Skip to main content

My Personal {2015} Summer Reading List

So last week I shared my kiddos' summer reading plan but today I thought I'd share my own summer reading goals with you.

I'm afraid that my stack of books for this summer is a bit ambitious but I'm going to give it my best shot!

Here they are:

  1. Just RISE UP!  by Sarah Francis Martin: this is the book I'm going through with my church ladies for our summer Bible study.  I'm loving it!  Inspiring and challenging!
  2. Life of Pi by Yann Martel: I actually just finished this one this week.  It was such a good book ...and then the twist at the end really got me.  I have continued to think about it all week after finishing it.  Now I want to watch the movie.  
  3. Murder at the Manor by Agatha Christie: this is actually 3-books-in-1: The Seven Dials Mystery, Crooked House, and Ordeal By Innocence.  I'm currently reading The Seven Dials Mystery and thoroughly enjoying it.  Christie is one of my very fave mystery writers!
  4. Miss Marple, The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie: can't wait to read these!  Her short stories are always wonderful--perfect for wrapping one up at night before going to sleep:)
  5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: I've heard such good things about this book, really looking forward to it.
  6. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien: I can't believe I've never read these yet, but this summer that will change!  I adore The Hobbit and I've seen all the movies (not that they follow the books...) so I'm excited to read the trilogy.
  7. The King's General by Daphne DuMaurier: her book Rebecca is one of my all-time favorite books so I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.
  8. The House on the Strand by Daphne DuMaurier: a time-travel story, should be interesting
  9. The Glass Blowers by Daphne DuMaurier: another DuMaurier read that I know nothing about.
  10. Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto: this has been on my Amazon wish list for a while now and I finally decided to order it.
  11. How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig: I've read the intro on this and am already loving it so much.  Can't wait to dig in!
  12. Soul Friends by Dr. Leslie Parrott: recommended to me by a trusted friend.
  13. Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson: I've skimmed this one and I always love her books, so I can't wait to go back and dig in deeper with this one.
...and there you have it!  A challenging but exciting stack to read one (or two) at a time (I often am reading one fiction and one non-fiction at the same time--am I the only one?).

What are you reading this summer?  I'd love to know!
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

The Making of an Egyptian Death Mask

We are learning all about the ancient world this year with Story of the World I and loving it! We've been learning a lot about Egypt, of course, which is completely fascinating. Most recently we have studied the New Kingdom of Egypt, which includes the story of King Tut. So we decided making an Egyptian death mask in the style of King Tut's would be a fun project. First since it was too cold at the time to paper mache in the garage (it probably would have frozen instead of dried-ha) and it was too messy to do it in the house, we decided to pick up a couple of cheap craft masks at Hobby Lobby. Next we cut out cardboard shapes to complete the shape of the death mask, attaching them with hot glue. Vince even put a little detail on the *beard* with the hot glue per The Princess' request. Then the kiddos started to paint them with this metallic gold tempera paint. It worked okay for the cardboard, but would not coat the plastic of the mask. We thought maybe a second coat ...
Read more

One Way I Refresh During the Summer as a Homeschool Mom

As our homeschool takes some time off this summer, my mind almost never stops thinking of and planning ahead for the upcoming school year.  This is probably because I'm Type A and an obsessive planner...lol Whatever the reason, I do enjoy this season of planning.   But I also need to be refreshed as a homeschool mom.  Homeschooling can be incredibly exhausting and all-consuming.  It's not easy and it's a lot of responsibility.  And I take that very seriously when I am researching curriculum and planning toward the next school year.  So also taking some time to rejuvenate and refocus myself is very important.   How do I do this?   Each summer I take some time to read something inspiring and motivating that speaks to me as a homeschool mom.  Some of my fave reads from past years--that I have nearby on my shelf and refer to often--are Educating the Wholehearted Child, The Well-Trained Mind, The Charlotte Mason Companion, A T...
Read more

Arkansas' Crimson Clover

One of my favorite things about Spring is the crimson clover that grows along the highways and interstates here in Arkansas. I say Arkansas because this is where I first grew to love it. We actually saw some in Mississippi on our way here and I saw it in our town in Alabama for the first time this year. But it spreads like that, each year it grows and looks even more beautiful. I'm not sure who decided to plant it in the medians of the interstates , but it was genius! It seeds itself and just comes back more lush the next year. I always want to take pictures, but of course it's almost always in the median of a very busy interstate~which is a little dangerous for photography. However, the other day I found the perfect patch of it on the side of a not-too-busy highway, so Vince obliged me and pulled over:) Isn't it beautiful? I just had to share it with you...
Read more