Summer reading lists...YOURS not your kids...

[Mommyfaithe]

Please share..I want to compile my list and can use some suggestions...
Thanks,
Faithe

[Lori D.]

I have 2 goals for my summer reading list this year:

1. To FINISH some books I started ... well, I'm too embarrassed to say how long ago! At any rate, it's going to mean starting them over from the beginning to remember what was going on. (: 0

2. To expand my own horizons, both by pre-reading a few books that my high schoolers will be reading, and to chug along in my own, slow self-education. : )

With that confession off my chest (lol), below is my "top 10 books" I'm hoping to get to this summer. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else plans to read! Warmest regards, Lori D.



1. Aurelia's Colors (Jeffrey Overstreet)
More complex, and richer in language, than your standard fantasy novel. The sequel is coming out in Sept., so I need to get re-start and finish this one this summer!

2. Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)
The other book I need to re-start; wonderful, slow building up of character and revealing of character.

3. So Brave, Young and Handsome (Leif Enger)
Loved his earlier novel Peace Like a River; just saw that someone on this board had read and enjoyed this new release.

4. Children of Men (PD James)
Okay, I'm behind the times -- want to read/discuss this with DH, who's already read it, and then check out the film on DVD.

5. Gaudy Night (Dorothy Sayers)
I've enjoyed her collection of Peter Wimsey short stories; thought I'd try one of her full-length mysteries.

6. The Tribute and the Promise: How Honoring Your Parents Will Bring a Blessing to Your Life (Dennis Rainey)
Non-fiction. The title says it all.

7. Rethinking Worldview: Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in This World (J. Mark Bertrand)
Older DS is going to Worldview Academy this summer, and Bertrand will be one of the instructors.

8., 9., 10. -- To Be Decided (lol!)
I'll wait to see what everyone else suggests -- and see if there's something to preview from the boys' reading lists. : )


BONUS: Five books I've read this past year that are worth considering for a reading list:

1. Through A Screen Darkly (Jeffrey Overstreet)
Non-fiction. Wonderful, personal journey of how films have informed and matured the author's faith; a great apologetics for the spiritual impact films can have in revealing Truth -- whether that was the filmmaker's intent or not.

2. A Thief of Time (Tony Hillerman)
Just for fun. My intro into this older "whodunnit" series; I enjoyed being exposed to the modern SW Native American culture.

3. Story of A Girl (Sarah Zarr)
For adults or mature teens; great insight into the teenage mind/culture -- and very redeeming, seeing a teen want to move out of past bad decisions.

4. The Once and Future King (T.H. White)
Reading this 30 years after first reading the "Sword in the Stone" section as a teen, I have such a different perspective -- the poignancy and despair of failed dreams in the last 2 sections really got me.

5. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (Alexander McCall Smith)
Actually, I re-read the who series of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency before reading this, the newest installment. I just love the gentle treatment of the characters, and their quiet dignity.

[kathleen]

Just wanted to mention that I finished So Brave, Young & Handsome a few days ago and loved it, too! Not as much as Peace Like a River (hard to top that), but it was wonderful in its own way. I'm going to give my summer reading list a thought! Of course, I'll probably just be immersed in 20th C history and literature because I'm teaching that class next year, but I'll have to throw in some stuff just for me, too :tongue_smilie:.

Oh, and Lori, if you haven't read Strong Poison or Have His Carcase, I would strongly suggest reading those before Gaudy Night. They are a trilogy (well, a tetralogy really because of Busman's Honeymoon). You won't be disappointed! These 4 novels are the "Harriet Vane" novels.

[Lori D.]

I will revise my Dorothy Sayers accordingly. : ) I like to read things in order. Oh -- and it was from your blog that I saw "So Brave, Young and Handsome"! : )

Warmly, Lori

[Nan in Mass]

Two painting books and a lot of fluff like the latest Lindsey Davis. I'm sure I'll reread Mansfield Park, my favourite Austen, and some Patricia McKillip. I'll probably read some of my son's fantasy novels in French, once I'm finished with the last Harry Potter. Reading French is almost like reading English for me now, instead of like eating dessert with novacaine, the way it was at first, as long as I read at about a 13yo level. I'm hoping to try out an Astrix in Latin. If I have the energy. In other words - not much. We'll probably have Canterbury Tales as a read-aloud, if I can pursuade my husband to do that instead of his usual sea adventure story. On the other hand, if it is the usual sea adventure story, it doesn't matter if I or the children fall asleep before he stops reading, whereas we're supposed to be remembering Canterbury Tales. I may need to rethink that, since we're usually reading with everyone in their beds listening at the end of an outdoory sort of day. It probably depends how funny it is. Sigh. Now I have another thing to do before summer can come, since I haven't read it since high school.
-Nan, can't-waiting for summer

[Nan in Mass]

I was just trying to remember which Harriet Vane came first so I could tell you the same thing. The books live at my mother's. I adore Gaudy Night and Busman's Honeymoon. They are two of my comfort books.

[Nan in Mass]

Just remembered the other fluff author's name - Michael Innes. I haven't read these since high school and am enjoying them.

[mama25angels]

I don't have a list yet other than numerous homeschool books. If anyone would like to make any recommendations, i'd be so appreciative.

[Susan in IL]

Guns, Germs, and Steel
Middlemarch

[LaMere Academy]

High School Form+U+La by Barb Shelton
Piecing Together the High School Puzzle by Joanne Mastronicola
Homeschooling High School by Jeanne Gowen Dennis
The Well Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer (reread)
High School @ Home: You Can Do It! by Diana Johnson
(do we see a theme here?)
Homeschooling at the Speed of Life by Marilyn Rockett
Losing It, and Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time by Valerie Bertinelli
Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson

The following are prereads for Sonlight Core 200 so I can discuss with my son.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
A Parcel of Patterns by Walsh
Twelfth Night by Shakespeare
The Shining Company by Satcliff
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
Robinson Crusoe by Defoe
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Stevenson
Going Solo by Roald Dahl
What Hearts by Brooks
Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis
A Christmas Carol by Dickens

[Hilary]

Lori, I didn't read the subsequent posts and sent you a PM. I didn't want to get the conversation off-track, but I so agree with the posters who advised not to read Gaudy Night first, although it being in order wasn't my main concern. I just think of all her mysteries, this one drags the most and Lord Peter doesn't even APPEAR until the very end.

My absolute favorites are Murder Must Advertise and The Nine Tailors. I LOVE Dorothy Sayers, but I wouldn't make Gaudy Night my first foray into her full-length mysteries.

As for my summer reading, I'm going to attempt to read all of Zola's Rougon-Macquart novels in French. There are only twenty ... I'm sure I can get that accomplished this summer :lol: My daughter is in Montreal now, and has a commission to buy all the ones (I think there are nine) I don't already own.

[naturalmom]

Jane Eyre (reading right now)
Fierce Wars and Faithful Loves – and then the rest of Faerie Queene
The Once and Future King
Eusebius Church History
German history book (in German)
Heir of Redclyffe (Charlotte Yonge)
Towards a Philosophy of Education in Modern English (Charlotte Mason)
On the Incarnation (Athenasius)
Saints and Heroes (church history)
Ecclesiastical History of English Speaking People

Most of this is reading ahead for next year’s school. Faerie Queene is for me – I’ve always wanted to read it, but haven’t had time to tackle it (and still might not, but I can set goals!) If anyone knows a good study guide for Faerie Queene, please share the title! I would like to study this more in depth.

I recently read The Nine Tailors (getting ready for next year again) and enjoyed it – which Sayers book should I read next?

[Lori D.]

Gosh, all the French works, the homeschooling books, and the high school pre-reading... Guess that'll teach me to go first in listing my puny reading list! (LOL!)

Just teasing, ladies! I love to hear what books others have on their nightstands or take along on summer vacation. Warmest regards, Lori D.

PS
Thanks again Hillary. I sent you a PM in response. : )

[Cindy in NY]

Well, I am planning to start working through The Well Educated Mind, so I am starting with Don Quixote and we'll see if any summer is left when I finish it!

[Nan in Mass]

What are the ZRM novels like? I've never heard of her, not surprisingly. I'm pretty ignorant about that sort of thing. Whenever I ask people for recommendations of books in French that haven't been translated from English, something light and entertaining, they all say they read that sort of book in English. Very unhelpful GRIN. -Nan

[Katia]

I just finished the first two Mary Russell novels by Laurie R. King and I love them!

My plan is to read the rest in the series during the summer. Ahhhh.......good reads make for a happy mommy:001_smile::001_smile::001_smile:

[Plaid Dad]

I need to prep for teaching ancient and possibly medieval literature classes in the fall, so I expect to spend my summer in the company of Homer, Aeschylus, Vergil, Dante, et al. I'd like to sneak some New England reading in there too: Moby-Dick and The House of Seven Gables are high on the list.

[Veronica in VA]

I am planning to read through some sci-fi to add to my daughter's 20th century lit next year.
I'm just finishing The Canticle of Lebowitz, and my husband picked up I,Robot and Fahrenheit 451 yesterday for me. Then I have Crime and Punishment and Brothers Kazmarov (spelling?) waiting on the shelf. When I was reading The Washington Post Book World this morning they reviewed Lavina by Ursula LeGuin and it sounded very good, so I might reread The Aeneid first and then pick up LeGuin's book. People of the Book is on my list too, so I'm looking forward to summer!

Veronica

[Denise in NE]

Preparation for the next school year...

The Odyssey
The Oedipus Cycle
The Epic of Gilgamesh

Just for fun fiction....

a few books in the Sister Fidelma series (Peter Tremayne)
The Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) (Kim Robinson)

Non-fiction for spiritual growth...

Prayer: Does it Make a Difference? - Philip Yancy
The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer

Denise in NE

[Susan in TN]

I'm finishing up The End of the Affair by Graham Greene now. Also:
Small is Still Beautiful by Joseph Pearce
The Yearling
Anna Karenina (this is wishful thinking!)
Murder on the Orient Express

Reading aloud to kids: Pilgrim's Progress

Also in preparation for teaching Omnibus I next year:
Histories by Herodotus
Aeschylus I
Oresteian Trilogy

Think I can read these, potty train my 3yob, and clean out my entire house in 9 weeks? :lol: Yet, here I sit at the computer. Sigh.

[Hilary]

Nan, the Rougon-Macquart novels by Emile Zola were his attempt to write a social history of a family during the Second Empire in France (roughly 1840-1870). Pre-kiddos (i.e., a long time ago), I read a few of them separately, but never in chrono order. In fact, I don't think I even realized that the characters were related to one another. Each novel stands well on its own, I believe.

I'm re-reading Au Bonheur des Dames at the moment. I'm not sure how you'd translate it into English (The Ladies' Pleasure, perhaps) ... but in any case, it's about a huge department store (a new innovation in French society) and a young girl who works there. It's absolutely fascinating. In my last trip to Macy's, I suddenly saw everything in a new light, because when Zola wrote this novel, things like different departments selling different items (shoes, perfumes, etc.), "price busters", and tempting displays were absolutely cutting-edge. He poignantly describes the way small neighborhood businesses were driven out of business by the department store selling lots of different items with a lower markup ... and yet Zola stands firmly in favor of modernization ... and so do I (who wants to drive around to 20 different stores to find what you need?). It's amazing to me that a novel written in 1883 can seem so contemporary. I wouldn't say it's the easiest read in French (lots of words describing fabrics, etc., that aren't even in my dictionary), but it sure is entertaining :)

[Nan in Mass]

THank you! I find picking books in French hard. I can't skim them and decide if I want to read them or not, the way I do in English, somehow.

[Shari]

I've only got a few weeks since we school year-round, but I'm planning to read The Iliad (selections), The Odyssey (complete), and The Aeneid (selections) for our upcoming year of the Ancients. I'd also like to get through Heroes of the City of Man by Peter Leithart but don't think there will be time.

For fun reading includes, The Girl With No Shadow (sequel to Chocolat) and the new Elizabeth George mystery.

[SheWhoWaits]

What are the ZRM novels like? I've never heard of her, not surprisingly. I'm pretty ignorant about that sort of thing. Whenever I ask people for recommendations of books in French that haven't been translated from English, something light and entertaining, they all say they read that sort of book in English. Very unhelpful GRIN. -Nan Just so you know, Zola is a man. ;)And I haven't read the Rougon-Macquart novels, but based on the Zola I have read, I wouldn't expect them to be light reading.

[Moira in MA]

We'll probably have Canterbury Tales as a read-aloud, if I can persuade my husband to do that instead of his usual sea adventure story. On the other hand, if it is the usual sea adventure story, it doesn't matter if I or the children fall asleep before he stops reading, whereas we're supposed to be remembering Canterbury Tales. I may need to rethink that, since we're usually reading with everyone in their beds listening at the end of an outdoory sort of day. It probably depends how funny it is. Sigh. Now I have another thing to do before summer can come, since I haven't read it since high school.
I've just finished Canterbury Tales and found some of the tales laugh out loud funny. I read it in conjunction with Margaret Hallissy's A Companion to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales which really made the social aspects of the tales come alive. I read it and just dropped the choicest nuggets into our discussions. I heartily recommend it.

[Moira in MA]

If you haven't already read it, Around the World in Eight Days is wonderful in the French original and probably about the right reading level if, as you said earlier, you do best with novels aimed at the early teens.

[Nissi]

Here is what I have: The Silver Chalice by Thomas Costain, Quo Vadis, Magnificent Obsession, Introduction to Church History by Tim Dowley, and Confessions by Augustine. I am reading a couple of chapters from each. I also watched an interesting movie from Netflix called "Arranged" - it's about the friendship between an Orthodox Jewish girl and a Muslim girl who are teachers. I liked it very much. It explores the custom of arranged marriage in the two communities.
Nissi

[Zoraida]

I have six books on my end table that I plan to read:

The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
Atonement by Ian McEwan (loved the movie)
The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Shalimar the Clown by Salmon Rusdie

Blessings

Zoraida

[Jen in NY]

Wow... I just have to say that all of your long lists are inspiring!

I am hoping to get through The Fountainhead and As You Like It in the next couple of weeks... after that I think I'll raid your lists for something interesting. ;)

~Jen

[Lori L]

Currently I'm working my way through a huge box full of mysteries my in-laws gave me after they read them. I have a book blog where I review and rate (normally) the books I've read. I'm not rating the mysteries, though.

Lori L
http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/

[DIY-DY]

I'm going back through the Horblower books to fill in the gaps. (nothing like watching the movie, THEN reading the very last book, and THEN going back to the beginning. Gah. What was I thinking?)

Also reading When Bad Things Happen to Good Prophecies. This is a re-read.

For the rest of summer, though, I haven't really put together "a list" yet. Probably ought to do that...