What's Going On in My Reading Life?

Now that the busiest summer I can EVER remember having has drawn to a close, I am finally getting back to blogging on a regular basis.  While I definitely didn't do a lot of writing this summer, I did do a lot of reading - most of it during swim meets.  I have met my local library's 50 Book Challenge and am currently at 59 books for the year!

So, what did I read?  I did a lot of reading for my children's history courses this year.  We are using Sonlight for history this year and Sonlight means a lot of reading.  Thankfully, I have truly enjoyed all of the books that I've read so far, although I've liked some books even more than others.

• Stink Alley by Jamie Gilson (*****)  I REALLY liked this book. 


• A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla (***)


• Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates (*****)  I adored this book about a slave who buys his freedom over time but finds true freedom in Jesus Christ while he is still a slave.  While parts of the book are very sad, the story of Amos' life was incredibly inspiring.


• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (*****)  I LOVED this book.  For me, the book had it all - romance, suspense, strong characters, and an interesting historical setting.  My teenage daughter read it over the summer to get a jump start on her history reading and adored it as well.  


• Pocahontas and the Strangers by Clyde Robert Bulla (***)


• Vostaas White Buffalo's Story of Plains Indian Life by William White Buffalo (***)


• The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty (***)


• Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla (***)


• Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (*****)  I highly recommend listening to this EXCELLENT book on audio - the narrator is wonderful!


• Indian Captive:  The Storyof Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski (***)


• The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh (***)


• The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgliesh (***)


• Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia by Margaret Cousins (****)


• The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds (***)


• A History of Us, The First Americans, Prehistory - 1600 by Joy Hakim (***)

I have been working my way through re-reading the Left Behind series this summer.  If you've never read this end-times series, I highly recommend all of the books in the main series.  I haven't read any of the prequels yet so I can't comment on them.

• Tribulation Force by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)


• Nicolae by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)


• Soul Harvest by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)


• Apollyon by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)


• Assassins by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)


• The Indwelling by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)


• The Mark by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)


• Desecration by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (****)

I also read several books that my daughter read or will read for her Literature course.  I'm so proud of myself to be reading so many classic books.  I wish I could say that I'm reading them again, but, sadly, I'm reading most of them for the first time.

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (*****)


• The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (*****)


• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (*****)  Wow - this book was good, but far more profoundly sad than I had expected it to be!


• Watership Down by Richard Adams (*****) FABULOUS!!!!!  This was one of the best books that I have ever read.  This one will definitely be in my thoughts for a very long time.

Since I haven't posted about my reading list since April, I have several books that were part of our Ancient History curriculum from last school year that I read.  As well, I finished a few textbooks alongside my children and a book about homeschooling through high school.

• Reading 3A, Once Upon An Open Book - Bob Jones University Press (*****)


• Exploring Creation with Biology, 2nd Edition by Jay Wile and Marilyn Durnell (*****) - OK, this should really count for 5 or 6 books!


• Explore Ancient Rome!  Carmella Van Vleet (**)


• Gladiator by Richard Watkins (****)


• Homeschooling High School:  Planning Ahead for College Admission by Jeanne Gowen Dennis (***)

I also read a few cozy-mysteries, one of my very favorite fiction genres.

• Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris - #11 in the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery Series (****)


• English Tea Murder by Leslie Meier - #17 in the Lucy Stone Mystery Series

Lastly, of course I found time to read a few Scottish romances featuring my favorite alpha heroes in kilts!

• Highlander Untamed by Monica McCarty (***)


• Captured by the Highlander by Julianne MacLean (****)


• Mystical Warrior by Janet Chapman (***) - #3 in the Midnight Bay Series

So, have you read any great books lately?  I'd love to hear about them!

Photo courtesy of Michelle Meiklejohn at www.freedigitalphotos.net.   

Weekly Menu Plan

Yes, I have a menu plan this week!  I'm so happy to actually have a menu plan for the week!  This week also marks our first full five-day school week of the year.  I am thrilled to be turning away from the unpredictable, crazy schedule of summer to the regular routine of fall.

Monday - Lasagna, Salad, Garlic Bread Sticks

Tuesday - Pot Roast in the Crock-Pot with Potatoes, Carrots, and Onions; Biscuits

Wednesday - Roasted Chicken Breasts and Drumsticks, Baked Potatoes, Corn on the Cob

Thursday - Taco Bar! (taco meat, baked refried beans with cheese, cheesy rice, sweet corn cakes, lettuce, olives, sour cream, hard tacos, soft tacos)

Friday - Homestyle Chicken and Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Saturday - Sloppy Joes and Fries.

To find out what other bloggers are doing in the kitchen this week, check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

2011-2012 School Year 9th Grade Curriculum

My oldest child is starting high school this year!  Yes, we are homeschooling through high school!  While I am sometimes nervous about our decision to continue homeschooling all the way through high school,  most of the time I'm really excited about this new adventure in homeschooling.


One of the hardest parts of getting ready for this school year was starting to think in terms of individual courses and credit hours for my high school student.  I've been working on Amber's high school courses throughout the summer and I feel really good about the courses that she will be taking this school year.  I LOVE all of the curriculum that she will be using and have been enjoying reading her textbooks and other assigned reading.  


So, without further ado, here is Amber's 9th grade curriculum for the 2011-2012 school year!

Writing and Grammar 9 (1/2 credit)

Bob Jones Writing and Grammar 9
Bob Jones Writing and Grammar 9 Instructional DVDs
The Phonetic Zoo:  A Self-Teaching Spelling Program, Finishing Level B, Level C


Fundamentals of Literature (1 credit)

Bob Jones Elements of Literature

Bob Jones Fundamentals of Literature Instructional DVDs

Cyrano de Bergerac

• Roxanne - 1987

My Antonia by Willa Cather

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

• The Jungle Book - 1967

The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare

• Attendance at a local production of "The Taming of the Shrew"

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

• Attendance at a local production of "The Crucible"

A Treasury of Poetry for Young People (1/2 the book will be covered during the 2011-2012 school year)

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

• The Hound of the Baskervilles - 1988

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

• The Bride - 1985


• Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - 1994

Watership Down by Richard Adams

• Watership Down - 1978

Emma by Jane Austen

• Emma - 1996

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

• Little House on the Prairie - The Pilot - 1974

·       Early American History (1 credit)

Sonlight Core 100 Instructor's Guide - Amber will be spending an entire year on Early American History so we will only be using about half of the Instructor's Guide this year.

·    The First Americans:  Prehistory-1600, A History of US Book 1 by Joy Hakim

·        Making Thirteen Colonies:  1600-1740, A History of US Book 2 by Joy Hakim

·        From Colonies to Country:  1735-1791, A History of US Book 3 by Joy Hakim

·        The New Nation:  1789-1850, A History of US Book 4 by Joy Hakim

·        Liberty for All?:  1820-1860, A History of US Book 5 by Joy Hakim

·        A History of US Assessment Book:  Books 1-10 by Joy Hakim

·        The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Henry Daughtery

·        Peace Child by Don Richardson

·        Sequoyah by Robert Cwiklik

·        Traitor:  The Case of Benedict Arnold by Jean Fritz

·        The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Ben Franklin

·        The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

·        Amos Fortune Free Man by Elizabeth Yates

·        Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen and James Watling

·        A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos

·        Indian Captive by Lois Lenski

·        Stink Alley by Jamie Gilson

·        Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann

·        Sacajawea by Joseph Bruchac

·        Shh!  We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz

·        Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

·        Guests by Michael Dorris

·        They Loved to Laugh by Kathryn Worth 

Videos:

500 Nations

The West

Lewis & Clark:  The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

Liberty!  The American Revolution

Biography:  Christopher Columbus, Explorer of the New World

America The Story of Us - Episodes 1-4
Drive Thru History American History 

We are also planning multiple Early American History related field trips such as touring a reproduction of the Santa Maria.

Algebra II (1 credit)

Teaching Textbooks – Algebra II

Marine Biology with Lab (1 credit)

Marine Biology Dissection and Slide Kit

Apologia Marine Biology


Physical Education (1 credit)


Amber is a member of a USA swim team.  Amber participated on the swim team year-round, both long and short course seasons.  She practices 8 or more times per week, which adds up to at least 20 hours per week at swim team practice.  Three or more of the practices include dry-land aerobic and strength-training exercises in addition to swimming.

Amber participates in one or more USA swim meets per month.  Amber participates in USA swim meets at the local, regional, and national level.

Fine Arts (1/2 or 1 credit hour depending on the number of hours accumulated towards the completion of the course)

Atelier Video-Based Art Lessons – Finishing Level 5 and Level 6

In addition to the hands-on portion of the Fine Arts course, we will be attending a large number of plays and musical productions presented at various playhouses in our area.  My goal is to enhance Amber's appreciation for live performances of plays, musicals, ballets, and orchestra concerts.  


We will be attending all of the Broadway plays included in the 2011-2012 subscription series for a local playhouse which include:

• Million Dollar Quartet


• La Cage Aux Folles


• Hair


• Memphis


• The Addams Family


• Come Fly Away


• Sondheim on Sondheim.

We will be attending two ballets performed by a local ballet company:

• The Nutcracker


• Coppelia.

We will be attending all of the plays included in the 2011-2012 subscription series performed by a local community theater:

• Early One Evening At The Rainbow Bar and Grille


• Bingo The Musical


• The Secret Garden.

We will be attending several orchestra concerts performed by local orchestras:

• Bugs Bunny At The Symphony


• An Old Fashioned Christmas


• A Tribute to John Williams.

We will also be attending a few other plays performed at several different playhouses in the area  including but not limited to:

• The Wizard of Oz


• The Taming of the Shrew


• The Crucible.

Latin (1 credit)

Latin for Americans Level 1, Glencoe

Latin for Americans Level 1 Workbook

For this class, Amber will be meeting with a private tutor who will be teaching the class.