Here are my latest travels:
I finished up The Last Jihad series by Joel Rosenberg. The series is 5 books long: The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, and Dead Heat. While (as previously admitted) I prefer his Twelfth Imam series, this series too was very good edge of your seat action. It further explores the end times and is very well researched. Highly recommended.
I listened to several audiobooks also with the kids. Half Magic by Edward Eager. For those who are familiar with the lovely works of E. Nesbit, you will see great similarities. In fact, E. Nesbit's own works are referenced in this book. The magic coin the children find only grants half the wishes and the ensuing adventures are quite a mess. Never fear, it all gets set right in the end including a bit of romance. A fun read.
We also listened to The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It is a "kid's" book but definitely geared toward the more mature child or adult. It is a complete play on words and deeply philosophical...most of which will go over younger children's heads. As an adult, I found it rather amusing and thoughtful. Definitely transported to a very odd land. Both math and the English language are played with in this quirky story.
Living in Houston, we have often heard of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 but this is the story behind it. Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. It was sad to see how it could have been prevented. It was fascinating to hear actual accounts. And it was terrifying in its description. (made our flood the previous year seem like nothing).
A memoir of someone I have never met. Just another mom. And yet, this story struck home in multiple ways. And the humor is definitely of the laugh-out-loud variety. It is not exactly Emily Post humor but it is real and so relatable. Sparkly Green Earrings by Melanie Shankle. It chronicles primarily her early parenting years. She has another book (I have not read yet--Antelope in the Living Room) that follows with other areas of her life.
Another kid's read. I think I must have been the only person to have never read From the Mixed of Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. I was expecting it to be a rather modern book. It is, after all, about 2 children who run away from home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But it is just old enough to be handled in a very gentle way. I addressed the running away with my kids, and then we sat back and enjoyed the mystery of it all. The brother and sister characters end up solving a mystery as well as learning a few lessons about running away. Overall, a rather amusing read.
After reading several other items, this one showed up as a recommendation, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. I got about 1/3 of the way through the first book (it is a series) and was very disappointed. The story starts so strongly. Interesting to meet the characters who use various methods: brains, resourcefulness, luck, etc... to solve puzzles as they set out to pass a test. It is definitely Willie Wonka-ish in its storyline. But after you meet the final child who is nasty and uses sarcasm and snarkiness to win everything (which is commended) and once I learned the goal of these kids, I decided I wasn't very interested in finishing it up. It grew too modern for my tastes. Such a shame.
And then there was/is The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood. I had read a recommendation of it somewhere but it gave no particulars. I didn't realize it was a series so I inadvertently started with the second book. I am actually rather glad about that since I found it more amusing and less sinister than the first book although we did go back and listen to the first book after reading the second. We have since gone on to listen to all 5 (halfway through #5) books. The sixth and final book comes out this December. Can't wait. Warning: these books may cause spontaneous howling among your kids. (especially if you listen to the audiobooks--which I highly recommend because I think there are some nuances that you might miss in just plain print; the audiobooks are exceptionally well done and narrated by a gal who has lived quite a bit of her life in England; the library has these). Back to the plot...the stories are quirky and full of interesting trivia slipped in. They remind me of PG Wodehouse antics (a fave British author). These are stories about 3 incorrigible orphans, their orphan governess and a pet squirrel. They are attempting to solve the mystery of who they are as well as more about the family they live in. There is even a little mild romance. Each book wraps up loose ends and gives more information than the last, but the final mystery is never revealed. I will put this caveat in place: while the stories are just loads of fun, there is mention of fortune tellers, alluding to wherewolves, and curses placed. I normally would have avoided these knowing all this but these stories are incredibly well-written and the handling of all this is for the most part gentle and not the main focus. I have addressed these issues with my kids, age 9, 6, and 5, as they have come up. I cannot speak for how these will end but the first 4 books were lots of fun.
Speaking of Wodehouse... My favorite books came alive with a man that I will always think of as Jeeves, Stephen Fry. I listened to Fry's English Delight by Stephen Fry. In his usual dry humor, it very quickly talks through the history etc. of different parts of speech used in the English language, like puns and cliches. A few were unfamiliar to me as an American, but many were familiar and I found it interesting.
The next book completely caught me off guard. I had been gifted it from a fellow homeschooling mom. I passed judgement at the title - Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie. Me? I am a very relaxed homeschool mom. I don't need rest. Hah! As I began listening, I was struck by how often I need rest, God's rest. And maybe even more so in how I raise my kids--not just the school application. As I rest in God's peace, I will exude peace onto my children. And Sarah presents it in a very humble way as a mom of 6 who is still learning lessons. She gives lots of practical application ideas. This book was so impactful that I have since recommended it over and over and over.
Another audiobook that I just listened to after receiving it free from Christianaudio. It is this month's free book. Everything is Possible by Jen Bricker. It is the memoir of a girl who was born with no legs. Jen is a serious athlete despite her lack of legs and performs on silks now professionally--her mantra? Never give up. I struggled with a bit of the millenial mindset present in the book, but many of the principals are still good. My favorite thing she said is that she sees her lack of legs as a GIFT from God. A Gift! She states that He has gotten to use her in ways He couldn't have if she had been born like the rest of us. How often do I see my weaknesses as God's gift? As well as the personal challenge, I also appreciated the book for a different and more personal reason. She reveals how she discovered that she is actually Dominique Moceanu's birth sister. As a teacher, I had Dominique in my classroom for a few months (when she was there) and this was long before she knew she had second sister. Made me ponder the what ifs... All this made me curious, and Michael and I watched quite a few tv interviews with Jen and her sister Dominique. She is more humble and engaging in these and made me appreciate the book more.
And my favorite of the list here: Where the Wind Leads by Dr. Vinh Chung. This true autobiography reads like fiction as the "coincidences" are almost impossible to believe. But we have a God who does not do "coincidences" and is far more capable, powerful, and loving than we could ever imagine. This tells the story of a Chinese heritage Vietnamese boy and his family as they come to know and serve a loving God. It begins the generation or two before him and continues on in his life. God had prepared their lives to draw them to Himself long before they ever knew Him. All along the way, God used their flight from Vietnam and their refugee status in America to bring about the "impossible." What a great God we have! A truly remarkable book that brings all glory to Him! One of my favorite books I have read in quite a while!
