Garage Sale

More items have been posted at our garage sale blog - check it out and tell your friends too. I have been cleaning out my bookcases and will be posting more later.

Books finished this year

I am moving this post to the top as I finish books.

January

A Christmas Carol
Gulliver's Travels

February

Reading Between the Lines

March

When God Writes Your Love Story
Best Friends for Life
Pride and Prejudice
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

May

Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer Abroad
Tom Sawyer Detective
More Hours in My Day
I Gave Dating a Chance

June

The Scarlet Letter
Robinson Crusoe (with B#2)
Book of Indians (with B#3)

July

Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled
The Hurrier I Go: Finding Time for the People in Your Life
Mere Christianity
Th Man Who Was Thursday

Currently Reading:

For the Children's Sake
Dating with Integrity
How to Read a Book

The Man Who Was Thursday

Wow! This book was a real page turner. Chesterton is indeed a master at his craft. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, it all changed and then changed again. Those who like a mystery will like this one. The ending, well it just wasn’t expected! This was my first Chesterton work, but certainly won’t be my last.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Well, I finally did it! I can now say that I have read the book that almost every high school student in America has been forced to read. Somehow in my high school career, I missed reading any of the classics that others were made to read. I decided to preread this book as it is one of the books assigned in my sons literature curriculum this fall. I must say that it was not at all what I expected and I was pleasantly surprised. All I really new about the book was that it was based on an adulterous affair. And while that is the sin that starts the story, I found the book to be much more about sin in our life and how we deal with it. It was about the difference between confession and repentance versus hiding sin and it torturing us, or us not forgiving sin and then our sin of unforgiveness turning us into a monster. The characters became very real to me and I think that Nathaniel Hawthorne did a masterful job with this story. Although, as Gene Veith pointed out in a World Magazine article, Mr. Hawthorne did seem to miss the point on the gospel and God's great mercy and forgiveness toward us.

Adventures of Tom Sawyer

I just finished reading a collection of stories about Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and I really enjoyed them. The book I have contains three stories, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom Sawyer Abroad, and Tom Sawyer Detective. I chose this book because I wanted to preread it before assigning it to my son. Actually, I didn't think I would really like it. Surprisingly, I found it very delightful. The characters were very realistic, a bit mishievous and naughty, but realistic nonetheless. I think Twain did a great job of giving the flavor of the times. The second story was a bit far fetched, but that was what made it fun to read. The only negative I found was the way people of color were referred to, although it was common of the time and place it is still derogatory. I do feel that this negative can be used as a teaching tool. This was my first Twain novel and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Book review: I Gave Dating a Chance

I Gave Dating A Chance by Jeramy Clark

The author states that he wrote the book in response to the "no dating" movement. From the back of the book. "The time has come for a sound, biblical and practical approach that balances out the extreme perspectives: dating without responsibility versus a complete withdrawal from the dating process. Learn how you can confidently pursue healthy dating relationships that are characterized by holiness and integrity – and ultimately bring glory and honor to God".

Some things I liked about this book were that he encourages dating not as a means to romance but as a means of getting to know one another. He suggests activities that are more conducive to learning about each other. Included are good ideas on how to keep the date "safe". There is a chapter on how to chose your date, which gives great guidelines, even for those not going to date but in considering what you would like in a mate. In his chapter on quality control he delves quite a bit into character, both in looking for a person of character and becoming a person of character. There are many warnings about guarding your heart and keeping pure. The author had some great points on modesty, mens’ and womens’ roles and treating each other with brotherly or sisterly love. One quote on modesty: "Modesty is a state of being; it involves how you think and act. Modesty affects every part of your life, from speech to dress to how you sit." Pg 129.

On the down, side he gives examples, some from his own life of how people crossed their boundaries. I felt that his examples showed how hard it is to stay emotionally neutral to someone you are spending alone time with. He speaks about identifying when you’re ready to date and when your not, which is fine if you are dealing with emotionally mature people, but expecting a 16 year old to recognize this is a bit out of hand. He also speaks quite a bit about casual dating, "just for fun", but his examples seem to show that this would be a difficult thing to accomplish. In a couple of places he seems to imply that those who don’t believe dating is a good option, keep themselves completely from the opposite sex, which in my experience is a false assumption.

While I do agree with him on the fact that young men and women need to understand how their demeanor and actions affect their brothers and sisters and that they need to learn how to interact with one another, I remain unconvinced that dating is the way to accomplish this. Family activities, church activities and group outings can provide such opportunities and a much safer environment.

A Book Readers Quiz

I was tagged by Merry at Beth Spera in Domino with this quiz. I tag Javamom, Mama Squirrel and Plant Lover. I look forward to reading your answers.

1. How many hours a day do you spend reading?

About 1 (not counting reading children's school books with them).

2. How fast do you read?

Not real fast but not slow either - I haven't timed myself

3. What is your favorite book?

In His Steps by Charles Sheldon

4. Who is your favorite author?

I don't have a favorite - I like Tolkein, Austen, and Dorothy Gilman plus many others.

5. What is your favorite action/adventure novel?

Not sure

6. What is your favorite mystery novel?

The Mrs. Pollifax novels by Dorothy Gilman

7. What is your favorite romance novel?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

8. What is your favorite character novel?

Deer Slayer by James Fenimore Cooper

9. What is your favorite fantasy/sci-fi novel?

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

10. What is your favorite history book?

??

11. What is your favorite biography?

Barbara Bush's Memoirs by Barbara Bush

12. What is your favorite other non-fiction book?

Best Friends for Life by Michael & Judy Phillips or
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Phillip Yancy

13. What is your favorite play?

Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare

14. What is your favorite of the genres mentioned in questions 5-12?

Mystery novels.

15. What is your favorite type of character?

Strong, full of integrity and great morals

16. If you could host a party with 7 literary characters, who would they be and why?

Miss Marple of Agatha Christie fame because she is logical and wise; Aragorn because of his integrity; Mrs. Pollifax because of her sense of humor and she just seems like she would be fun to be around; Elizabeth Bennet because of her sharpness of wit; Sam from Lord of the Rings because of his loyalty and I am not sure who else I would like to meet - maybe Merlin from The Once and Future King - just to keep things interesting.

17. Do you like film adaptations of books? If so, which is your favorite? Which is your least?

Yes! I like A&E's Pride and Prejudice and I am not sure which I least liked.

18. Who is your literary role model?

Don't have one

19. Which literary house would you like most to live in?

Pemberly

20. Which literary couple would you like most for parents?

???

21. Pick 3 literary characters you would like to have as siblings.

Lizzie Bennet, Charles Bingley, Aragorn or Faramir

22. Who is your favorite literary villain?Favorite as in most wellwritten?

??

23. Name a character that most people dislike, but that you do not. Why do you like them?

??

24. Which minor character deserves a book all to themselves, in your opinion?

None are coming to mind right now


25. Which character do you identify most with in literature?

Elizabeth Bennet (sometimes snippy and misjudge people)

26. If you could go into a novel, which one would it be and why?

I am not sure.

27. Do you prefer hardback or paperback?

Paperback for reading, but hardback for buying.

28. Do you like dustcovers?

I don't mind the mylar library ones - but don't like the regular paper ones.

29. Do you like introductions, forwards, afterwards, and appendices?

Not really.

30. Do you like reading literary criticism?

Sometimes.

31. Do you like new or used books? What about ex-library?

Both

32. Are you likely to buy new books without having read them, or would you buy a used copy (or check it out from the library) to see if it is good or not?

I rarely buy a new book, unless it is unavailable otherwise.

33. Name 3 - 7 books that you rarely see on people's favorite book lists, that are high on your own.

??

34. Which is your least favorite book of those that are considered "classics"?

Wuthering Heights - utterly depressing

35. Do you like books read aloud, or do you prefer silent reading?

Silent reading.

36. When you read, do you see things in your mind like a movie, or just in vague pictures?

Vague pictures

37. Do you like to read in silence, or with backround noise/music?
I prefer silence

38. Can you read in the car without getting carsick?

Sometimes

39. Do you go to booksales?

Yes

40. Name one literary quirk of yours.

I don't know of any

Fun Fluff Reading

Well, I took a break from my heavier reading to enjoy some fluff. I thought I would share a mystery series that I enjoy reading. The series is about Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman. The books are all mysteries about a 60+ year old woman who ends up being a spy for the CIA. The first book is titled The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax. This book tells the story of how she becomes involved with the CIA and her first mission. The books are adventure mysteries. I enjoy them because you learn a bit about the geography of the places she visits, they are pretty clean and they are suspenseful. Objections may be an occasional curse word and some violence.

Books on Courtship

As I said in my post on Courtship and Romance, there are many books on this topics from many different perspectives. I thought I should share a bit of what I found in the books that I have read.

Her Hand in Marriage, by Doug Wilson
It has been a long time since I read this one and my memory tends to be hazy at times. I believe this book is especially good for fathers and daughters. It details the responsibility of the father to protect their daughters and the author uses scripture to prove his points.

Of Knights and Fair Maidens, by Jeff and Daniel Myers
This books is a small, easy to read book. In it the authors detail their courtship and ways to initiate this as a young adult on your own. They had some good ideas but wasn't quite what I was looking for. Again, it was a long time ago that I read this one - so my memory is a bit hazy.

I Kissed Dating Goodbye, by Josh Harris
I shared about this one in my previous post. I believe this book could be used with high school aged children and I may have my son read this one after reading Best Friends for Life.

Best Friends for Life, by Michael and Judy Phillips
I also shared about this one in my previous post. This book, in my opinion, is very well suited for use with young high school aged children.

When God Writes Your Love Story, by Eric and Leslie Ludy
This book is a very candid sharing of the lives of its authors and I feel that it is a great book for mature high schoolers and college aged young people. I believe the content to be too mature for my 9th grade son.

The book is divided into sections:
-Desiring a Love story (submitting to God)
-Preparing for a Love Story (Purity - inward excellence)
-Waiting for a Love Story (singleness & high standards)
- Sweetening a Love Story (training to be tender within your own family and partnering)
-Discovering a God Written Love Story (too late?, Against the tide)

I hope these brief reviews will help those in search of resources on this topic.

Pride and Prejudice - once again

I can now count myself among the many that have actually read, Pride and Prejudice! I found the book absolutely delightful. I really enjoy Jane Austin's writing style. The characters really come to life. The only unfortunate thing for me was that I had trouble picturing the characters in my own imagination because I had watched the movies and so I picture them as the actors that portrayed them. While the A&E adaptation of the book stayed very close to the story line, it was still nice to read everything that went on during Lizzy's visit with the Collins family and again during her visit to Pemberly. I am so glad that I took the time to read this wonderful story.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

We recently finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl and thoroughly enjoyed it. After watching the new movie, my curiousity was piqued to find out which movie adaptation was closer to the book. The movie featuring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka was much closer to the book than the old movie with Gene Wilder in that part. There were some slight differences, but they did a pretty good job of staying faithful to the story line. I found Willy Wonka even more rough around the edges in the book - but my daughter didn't think so. The Oompa Loompa songs were a bit different in the book and the one that they sang after Mike Teavee gets shrunk is really good. I read it on another blog before we read the book and was going to link to it, but now I can't find it. I guess I will just have to post it here. You can read my daughter's review of the movie on her blog here.
Here is the poem. I found it on the Roald Dahl Fans website.

"Mike Teavee..."
(from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
"The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set–
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all the shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink–
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK–HE ONLY SEES!'
All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!
'We'll answer this by asking you,
'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?
'Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY...USED...TO...READ!
They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic takes
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy–Winkle and–
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How The Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There's Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole–
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks–
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something good to read.
And once they start–oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts.
They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.
P.S. Regarding Mike Teavee,
We very much regret that we
Shall simply have to wait and see
If we can get him back his height.
But if we can't–it serves him right."

Reading

I just finished the book __Reading Between the Lines__ by Gene Edward Veith and it got me to pondering about reading and especially Christians reading or lack of reading.

He had this to say:

"Christians to one extent or another have to read. They are "people of the Book," whose spirituality and conceptual framework is centered upon the linguistic revelation of the Word of God. As the culture moves farther and farther away from the printed word, Christians will still read. As their neighbors plug themselves in to their video images, Christians may find themselves making up a greater proportion of the reading public. Their tastes and values may matter again. Beacause readers exert the most influence in a society, however the masses amuse themselves, Christians may find themselves once again the thinkers and the leaders of society."

He used as an example the Dark Ages when the Vandals trashed a a civilization based on law and learning. During which time the church preserved the printed word, Bibles, Ancient works, books of science and medicine carefully copied and stored behind the walls of monestaries.

I hope that he is right and that Christians will continue to read or start to read, if they don't. How can they know God and the greatness of His glory if they don't at least read His word.

For more thoughts on reading you can go over to a couple of my favorite blogs, Common Room and Dominion Family. Headmistress at the Common Room has done a couple of articles recently about reading and the lack of it in our culture, even among homeschoolers. You can read them here and here. Over at Dominion Family, Cindy also had this to say.

Finally Finished! Gulliver's Travels

Much to many people's shagrin, I am sure. I found this book not very enjoyable. Though I see how the author was using satire to poke fun at the society and governments of his time, I had a hard time with his choice of vulgar images. I did find the last voyage, to the Houyhnhnms interesting in the virtues that they displayed and it did cause me to reflect on the lack of virtue displayed in our society. As a whole, I feel this book was made for adult eyes and I found that Swift's satire is not my cup of tea.

Reading List

I don't get to read as much as I would like and am hoping to work in a book a month this year. We shall see. Here is my reading list for the past couple of years:

2003/2004
Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott
Sword and the Stone and Queen of Air and Darkness (from the Once and Future King), by T.H. White
Watership Down, by Richard Adams
After you Marco Polo, by Jean Bowie Shor
Parenting Isn't for Cowards, by Dr. James Dobson
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, by Tolkien
More Than a Carpenter, by Josh McDowell
A Man for all Season, by Robert Bolton
Dvorak in America, by Joseph Horowitz
2005
Undaunted Courage, by Stephen Ambrose
In His Steps, Charles Sheldon
Tips and Tricks for Homeschooling Survival, by Ann Lloyd
I Kissed Dating Goodbye, by Josh Harris
God Came Near by Max Lucado
Six Hours One Friday, by Max Lucado
With Wolfe in Canada, by G. A. Henty
Started in 2005 but not finished
Reading Between the Lines, Gene Veith
How to Read a Book, by Mortimer Adler
Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift
When God Writes Your Love Story, by Eric and Leslie Ludy
More Hours in My Day, by Emilie Barnes
**I am still working on these and some will be finished soon.
Started in 2005 and finished in 2006
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens (my first time ever)

Good Fantasy/Bad Fantasy

"We can use our minds and imaginations in either a wholesome or a degraded way; by the same token, human beings can produce good fantasy or bad fantasy. Both draw on the inner world of the soul, and both can be a way of making spiritual realities tangible, presenting goodness and evil in concrete terms. Good fantasy elevates and disciplines the imagination, awakening its readers to the beauty of goodness as well as to the repulsiveness of evil . . . Good fantasy projects a universe of grandeur and meaning. Good and evil are a matter of moral absolutes. Th principles of virtue are austere and all-demanding, yet full of splendor. Evil is presented in all of its hideousness. The reader's moral sensibility is sharpened, and spiritual truth is thrown into high relief.
Bad fantasy, on the other hand, is concerned only with the self. The writers of much contemporary fantasy are doing nothing more than manufacturing daydreams for the reader. In line with the demands of mass culture, they are designed solely for self-gratification and often do little to elevate or instruct the imagination."

Quote from Reading Between the Lines: A Christian Guide to Literature, by Gene Edward Veith, Jr.

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

I was asked to preview this book for the HEO curriculum year 10. It turned out to be a little too risque to recommend for the curriculum, but it was such an interesting book that I couldn't take it back to the library before finishing it. Tom Wolfe is an excellent writer, although definately for an adult crowd. The Right Stuff is a book about the beginning of America's entry into the space race. It shares the lives of those involved in breaking the sound barrier and also the first Astronauts who participated in the Mercury space program. The book chronicles people such as Chuck Yeager, Al Sheppard, John Glen and the other of the first 7 astronauts and flight test pilots that broke speed records in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Mr. Wolfe does an excellent job of putting you in the place of the wives of the test pilots, experiencing the emotions of not knowing if your husband would come home from work that night or if some official would knock on your door to let you know that he would never come home again. The language in the book is very rough and the lifestyles of the guys are also rough. Mr. Wolfe is a very descriptive writer that helps you to visualize the story well, even the things you would rather not see, such as the sordid details of the pilots lives. The book also took a look at the competition involved in the flight test program and probably with military pilots in general. Overall, I am glad I read the book, it put the space program in human terms. We watched the movie years ago, when it first came out - now I will have to watch it again and see what I think.

Not on my Booklist - but finished . .

Today I finished two books that I have been reading. They weren't on my booklist, but slipped into my schedule. The first is a book that I was asked to review for House of Education. It is Nikolenka's Childhood by Leo Tolstoy. This book was the first of his published and is a delightful childs story about a boy growing up during pre-revolution Russia. The story deals with the changes in a young boy's life - from spending early years in the country to living in the city of Moscow and also the tragedies of his early life. I would recommend this book for children in about 4-6th grades or later if the student wants to get a flavor of Tolstoy's writing without tackling major works like War and Peace or Anna Karenina.

The second book that I finished was Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Dr. Paul Brand & Philip Yancey. This book is on House of Education's Year 7 booklist for health. The authors did a wonderful job of explaining how different parts of the body work and then drawing analogies to the body of Christ. This book is a great resource for those wanting to learn more about how our physical bodies work and how the spiritual body of Christ should work. I truly enjoyed this book.

Although these books were not on my original reading list, I feel that they were both well worth the side trip.

I am still working on my reading list and some of those books, such as How to Read a Book, I am reading slowly over time.

Book Lover by Robert Service

I was searching for some poetry to share with the boys during our first term of school this fall and came across this poem. I think it is very funny and I feel this way at times.

Book Lover

I keep collecting books I know
I'll never, never read;
My wife and daughter tell me so,
And yet I never heed.
"Please make me," says some wistful tome,
"A wee bit of yourself."
And so i take my treasure home,
And tuck it in a shelf.

And now my very shelves complain;
They jam and over-spill.
They say: "Why don't you ease our strain?"
"Some day," I say, "I will."
So book by book they plead and sigh;
I pick and dip and scan;
Then put them back, distrest that I
Am such a busy man.

Now, there's my Boswell and my Sterne,
My Gibbon and Defoe;
To savour Swift I'll never learn,
Montaigne I may not know.
On Bacon I will never sup,
For Shakespeare I've no time;
Because I'm busy making up
These jingly bits of rhyme.

Chekov is caviare to me,
While Stendhal makes me snore;
Poor Proust is not my cup of tea,
And Balzac is a bore.
I Have their books, I love their names,
And yet alas! they head,
With Lawrence, Joyce and Henry James,
My Roster of Unread.

I think it would be very well
If I commit a crime,
And get put in a prison cell
And not allowed to rhyme;
Yet given all these worthy books
According to my need,
I now caress with loving looks,
But never, never read.

With Wolfe in Canada by G. A. Henty

I found this book very engaging - a page turner. The main character James Walsham is a young man of great integrity, born in England. Through a series of circumstances, he ends up in the American Colonies during the French and Indian War. He joins up with the British Army and has many close calls during his service with them against the French, Canadians and their allied native tribes. This book brings life to this period of history and I think would be an adventurous read for any young adult. I plan to have skinny skater read it during his school year as a 9th grade student.

Six Hours One Friday, Anchoring to the Cross

I found this book to be very encouraging. Mr. Lucado does a great job of bringing life to the people in the bible. He recounts stories such as the raising of Lazarus, the raising of the Widow's son, the woman at the well, as well as others, and explores what their encounters with Jesus might have been like. He also takes events documented on the day of the crucifixion and how they may have affected the centurian and other onlookers. This book is not a deep theological treatise. It did, however, cause me to look into my heart and check my faith. It restates the anchor points for a strong faith. In my copy there is also a study guide in the back of the book that could be used for a devotional study.