Once again we find ourselves at the end of another month and it is time for me to do my “Books I Read” post. This month I start with the books I read aloud to the boys. I’m pleased with the number of books we finished as we had our winter two weeks holiday break which generally means much less reading aloud. Starting at the top are two literature selections for the month. I read “Great Expectations” to Monkey and “Holes” to Munchkin. We were late to the party with “Holes” and we were pleasantly surprised as we both LOVED the book. It highly exceeded both our expectations. This was the second reading of “Great Expectations” for me as I read it aloud to Monster a few years ago. I’m a big believe in re-reading books and this one proved the point once again. I understood the book much better the second time around AND picked up on a bunch of stuff I missed the first time through. It will be interesting to see what more I glean from it when I read it aloud to Munchkin in another couple years.
The middle row of books – “Henry Lawson Short Stories” I read aloud to both boys as part of our mini Australian poet unit study. As Henry Lawson also wrote short stories along with his poetry, I felt it important to read a selection of them. This book was wonderful and while some of the stories were a bit hard for us to grasp so many decades later, he was a truly gifted writer. “Scarecrow Army” was a “new” (in that I didn’t read it to Monster) World War I selection for Monkey. I always try to find new-to-us titles when I’m repeating a content area with a different boy. This book was eye-opening as it had first hand accounts from many of the men and boys who were there. A striking point for both Monkey and I was how young (Monkey’s age) some of the boys were who fought the war. “Myths in 30 Seconds” was a quick read for Munchkin to enrich his Ancient Civilizations history unit study. There were many other cultures included in this book besides just Egypt, Greece, and Rome, but that made it all the more fun.
Finally, on the bottom row are two long read alouds – the left book was for Monkey and the right book for Munchkin. The study of genes is part of Monkey’s science curriculum and this book was excellent. Well written, interesting, and extremely thorough. If you can find this book (and there are others in the series) I highly recommend it. “A Journey Through Greek Myths” was for Munchkin. I love reading books with collection of myths when we study the ancient civilizations.
This next collage are all the books I read independently during the month of July. I read a LOT of books and again this highlights the two week school holidays break. I try to spend much more time reading for pleasure during our holiday periods as it gives my brain the break it generally needs after a ten week term of working hard teaching the boys. The books are roughly organised in order from most favourite to least favourite.
Top Row: “The M Word” was an excellent and comprehensive book about menopause written by a well respected doctor here in Australia. I particularly liked that she highlighted the problem of lack of research in this area withOUT name calling and ranting. It was refreshing. “Little Girl Blue” was a heartbreaking read but one I’ve had on my TBR list for years and finally made the time for. I grew up listening to the Carpenter’s music and vaguely knew about her struggles with anorexia but never knew the WHOLE story. “Mine is the Kingdom” was an eye-opening read about the downfall of a prominent pastor in a large church here in Australia. Again, a story I knew bits and pieces about, but it was shocking to get the full story. This book will stay with me for a LONG time. I thought that “Mrs Kelly” would be the last book I read about the Kelly Gang, but since finishing it, I’ve found new books at the library that spark my interest. I guess my fascination with Ned and the gang will never be quenched (not that I mind). I read this book together with my mom and we discussed via text message. It was fun.
Second Row: “Just One Thing” and “Eat Move Sleep” were both quick “health” related books I chose to read this month. I enjoyed both of them, thought I didn’t particularly learn anything new or earth shattering in either of them. The author of “Just One Thing” died suddenly and tragically which was what sparked me to pluck that book off my TBR list. “Henry & Banjo” and “A Wife’s Heart” were both personal choices that correlated with the Australian poets unit study I did with the boys. I often try to match some of my reading with what I’m teaching them. I want them to see that I find interest in their studies and that I don’t just pick content arbitrarily. Both books were good, though I found “A Wife’s Heart” a bit difficult to read because the author kept interjecting her own relationship struggles into the book which I found rather weird.
Last Row: “The Sleep Book” gave me a few new tips to try in my ongoing quest to battle my frequent insomnia issues, but it wasn’t earth shattering and it was an older book as well. The two Kaz Cooke books were funny reads but she can get a bit ranty (not in a good way in my humble opinion) about men and I didn’t find that useful or helpful in these two books. Finally the Father Brown book was a recommendation from a friend and unfortunately it was my least favourite book for the month. I just don’t think his writing style is my cup of tea.
This final collage for this month was a fun little experiment I tried. As it was school holidays I decided to read as many junior fiction novels as I could during the holidays. I have many recommendations from two dear high school friends, as well as a friend here in Australia, and I decided to give a few of them a try. I really enjoyed this “experiment” and will definitely read more junior novels sometime during a future school holidays break.
The two books on the right hand side were by FAR my favourites of them all. I read “Restart” in one day it was so good. “The Untouchables” is the type of book I love. A teacher who takes a class of students that no one else can reach, and does miraculous things. I highly recommend both of these books.
I also really enjoyed both Kate DiCamillo books – I’ve read other titles of hers aloud to the boys. My favourite of these two would have to be “The Beatrice Prophecy”. I can’t adequately explain what was so lovely about it, but if you read it, you will know. Finally “Blended” was a really well written book about a girl who struggles to know her place in her world. I speak of it last but it was in no way my least favourite book. I would definitely read other books by this author in the future.
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