Again, I don't remember what order these were in, so here it goes!
The Open-Air Life by Linda Aekson Mcgurk - I really enjoyed Mcgurk's "There's No Such Thing As Good Weather" and although I enjoyed this one, I already knew quite a bit of the practical suggestions because I'm an avid nature person already. I think the suggestions in this book for year-round nature immersion are good ones if one doesn't know where to start! And long-live the cold dips!
Canadian Geographic (Mar-April) - I read and enjoy this bi-monthly magazine and am reminded of some of the stories about changing land formations by water erosion, and also learning about the North Atlantic fishing industry (something that is completely out of my wheel-house and experience).
Accidental Czar by Andrew S Weiss - This is perhaps the first of my COMIC BOOK YEAR. I never imagined myself ever reading comic books, but this was the first in at least 15+ comic books I've read and enjoyed over the last few months. This is a non-fiction book about "the life and lies of Vladamir Putin" and it did not disappoint!
Woman Without Shame by Sandra Cisneros - This new book of poetry by one of my favorite writers was
such a surprise! I didn't even know she had a new book out and when I randomly searched her name (as I do every few years), I found it was already available at my local library. Joy! Cisneros has a wry wit and a perfect edit pen. I will read anything she writes - any genre!
Read Alouds:
The British Tradition II by Memoria Press - This anthology of poetry and biographies of poets was an excellent primer in famous British poetry and was used as part of our "Renaissance, Reformation, and Exploration" socials and literature year. Having a concise book filled with poetry of the time studied was a huge help, even if I had to often explain the poems to the kids. The language has changed quite a bit since then!
Stowaway by Karen Hesse - The kids enjoyed this book, and Hesse is a Newbery award winner so I knew the writing would be excellent. This story is a bit young for my two, but it was a story I didn't know (HMS Endeavour sailing around the world to 'discover' Oceania) and had excellent pit stops all for geographic and mapping purposes. Only a few names used for places are now re-named; almost all of them are still around the globe!
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham - This historical fiction novel is based on the life of the original mathematical genius Bowditch, author and creator of Bowditch American Practical Navigator, a large encyclopedia on navigation book still used today! Bowditch worked his way from an apprentice to a captain and did something radical for his time - not only taught ALL his crew members (even the 'lowest') how to navigate and better their knowledge (even teaching some to read and write), but did so against the knowledge of the day - navigation by numbers not by sight. It was truly revolutionary! Highly recommend for all ages.
Mill by David Macaulay - This beautifully drawn book is about the engineering advancements of mills throughout North America, and the towns and cities that developed because of them. It's a work of fiction but the engineering diagrams, etc. are based on historical fact.
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold - This was a book that Anikka and I read together for her Environmental Science that we did last year and we both LOVED this book. We read it over the course of about 4-6 weeks, and as the person who recommended it to us (Lukka's prior science teacher who does amazing Tree 'field trips' in Stanley Park!), "why would you just read about nature when you can let him sing it to you". Wow. Each essay was both informative and truly breathtaking in scope of philosophy, knowledge of the flora and fauna, and superb writing. This will also be one of my top 10 of 2023.
Now is the Time for Trees by Dan Lambe (Arbor Day Foundation) - During our Nebraska stay, we visited the amazing Arbor Day Farm (in Nebraska City), and I saw that the CEO of ADF, Dan Lambe, had written a book all about the importance of trees. Since Anikka was studying trees for the year, I quickly snatched it up and we read it together. Some of this book is very practical - what types of trees for what type of region, how to care for them, etc. - some of it is just about the science and benefits of more trees around the world.
The Hollow Tree by Janet Lunn - This historical fiction novel was about the war of 1812, when American loyalists to the crown traveled north (like our protagonist), and American colonists, Great Britain, France, and Indigenous peoples. The story was helpful to read because this is a part of history I did not remember, and it's always good to have Canadian historical fiction - which can be very hard to find compared to the plethora of American historical fiction. It wasn't our favorite book (there's a bit of a romance my kids didn't care for) but the history was good.
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