The Book Stack~March 2021
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The Book Stack~March 2021
On the reading stack this month:
Lincoln’s Devotional
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green
Choose Your Own Adventure-Mystery of the Maya by R.A. Montgomery
Sing Down the Moon by Scott O’Dell
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Peril and Peace Vol. 1: Chronicles of the Ancient Church by Mindy and Brandon Withrow
The Woman Who Was Chesterton by Nancy Carpentier Brown
The Home Education Series Vol. 2: Parents & Children by Charlotte M. Mason
The Home Education Series Vol. 3: School Education by Charlotte M. Mason (not pictured)
The Confident Woman: Finding Quiet Strength in a Turbulent World by Ingrid Trobisch
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Bradford Comstock
ESV Study Bible published by Crossway
Answering the Cry for Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle
I’ve been working on my habit of reading for a few years. I have several categories in my reading stack now, which is immensely helpful as there is always something that fits my mood and energy level. My current stack contains the following categories: Bible & Devotions, Mother Culture, Homeschool Pre-reading, Seville’s Choice, and Family Read-Aloud Selection. One category that is missing from this month is Business, Design & Entrepreneurship. I often have a book or two in the stack but this has been slightly harder to achieve since we haven’t gotten new library cards here in Minnesota—yet. Here’s how this month's stack breaks down.
CATEGORIES:
Bible & Devotions
ESV Study Bible published by Crossway
Lincoln’s Devotional
Mother Culture
Peril and Peace Vol. 1: Chronicles of the Ancient Church by Mindy and Brandon Withrow
The Woman Who Was Chesterton by Nancy Carpentier Brown
The Home Education Series Vol. 2: Parents & Children by Charlotte M. Mason
The Home Education Series Vol. 3: School Education by Charlotte M. Mason (not pictured)
The Confident Woman: Finding Quiet Strength in a Turbulent World by Ingrid Trobisch
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Bradford Comstock
Homeschool Pre-reading
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green
Answering the Cry for Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle
Seville’s Choice
Choose Your Own Adventure-Mystery of the Maya by R.A. Montgomery
Sing Down the Moon by Scott O’Dell
Family Read-Aloud Selection
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
I’m sure this list comes across as quite ambitious. It is but here’s the thing, I am not trying to read everything on this list in just one month. Sure some of them I will, but the majority of them are slow reads meant to be mulled over and chewed on a bit as I slowly work through them. I want these books to really impact the way I think, know, and act. Most of these reads take months to several years to navigate through. Below I’ll walk you through some of the books on my stack and why I chose them. Other’s I’ll wait to discuss in detail another month or in a review post after I’ve finished reading it.
Bible & Devotions
ESV Study Bible published by Crossway
I have been using a new-to-me bible reading plan this time around. I first came across it in this post from fellow homeschooling mom Kari Denker. Professor Grant Horner's reading system, base plan is to read 10 chapters a day, however, I’ve modified it to: read as many chapters as I can in 10 minutes, and if time allows I can add a second ten-minute set. I printed two copies of the reading list template on cardstock. One I fold in half and use to mark my current place in the rotation. The second one, I cut into individual bookmarks for each of the 10 books I’m currently reading from. I move these bookmarks from sticking out at the top to sticking out at the bottom after completing that section of the reading plan. This helps me keep track of where I am in the plan since I am not currently reading all ten chapters each day. Then the next time through I’d move them from sticking out on the bottom to sticking out on the top. I also use a tri-folded blank paper to mark anything down I specifically want to remember.
Lincoln’s Devotional
I picked up this little gem from another homeschooling mom friend Kristi Celata who runs Meadowlark Books an online gently-used bookstore. She has an immense wealth of book knowledge and can always lead you to the perfect book. I really love the format of this book. There is one verse of scripture per day and one rhyming poem about each scripture. That is it. It is perfect for meditating on throughout the day and aligning your thoughts first thing even if you are running behind.
Mother Culture
This practice is part of the homeschooling method I follow based on Charlotte Mason. There are a number of annually curated plans to follow if desired. Brandy Vencel from Afterthoughts Blog shared two lists, her 2020 Summer Reading List and her 2020 Mother’s Education Course. A Delectable Education shared this podcast episode about the concept and their 2020-21 Parent’s Education Course. Here is what I’m reading for this category. My list is not as stiff as either above but remembering what season of life I’m in is so important. I have a 2-year-old, I’m homeschooling 3 other children, one of whom is in Year 1 so the vast majority of school requires me to assist 100%, I am also in the start-up phase for my business, which is quite time-consuming as well.
Peril and Peace Vol. 1: Chronicles of the Ancient Church by Mindy and Brandon Withrow
I was gifted this series by a dear friend in New Mexico. Seville and I are both reading it and considering it for an alternative to our current church history reading, Trial and Triumph by Richard M. Hannula
The Woman Who Was Chesterton by Nancy Carpentier Brown
I started this book last fall, as recommended by Brandy Vencel, it is a beautifully written account about the wife to the infamous Chesterton and the ties to Charlotte Mason were somewhat unexpected.
The Home Education Series Vol. 2: Parents & Children by Charlotte M. Mason
The Home Education Series Vol. 3: School Education by Charlotte M. Mason (not pictured)
These are the most ambitious books on my stack. I have been wanting to read through Charlotte Mason’s volumes for several years now, but so far had only managed the first volume. Last summer I had a unique opportunity to join Art Middlekauff and Charlotte Mason Poetry’s Idyll Reading Challenge 3. This challenge encompasses reading through all 6 volumes in 2 years with 1 zoom discussion call each month. I have learned so much and been very challenged (in a good way) by this reading and discussion.
The Confident Woman: Finding Quiet Strength in a Turbulent World by Ingrid Trobisch
One of my goals is to read some of the books that already have at home on my shelf but for one reason or another, I haven’t read yet. This choice is one of those. I don’t even remember where I picked it up or how long I’ve had it. So far, I’m grateful for its wisdom.
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Bradford Comstock
This “bible” of a nature study guide is recommended by most in the Charlotte Mason homeschooling circles. It is a hefty book full of incredible wisdom and knowledge. How to use it best is another question altogether. I have used it a few times to look up information on a specific subject but not as much as I hope to. I recently came across a post asking if anyone was reading through it cover to cover. This “capital idea” stuck because I’ve so been wanting to just increase my knowledge and familiarity with the natural world around me. I’m still working out how best to fit this into my reading schedule and will be sure to let you know when I do!
Homeschool Pre-reading
For several years I have attempted to preread the assigned books/chapters coming up on the next week’s schedule. Much of mine is inspired by Ambleside Online and its generous and free curriculum guides. When I started working more intensely on my Thorpe & Co. business, this used up quite a bit of my evening “pre-reading” time. Currently, I am reading through two books on Seville, my oldest’s schedule. I hope to stay ahead of her, at least in part!
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green
The biggest influence to my King Arthur knowledge was imparted through the fence where, as a young girl, I sat watching the high-school neighbors’ back-yard rehearsals for the school musical “Camelot”. I was fascinated by the story and turned out to be watching one of Idaho’s brightest Shakesperian actors/playwright, Tom Willmorth, at his beginning. So far I am enjoying reading this closer-to-original version of the stories. It’s so interesting how the stories morph.
Answering the Cry for Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle
Ambleside Online added this book to the American History rotation. What a welcome addition and a much-needed other voice to our often one-sided view of history! Very interested in how this book “opens my eyes".
Seville’s Choice
I am excited that I’ve figured out a way to share my daughter’s love of books with her. She is an avid reader and quite possibly has more books under her belt in her short life than I have in all of mine. There is no way I could keep up with her several books per week/night pace. So she suggested she pick a few for me to read each month. I love this idea—although I still wish I could keep up with her! Her picks for the month:
Choose Your Own Adventure-Mystery of the Maya by R.A. Montgomery
Sing Down the Moon by Scott O’Dell
Family Read-Aloud Selection
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
I first spied this book on the Santa Fe Library bookshelf as its beautiful cover practically jumped off the shelf. Seville has read all three in the series and I have read this one already and loved the intertwining of legend with a new hero’s journey! I’m very excited to share this with the two middle children!
Well, that’s a wrap on my reading stack for this month. What’s on your stack this month? What are you most excited about? How has your reading habit changed over the last year?
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