Thursday, January 5, 2017

What I read 2017 Edition!

**1. Teaching from Rest by Sarah MacKenzie  Reread this for a book study and it was just as good as the first time.  Being restful, not frantic and fueled by anxiety, knowing that God has got this and that my best work is all I can do.  A great encouragement for any homeschooler who has faith in God!

**2.  Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist  Almost more of a collection of essays about leaving the frantic behind and finding a slower, smaller, sweeter way of living.  We spend so much of a lives thinking we need bigger, better, more and yet, the joy, the soul of living is not the career aspirations it is the people we are with.  I think this is one I need to reread again too!

*3.  Roots and Sky by Christie Purifoy  Another collection of essays, arranged through the four season. Christie and her family moved to Maplehurst a beautiful old brick home with 3 acres surrounded by fields of new homes on the land that used to be a part of the farm.  We see her have a new baby, fight depression, plant a garden, meet the community and come full circle all while loving God.  Some real gems in here, another 'read again' type book!

**4.  Lillac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly  Oh, this book!  It is based on the true story of the Polish 'rabbits,' the ladies that were experimented on by Nazi doctors at Ravensbruck.  The story bounces between Caroline Ferriday (a NY socialite, turned tireless worker for French orphans and the Polish ladies after the war), Dr. Hera Oberheusern(the only female doctor who was convicted at the trials after), and Kasia Kuzmerick (who was arrested with her sister and mother and survived the prison and the experiements.)  Caroline and Hera are real people and their lives are followed closely in the book; Kasia and her sister are based closely on a pair of real sisters.  Such an amazing and terrible read.  It was one that was hard to read and hard to put down. 

*5. Hope Heals by Katherine and Jay Wolf   A true love story.  The love between a young married couple going through a truly horrific ordeal and the love they have for God.  Katherine suffered a massive stroke in her brain stem and her survival was a real miracle.  She has gone on to have a lot of recovery and they have even had another baby!  But it has been such a struggle, she has lost the use of the right side of her face, her hearing in one ear, so much independence and the early years of her oldest son's life as his primary caretaker (he was 6 months when this happened.)  Really strong faith got them through and their love for each other is amazing to witness.

**6.  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Another fantastic WWII book.  This one features two sisters, Isabelle the one who fights with the resistance as "the Nightingale" helping downed pilots cross the mountains and Vianne, the one who is in the little village with Nazi's in her home, trying to save her little girl and then her best friend's son.  The girls have had a rough childhood with no mother and a father who returned broken from WWI.  There is love between Isabelle and Gaetan, there is loss, so much loss, and there is survival in every sense of the word.  Ari, the first of 19 children Vianne helps save comes back into the story many years later, Julien, the child conceived in rape at the hands of the Nazi staying with Vianne never knows his full story, but is raised as an American with a loving family who only learns of the heroic role of his family all those years later, Sophie, the little girl who grew up with no childhood who survived with her mother who (we learn during those late years of the story) died 15 years before of cancer.  A great read with a bit of can't wait to figure it out narrative.

*7. Simply Tuesday By Emily P. Freeman  I started this book last year and don't think I finished it and here it is again in the same boat. This time I almost did and found it to be good, but not the same kind of connection other books in this same idea have had.  Her main idea is that we need to get small, to keep things focused on the small, to think of the ordinary, every day that "Tuesday" is all about.  She uses the imagery of heaven being one inch  off the ground often and the idea of benches that we build and rest one.  We invite others to be with us on those benches, but we can't force it, just as we can't force the good stuff in life. 

**8.  The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick  Such a sweet, quick read.  Made for a perfect snowy Sunday by the fire book!  Arthur's wife has died and it is one year later. After 40 years of marriage he is having a hard time letting her go, but has somehow seemingly lost his son (who is in Australia with his wife and two daughters) and daughter (who just lost a baby and got divorced and lives around the corner.)  He decides to clean out his wife's clothes and finds a charm bracelet with a tiger, an elephant, a book, a paint palette, a flower, a ring, and a heart.  He starts the journey to find out his wife's story and her past is much more than he could ever imagine.  In the process he realizes his friendship with the neighborhood caretaker widow is important, he does things he never dreamed off and he reunites his family.  Very sweet, in the vein of Ove, but less grumpy :)

*9. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool Abilene Tucker is sent to Manifest, Kansas by her father after a life spent riding the rails.  She feels abandoned, but quickly is loved on by two new friends, Shady, the bar/church owner she lives with, Hattie Mae, the newspaper writer and Miss Sadie, the town diviner and the one who eventually tells the story that helps Abilene learn about her past and discover her future.  It jumps back and forth between the time when this mining town of immigrants starts gearing up for and sending its young men off to war and the time that Abilene is there trying to figure out her story.  A good read about finding home.

**10. The Orphan, The Widow & Me by JT Olson  I don't even know what to say because I loved this so much.  His story has always impacted me, but the things I didn't know were happening when I first knew their family were amazing.  The work he does now is so wonderful.  The story of bringing Grace home was just perfection..."She chose me!"  Such an important book for such important work they do!

*11. The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden  Young rich girl meets young poor boy over their shared love of Chopin.  Girl gets shipped to Europe and the boy gets very rich, but also crazy bitter over the death of his father.  They reunite and sparks fly, but the hatred gets in the way and then it becomes very much about her helping him find God.  Of course it all works out in the end, but not until the girl's life is in danger, the boy's fortune is almost lost and the bad guy becomes Christian.  It was good, but not nearly what I thought it would be based on other reviews.

12. First Women The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies by Kate Andersen Brower  A whole lot of information about the last 10 first ladies.  It is obviously based on many, many interviews with staff and those who knew them best.  Lots of interesting stories and yet it was far from my favorite read...too much jumping around.  It almost seemed like she was trying to get so many quote in that it couldn't be just the interesting story it should have been.
 
*13.  Jesus, My Father, The CIA and Me by Ian Morgan Cron  I really liked this book and debated as second star.  The story of his alcoholic father that had a shadow life that they didn't know about, photos of him golfing with the president and lots of unknown men coming to his funeral.  The mother who stayed through it all working to keep their family afloat during the rough years.  The Nanny who came with them from their wildly wealthly days in London to the rougher days in NY.  And his recognition of God in the Eucharist, his drinking and drugging, return to God through it all and eventual celebration of the Eucharist as an Episcopalian priest.

**14. And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman   I have loved everything I've read by this man!  This is a very short (read it in about 40 minutes) novella about a boy and his Grandpa and the father as well.  About losing memories and keeping them and love and overcoming fear..it touches it all.  So good!

*15. Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv  Major preaching to the choir in this book! He does a great job laying out all the reasons kids need to be connected to nature and then the challenges that there are to that now.  He spends a fair amount of time talking about the political steps needed, the connection to spirituality, and the people who are fighting to make nature more available.  The biggest takeaway is really how crucial it is for people to be connected to nature for their own mental and physical well-being.

*16. The Awakenig of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera  There is so much I feel like I should love about this book....a young lady comes to a village that has made the decision to step back from the world a bit, she is a librarian, there is so much quoting of great literature and Latin, lots of discussions that are philosophical, a budding romance, the wide feast education of four children, 16 weeks in Italy and more.  However, I just couldn't love this book like I thought I would.  It was a good read and maybe in a different mood I would have loved it.  I did love this quote at the end, "Time seemed to stretch out indefinitely when you did things properly  It froze, halted, stopped suddenly, like a clock that has wound down.  Then the small things, the necessary things, even the ordinary, everyday things, especially those one performed with one's hands--how mysterious that man could do such beautiful things with his hands--were revealed as works of art."

**17.  I liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi  I didn't like this book, I LOVED it.  It left me in tears at the end!  Madeline commits suicide and leaves her husband, Rory, and daughter, Eve, mourning her, but also completely devastated as to why their 'perfect' life would drive her to do that.  Maddie can influence their actions and thoughts and does so to try and help them find some peace and happiness.  More people come in to the story and we see all of them dealing with grief, the secrets families have, and how we all need to be a lot more focused on those we love.  The switching between points of view is really well done and the story line is so good.  The ending helps tie a lot of things up wonderfully and you see so much healing and love that it just made me weep!  So good.

*18.  The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion and Cooking Manual by Frank Falcinelli, Frank Castronovo and Peter Meehan  Wow!  That is long title and author list.  A great little cookbook by the two Franks who started the restaurant the book is named after.  Simple Italian-American cooking with very simple ingredients.  Like how quick and easy they make everything feel!  Wish I had a big old bowl of their Sunday sauce and some hunks of meat they talk about too.  Makes you want to throw a big Italian feast for everyone right now.

**19. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple  Such an interesting novel told using emails, conversations, and thoughts of Bee, the daughter of Bernadette, an awarding winning architect who built two amazing houses and is now lost in her own manias and Elgin, the Microsoft 'god' with the fourth highest ranked Ted talk.  There is a interesting battle between Bernadette and the 'gnats' from the school, boarding school, Antarctica, and over eager assistants (in India and in Seattle).  Basically, an easy read that is way more interesting that I would have ever thought!

*20.  Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King A very interesting book about the history of Michelangelo and his relationship with Pope Julius II, the work he did for him including the Sistine Chapel.  There is  lots of great history about how the painting was the done, the challenges with the architect, Raphael, and all the other players in this time of history.  A good read, but sometimes hard for me to stay with because of the multitude of artists and people to keep track of!

*21.  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline I am torn about giving this one or two stars.  Who would have thought a book about video games would be so good?  It is the future, the world is crumbling, everyone is escaping reality into the Oasis, a virtual interactive world. The creator has just died and for years everyone is trying to solve the puzzles he left behind in order to win his entire fortune.  Following the High Five group as they make strides to solve it, the evil Sixers who are cheating, the little love story that develops, the 80s pop culture throughout...it all adds up to a really good book.

22. Rachel Carson and Her Sisters by Robert K Musil  I was excited to read this book about women who have shaped American environmental policy.  This promised to talk about the ladies who opened the doors for Rachel Carson and those who have followed in her footsteps.  I read about a quarter of the book maybe, but it is just seemed to bent on connecting the ladies and making sure that all the things they did 'in spite of being women in their times' and they did 'better than the men of their time' (I feel like those should be in big, important looking capitols) that I feel like the story just disappeared.  I was hoping for an engaging read on women who have braved big discussions, broken down science for the general population and just had an impact on our world.  I felt like I was getting an overly forced agenda shoved down my throat.  And I just don't have time to find out if it ever changed...

23.  **The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines  The "Fixer-Upper" couple tell their story from childhood, through college (and selling books!), to marriage, and all the different ways their businesses have worked.  They are so connected as a couple in their faith, with their children, and so passionate about what they do.  A quick read, but a good one about a great family focused couple.

24. *So Long, See you Tomorrow by William Maxwell  I feel like this books is better than I realized because I read it in chunks and I almost think I would have loved it more in one sitting.  The background of the story in Lincoln, IL and two families who help each other but end up being torn apart by the affair of one of the men and women which results in a murder.  The narrator is a town boy who gets to know one of the sons after the fact and most of the story is him imagining what happened to cause the murder and why he didn't do more to befriend the boy. Reminded me of My Antonia in some ways.

25. *Lady With A Spear by Eugenie Clark A great autobiography of Eugenie Clark's early years.  She spends most of the book discussing her diving in the S. Pacific and the Red Sea and the book takes us to the point of getting married and coming back to write up all her research after the year at the Red Sea.  She was such a barrier breaker, she followed her passions, and her descriptions of all the fish, as well as the people she encountered is wonderful.  Loved reading about her in the two younger books and then reading her words here.

26. *Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead  The story of Cora, a slave girl who was a 'stray' because her mother ran when she was 10.  The fact that her mother was never caught is a huge factor in the story, but in the end we learn she actually was coming back of her own accord and was killed by a snake.  Cora and Caesar decide to run when their master dies and his even worse brother is to take over their plantation.  Lovey follows them and is caught and killed. The underground railroad involves actual hidden stations and trains in this novel.  We see Cora enjoy life in North Carolina for while until the evilness of that system seeps in and she must escape again, this time from Ridgeway, a slave catcher obsessed with her because of his inability to catcher her mother. At this point Caesar is caught and killed.  She lives on Valentine's farm in Indiana for while and seems to be settling into a happy life and even love, but that all explodes when the whites in the area can't take having such a large settlement of free blacks in the area.  It is a good book and one that makes you sick about slavery for sure.

27. *Dark Matter by Blake Crouch  Jason Dessen is a scientist who decided to marry his pregnant artist girlfriend, Daniela and have their son Charlie.  In doing so they both compromised their careers, but found real happiness together.  Jason's specialty was the idea of a multiverse, that every time we make a decision our reality splits into two, one with each decision. Jason is 'abducted' by a different version of himself where he ditched Daniela and had a huge career.  This Jason2 takes over Jason's life and sends him back to his.  This leads to all kinds of chaos, but he does eventually find himself back in his real Chicago life, along with at least 50 other Jasons, all trying to get back to living with Dani and Charlie.  There is violence, there is mind boggling science and there is, at the heart a love story of epic proportions.

28.* Hamilton The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter  This is the full libretto and footnotes of the musical Hamilton.  It also includes essays on most of the main actors and other players in getting this to stage.  I had no idea of the 7 years it took before it went to Broadway.  I listened to the full cast recording recently and enjoyed it.  Now I have a better understanding of all he put into the hip-hop musical about one of our founding fathers.  So much history from so many places and centuries!  It was worth the read.

29. *Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education in 5 Simple Steps by Sonya Shafer  Really a workbooks, but a great way to set goals for an education, a year, a term, a week and a day.  I'll be working through the worksheets as I prep for next year!

30. * A Butterfly Journey, Maria Sibylla Merian, Artist and Scientist by Boris Friedewald  We read a great little picture book about her, but this is a more grown up biography complete with many of her beautiful paintings.  She was so connected to the early book publishing of scientific knowledge and helped us learn that caterpillars don't spring from mud...amazing what a little close study of something can teach you!  She is most known for her work around 'summer birds' as she called butterflies.  Her trip with her daughter to South America (Suriname) was filled with discoveries and such a rarity for a woman to do.  She had to return to Europe due to her health, but continued to be involved with drawing, cataloging and studying her entire life. 

31. ** Behind her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough  What a creepy book!  I knew there was a twist and you think you have it figured out, but then the final twist is C.R.A.Z.Y!  Granted by the end you believe that people can go through a 'second' door in their controlled dreams and go see other people and maybe even change bodies with them.  Adele is married to David and they have some serious baggage (her parents died in a fire, he saved her, poor farmer boy marries rich heiress, she goes to mental facility, many breaks with reality and scary things happen), but when David meets Louise at a bar and they flirt it begins a whole new round.  Turns out David is her boss, the new doctor where she works.  Then Adele bumps into her and does everything she can to make her her new best friend.  So Louise (single mother of Adam) is caught loving both of them and not able to come clean to either of them.  And it gets crazier from there :)

32. *Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly  I listened to this on audio as I drove to KY.  It is a VERY in depth look at Jesus' life, the historical time period and the crucifixion.  Such interesting material and so much of it!  I enjoyed it, but think I would have liked reading it more.  Amazing to think that this poor, humble man with no country to rule and no army to command has completely changed the world and is the most famous human to ever live.  But then again, when you believe he is God incarnate it isn't that surprising :)

33.  *Butter by Elaine Khosrova  How can you not love a book about butter?  The history of it, the scientific bashing and then relenting, the margarine wars, how to make it, the small batch artisans doing interesting things with it, the different animals that people milk and make butter from and even a recipe section.  A very interesting food book that only reaffirms my believe that butter is definitely one of the best food stuff out there!

34.  *The Soloist by Steve Lopez  Mr. Lopez is a columnist for the LA Times who hears a homeless man playing on a 2 string, beat up violin. He eventually learns that this man is an amazing musician who studied at Juliard on the upright bass, has taught himself a ton of other instruments and is mentally ill.  He writes about him, collects instruments for him, works hard to try and help him find a safe place to lay his head and has to come to the understanding that he cannot force him to get the medical help he needs.  Along the way they get to experience Disney Concert Hall together, meet many other musicians and Mr. Lopez writes about him and helps a whole lot of other people realize the complex challenges facing the mentally ill and homeless.  Another audio book while driving to KY.

35.  *When Children Love to Learn Edited by Elaine Cooper  A collection of essays that deal with the practical application of Charlotte Mason philosophy mostly having to do with school settings.  It covers education being a discipline, a life and an atmosphere and then many little essays about different subjects and a collection of charts to apply it all.  I was distracted by the school aspect a lot and didn't find it as engaging as others I've read, but it did have good information in it

36. * Miraculous Abundance by Perrine and Charles Herve-Gruyer  This French coupled chucked their careers and started a small, organic, permaculture based market farm.  This books is very much about why they feel the world needs to return to very small market farms that use hand labor and draft animals and get away from oil.  They have done many studies and determined that 1/4 acre is enough to grow enough food for a family and many others.  They talk a lot about food forests, gardens, aqua, and other ways to make small areas crazy productive.  Lots of philosophy about the direction of our world and lots of using modern and historical ideas to get the best of both worlds.

37. *The Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter  The first of GSP's books that I've read and a very charming, easy read.  Elnora is an amazing naturalist in the swamps of the Limberlost, but she has not had an easy life.  Her father died in the swamp and her mother was giving birth to her and never forgave her for not being to try to save him.  The wonderful couple next door gave her a loving refuge and helped her in her quest to go to school.  Elnora sold the moths, cocoons and things she found in the Limberlost to fund her education and ended up being the head of her class.  She works one summer with recovering Philip and a love drama ensues when he returns home to his very spoiled, society fiancĂ©.  In the end it all works out as best you could ever hope and it is a sweet, lovely way to spend time reading. 

38.* A Year in Nature with Stan Tekiela  A collection of essays he has written about all different animals in many different environments.  They are collected by season and area great little introductions to different species and their behavior and habitat.  He is a wildlife photographer, field guide author and wildlife lover!

39. *The Land Remembers by Ben Logan  The author shares the stories of he and his family on their farm in SW Wisconsin.  Many stories of siblings being kids and mother planting her garden.  A nice collection of reminiscing that follows the seasons of the year and focuses on family and farming.

40. *The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell.  Helen and her husband, LegoMan move from London to Denmark when he is recruited by Lego.  She leaves her big shot magazine career and decides to freelance, specifically focusing on why the Danes are always rated as the happiest country in the world.  In the books she weaves her research and people she meets with stories of adjustment and homesickness.  They do slow their lives down enough (because of how the Danish society functions) that she eventually conceives, something they've struggled with for years.  And they decide to stay a second year!

41. * Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi  The book follows one person in each generation (for many generations) who are all related to one of two half sisters.  The original girls never knew each other existed, but one ends up marrying a white man in Africa and her family stays there and the other is sold as a slave and her descendants are in America.  The novel shows the many sides to the slave trade, the whites, the blacks, the fallout for generations here in America and also in Africa.    At the very end one person from each family meet (they never know they are related) and they take a trip back to Africa with some interesting closure.  My description doesn't do it justice...it was a really good read.

42. Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington The story of three girls who are all part Aboriginal and part white.  They are taken (as all half castes were) to a facility to be 'educated' and the girls escape.  The spend 9 weeks following the huge rabbit proof fence of Australia walking their way home to the station they were raised on and where their families are.  The girls were so young and yet they were able to evade those searching for them and survive!  The writing isn't great, but it was made into a movie I guess.  It does make me curious about the way Aborigines were treated (and maybe still are?) and shows how crazy social programs can be!

43. *The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly  Karen is a straight laced girl from a good family who is attending college in languages, something she has an amazing gift for, but she has little direction for the rest of her life.  She meet Biba and her brother and they spend a summer in their falling apart mansion steeped in drugs and sex and a very eccentric life.  You know from the beginning that there are going to be two murders and the story jumps between his getting out of jail and resuming life with Karen and their daughter Alice, but the two people who are murdered are a bit of a surprise as is the way it all goes down.  And when it turns out that Alice (born when he is in jail) isn't actually either of their child, but is actually Biba's (a secret Karen won't tell anyone) and then Biba reappears, seemingly from the dead and wants to claim her which leads to yet another murder the book really grabs you!

44.  * The America Revolution by Bruce Bliven, Jr.  The Landmark about the American Revolution read while we cover that topic in June.  A great, easy read that covers a lot of information from generals and battles in a very chronological order. 

45.  *The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman  I liked this book, but felt that the author was trying too hard to include all the things from her research and since she was using first person accounts and writings it just didn't flow as well as I would have liked.  The story is amazing, but the writing didn't make it as engaging as it could have been for me.  The story is about a zoo keeper, his wife, and their son who ran the major zoo in Warsaw, Poland.  When the Nazis invaded they killed many of the animals for sport and many others were killed during the bombings.  The family mostly stayed there and used the buildings and tunnels to help hide people in the general hustle and bustle of their lives.  Some of the animals had been taken by the Nazis and sent to other zoos and in the end it helped save some of the rarer animals (Przewalski's Horse for example). 

46. * Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs  A very sweet, conversational biography  of Louisa May Alcott.  I had no idea that she was a Civil War nurse or that her family was so connected to many writers of that time.  The Emerson's were particularly close to her family, often providing extra gifts or money to help during tough times.  The Alcotts moved around a lot due to lack of funds and broken dreams.  Her father was a thinker and had ideas on shared property living (odd) and changes in education (were pretty wonderful) and although his schools closed and his traveling lectures didn't bring in much money he was respected for his ideals.  Louisa took it upon herself to support the family after she was a nurse and recovered from the illness she got in the process.  She started writing and found it to go very well financially once she released Little Women!  The story is very much the real story of her sisters, with many people from their life showing up, even if not in the true to life way.

47. * String to Short to be Saved by Donald Hall  This book is full of stories of Mr. Hall's summers spent on a New England farm with his grandparents.  He shares stories of haying, of picking blueberries and milking cows.  He spent most of his growing up summers and even some of his college summers with his grandparents.  In the end we see him introducing his wife and children to the farm, his grandparents deaths and his eventual decision to move back to the farm with his family.  Nicely done, overall.

48. * A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline  A work of historical fiction that looks at the figure of Christina in the painting "Christina's World" by Andrew Wyeth.  We see him at work in their old farm house, we learn about his father N. C. Wyeth, but most of the story focuses on Christina and her family.  We learn of the sea faring tradition that goes back generation in the Hawthorne (Hawthorn) families and how when there was only a daughter left Christina's father John Olson marries her and keeps the Maine coastal farm going.  Christina has some sort of debilitating arthritis and we watch her go from a child who limps and falls  a lot to a woman who can't walk at all and uses her elbows to scooch around on the floor.  Christina and one of her brothers stay on the farm and we meet them in their middle/older age and see flashes back of how life came to be that way...loves lost, disease progressions, parents dying, etc.  Enjoyed it.

49. *Green Ember by S.D. Smith  Heather and Pickett are young rabbits who end up neck deep in adventure.  Early in the story they see their family home being attacked by wolves and are pretty sure their little brother and parents were lost to them.  They end up getting away and are aided by other rabbits they've never met.  It turns out that many of the stories their father has told them are their own family history and the rabbit that saved them is their uncle and his charge.  They are taken to a safe haven community where they see many rabbits trying to come together to return their world to a peaceful place like it was before one of their relatives was a turncoat on the greatest leader their rabbit clan ever had.  In the end they end up discovering and saving the rightful heir who was under their nose the whole time.  Lots of adventure and a great juvenile book.  Looking forward to the next one.

50. *Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome  I found half of this series of 12 for sale and finally got to read the first one (which we don't own.)  A classic series, but not in our library system, unfortunately.  Two groups of children meet up as allies (after a war to decide which was the leader) and spend many days camping on an island with all the adventures that go with it.  The swallows are a family of 4 children and the amazons are two sisters.  Again, great reading for kiddos and I enjoyed it a lot too.  Hoping I'll be able to read the entire series somehow!

51. *Homesick My Own Story by Jean Fritz  We love Jean Fritz's history books for kids and this book is her own history as a child!  She was born in China and lived there until she was about 8.  This book features roughly the year before they head back to the US and she gets to meet her grandparents and return to a place of home.  Her father was with the YMCA and during this year her little sister is born and dies after only a few days.  We see how the ex-pats all live and the beginnings of the uprising. 

52. Outlaw Tales of South Dakota by Tom Griffith   A collection of essays about different outlaws who are either from South Dakota or associated with them.  It was okay, but I think he tries for very poetic writing and it gets to be a bit much.  Interesting to see how the wild west functioned!

53. *Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken  The story of Sheldon and his wife, Davy, from their first meeting, their intense love and setting up all kinds of systems to protect that (including never having children) to them moving to Oxford, meeting C.S. Lewis, becoming Christian, and Davy's early death.  A big pull of this book is the 18 previously unpublished letters between Sheldon and Lewis and the friendship that develops.  I found so much of the book to be pompous, but in the end the road to finding Christ and the walk that he and his wife went through after were very interesting.  All in all a good book and worth reading.  Liked the though provoking ideas that were shared about earthly love dying in some way---through losing appeal and communication with each other, through death, or any of many other ways.  The severe mercy Lewis talked to him about was how her early death left their love intact without her stronger commitment to her faith driving a wedge between them or Sheldon being so jealous of God that he forced her to draw back. 

54. *Ember Falls by S. D. Smith  The continuing story of Heather and Picket, Smalls and Emma.  This book had even more action (pretty much non stop) and an epic battle that really seemed destined to end in complete destruction of all the rabbits Smalls did get killed in this book and we discover that orphaned Emma was actually his sister and heir of Jupiter.  The very end is a real cliff hanger and there is strong hope that Heather and Picket's mother is still alive!

55.**Teaching from Rest by Sarah McKenzie  Yes, I read this book in Jan.  And yes, I'm counting it again.   I needed to read this as we head into the school year this fall and it didn't disappoint.  And just today I read a quote by Zig Ziglar that is perfect about how you will look back and either wish you had or be glad you did.  I want to be glad I did when it comes to my kids and cramming more and more into our days isn't the way to do that.  We are on a different path this fall and I need to just stay true to what works for our family.

56. **Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton Porter  Such a sweet read!  The Keeper of the Bees is a soldier who was injured and has spent two years in a government hospital with a wound that won't heal.  He is going to be sent to away to basically die and decides to head out on his own.  Along the way he meets people who take him along and eventually finds his way to a beautiful home right as the owner is in need of medical attention.  He summons help and is left in charge of 2 acres of flowers and vegetables and bees, lots of bees!  He and the Scout Master meet and eventually the Keeper of the Bees starts a healing program, learns about bees, meets (and marries!) Storm Girl, reclaims his faith in God and say good-bye to the Bee Master as he dies.  The inherited land ends up being home to a horse for Scout Master (aka Jean), a place for a new baby with his neighbor and a place for his wife, who is the girl he married, but not the one who claimed his name...some interesting twists and turns along the way!

57. *The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane by Kathleen Kaska  Robert Porter Allen devoted his life to saving the Whooping Crane and the Flamingo and ended up helping both!  He worked with the Audobon society and spent so much time all over the country (and Cuba, Bahamas, etc) finding nesting grounds, doing studies and the like.  He was married and had two kids, but it is hard to see when he had time for them based on the crazy schedule he kept in the wilderness.  All in all it is amazing to see how far the whooping crane has come, from numbers as low as 15 in the wild to now having so many more.  At the end of the book the author gives updates on the cranes that have been taught to be wild and immigrate and it is fascinating to read. I wish the book was a bit more engaging, but all in all the story is amazing!

58. *Lady Almina and the Read Downton Abbey by Lady Fiona Carnarvon  This is the story of Lady Almina who was a 5th Countess of Carnarvon.  She was a rich girl who married into the family and her wealth (or really, that of her father, who was never actually acknowledged publicly as her father) was the money needed to keep the castle Highclere and the estates with it at the level they had always been.  Almina turned Highclere into an amazing hospital during WWI and nursed her husband (and later her second husband) as well as countless other soldiers.  She was a force to be sure and there are many parallels between her and the characters on the show.  One interesting tidbit is that her husband financed and was involved with many digs in Egypt and was actually the financier of the dig that discovered King Tut's tomb.  He and his daughter were there as it opened (Almina was home sick.)

59. * Boom Town Boy by Lois Lenski  One of the geographical series she wrote for young people.  Very interesting take on what oil can do to a family...making them crazy with wealth for a bit, but then mostly missing their farm and their neighbors.  The land was so destroyed, as were some people, but in the end this family did their best to recreate their old life on a nearby farm.  So well researched and looking forward to reading the rest.

60. *Black Star of Kingston by S. D. Smith  The prequel to his Green Ember series.  This is a tiny book and a fast read, but I enjoyed it more than the others.  I think it was just as action packed, but easier to follow and just more engaging.

61. Bread Toast Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford  She shares her families no knead recipe and many variations before continuing with recipes you can use it in.  Way  more uses than you'd think!

62.* Quiet The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain  Very interesting, lots of research driven findings and just a great book to open my eyes the introverts in my life, including me :)  Giving me lots to think about as a mom and wife.  Need to be sure that the introverts are given the time and space to bring out their best.  Also, saw a lot of myself in things she wrote about too.

63. *Prairie School by Lois Lenski  This regional one is about a school in South Dakota!  She had lots of letters from them (she was living in FL) and went there to meet the families.  She always did lots of interviewing, but this one is based very specifically on this certain town and these people. This is the story of how they survived the winter of 1949 told to her that spring.

64. *Breathing Room by Marsha Hayles  A very quick read that is geared towards young adults, I think.  Evie (rhymes with Chevy) enters Loon Lake Sanatorium as she is trying to recover from TB.  She rooms with Pearl (the drama queen, movie star wannabe who ends up having a hemorrhage when it seems she is ready to go home), Dena (the cranky loner who has lost her entire family to the disease and also seems to be better, but ends up dying in the adult section), and Sarah (the Jewish girl who keeps it a secret and seems most likely to die, but is recovering by the end of the book.)  There is a backdrop of WWII, lots of history of TB treatment woven in and a (hopefully) happy ending even among the loss.

65.  *Galileo and the Magic Numbers by Sidney Rosen  A really good read similar in tone  to a Landmark.  The story of Galileo's life went, from his challenges with the church and scientific belief at the time to his relationship with his father and need to support his family.  I'd love to own it, but am not willing to sell a kidney to get it :)  A great way to show how science is a living, changing thing and that scientists are always asking questions!  I loved the part about the first (and following) telescope and how it blew everyone away!

66.  *The Lake House by Kate Morton Quite a mystery!  Sadie Sparrow is a detective who is sent to her grandfathers for a 'rest' because her partner finds out she is the leak to the press in a missing mother case.  (In the end it comes out she was right, of course!) In the midst of her vacation she stumbles on this beautiful, deserted Lake House with a mystery of its own.  She ends up getting very involved in the whether little Theo was killed or stolen all those years ago and his two surviving sisters (one who is Alice, a mystery writer) mix in.  There is lots of guilt for everyone and each one feels they have responsibility, but none can put all the pieces together (shell shock for the beloved father, an affair for the secret keeping mother, the real father of the baby boy, the sacrifice needed to protect Theo and also the secrets of the family, the horror of their grandmother.)  In the end it comes together too well in some ways, but the story was a good one with lots of twists and turns about what could have happened all those years ago.

67. An Unhurried Life by Alan Fadling  I just don't know about this book.  I think I'm not in the right place to read it, even if that means I might need it more than I realize :)  It is about finding a rhythm between being an active, ministering Christian and having a quiet, close relationship with Jesus full of rest.  There is a real dichotomy between the two and finding a place between work and rest as a Christian is tough.  I didn't fully read this book, it needs more than I can give it at this point.

68. *Beartown by Frederik Backman  I've read everything that is translated to English at this point and Ove is still my favorite.  I find many of his books to be heart breaking and all are emotional, but this one is completely heart wrenching.  I think it deserves more stars, but I am scared to put myself through it again.  The writing is slower and more repetitious than most his books, but in a way that makes you really live through the sub plots and emotions of what is happening.  Beartown is hockey through and through.  Maya, the GMs daughter is raped by the star player, Kevin, the week before the final that can literally change the destiny of this slowly dying forest town.  The responses are both fully expected and shocking.  The teammates, the coaches, the Pack, the local bar and all the stories following them really make this so real.  Really good writing and yet, so hard to read.

69. **The Wheel on the School by Meindart DeJong  Such a wonderful story!  For me it started slow, but it got better and better.  Since this is one of Kelby's favorite authors right now and Kathy and so many recommended it I wanted to stick with it.  The kids in Shora, Holland discover there used to be storks, but they've stopped coming because the roofs are too steep and there are no trees.  So they band together to find old wagon wheels to perch on the roofs for the cranes.  There are connections made to the town grump, kids testing their limits, Dads home from fishing helping out, drowned cranes, kids lost in bell towers and more as the town comes together.  A sweet ending to a good book!

70.  *The Song of the Cardinal by Gene Stratton-Porter  I didn't realize this would actually be about a specific cardinal and his song, but it was!  It talks about his growing up and first migration to FL and then return to the river by the Limberlost.  He is twice the size of others and can sing like you can't believe.  We watch his courtship and eventual pairing, his friendship with the farmer and his wife and near death experience.  Charming writing, a really fast read, and lots of learning about birds!

71. *The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith  Precious Ramotswe has set up the first detective agency to be run by a woman in Botswana.  Her father left her money to open up a shop and she decided to help people and be different instead!  A very charming read where we meet the auto mechanic who loves her, see some of the dark side of black magic, and watch how Mma's ability to just notice things and puzzle them out helps her solve cases in such clever ways.  This is a series and I think I'll be reading more of them.  Quick to read, but good, nonetheless!

72. *The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart  I liked this book a lot!  I have seen it recommended a lot in book lists for kids and adults.  I have a feeling my kiddos will enjoy this one a lot, especially if we do it as an audio book.  A group of 4 kids (two orphans, one we think is an orphan and another one who ran away) are all brought together by Mr. Benedict to help save the world from the Emergency.  They have to go to L.I.V.E (an institute run by Mr. Curtain, who turns out to be Mr. Benedict's twin brother) and figure out what he is doing to broadcast this messages into people's heads and then figure out how to stop him from doing it before he boosts power and controls the world.  Really engaging and fun.  I look forward to reading the whole series.

73.*Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith (the second book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series)  Another quick, but nice read.  Precious and Mr. J.L.B Matekoni are engaged and this book introduces two children he brings home from the orphan farm to join the family.  The cases involve a mother searching for her son (he died on the farm he was working on and she gets to meet a grandchild!), a cheating wife, and J.L.B's maid gets her just due!


74. *The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo   This book made me read faster and faster to see what was going to happen...it felt like a slow motion train wreck coming, but yet, maybe not, but then yes, something... Lucy and Gabe meet on 9/11 and their relationship seems cosmic immediately, but then is cut off at the knees when he reunites with his ex.  Is it the drama of the day?  But somehow they stay interwoven over decades and do have a very intense relationship until he decides to leave to be a photojournalist.  She eventually moves, gets married and has babies all while feeling like her husband doesn't support her dreams the way Gabe did.  They keep dipping into each other lives and end up having an affair when she thinks her husband is cheating on her (turns out he was buying her the house they met at!).  She gets pregnant, gets called to Gabe's bedside where she has to 'unplug' him and finds out the baby is his.  The ending is disappointing in many ways, but the books is very intense even as it breaks my heart.

75. *The Morality of Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith (#3 in No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series)   These are just nice reads, morality without being preachy, learning about Africa and specifically Botswana.  In this one Mr. J.L.B is depressed and doesn't figure into the story much, but we see the secretary become assistant manager of the garage, the apprentices actually start working, the solving of a poising case and finding the beautify contestant who is actually moral and good.

76 * This Strange Wilderness The Life and Art of John James Audubon by Nancy Plain   A really nice biography of JJA.  It is written for young adults, but it makes a nice, quick read that encompasses his entire life, especially focusing on his relationship with his wife and children and their part in making Birds of America a success.  I didn't realize how poor they were and how his going to Europe to sell subscriptions is what made him a star.  BoA was sold in subscription and 5 volumes of art were done to finish it.  He was the first to tag a bird, the first to paint them in realistic poses and the first to try to document all of the species in America.  Such a wanderer at heart too!  There are multiple paintings scattered throughout the books as well.  Highly recommend for a good overview of his life in a living fashion.

77. *Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown  Billie Flanagan is a larger than life person who has lived through a repressive childhood, the 'Lost Years' of eco terrorism and life with a drug dealer, now she is wife to Jonathan and mom to Olive and living a 'perfect' life.  She has been gone almost a year, lost during a solo hike and is about to be officially declared dead.  We see Olive struggle at school, start seeing her mom in vision, a superfluous plot point about her sexuality and the distance between her and her Dad.  We see Jonathan struggle with writing the memoir of his marriage, with money issues and develop a relationship with his wife's best friend, Harmony.  The books is an intense ride through many secrets, through found children and it twists and turns until the very end.  They finally realize she is dead and we see them moving forward in a better space....but then the last couple of pages show us how right they were to believe she is still alive!

78. * The Singing Hill by Miendart DeJong   A sweet, simple book told from the point of view of the 6 year old boy.  His older sister and brother go to school and we see him left home with his Mom and very much treated as the baby brother by them.  He and his father get into a scrape with a bull when trying to sail boats, he finds a horse, and ends up bringing it home in the middle of a rainstorm.  Trns out the sweet grandpa he had befriended is the owner and lets him keep it!  All in all it is a sweet story.

79. *Code Girls by Liza Mundy   Oh, how I expected to LOVE this book.  Such a great story, but the storytelling left a ton to be desired for me.  The book is about the women who were recruited from colleges and teaching school to come to Washington and break the encrypted codes from Germany and Japan.  Their efforts really helped us win the war, especially their work in the Pacific theater.  However, the focus on so many people and the extra details she threw in and the brow beating about them being female and how amazing that was, along with the snide comments about the times and the men really ruined it for me.  It would make an amazing movie, along the lines of Hidden Figures, if the right person took it and made it about their stories and less about the political feminism that she couldn't move past.  Really neat to hear how they even worked with the Enigma machine, especially after watching that movie.

80. *The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith  The next in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.    This one continues to be a nice, light read with just enough interest and action to make it worth it to keep reading.  This one centers a lot more on the assistant detective (and garage manager) and her starting a typing school as well as meeting Mr. Already Married, but doesn't tell her that.  In the end Precious manages to overcome a competitive detective agency, solve the married man issue without hurting her friend and business partner and help bring peace to a man who has felt bad for decades.

81.* H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald  This started slow for me, but in the end I loved it!  This book is a memoir of sorts about Helen's loss of her father and overcoming her grief, also a book review of a very old text on hawking that she read as a child and revisits as she works on training her own goshawk with all the terrible and enlightening parts of the book, and part the story of her relationship with Mabel a goshawk she buys and trains and flies.  The stories of her flying her hawk are amazing and the dedication it takes to do so is nothing short of complete.  A great naturalist type book that works through the loss of someone so important to the author.

82. ** The Captive Princess by Maxine Shore  If this wasn't a terribly expensive out of print book I would absolutely be adding this to our library.  It is the story of the family that ruled much of Briton and how they were conquered and taken to Rome, where they become Christians.  It is so rich in history, in language and so well researched.  We come across Joseph of Arimithia, Paul (and his writings to the Roman believers), and so many other historical/biblical people.  It is well written and I feel like a second reading (or a reading with my bible open) would yield an even richer understanding of the times.  It is the introduction of Christianity to Briton and so much more!

83. *The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain   There are many things I liked about this book, but the ending was too tied bow perfect for me.  She definitely tackles lots of issues in this book from polio epidemics to race, class and religious issues.  Tess has grown up the beloved child of a widow and doted on by her neighbors whose son she is in love with.  They have their Italian, Catholic lives all planned out, he is a doctor, she is about to be a nurse and all will be perfect.  However a weekend away with a girlfriend leaves her pregnant and when she tries to run away with a stop at the father's to get cash she ends up married to him and orphaned too.  The marriage is a sham, his family and town won't accept her and she loses the baby.  In the end she finds purpose as a nurse when the town opens a polio hospital in 54 hours and she finds the love of her life too.  She discovers her husband is in love with the daughter of their former maid (and father of her two children, one of whom dies in the polio epidemic.)  In the end he fakes his death and she and her childhood beloved end up helping his soon to be wife get to him.  They go on to have a wonderful life with a child, a dual practice and a vaccine is found...oh, so perfect, right?

84. *Starlight in Tourrone by Suzanne Butler  Such a sweet, sweet story about a village that had left behind the tradition of processing to the old, decrepit chapel and presenting gifts to a mother and child on Christmas Eve.  When a group of children decides to have it again, even through no babies have been born there in 6 years and the village only has 50 people in it.  In the end the expected mother and baby are not able to come because of flooding and sickness, which devastates the children.  However, they get their Christmas miracle when a long lost son of the village returns with his wife and newborn child.  They all have renewed hope and this is a book worth reading every Christmas!

85.*  The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith Number 5 in the Ladies Detective series and this one is especially sweet.  There is a parachute jump, the taking down of a dishonest mechanic and in the end a wedding!!!  These are such nice light, uplifting reads.

86.*Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman  This is pretty much a two star book...Becca and John are in love and getting married, the day is beautiful, and it ends up devastating many lives for years.  Becca is the golden child of a summer family with long ties to the little Maine community. John is the gold child of the town's cleaning lady.  After their beautiful wedding they are killed while their guests wait for them at the reception.  We watch their parents grieve, their brother and sister hook up and try to live out their dreams by restoring the boat John was working on.  We see a child's gift for music discovered and nurtured all while a marriage falls apart and we see how they all survive, somehow, in the end.  The separation between families and the struggles of grief are so vivid and strong and the end left me crying.  Good book!

87. **America Is Born by Gerald W. Johnson   Oh, this is a book we need to get!  Such an easy, wonderful way to learn about the history of America up to just after the Revolution.  Very conversational, explaining many of the backstories that I  don't remember learning in school.  This whole series is so highly recommended and now I can totally see why!

88. **A Stranger for Christmas by Carol Lynn Pearson  Such a sweet little book!  Myrna and Florence are in a nursing home and missing Christmas.  Myrna is missing her 4 children and all her grandchildren because she can't fly back to Idaho to see them this Christmas on doctors orders.  Florence never had children and misses ever having had a family Christmas.  They invent a sweet little lady in Idaho that needs a family for Christmas and are so disappointed when all the children won't take this fictional friend in.  The ultimate surprise is when the entire family shows up in CA to spend Christmas, except for the oldest who is on a hunt for the fictional Genevieve.  Heart warming, sweet and a perfect evening by the fire kind of read.

89. **The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson  I love this book. I really love it and I finally own a hardcover copy!  One night this Christmas season I just needed a chance to sit by the fire and read something light hearted, but sweet and this fit the bill.  There never were naughtier kids, but there were never kids who could teach others so much either.  A perfect evening read!

90 * Pioneer Girl:  The Early Life of Frances Willard by Clara Ingram Judson  This was a sweet find at St. Vinnies.  Pictures are by Genevieve Foster too!  I'm not familiar with Frances Willard, but this is the story of her early years.  Her family traveled from Ohio by wagon train and settled by Janesville!  She sees the first train to come to Janesville and many familiar landmarks and towns are mentioned.  She wants to be educated like her big brother (who goes to Beloit College) and she goes from lessons with her mother to other teachers and eventually a school.  The last page details more of her life after as well.  A neat little children's book by two great author/illustrators and I'm glad to have it in my collection!

91. **A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle  I feel like I need to reread this a few times.  She writes of her life and within that talks about being a writer.  It is her attempt to define and explore the meaning of her life.  So many great quotes and interesting ideas are woven in.  I was surprised to hear her talk of her struggle to have faith, even as everything she was doing and living seemed to point to a great faith.  She and her husband moved to a small town and raised their kids their while running the general store.  He was overall an actor (before and after the store) and she was the choir director at the local church.  She explores the days when none of her work was selling and how that helped her know she was writer because she HAD to write, even if it didn't ever go anywhere. She discusses the time away from family to pursue her passion and the joy of her children and being a mother.  A good book for sure!

92. * The Last Little Cat by Meindert DeJong   Another very quick children's read.  Kelby likes this author and I am trying to read some of the ones she does.  Some of his books are longer, but this one is very short and simple.  A tiny kitten (the last born after 6 siblings) never gets enough milk or warmth because of the other six.  They are born in an abandoned chicken box at the very top of a bank of dog kennels.  When the kittens open their eyes the mother takes the six down and introduces them to all the kenneled dogs, but leaves the little one.  She tries to jump down, but lands on the kennel of the old dog that belongs to the man who cares for all the other dogs.  She licks his face because it is full of milk and it makes the old dog happy.  Then she curls up with him and is warm...full of milk and warm!  She ends up lost, but 7 houses down find the man who falls in love with the kitten and brings the old dog home as they can be companions there.  A very happy ending for the last, lost kitten.

93*The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman  Another little book by him (was originally a newspaper story) and one of his oddest yet.  This one involves a father who is incredibly successful in business, but has left his child and ex-wife behind.  He is diagnosed with cancer and meets a little girl who has been as well.  There is an ongoing connection with the woman in the grey sweater (came for his twin brother, his best friend, his parents) and while she isn't death, she is the one who does the pick ups.  He wants to prevent the girl from dying and to do so much give up his life...not die, actually be erased.  They visit his son one last time and he finally feels a bit of his love for him just as he leaves.  A VERY quick read, not my favorite of his by far.

94.* The French Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone  Recommended by Reformation Acres, some interesting recipes.  I'd like to try the one for pate as I have all these chicken livers to use up!

95.* Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell   A young love story where Eleanor is the 16 year old who had been kicked out by her step-dad for a year, moves back with her family, meets Park on the bus and they fall in love....except it is a s.l.o.w. process complicated by her unwillingness to share the abuse and desperation of her family life and his inner struggles about how different she is vs. the popular kid who he has always been able to deal with.  It gets pretty raw towards the end and the very ending left me hanging a bit, but I really liked it.  Lots of angst, written from both perspectives, but highly readable and one that was hard to put down!

96.* The Festive Food of Ireland by Darina Allen  This is a cute little book that talks about select feast days in Ireland (Easter, St. Stephens Day, and others) and then has a few recipes that go with each one.  Pretty watercolors throughout and pocket sized, so adorable is a fitting word.  Recipes are mostly doable and traditional, but no doubt are delicious as she is a great cooking teacher.