is to our current world. Some of the themes discussed were free thought, technology, and censorship. Taking to young teens about it made it even more enjoyable!
Read Aloud to the Kids
*Beethoven for Kids by Helen Bauer - I hadn't originally planned on reading this book in it's entirety for the kids; I had their school buy it for the projects, and because Lukka loves Beethoven. We read all of it, front to back, and although, yes, we did do a few of the projects, they took a back seat to finding out the man behind all the classical music. I have found and picked up two more (Civil Rights for Kids and Frida Khalo for Kids) in various places, but I just found out that they have a LOT more--and I already have a few more on my wishlist. I was very impressed with this book, and found Beethoven to be as eccentric and interesting as I'd hoped! Lukka enjoyed listening to me read this aloud, as well.
*Ink on His Fingers by Louise Vernon - This was the first book we read about our last country of study for our 19-20 school year, Germany and the history behind Gutenberg's printing press. It's a short novel about a boy who wants to be a manuscript copier while things are changing rapidly because of the press. This is a good story to read if you're interested in the topic of the printing press, though it is a bit moralistic for my liking. We paired this novel with some videos on the historical press, and the kids liked it well enough, and (I hope!) learned something in the meantime.
Although this list is about as lack-lustre as they come, I am very close to finishing 3 other books, so I'm hoping that within this first week of May two of them will be completed giving me a jump on May.
*Confessions of a Sociopath by M. E. Thomas - I'm going to be frank- this was a heavy read and I wouldn't recommend it to most people. I have been fascinated by sociopathy ever since reading Dave Cullen's "Columbine" book years ago and understanding there is a difference in brain structure and response between neurotypical and those with sociopathic brains. This was a memoir from a woman who has been diagnosed a sociopath, and it was just as riveting and crazy as I thought it would be! I'm still chewing on some of the things discussed in the book, but I wouldn't recommend it for most people because I think it would be too difficult to read because it's startlingly real.
*Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - I did read this aloud to Ani while Lukka listened to it on audio, but it was really for me as I've always wanted to read this book, and talking about it with some of our co-op kids in a 4-week book club was a great excuse to do so! I now want to read the Ray Bradbury collection, because I loved this book. It's a classic dystopian published in 1953 but it was unnerving how similar his imagined future world is to our current world. Some of the themes discussed were free thought, technology, and censorship. Taking to young teens about it made it even more enjoyable!
Read Aloud to the Kids
*Beethoven for Kids by Helen Bauer - I hadn't originally planned on reading this book in it's entirety for the kids; I had their school buy it for the projects, and because Lukka loves Beethoven. We read all of it, front to back, and although, yes, we did do a few of the projects, they took a back seat to finding out the man behind all the classical music. I have found and picked up two more (Civil Rights for Kids and Frida Khalo for Kids) in various places, but I just found out that they have a LOT more--and I already have a few more on my wishlist. I was very impressed with this book, and found Beethoven to be as eccentric and interesting as I'd hoped! Lukka enjoyed listening to me read this aloud, as well.
*Ink on His Fingers by Louise Vernon - This was the first book we read about our last country of study for our 19-20 school year, Germany and the history behind Gutenberg's printing press. It's a short novel about a boy who wants to be a manuscript copier while things are changing rapidly because of the press. This is a good story to read if you're interested in the topic of the printing press, though it is a bit moralistic for my liking. We paired this novel with some videos on the historical press, and the kids liked it well enough, and (I hope!) learned something in the meantime.
Comments