Week by Week: A Year of Reading and Reflecting

I have decided to attempt a reading challenge, much like the one that Sarah Nelson embarks on in her book So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading. I read her book last fall and enjoyed peeking at her bookshelf and learning how she came about reading the books she reads, one a week, for a year. Any seasoned reader would snicker at her "double-booking rule" or her "first 30 pages rule." We all seem to have some sort of outline or self imposed boundaries in our minds of when you call it a loss or you resolve yourself to go back later for a second try.

One of the reasons I would like to record my reading weekly is because, like Sarah, I read a wide variety and there is no rhyme or reason to which genre or author I will pick up next. And sometimes, there is a story just in the telling of the who or how you came upon a book you love. For me, if it is one of those truly delicious books that will forever remain in the recesses of my mind, ones that I recall the memory when I want a sweet treat, to recall a character I loved and feel as if I am reuniting with an old friend-those can become even more precious depending on the when or how I received the book.

Another aspect of reading that Sarah so aptly highlights is matching our reading experience with our personal one, "and trying to see where they match up and they don't". I love this introspective glance at not only what we read, but how what we choose to read, and what books we love in some ways defines who we are. In my book journal I generally give a small review of the book; mini plot summary, themes, my personal reflections, whether I liked it. But I realize in retrospect that I do not always include what was happening during my life that may have an impact on whether a certain book resonates loudly in my heart or makes me furious at a character I relate to oh so well.

Lastly, let us not forget the way one book can mention some minute detail or refer to an obscure figure in history and you filter this detail through your mind as you read; insignificant, details of a story, yet while you are reading your next book, there it is, it pops up surprising you in black and white, right there on the page! of the next book you are reading, and you are thinking "What a coincidence!" yet two books later there it is again. Does this happen to anyone else? My books sometimes just by fate mention something or have a connection to a previous book I read and it seems so insignificant, yet linked some way in my mind.

Okay, enough said, I am eager to begin, and I will do my best to post some of my reviews as I move along.

I haven't blogged in a while...we have been busy learning and spending time together as a family which has meant spending considerably less time on the computer and watching television. I had to stop by tonight and share a funny from my little bit; my 6 year old daughter.

She told my husband and I she could tell fortunes if she read our palms. She took my hand first, squinting her eyes and concentrating on my palm. "You are going to have a lot of money." she tells me. Oh yeah, tell me more! "How?" I ask. She brings my palm all the way up to her face staring hard. "Well", she says, "by stopping buying things." Geez. I thought I had hit the jackpot for a moment. ;) My husband said, "You really are a fortune teller!!" That is until she read his palm with equal intensity and told him, "You are going to buy me a puppy." Hmmmm, I see....a future in persuasion.

I also wanted to refer some great books I have read lately, some of them book lovers have probably already read:

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See Now one of my top ten!

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell I am obsessed with this book-very strange but fascinating, I have ordered all other books by this author

The Giver by Lois Lowry Phenomenal

Sleep Toward Heaven by Amanda Eyre Ward Sad but engrossing

So Many Books So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading by Sarah Nelson Funny, smart and easy to read a chapter at a time

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover This book resonated with me as my cousin is an African missionary and this story revolves around a missionary family in the Congo. I found the end to be a bit slow, but worth it.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova I loved this story, it took a while to get through but I savored every moment

The Nanny Diaries by Emma Krauss One word; hilarious!

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Piccolt A very interesting and morally challenging story, never expect any less from Ms. Piccolt!

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier Infinitely better than the movie.

I am now reading the sequel to the Sparrow~Children of God by Mary Doria Russell. I am relishing every page. Hopefully I will get some better info on these up soon and review my favorites.

Back to School

Yesterday we had our first day of school along with our school district. It was a great first day, we had lots of fun! I am feeling excited and a little more organized and confident with our curriculum this year.

We started our day off by making "Writer's Notebooks" that we will use to journal and story tell. We personalized these by using family photographs and magazine clippings to make a collage. Here is the finished product:

Trace's Notebook:

Avery's Notebook:

We dove right into our storytelling process and Avery proudly showed off her stormy story, lightning and all!

I have found some very cool information on different websites and we have a full year of fun ahead of us. A lot of friends and family ask how our schedule works and so here it is for this year:

Monday
8:30- Journal
9:00- Art (ARTistic Pursuits-An Introduction to the Visual Arts)
9:30-Spelling
10:00- Outdoor Walk/Nature Study
10:30-Math
11:00-Reading Workshop
11:30 Chores/Independent Play
Lunch 12:00

Tuesday
8:30- Writing Workshop
9:00- Social Studies-Classical Study/Timelines
9:30-Mystery Detectives

10:00- Outdoor Walk/Nature Study
10:30-Math
11:00-Reading Workshop
11:30 Chores/Independent Play
Lunch 12:00

Wednesday
8:30-Journal
9:00-Music
9:30-Read Aloud Time
10:00- Outdoor Walk/Nature Study
10:30-Math
11:00-Reading Workshop
11:30 Chores/Independent Play
Lunch 12:00

Thursday

Co-op (The kids will take three classes a piece during co-op)

Friday

8:30- Writing Workshop
9:00-Science
9:30 Math
10:00 Spelling Test
10:30 Library
12:00 Lunch

Of course, we don't always stick with our schedule. For instance, we don't stop at exactly 9:30 on the dot to move to Math. That would be ridiculous. For me that is the ultimate about homeschooling. If someone doesn't feel well or a lesson isn't progressing, we have the freedom to move on to something that will. That's the beauty of it. But it does really help to have a general outline and sense of order so we aren't in chaos either.

Also on Fridays, as we did last year, we visit the Library, check out books for the coming week and then stop at one of our favorite places for a slice of pizza. (Providing everyone behaved all week long!)

I am very excited about our writing and reading workshops, a time where they can work independently or get my help as needed as I do chores! I also implemented independent play last year which was the greatest addition to our day ever. The children can spend time playing, but no computer (or television-obviously!) and they have to play alone. They may go into their rooms or the back yard and play, but it really helped develop their imaginations and ability to entertain themselves instead of demanding to be entertained. Here is Trace during his Independent Play time building an army:

Well, that's it for now. We are eager to get into our school year and learn! I added a couple more pictures of my little hard workers for their Nana :)

Book Reviews: Night/Memory Keeper's Daughter

I have to start by saying, I have been blogging about almost nothing but books and book reviews...but I have been doing a LOT of reading. Summer is upon us, school's out and the slick humidity and daylight that never seems to end just naturally pulls me back to when I was a child and school was out for summer. I literally (no pun intended) had my nose in a book all summer long. And so it goes on, for me it's better than swimming, better than ice cream, better than air; a good book I can carry with me through all the pit stops of summer, and lose myself into a fabulously woven story. The next two fall into that category, definitely the kind that take you away to a different place and time where you identify so completely with the characters that later you have a memory of them and momentarily you are puzzled at whether they were real or not.

Night by Elie Weisel

I was so unaware, had no real idea of what this book was when I saw it. I had seen it around some book blogs, so the title stood out in my mind when I breezed by it at a local thrift store. It was a very thin book, so deceiving. I scooped it up for 25 cents. Later at home, I picked it up to read the prologue thinking I would read it later in the week after I finished my current read. The prologue alone was so haunting and mesmerizing, I read on. I read on past dinner, on past my husband on the couch watching the 10 o'clock news, and on to the end of the story, leaving me so humbled and ashamed of the things I take for granted. Between the covers of this story is the story of a man that lived through the unthinkable. His world, his reality came to a screeching halt, everything he believed in stripped from him slowly with hate and malice. It is truly unimaginable the things he witnessed, lived through. I believe everyone should read this book and never, ever forget that in this world, the unthinkable could happen to us, to anyone. We should never forget such things. Imagine, your reality could change and your humanity could be robbed from you, your right to live no longer yours, but in the hands of someone who wants to eradicate you from this earth. There is nothing else I can say-this story cannot be summed up. I also loved Weisel's writing style; beautiful, somewhat poetic at times, harsh and slicing at others. Five stars.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

I really loved this book. It was wonderfully written, the imagery taking me to the heart of each moment described in this story. It was also bitterly sad, yet still hopeful.

The story opens with Dr. David Henry delivers his own twins during a blizzard one cold dark night in 1961. Alone but for his wife and his nurse Dr. Henry brings his children into the world, a healthy beautiful boy first, and then a daughter, which he immediately recognizes has Down Syndrome. During a time when Downs children were often sent to institutions, and after his own very personal and devastating loss of his young sister, Dr. Henry makes a split decision that will forever change his life.

"Later," Edwards writes, "when he considered this night -- and he would think of it often, in the months and years to come: the turning point of his life, the moments around which everything else would always gather -- what he remembered was the silence in the room and the snow falling outside." In that quiet, terrifying moment, the grief and resentment caused by his sister's death at the age of 12 washes back over him, and he acts to preserve their vision of a happy future. He hands the baby to his nurse and asks her to take it to a home outside the city for handicapped children. When Norah awakens a few minutes later, he tells her their second baby was stillborn. "He had wanted to spare her, to protect her from loss and pain; he had not understood that loss would follow her regardless, as persistent and life-shaping as a stream of water. Nor had he anticipated his own grief, woven with the dark threads of his past."

Edwards story is an intricate and delicately woven tale about the dark power of secrets and the redemptive power of forgiveness. Another 5 star book.

Now I'm off to read A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah....

Book Review-The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner is a haunting tale about the relationship between two boys and a stark portrait of past and present day Afghanistan. Two boys, Hassan and Amir are raised together, both motherless by different circumstances. They are as close as brothers, but a world of differences separates them. Amir and his father, Sunni Muslims, are wealthy and privileged with an honorable bloodline while Hassan and his father are Shi'a Muslims and are poor illiterate servants that live in a mud hut behind Amir's grand house.

Despite their differences the boys are raised as nearly brothers. Then, the year Amir is twelve during the annual kite flying competition he witnesses an unspeakable act of violence against Hassan. It changes everything. As Afghanistan comes under the attack of Russia Amir's life is changed forever. The story chronicles the life and hardship of Amir and his father as they flee to America, and try to find a life in a new world while still clinging to their love and loyalty of their old, broken one.

As an adult, fate draws Amir back to Afghanistan one last time. In the home of his heart, he finally has an opportunity to redeem the single act that has haunted him for his entire life.

Never have I read such a tormenting and heart wrenching story of love, loss and redemption. It is with sorrow and hope that you turn the last page of this book. It took a while for me to move on to my next read with the echo of this one still in my thoughts. I also loved how much symbolism and thematic elements were throughout the book; each time you came across one with understanding, it was a little gem. I also thought the relationships portrayed in the story were rich and all the characters had flaws that we can find in ourselves. It made a fine point: no one you love is perfect, but love isn't about perfection. Definitely a five star book! For more on the book and the author check out this site.