I forgot to add: you might also want to check on this link of Renee's, for another idea of something to bake and stab. Isn't that awesome?
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
Monday, September 28, 2009
St. Michael and All Angels tomorrow!
Just a reminder that the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels is tomorrow; for ideas, may I recommend this excellent post by Amy over at Splendor in the Ordinary? I really like her idea of having a special tea with her kids on various high holy days throughout the year!
I'm thinking of making St. Michael's Day Bannock (from the book The Catholic Home) or angelfood cake, but next year, I just might make devil's food cake. There were a lot of ladies at this site who apparently discovered that letting little kids stab devil's food cake with little cocktail swords makes an excellent visual aid to remind them that they must always fight against sin!
From that same site, I also found this collect:
God our Father,
in a wonderful way you guide the work of angels and men.
May those who serve you constantly in heaven
keep our lives safe from all harm on earth.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Anyone else celebrating Michaelmas tomorrow? Having just finished reading Daniel, I'm in a good place to keep it properly I think. Good heavens, that's a scary book.
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
I'm thinking of making St. Michael's Day Bannock (from the book The Catholic Home) or angelfood cake, but next year, I just might make devil's food cake. There were a lot of ladies at this site who apparently discovered that letting little kids stab devil's food cake with little cocktail swords makes an excellent visual aid to remind them that they must always fight against sin!
From that same site, I also found this collect:
God our Father,
in a wonderful way you guide the work of angels and men.
May those who serve you constantly in heaven
keep our lives safe from all harm on earth.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Anyone else celebrating Michaelmas tomorrow? Having just finished reading Daniel, I'm in a good place to keep it properly I think. Good heavens, that's a scary book.
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Saturday chores
We've been trying something new here on the weekends, prompted by our eldest starting kindergarten at home: Saturday chores.
I used to try to get all the housework done during the week, but there are some jobs (e.g., cleaning the upstairs bathroom) which are almost impossible to do with twin toddlers underfoot. Then I remembered that when I was a kid, we'd all have some housework to do on the weekends. We'd spend a couple of house doing it and then, hey-presto, we were done, and could get on with whatever it was we wanted to do that Saturday.
So Adam and I decided to try that, and we've been doing it for several weeks now.
It's GREAT.
After breakfast, we write down our list of chores on mirrored closet doors in our dining room (with a dry erase marker) and illustrate them with stick figures so the non-readers can figure them out. Then we take turns doing the adult-only chores (e.g., the impossible upstairs bathroom) and supervising the kids-help chores (e.g., watering the patio plants).
Here are the benefits:
1) The housework gets done. All of it. Every week.
2) The kids are learning how to work. May it be a blessing to them for the rest of their lives. (I know I'm glad my parents taught me how to work!)
3) The chores that take an hour with the kids' help (upstairs bathroom!) now only take 20 minutes, 'cause one of us adults can now whip through them while the kids are otherwise occupied.
4) We now have a time scheduled for getting those extra things done - you know, the monthly or yearly or one-off tasks - things like cleaning the fridge or hanging pictures. Once the regular chores are done, if we have some time left, we tackle one or two extras.
5) We don't waste our Saturdays. I don't know about you, but we used to sort of blob around on Saturday mornings - and some of that is fine, but it sort of sets the tone for the whole weekend. We've actually been having more relaxing weekends now that we work for a couple of hours in the morning. We get that nice accomplished feeling, and end up doing relaxing things we really like (like taking family walks) rather than relaxing things that are kind of lame (you know, liking watching too much TV).
This week, our extras included hanging some pictures and mirrors and electronics (the phone is now on the wall!). I also cleaned the fridge and even pulled it out and cleaned the floor underneath it (hey, that's where those magnets went!). We also cleaned up and organized a couple "hot spots": the sewing desk, a side table in the living room, and the bar between the kitchen and dining room. There's now a lot more clear surface area downstairs, which makes it feel so much bigger and more open.
I also like it, because it makes such a nice prequel to the Lord's Day. There's that great feeling of finishing off the week's work, and the clean feeling that the whole house is ready for Sunday. Doing the chores on Saturday means that the day the house is cleanest is also the day we celebrate the Lord's resurrection. That just seems fitting somehow.
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
p.s. btw, when I say "housework" in this post, I mean weekly chores. Not daily stuff like dishes and pick-up and wiping up spills. Here's our basic weekly list:
-bathrooms, upstairs and down
-dusting
-mirrors
-vacuuming
-kitchen floor
-sweep patio
Of course, some of these things have to be partly done during the week - spot vacuuming crumbs, wiping down the bathroom, etc. But we do them methodically once a week.
I used to try to get all the housework done during the week, but there are some jobs (e.g., cleaning the upstairs bathroom) which are almost impossible to do with twin toddlers underfoot. Then I remembered that when I was a kid, we'd all have some housework to do on the weekends. We'd spend a couple of house doing it and then, hey-presto, we were done, and could get on with whatever it was we wanted to do that Saturday.
So Adam and I decided to try that, and we've been doing it for several weeks now.
It's GREAT.
After breakfast, we write down our list of chores on mirrored closet doors in our dining room (with a dry erase marker) and illustrate them with stick figures so the non-readers can figure them out. Then we take turns doing the adult-only chores (e.g., the impossible upstairs bathroom) and supervising the kids-help chores (e.g., watering the patio plants).
Here are the benefits:
1) The housework gets done. All of it. Every week.
2) The kids are learning how to work. May it be a blessing to them for the rest of their lives. (I know I'm glad my parents taught me how to work!)
3) The chores that take an hour with the kids' help (upstairs bathroom!) now only take 20 minutes, 'cause one of us adults can now whip through them while the kids are otherwise occupied.
4) We now have a time scheduled for getting those extra things done - you know, the monthly or yearly or one-off tasks - things like cleaning the fridge or hanging pictures. Once the regular chores are done, if we have some time left, we tackle one or two extras.
5) We don't waste our Saturdays. I don't know about you, but we used to sort of blob around on Saturday mornings - and some of that is fine, but it sort of sets the tone for the whole weekend. We've actually been having more relaxing weekends now that we work for a couple of hours in the morning. We get that nice accomplished feeling, and end up doing relaxing things we really like (like taking family walks) rather than relaxing things that are kind of lame (you know, liking watching too much TV).
This week, our extras included hanging some pictures and mirrors and electronics (the phone is now on the wall!). I also cleaned the fridge and even pulled it out and cleaned the floor underneath it (hey, that's where those magnets went!). We also cleaned up and organized a couple "hot spots": the sewing desk, a side table in the living room, and the bar between the kitchen and dining room. There's now a lot more clear surface area downstairs, which makes it feel so much bigger and more open.
I also like it, because it makes such a nice prequel to the Lord's Day. There's that great feeling of finishing off the week's work, and the clean feeling that the whole house is ready for Sunday. Doing the chores on Saturday means that the day the house is cleanest is also the day we celebrate the Lord's resurrection. That just seems fitting somehow.
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
p.s. btw, when I say "housework" in this post, I mean weekly chores. Not daily stuff like dishes and pick-up and wiping up spills. Here's our basic weekly list:
-bathrooms, upstairs and down
-dusting
-mirrors
-vacuuming
-kitchen floor
-sweep patio
Of course, some of these things have to be partly done during the week - spot vacuuming crumbs, wiping down the bathroom, etc. But we do them methodically once a week.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
a homeschool schedule for four under five
It's only our second week, so we're still in the tweaking stage, but I thought I'd post our homeschooling schedule.
It's working pretty well for us, partly, I think, because I scheduled in a lot of breathing room. There is, for instance, a huge three hour+ gap in the middle of each day for . . . whatever needs to happen that day.
One of the nice things about this schedule is that making it made me realize that the babies aren't babies any more. In scheduling our day, I realized that I'm not in the newborn fog anymore. For the first time in over five years, I'm not pregnant or breastfeeding. Our twins are one and a half now, and that means that we don't have to be uber-flexible anymore. Without any babies - who might need to eat or sleep at any moment - we can have a schedule. And I'm enjoying the order.
That said, we do have two toddlers, a preschooler and a kindergartener, so our order, while not bubble-gum flexible, is at least Femo-clay-flexible. I'm bolding the parts that are actually school-related. Here it is:
6 AM - Jess up, and writing her novel.
7-9 AM - kids get up somewhere in here. Everyone's diapered and pottied and breakfasted. Morning chores are done, and Bess works on her poetry memorization with me while I work.(I try to do some supper prep. in here too.)
9 AM - reading and writing lesson with Bess. (This is a good time to start school, because the twins always want to run off and play after breakfast)
9:30 AM - read to all the kids. (This is the just-for-fun storytime, where the kids get to pick the books)
10 AM - kids have snack while I read a Bible story to them. I get Bess started on her Bible story illustration and then put the twins down for their quiet time.
10:30 AM - twins' quiet time, and Bess' math lesson.
11 ish - twins up and make lunch.
11:30 - lunch and memory verse and play and chores and going out . . . **
2:30 - twins down for nap while kids watch a movie and I get a break.
3:00 - School storytime (this is where I pick the books, and they have something to do with science or history or they're in Spanish - usually one of each.)
3:30 - Bess and Gamgee have a quiet time, and I have my devotions.
4:00 - I work out (older kids still in quiet time, twins still asleep).
4:30 - Bess' Spanish lesson. *
5 - make dinner.
** On Friday, Bess has her outside P.E. class during this time.
* on Tuesday, we have art during this time. Supposedly science too, but I think I need to find a different place for it.
Tuesdays are our off days, where we don't do reading/writing/Bible/math/Spanish, but do art and science instead. I think science is actually going to end up being in the morning.
I'm really blessed, because my Dad has agreed to do Bess' art lessons (he's a great teacher and a good artist) and my sister has agreed to come once a week to have a Spanish tea with the kids (she's a professional Spanish teacher - and at the tea they have special snacks - but are only allowed to speak in Spanish). This week was the first time both of those happened, and they both went really well. I love watching my family interact with my kids, and both my dad and sister are such good teachers, meeting Bess where she's at and helping her go just a little further. The outside P.E. class is a blessing too - it's a chance for her to run around with lots of other kids her own age, and do things like play with parachutes and run relay races and throw beanbags.
So, that's what our schedule looks like right now. It doesn't go perfectly every day, but so far, it seems to have a mix of hard stops and flexibility that make it very do-able. The big gaps of time that are for chores or whatever needs to be done allow lots of time for the three younger kids to get the attention they need, and for Bess to run and jump and climb and play.
It also helps me, because after scheduling my kids' time, I took the opportunity to schedule my own, thinking about what was really important to me, and what I really wanted to get done each day (apart from the things which must be done each day). My incentive to keep to the schedule is that if I do a good job keeping to the schedule, I get to write everyday.
Anyway, I enjoy seeing how other people do homeschool, so I hope you've enjoyed seeing how we're doing it!
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
It's working pretty well for us, partly, I think, because I scheduled in a lot of breathing room. There is, for instance, a huge three hour+ gap in the middle of each day for . . . whatever needs to happen that day.
One of the nice things about this schedule is that making it made me realize that the babies aren't babies any more. In scheduling our day, I realized that I'm not in the newborn fog anymore. For the first time in over five years, I'm not pregnant or breastfeeding. Our twins are one and a half now, and that means that we don't have to be uber-flexible anymore. Without any babies - who might need to eat or sleep at any moment - we can have a schedule. And I'm enjoying the order.
That said, we do have two toddlers, a preschooler and a kindergartener, so our order, while not bubble-gum flexible, is at least Femo-clay-flexible. I'm bolding the parts that are actually school-related. Here it is:
6 AM - Jess up, and writing her novel.
7-9 AM - kids get up somewhere in here. Everyone's diapered and pottied and breakfasted. Morning chores are done, and Bess works on her poetry memorization with me while I work.(I try to do some supper prep. in here too.)
9 AM - reading and writing lesson with Bess. (This is a good time to start school, because the twins always want to run off and play after breakfast)
9:30 AM - read to all the kids. (This is the just-for-fun storytime, where the kids get to pick the books)
10 AM - kids have snack while I read a Bible story to them. I get Bess started on her Bible story illustration and then put the twins down for their quiet time.
10:30 AM - twins' quiet time, and Bess' math lesson.
11 ish - twins up and make lunch.
11:30 - lunch and memory verse and play and chores and going out . . . **
2:30 - twins down for nap while kids watch a movie and I get a break.
3:00 - School storytime (this is where I pick the books, and they have something to do with science or history or they're in Spanish - usually one of each.)
3:30 - Bess and Gamgee have a quiet time, and I have my devotions.
4:00 - I work out (older kids still in quiet time, twins still asleep).
4:30 - Bess' Spanish lesson. *
5 - make dinner.
** On Friday, Bess has her outside P.E. class during this time.
* on Tuesday, we have art during this time. Supposedly science too, but I think I need to find a different place for it.
Tuesdays are our off days, where we don't do reading/writing/Bible/math/Spanish, but do art and science instead. I think science is actually going to end up being in the morning.
I'm really blessed, because my Dad has agreed to do Bess' art lessons (he's a great teacher and a good artist) and my sister has agreed to come once a week to have a Spanish tea with the kids (she's a professional Spanish teacher - and at the tea they have special snacks - but are only allowed to speak in Spanish). This week was the first time both of those happened, and they both went really well. I love watching my family interact with my kids, and both my dad and sister are such good teachers, meeting Bess where she's at and helping her go just a little further. The outside P.E. class is a blessing too - it's a chance for her to run around with lots of other kids her own age, and do things like play with parachutes and run relay races and throw beanbags.
So, that's what our schedule looks like right now. It doesn't go perfectly every day, but so far, it seems to have a mix of hard stops and flexibility that make it very do-able. The big gaps of time that are for chores or whatever needs to be done allow lots of time for the three younger kids to get the attention they need, and for Bess to run and jump and climb and play.
It also helps me, because after scheduling my kids' time, I took the opportunity to schedule my own, thinking about what was really important to me, and what I really wanted to get done each day (apart from the things which must be done each day). My incentive to keep to the schedule is that if I do a good job keeping to the schedule, I get to write everyday.
Anyway, I enjoy seeing how other people do homeschool, so I hope you've enjoyed seeing how we're doing it!
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
Monday, September 21, 2009
look for me, baby
It's been a bit more than a month since my old computer died, but now I'm all set up on a spiffy little (and I mean little) new one. I love it; I've christened it Baby Ivan.
The past month has been full of good things, and a lot of them, I think, have been helped by being offline. There's been more breathing room in life, and in that time, I've:
-got our homeschool organized and started
-got some peace about having to leave our old church
-finish plotting my next novel (so excited about this one!)
-start a new housework routine
-thought about how I need to change how I use my computer
-read lots of books (reviews upcoming)
-learn how to care for long hair
Yes, the last one is a little weird, but doing the research was fun. I've been growing my hair out for a year now, and I thought that since I was planning on continuing, I ought to find out how to do it properly. Most interesting tip I found? That long hair ought to be treated as if it were old lace. Why? Because if your hair is very long at all, it's also very old, and so it's got to be treated gently or it will fall apart (i.e., start to split).
Most practical tip? Um, don't cut it. No, honestly, that's apparently what most people get wrong. They're always told to trim ever 6-8 weeks, but if you do that, you're probably cutting most, if not all, of your growth. The truth is, if your hair is healthy, you don't have to trim it more than about every six months.
Huh. I didn't think my first blog back would be talking about hair. But, there you go. I can braid it all the way around my head now, and I'm very happy about that.
Anyway, I missed you all. Though I've kept up on reading blogs (and so many of you are so encouraging), I've missed being part of the conversation. I'm looking forward to sharing more books, and homeschool plans, and kid stories, and church year celebrations, and novelist adventures as the year (finally! I hope!) slips out of summer and into the glorious, crisp, lovely clean air of fall.
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
p.s. the title of this post refers to a song by Fiction Family. It's good. Buy it on iTunes. :)
The past month has been full of good things, and a lot of them, I think, have been helped by being offline. There's been more breathing room in life, and in that time, I've:
-got our homeschool organized and started
-got some peace about having to leave our old church
-finish plotting my next novel (so excited about this one!)
-start a new housework routine
-thought about how I need to change how I use my computer
-read lots of books (reviews upcoming)
-learn how to care for long hair
Yes, the last one is a little weird, but doing the research was fun. I've been growing my hair out for a year now, and I thought that since I was planning on continuing, I ought to find out how to do it properly. Most interesting tip I found? That long hair ought to be treated as if it were old lace. Why? Because if your hair is very long at all, it's also very old, and so it's got to be treated gently or it will fall apart (i.e., start to split).
Most practical tip? Um, don't cut it. No, honestly, that's apparently what most people get wrong. They're always told to trim ever 6-8 weeks, but if you do that, you're probably cutting most, if not all, of your growth. The truth is, if your hair is healthy, you don't have to trim it more than about every six months.
Huh. I didn't think my first blog back would be talking about hair. But, there you go. I can braid it all the way around my head now, and I'm very happy about that.
Anyway, I missed you all. Though I've kept up on reading blogs (and so many of you are so encouraging), I've missed being part of the conversation. I'm looking forward to sharing more books, and homeschool plans, and kid stories, and church year celebrations, and novelist adventures as the year (finally! I hope!) slips out of summer and into the glorious, crisp, lovely clean air of fall.
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
p.s. the title of this post refers to a song by Fiction Family. It's good. Buy it on iTunes. :)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
gone, long gone
My beloved laptop, Ivan's Brain, has finally died. It's going to be a week or two before I can get another computer (happily it's near the time of year when my husband's work sells off their old ones), so I'm mostly email-less. Just wanted to let folks know - I have access occasionally, but won't be posting much for awhile, and will probably be slow in answering emails and comments and such.
On the other hand, without blogs to read or emails to check or time-wasting forums to be tempted by, the mental silence during the day is proving remarkably refreshing. I have the feeling God has some things to say to me about how computers are "tools and not for toys meant/take and use at Christ's employment". I'm planning on listening. (I've learned it's best to listen when He has something to say.)
But I wanted to explain why I'm not around much online right now.
Hope you all are well!
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica snell
On the other hand, without blogs to read or emails to check or time-wasting forums to be tempted by, the mental silence during the day is proving remarkably refreshing. I have the feeling God has some things to say to me about how computers are "tools and not for toys meant/take and use at Christ's employment". I'm planning on listening. (I've learned it's best to listen when He has something to say.)
But I wanted to explain why I'm not around much online right now.
Hope you all are well!
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica snell
Monday, August 17, 2009
What I've Been Reading, Part III
Part I was here, and Part II was here.
It’s been fun to keep track of what I’ve been reading this year. Even though I’m so behind on my list of “what I want to read” (I still have Christmas gifts I haven’t read yet – yeeps!), it shows me that it’s not that I haven’t been reading.
I think it shows me I’m a distractible reader. And it also shows me that good as my intentions are regarding non-fiction (and there is non-fiction I really, truly love), I’m a fiction-lover at heart.
FICTION:
-Lord Valentine’s Castle – Silverberg, Robert. This was one that my husband and I read together during our evening chores. It was long. Silverberg is a great world-builder, but it was long.
The Surgeon’s Lady – Kelly, Carla. I love Kelly’s writing. She’s the best romance writer living, for my money.* Kelly’s characters win my heart, every time. This book was no exception. Kelly is also a historian, and so her books are always well-researched. But unlike some historical writers, the books are always more character-driven than research-driven. Great writer.
The Other Queen – Gregory, Philippa – this was staid, as Gregory books go, but interesting. It was about Mary, Queen of Scots, unhappy woman. My only disappointment was that the most interesting character never appeared in person, but was only written to (but, of course, Gregory was compelled to that by the historical record).
Handle With Care – Picoult, Jodi – great writing, as always, though there were times when the exposition was a little too obvious (“I cut myself because it’s takes my attention away from my emotional pain”), and I thought the ending didn’t work. But worth the read anyway for the fascinating situation and well-drawn people and setting.
Hood – Lawhead, Stephen. Lawhead’s reimagining of the Robin Hood legends. Fun.
On a Whim – Gunn, Robin Jones. More on Gunn’s old characters and enjoyable.
The Scarlet Pimpernel – Orczy, Baroness. I was skimming this for research, and ended up getting caught up in it again. Didn’t read it word for word, but was enjoyably preoccupied for long, long passages. Made me want to read more about Sir Percy and his band, so I have El Dorado out from the library right now. If you haven’t read it, do. (And also – and maybe first – watch the movie version with Anthony Andrews and Ian McKellan.)
A Thousand Words For Stranger – Czerneda, Julie E. A new sci-fi author! The people rejoice! Well, new to me, anyways. This was really good. I’ve never read anyone who has imagined better alien races than Czerneda. The biologies and cultures she comes up with are fascinating. Also, she mixes her sci-fi with romance, and that’s a combination I always approve of.
Survival – Czerneda, Julie E. More Czerneda, different series. Also good, though heavier on the “sci” than the above novel.
Little House in the Big Woods – Wilder, Laura Ingalls. This was read with my eldest daughter, and it was lovely to read it again. Am I the only one, though, who’s read this through as an adult, and suddenly identified more with Caroline than with Laura? My goodness, that woman worked!
The Hunger Games – Collins, Suzanne. I would recommend this with a caution: it’s gruesome, and it gave me a book-hangover for several days. It is, however, well-done and thought-provoking. Makes you consider what you’re doing when you watch reality television and makes you ponder the morality of getting pleasure out of watching others suffer. (Even if in our world, unlike in the world of her book, people willingly consent to suffer on those shows.)
Ties of Power – Czerneda, Julie E. The sequel to A Thousand Words For Stranger. Also good.
* I would warn readers of this blog that Kelly is published by Harlequin, so there are what you would call “warm” passages here and there. But, fwiw, they’re consistently after the couples in her books are married (I can think of one exception, and that was a flashback of a reformed character, and it was in the one romance of hers that I ended up not liking), and tend to be well-handled (as these things go, and no pun intended). I’ve gotten the impression that she’s a Mormon, and hence her standards on not having unmarried characters sleeping together. Never read that explicitly, but that’s been my impression.
NON-FICTION:
Never Silent: How Third World Missionaries Are Now Bringing the Gospel to the US – Barnum, Thaddeus. This was probably the best book I read, in this recent batch. It’s about the men who started AMiA (Anglican Mission in America). They were, largely, Rwandan, and they started this outreach to beleaguered orthodox Episcopalians because of what they had learned from the Rwandan genocide. (Not kidding. These men are amazing.) What they learned was, when evil is being done, Christians must never be silent. Seriously, this is an amazing and humbling story.
The Bilingual Edge: Why, When and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language – King, Kendall and MacKey, Alison. I skimmed a few chapters in this (the ones that didn’t apply to our family’s situation), but got a lot out of the rest. Very encouraging reading for anyone who doesn’t want her kids to grow up monolingual.
The Midwife – Worth, Jennifer. I’m sure this was fictionalized, but it was mostly memoir, so I’m sticking it in the non-fiction section. It’s the account of a midwife who worked with Anglican nuns in the docks of London. There are some great stories in here, including one about a couple who had a successful marriage, raised over twenty children together, all without ever learning to speak each other’s languages. Ha!
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite – Kessler, David A. This was an analysis of why Americans overeat, especially the brain chemistry of why. Basically, his explanation is that we’re addicted, and it’s the ubiquitous combination of salt, fat and sugar (layered on more salt, fat and sugar) that addicts us. You may think he’s excusing our behavior here, but he doesn’t. Instead, he explains that, like any addict, there is behavior modification we can engage in to change our habits. Fascinating.
It’s been fun to keep track of what I’ve been reading this year. Even though I’m so behind on my list of “what I want to read” (I still have Christmas gifts I haven’t read yet – yeeps!), it shows me that it’s not that I haven’t been reading.
I think it shows me I’m a distractible reader. And it also shows me that good as my intentions are regarding non-fiction (and there is non-fiction I really, truly love), I’m a fiction-lover at heart.
FICTION:
-Lord Valentine’s Castle – Silverberg, Robert. This was one that my husband and I read together during our evening chores. It was long. Silverberg is a great world-builder, but it was long.
The Surgeon’s Lady – Kelly, Carla. I love Kelly’s writing. She’s the best romance writer living, for my money.* Kelly’s characters win my heart, every time. This book was no exception. Kelly is also a historian, and so her books are always well-researched. But unlike some historical writers, the books are always more character-driven than research-driven. Great writer.
The Other Queen – Gregory, Philippa – this was staid, as Gregory books go, but interesting. It was about Mary, Queen of Scots, unhappy woman. My only disappointment was that the most interesting character never appeared in person, but was only written to (but, of course, Gregory was compelled to that by the historical record).
Handle With Care – Picoult, Jodi – great writing, as always, though there were times when the exposition was a little too obvious (“I cut myself because it’s takes my attention away from my emotional pain”), and I thought the ending didn’t work. But worth the read anyway for the fascinating situation and well-drawn people and setting.
Hood – Lawhead, Stephen. Lawhead’s reimagining of the Robin Hood legends. Fun.
On a Whim – Gunn, Robin Jones. More on Gunn’s old characters and enjoyable.
The Scarlet Pimpernel – Orczy, Baroness. I was skimming this for research, and ended up getting caught up in it again. Didn’t read it word for word, but was enjoyably preoccupied for long, long passages. Made me want to read more about Sir Percy and his band, so I have El Dorado out from the library right now. If you haven’t read it, do. (And also – and maybe first – watch the movie version with Anthony Andrews and Ian McKellan.)
A Thousand Words For Stranger – Czerneda, Julie E. A new sci-fi author! The people rejoice! Well, new to me, anyways. This was really good. I’ve never read anyone who has imagined better alien races than Czerneda. The biologies and cultures she comes up with are fascinating. Also, she mixes her sci-fi with romance, and that’s a combination I always approve of.
Survival – Czerneda, Julie E. More Czerneda, different series. Also good, though heavier on the “sci” than the above novel.
Little House in the Big Woods – Wilder, Laura Ingalls. This was read with my eldest daughter, and it was lovely to read it again. Am I the only one, though, who’s read this through as an adult, and suddenly identified more with Caroline than with Laura? My goodness, that woman worked!
The Hunger Games – Collins, Suzanne. I would recommend this with a caution: it’s gruesome, and it gave me a book-hangover for several days. It is, however, well-done and thought-provoking. Makes you consider what you’re doing when you watch reality television and makes you ponder the morality of getting pleasure out of watching others suffer. (Even if in our world, unlike in the world of her book, people willingly consent to suffer on those shows.)
Ties of Power – Czerneda, Julie E. The sequel to A Thousand Words For Stranger. Also good.
* I would warn readers of this blog that Kelly is published by Harlequin, so there are what you would call “warm” passages here and there. But, fwiw, they’re consistently after the couples in her books are married (I can think of one exception, and that was a flashback of a reformed character, and it was in the one romance of hers that I ended up not liking), and tend to be well-handled (as these things go, and no pun intended). I’ve gotten the impression that she’s a Mormon, and hence her standards on not having unmarried characters sleeping together. Never read that explicitly, but that’s been my impression.
NON-FICTION:
Never Silent: How Third World Missionaries Are Now Bringing the Gospel to the US – Barnum, Thaddeus. This was probably the best book I read, in this recent batch. It’s about the men who started AMiA (Anglican Mission in America). They were, largely, Rwandan, and they started this outreach to beleaguered orthodox Episcopalians because of what they had learned from the Rwandan genocide. (Not kidding. These men are amazing.) What they learned was, when evil is being done, Christians must never be silent. Seriously, this is an amazing and humbling story.
The Bilingual Edge: Why, When and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language – King, Kendall and MacKey, Alison. I skimmed a few chapters in this (the ones that didn’t apply to our family’s situation), but got a lot out of the rest. Very encouraging reading for anyone who doesn’t want her kids to grow up monolingual.
The Midwife – Worth, Jennifer. I’m sure this was fictionalized, but it was mostly memoir, so I’m sticking it in the non-fiction section. It’s the account of a midwife who worked with Anglican nuns in the docks of London. There are some great stories in here, including one about a couple who had a successful marriage, raised over twenty children together, all without ever learning to speak each other’s languages. Ha!
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite – Kessler, David A. This was an analysis of why Americans overeat, especially the brain chemistry of why. Basically, his explanation is that we’re addicted, and it’s the ubiquitous combination of salt, fat and sugar (layered on more salt, fat and sugar) that addicts us. You may think he’s excusing our behavior here, but he doesn’t. Instead, he explains that, like any addict, there is behavior modification we can engage in to change our habits. Fascinating.
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