2007 Reading List

I borrowed the idea from Becky's blog (What Becky Thinks) to keep a running list of the books I've read this year. I'm planning to use the same 1-10 rating scale that she uses, with 1 being the worst rating and 10 the best. Since I can barely remember what I read last week, let alone four or five months ago, I'll just start now and add books as I read them.

Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson (10)

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (10)

A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver Van DeMille (10)

Home Education (Volume 1 of the Original Home Schooling Series) by Charlotte M. Mason (10)

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life by Joanna Weaver (10)

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (10)

Just Beyond the Clouds by Karen Kingsbury (10)

Summer by Karen Kingsbury (9)

Having a Mary Spirit: Allowing God to Change Us from the Inside Out by Joanna Weaver (9)

Echoes by Kristen Heitzmann (9)

Aesop's Fables (8)

Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy with Nathan Whitaker (9)

Finding Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn (8)

For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay (9)

Rocketeers byMichael Belfiore (9)

Clutter's Last Stand by Don Aslett (10)

The Christmas Quilt by Thomas J. Davis (8)

Cleaning Up the Clutter by Emilie Barnes (6)

Homeschooling for Excellence by David and Micki Colfax (9)

Writing

This evening as I was rocking Drew I started reading Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett. I haven't made it very far yet, but I ran across a quote that kind-of describes how I feel about writing:

"Calder sighed. If only thoughts didn't have to be broken down into words. Too much talk was hard to listen to, and writing, for him, was a brutal process. So much got left behind."

I imagine my biggest problem, however, is that I haven't spent enough time thinking and then working at putting those thoughts into words.

Old habits are hard to break ...

but I managed to leave my computer off all day today! (I did sneak a few minutes on my husband's computer first thing this morning to check some library book due dates and renew a couple of books online, though.) The only drawback is that I need to review our family's budget plan and spending for July and August and now that I have the computer on I'm too tired to do it. Maybe I'll work on it tomorrow.

This week I have been reading A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver Van DeMille. It talks about how the system of education in America is broken and how each individual needs to take responsibility for his or her own education. Van DeMille asserts that it is impossible for one person to educate another, but that a great teacher can inspire students to educate themselves and help them follow through. The two types of teachers are mentors and classics.

I borrowed this book from the library via Interlibrary Loan, and I am actually reading through it for a second time and taking notes before I have to return it. I'm sure I'll have more to say about it once I have had a chance to finish reading and digesting the information. It has been very inspiring to me ... I can't wait to get started improving my own education.

No Limit

Up until a couple of months ago, our library limited the number of books a patron could check out at one time to 25. I was always right at the limit -- after all, I usually check out books for myself and my husband as well as for Drew and Gracie. Actually, when I say right at the limit, I mean 25 books plus or minus five (or so). I occasionally pushed the limit, and the librarians didn't seem to mind too much.

Then one day I let Gracie choose some books and she ended up picking more than I thought she would. I knew I would be *way* over the limit. I mentioned it to the librarian when I went to check out, and she said they no longer had a limit.

No limit. Hmmmm. That is probably a dangerous thing for a book lover like me. My husband is convinced that I am attempting to check out the entire library at one time, bringing the books into the house one bag at a time, one day at a time. Right now I have 48 books checked out. And I'm getting ready to go to the library when I finish this post to pick up another book. (I am returning four books ... but you never know what else will look interesting when I get there!)

Below is the list of books that I have recently read, am currently reading, or will be reading soon. Maybe I'll blog about them sometime soon.

Nonfiction

Why Johnny Can't Read by Rudolf Flesch
Hard Times in Paradise by David and Micki Colfax
Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet
The Hurried Child by David Elkind
The Power of Play by David Elkind
Einstein by Walter Isaacson
Beyond Survival: A Guide to Abundant-Life Homeschooling by Diana Waring
Farm: A Year in the Life of an American Farmer by Richard Rhodes

Fiction

Snitch by Rene Gutteridge
In Search of Eden by Linda Nichols
River's Edge by Marie Bostwick

What are you reading right now? I would love some suggestions!