Food Preservation 2019 (or the year that wasn't)

So, this was quite a down year for preserving food in our home!  I started feeling bad in late Feb and by May I was a mess and practically immobile.  I was diagnosed with RA in June and it took until Aug to see a rheumatologist.  Basically, this year was about getting sick and being sick and working to get better.  With my hands out of commission I had much less ability to can.  With going on the AIP I had much less that I could eat of what I typically can.  With the wet spring, late planting, wet fall, hard harvest there was just much less I could have grown or canned or frozen and I think God was just letting me rest and not feel bad about it!


So here is a very much shortened list:

Frozen
Strawberries 6 jars sliced, 1 gallon sliced, 1 gallon whole
Mulberries 1 gallon
Blueberries 1 gallon, 5 quarts
Kale 2 bags
Green Beans 5 bags
Zucchini Butter  4 containers
Zucchini 5 bags shredded
Garlic Scapes 3 containers of paste
Chimchurri  2 1/2 pints
Pesto 12 containers
Pasta Sauce 10 containers, 1 large container

Canning
Tomatoes 10 quarts diced, 12 pints sauce, 3 pints crushed

We bought a whole hog from Ibelings, 1/2 steer from Wundrows, raised our meat chickens, and got honey from Staubers.  No maple syrup tapping, ate from what we did plant and stocked up at the farmer's market and Clinton produce stands.  Hoping that I'll be back at it more so in 2020 as I feel better and hopefully a better growing year as well.

What I Read 2020

1. The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake   This book is not the one I would have chosen to start my year with if I'd known more about it.  It was a top 20 book of 2019 on a list, but it turns out that while this YA book had lots of beautiful writing it would not be one I'd pick for a top list and I would not encourage my kids to read.  Supposedly a retelling of 12th Night, involves a long ago ship wreck, a girl named Violet with her uncle in Maine, her suicidal brother in treatment, parents in NYC, an aquarium, and the new friends she makes.  It also involves drug use, promiscuity, fluid sexuality, lying to parents and under age drinking....and beautiful language. I hope Julia Drake uses her talent for better stories because I'd read her writing, but really disliked her storyline.

*2. Lois Lenski's Christmas Stories by Lois Lenski   This is a collection of poems and Christmas stories from some of her regional books.  There is even a little 'modern day' play about the shepards and wisemen.  Very cute, lots of illustrations, glad to own it!

*3. The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande  This was on a recommended list and I loved his book Being Mortal so I though it would be good.  It was!   This was an earlier book of his, but now I want to read all the ones he's written.  He is well researched, scientific, but totally relatable.  Checklists turn out to be a literally saving grace, but other than aviation people don't like adding them to their lives.  This book particularly focused on medicine and how much better surgical rates are with 3 very short, less than 2 minutes total checklists.  He also touches on the finance world and holds up aviation and many stories from it as the example to follow..

*4. The Day the World Came to Town  9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede   Such an interesting read about the best in humanity!  Gander had an airport with big runways and is Newfoundland is the first land most planes come to after crossing the Atlantic.  Because of American airspace being closed on 9/11 twenty eight planes with almost 7,000 crew and passengers landed there in a very short span and stayed for about 5 days.  This small town responded in the most heroic way by throwing open their homes, their buildings, and their lives.  They made people feel welcome, gave the sheets off their beds, stores gave their merchandise away and just made the best of a hard situation.  Hearing the stories was inspiring and heartwarming, to say the least.

*5.The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal  This was a really good read in some ways and in others I would get a bit lost and felt like I'd be more into it if I was a hipster who knew the ins and outs of craft brewing and such.  The story revolves around two sisters, Edith and Helen.  They grow up on a dairy farm, but Helen heads off to college, eventually convinces her dad to give her the farm,which she sells and uses to finance starting a brewery.  Edith gets married, has two children, works like crazy for a very meager existence, especially after her husband dies and her son and daughter in law die leaving her and her teen age grand daughter to try and make it.  Eventually that grand daughter also becomes a brewer and you can see that the paths will merge at some point.  Overall a good read.

**6. The River by Peter Heller  Wowza this book!  It was one of those read faster and faster because you just wanted to know what will happen next kind of books.  Two college friends on a canoe trip, roughing it, really up in the wilderness.  They suddenly realize there is a huge fire coming and know that they'll need to make time to get ahead of it enough.  That next day in an odd fog they hear fighting and figure it isn't their business, but after the man shows up at their next camp alone they decide to go back and find the woman.  They do find her, but realize something is really wrong and the job then becomes to not get killed by him, keep her alive and not starve all while trying to avoid being burned alive.  A pair of drunks get involved and there is serious tragedy as well.  Gripping is an understatement.

*7. The Tale of Gockel, Hinkel, & Gackeliah by Clemens Brentano  I read this for the translated book month of RA.  It was written in German and is a fairy tale or fable about a family with names that translate into rooster, hen and egg.  There is actually a second family with similar names and, as you might guess, a rooster, a hen and their 30 chicks also factor into the story. Lots of it is in verse and overall it is a neat story. I've wanted to read it and am glad to read one off my shelves!

*8. Better by Atul Gawande  I'm working on reading all of his books as they are interesting and very readable too.  This one focused on how things in medicine get better and it isn't always how you'd think.  Often it is just doing what you already know better vs. trying to innovate and/or do experimental science to push the envelope.  He talks about vaccines, c-sections, cystic fibrous and more.  It is so interesting to hear him talk about malpractice and how getting better means admitting there are issues that need to be fixed and mistakes that get made.

*9. The Editor by Steven Rowley   This book was fairly riveting, even though there were times when it was a little too --something--for me.  I think the main character, James gets too crazed and introspective during parts of the book.  The premise is that he has written a novel and Jackie Kennedy Onnasis is the editor who decides to work with him.  It is fascinating seeing her in this way, even if this is fiction. There is a family drama (the book is a fictionalized account of his family), he learns his father wasn't really his father, we learn about why the father who raised him is out of the picture, but actually isn't and we see way too much gay guy stuff.  I did really enjoy it and kept wanting to push through it faster, which isn't always the case.

*10. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane   Another good one.  Kate and Peter grow up next door and it is pretty obvious they are meant to be in each other's lives forever.  But Peter has some issues at home...a dad who is a cop, but drinks too much and a mother who has  mental issues of some sort.  Things come to a head when Peter's dad comes home, his mom grabs the gun, he runs next door and Kate's dad (also a cop) heads over to help.  Anne shoots Francis and their lives all change.  We follow Peter and his Dad moving in with his uncle, his dad leaving town, his mom in a mental hospital, her rejecting him, and Peter eventually going to college, reconnecting with Kate, their marriage, his becoming a cop and eventually his drinking and losing his job and then starting to recover.  We see the damage that keeps on, but we also see reconnection (even with Anne) and a whole lot of love and healing too.

*11. The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall  This was a slow moving book that I read pretty quickly, but it still felt like I read it slowly.  Two couples from when they first meet until the passing of one of them over 50 years later.  We see James who comes from a poor, alcoholic background.  He wants to change the world right. now. and will push through anything to make it happen.  He becomes a pastor because it is what feels right even as he pushes and questions, it also impresses his in-laws.  He marries Nan who is a minister's daughter and has a strong faith, a consistent one, who loves everyone and wants to be a wife, a mother and a minister's wife.  She struggles terribly through miscarriages, but does eventually get everything her heart desires.  Lily is strong, tough, an orphan and doesn't feel like she is connected to anyone, she also doesn't believe in God, but still marries a minister.  Charles is solid, loving, an intellectual who fell into his faith quite accidentally.  They all minister together (well, not really Lily) but the weaving in and out of their lives, children, ministry is just fascinating.  Their faiths ebb and flow and grow and shrink and yet they are all together in it, like it or not.  Enjoyed this a lot.

*12. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris  Another fast, but touching read and this one based on a true story!  Lale goes to Auschwitz in an attempt to keep his family safe.  While there he becomes the man who tattoos numbers on all incoming prisoners.  He falls in love with Gita and is determined that they will survive and have a life together. Against all odds they do, raising a son who writes a note at the end of the book.  We see him collect jewels from the ladies who go through all the coats and use those to buy sausage, chocolate and even medicine from two day workers.  There is terrible heartbreak when all the gypsys living with him are taken to the crematorium and there are moments of relief when he and Gita spend time together.  There was a movie written before the book, so now I'll have to see it too!

*13. 1492 Genevieve Foster  This is such a great little book.  I love her writing style as is, but this is a very quick read focusing on Columbus and events around his life, but specifically his voyage to the new world.  She also touches on some African kings, other explorers, the Incas and Aztecs, as well as China and Japan.

*14. The Spring of Butterflies by He Ligi  This is a collection of fables and short stories that was collected from peoples who aren't Chinese, but live in that area and were written in Chinese.  They were then translated to English and he collected them in one place.  So they have been through multiple translations and the author purposely left some of the interesting syntax in.  It was a pretty quick read and the stories were very much the typical fable type.  Worth reading, done for the RA mini challenge.

*15. Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr  This is the author of All the Light We Cannot See, which is a great book too.  This one is about his move to Italy to work at the American Academy (which basically sounds like a chance for artists and writers to live in Italy, do a little work, but mostly just live in Rome!)  He moves with his 6 month old twins and his wife and the narrative follows the four seasons of living in Rome. He is there when Pope John Paul II dies and Benedict is elected.  We see his boys grow up, see him struggle with language, with the richness of history, with exhaustion, an illness for his wife and just life.  It was a good travel, life type memoir.

*16. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah  I knew nothing about him going in, but he is a well known comedian who is South African and was raised by his black mother, but knew his white father as well.  By being born he was proving that his parents had broken the law as there could be no relations between whites and blacks under apartheid.  His mother was a force to be sure and we learn of his crazy antics, many illegal activities, most seemingly harmless, and about his abusive step father as well.  His life story is pretty amazing and much of his success is due to his ability to fit in everywhere and speak so many languages, even as he feels like he fits no where.

*17.Complications by Atul Gawande  I think I've now read all his books!  This was the first and you can see the genesis of some of his future books in the stories and writing.  This one focuses on the uncertainties of the medical field, but has a lot less of the studies and specifics that some of his future writing has.  It is very much the stories of uncertainty, the unexplained, the guesses and then the follow up as to what happened in many cases.  His early days as a doctor and writer, very enjoyable.

*18. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein  Probably should be two stars.  This books was just confusing enough for just long enough that the power of the story sneaks up on you.  Julie and Maddie are girls (one English and one Scottish) during WWII.  Maddie is a pilot who works her way up to ferrying planes, then secret ops people and finally takes one over to France.  Julie becomes a secret op and is the one taken to France.  The story is told by Julie first (but writing it as a confession of sorts when captured by the Nazis and doing so with Maddie as the main character) and later by Maddie while hidden by and then working for the resistance in France.  The end of Julie's life is just heart breaking as it is Maddie who kills her to save her being taken for experimentation by the Nazis.  Gritty, lovely and heartbreaking are all apt descriptions of this book.

*19. Sold by Patricia McCormick  This is a YA book, but wow, such a heavy topic.    Lakshmi is a 13 year old girl living with her mother, baby brother and alcoholic, gambling addicted step father in Nepal.  When there is nothing left to sell and the monsoon washes away their rice field and then their home her step-father sells her.  She has offered to work in the city as a maid and that is where she and her mother think she is going, but instead she gets sold as a sex slave in India. The book reads really fast even as the entire thing is just hard to read.  The characters are so real, the naivete is so heart wrenching and the situation feels so helpless. But there is hope at the end as she finally gets brave enough to leave with a group of Americans who are helping girls escape, even though she's been told they will make her life worse.  Worth reading for teens and adults.

*20. The Lovely War by Julie Berry   A WWI book that has an interesting premise.  The gods have come down to argue a court case of sorts because Aphrodite has been caught with Ares, who is the brother of her husband.  In the end we find out she has set this all up to make her husband see that he needs to allow himself to really fall in love with her. Why are war and love drawn together?  Will love be the ultimate victor?  Yes, of course yes! The story centers on two couples--piano playing Hazel and her beau, sharp shooter James.  They met at a dance right before he ships out, but their love grows through a quick visit in Paris, strengthens even after his mental collapse and her near death experience and significant scaring following a train bombing.  Collete, who lost her love and entire family when the German's destroyed her Belgium home town. Aubrey is a black jazz playing American.  They fall in love over music and through the racism and war they come back to each other again.  Hazel and Collete meet via their work for the YMCA and thus the four find themselves all wrapped together by the end.  Good stuff.

*21. He Wouldn't Be King The Story of Simon Bolivar by Nina Brown Baker  I took forever to read this as my history biography, but it was my first Baker book and about someone so important to history that I knew almost nothing about.  Very readable, very thorough and  quite a man!  The George Washington/Abraham Lincoln of South America is really too little for all Bolivar did to free so many people from Spanish rule.  It is amazing all he packed into a life that ended too early at age 47.

*22. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (graphic novel, full original dialogue) Feb challenge for RA and this is a graphic novel I can put up with.  I think I'd still rather just read the play, as the panels can be distracting, but I appreciate this one for having been done to the full writing and not dumbed down.

 *23. The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali  This had rave reviews, but took me a bit to really get into...once I did it was a great read.  It starts with us in the present where Roya is married to Walter, living in America and Bahman is in an assisted living home there too, which is a total shock.  We quickly move to the past and slowly wind our way to learn their whole story.  Roya and Bahman fall in love at the Stationary Shop right as Iran is undergoing political upheaval in the 1950s.  His mentally unstable mother (not surprising as she had aborted her baby by the stationary store owner, then lost 4 other babies before Bahman was born) drives them apart right before their wedding.  Roya moves to America with her sister, getting college degrees and finding husbands here.  Bahman marries the girl his mother picked out, but eventually comes to America as well. Their love never died and the conclusion is a sweet way of getting closure for them.

**24. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb   This book was highly recommended and it really was great.  Gottlieb is a therapist and this book is about her patients, her life and the therapist she sees after a sudden dumping by Boyfriend.  Wendell and her work with him is very interesting, but the stories of her patients and the history of therapy, theories of it, and how it impacts the therapist and the person in therapy are all central to the story.  Over 400 pages, but reads so quickly and is so interesting that it flew by.

*25. The Girls of the Atomic City by Denise Kiernan   I was so interested to read this because I've visited there when selling books and then we did as a family as well.  The book did drag at times, but it covered a lot more of the decision process, backgrounds and daily lives of many women who worked at Oak Ridge.  The book follows many of them from their homes through the entire Oak Ridge time during the war and does wrap up what happened after as well.  Lots of details mixed in about the work being done, some about the politics of the time and the fall out (literally) after the bomb was dropped.  A good read, but like others I felt like it could have been a bit tighter.

*26. The Cats of Roxville Station by Jean Craighead George  What a different little book by her!  This focuses on Rachet who joins a colony of feral cats.  The cats all have names and are fed by a lady while watched over by a young foster boy.  We learn a ton about the life of the cats, about barn owls, and see life and death and connection between this cat and the boy who becomes her human.

27. Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman  An interesting cook book, unfussy, lots of lemon juice, olive oil and fatty dips.  I think only 1 or two recipes would work with AIP though so it isn't really great for me right now.

*28. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler  This is a toss up for me between one and two stars.  Such an interesting book and although I found it on a book list of 2019 it was actually published in the 1970s.  Dana is married to Kevin, she is black, he is white and they are writers who have just bought a house and are settling in when their lives turned upside down.  She is 'called back' by Rufus a white, slave owning ancestor of hers.  Each time throughout his life as he is in mortal danger starting when he is drowning as a young child she is taken back in time to save him.  She arrives as she is with whatever she is wearing and stays there until she finds herself in mortal danger and goes back to her own time.  Although she was sometimes there as long as 8 months, or in Kevin's case 5 years the modern time has only moved by a few hours at most.  As she moves in and out of the life of the plantation and the people there over the years she is always having to balance staying alive and navigating all the different relationships with her own will and place in the world.  Such an interesting read and a strong historical fiction to see what the world of the south was like.

**29. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow   This started out slow for me, but as I kept reading I fell into the world (worlds?) of January.  She's been raised by a rich gentleman while her father travels the world collecting things for Mr. Locke.  As she enters her teens she is more and more stifled, but Jane comes to stay, sent from her father.  Her Ten Thousand book journal starts to relay the real story of her life and the doors between worlds and it all takes a very intense turn as she has to start running for her life.  A mental institution, the boy she realizes she loves, Jane and her faithful companion, Bad are all a part of her survival and growing into the traveler her mother knew she'd be.  The doors between worlds, the creepy Mr. Locke and The Society, the strength of her word writing and abilities to open doors, the love story of her parents and the connection of their family through the years and the worlds is not to be missed.

*29. The Little Giant Stephen A. Douglas by Jeannette Covert Nolan  The Messner biography of Douglas written in overall glowing terms about him.  I really enjoyed it for the most part, but didn't fall in love like I did with GW Carver.  Lots of the connection between him and Lincoln and even transcripts of their debates in  the back.  I never knew much about him, but he obviously made a big impact on our country in the time leading up to the Civil War.

*30. Come as You Are by Dr. Emily Nagoski    A book about women's sexuality and the science behind it.  Mostly focused on the fact that we are normal, our bodies are normal,  we need to turn the turn offs off and the turn ons on, focus on the context and not get caught up in the 'shoulds.'  Interesting, although it isn't written from a Christian or monogamous perspective it was worth reading.

*31. Cook Once Eat All Week by Cassy Joy Garcia   A GF cookbook that has a nice premise, but isn't as useful for us as I'd hoped.  Helpful for those who don't really cook and need someone to hold their hand through easy meal prep each week.  Would be great for those first trying to make more homemade dinners that aren't terribly fussy.  I did find Loaded Cauliflower casserole, Italian Beef Rolls (in cabbage leaves!) and Carribbean Plantain Bowls that I hope to try. 

*32. Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie  The first time I've read a book by Ms. Christie and it was a good read.  A murder mystery with an interesting, odd character at the center.  He invites a 4 people he believes murdered people in their past and 4 people who solve mysteries (PI, author, Scotland Yard, police) to dinner where he gets murdered while bridge is being played.  The four team up to find the murderer and in the process figure out who they have each murdered in the past and how they did it.  In the end it seems solved and then it flips one last time.  Quicker and easier to read than I expected but an interesting change of pace.

*33. Soldier Doctor by Clara Ingram Judson This is the story of William Gorgas.  He was determined to be in the army and was denied admission to West Point.  He eventually got around that by becoming a doctor and entering that way.  He is one of the doctors that discovered that mosquitoes are responsible for yellow fever and figured out how to stop the hatching of them.  He was also involved in keeping people safe during the building of the Panama Canal.  It is a good elementary, maybe MS biography with a rosy glow to it.

*34. This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell  This story focuses primarily on Daniel, who finds love with Claudette and lives in Ireland with her, her son from an earlier relationship and their two children.  We also learn his back story including his first wife and two children who he is kept from seeing and the woman he was with in college who ended up dying of an eating disorder after an abortion of his baby. We learn about Claudette and her rise to fame as a movie star, her planned disappearance and hiding in Ireland where Daniel stumbles upon her and her son while picking up the ashes of his Grandfather.  We move forward and see his step-son's daughter, his divorce from his wife and a possible reconciliation at the end.  There is a constant moving in time and between characters which was really challenging for me quite a while, but in the end I was invested and was cheering for Daniel to pull himself together and for them to reconnect.

*35. Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye  This was a reread, but it must have been the list that got lost as I didn't see it on any of my lists.  Highly influenced by Jane Eyre and written in the style of an older novel.  It is odd to call it delightful, but it rather is, even as the body count piles up.  Jane lives with her depressed mother on the estate she is told is hers to inherit someday.  The aunt and cousin treat them terribly and Jane kills her cousin (later we find out her half brother) after her mother dies and he assaults her.  She is sent to a school where she ends up killing the headmaster to save a friend.  Life continues on in this fashion until she returns to the estate as a governess, loves the little girl and her guardian, more bodies pile up, mysteries are solved and in the end love is found with the person who did inherit the estate.

*36. Holy Holidays The Catholic Origins of Celebrations by Greg Tobin A simple, through the year look at both faith based and secular holidays.  Some background on how they came to be and explanations of many terms and feasts that are part of our Catholic faith.  Good overview of the liturgical calendar as well.  Overall fairly simple, some biblical quotes and quotes from other authors.  I wish there had been more depth and a few things I'm not sure he really hit on correctly (description of confirmation, etc).  However, this would be a great intro to those not familiar with Catholicism.

**37. The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer   This one gets two stars because it made me cry :)  Alice is mom to an autistic child and a very gifted one, married and works hard to hold her family in a tightly choreographed dance that keeps Eddie okay.  When her Babcia has a stroke she is asked (via technology since she can no longer speak) to travel to Poland and bring her peace.  Her mom and husband aren't in favor, but in 2 days she is on a plane.  This is all interspersed with chapters of Alina and her life in Poland as it is occupied by the Nazis.  We meet Tomsz, her fiance and her family as they work a tiny farm and try to survive.  Tomasz comes back from university and is working with the resistence, hiding in the forest on the hill.  His little sister is now being raised by Alina's older sister and husband as their father was killed in the square as an example by the Nazis.  So much heart break, so much loss, so many loose ends that all need to be solved.  It wasn't hard to see how it would come together, but it was well done with lots of heart.  A few funny mistakes (written by an Australian) since Americans don't have tins of soup and at times the marriage challenges seemed over simplified, but somehow still real.  Enjoyed it a lot.

*38. Gerrit and the Organ by Hilda van Stockum   A sweet, younger book by van Stockum!  Gerrit is being raised by his toy fixing Dutch grandfather when he decides to become friends with the grumpy organ grinder, even if he never knows it.  When the organ grinder is missing he seeks him out at home, discovers him sick, finds him help and then Gerrit takes his organ to earn money for him.  The sweet caper of Gerrit and his friends, their meeting the queen, the happy ending for the organ grinder and more make it a great little book for good readers.

*39. I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka &Martin Ganda  This was a touching book and a pretty quick read.  Caitlin is a typical upper middle class, spoiled 7th grader who writes to a pen pal in Zimbabwe.  Martin is the top kid in his school so he gets her letter and a back and forth is born for years.  Eventually Caitlin comes to appreciate how very different Martin's life is (she sends pictures and asks for them having no idea that his family has none and it costs a lot to get them.)  As they go through HS her family starts supporting his family, paying school fees and eventually helps him come to America for college, finding him a full ride scholarship.  He has done his part by staying #1 in his class, getting a scholarship to the best HS in Zimbabwe and being very persistent in  his efforts to find a way when none seems apparent.  A touching story of the power of friendship and kindness and a wake up call about what real poverty is around the world.

*40. Born in the Year of Courage by Emily Crofford  A really good historical fiction book about Manjiro, a boy who was lost at sea off of Japan.  He and his friends are rescued, taken to HI and then to New England as he becomes a very capable whaler and heads out on further voyages.  He eventually earns enough on ships and in gold in CA to go back to Japan.  He is at risk of being killed as Japan was closed and killed anyone who left and came back or just tried to enter at all.  He doesn't get killed and eventually helps to translate for Commodore Perry, which opens Japan to outside trading.  Very good, later elem/MS reading level.

*41. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid  This was an interesting read...I wanted to read it fast so I could know what was going to happen, but I also struggled with some of the dialogue.  There was a lot of slang between the girlfriends and sometimes I didn't know if it was fun and playful or less friendly.  Emira is a babysitter for Alix and Peter and completely loves Briar, age 3, her main charge.  She meets Kelly during a crazy incident at a grocery store at midnight when she is taking care of Briar while her parents deal with the police and their egged house, which happened because Peter made an offhanded, but not cool comment on air at his TV job.   Kelly and Emira start dating, Alix wants to have Emira be a best friend/daughter type relationship and it gets weirder from there.  Kelly and (then) Alex dated in HS, things went WAY wrong when people showed up at Alex's house to party and she called the cops.  Kelly obviously has some type of fetish for blacks, only dates black women, sided with the kid who lost his scholarship while running from those cops and is just really wanting Emira not to work for Alex.  Alex has some issues of her own including loss of her identity as a New Yorker, small business owner, and wanting to envelop Emira.  When Emira and Kelly come to Thanksgiving the connection is found out and it is all crazy!

*42. Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow  The story of Farrow's 2017 reporting for NBC on the Harvey Weinstien sexual abuse scandals.  This is what also led to the expose of Matt Lauer as well as many other top execs at NBC.  His story never ran there, he was railroaded and told to stand ddown as it got closer to having it wrapped up and ready to air.  Eventually it came out in print at The New York Times and then went global with NBC still trying to act like they didn't kill the story, that Ronan didn't have a story or sources, which was all false.  The book was long and sometimes the huge volume of names was overwhelming to keep track of, but overall it was a read that made me feel very sick about the incredible power of certain people and the abuse they get away with because of it.

*43. Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini   Such a good book about WWII.  Historical fiction, but very much rooted in the history, less in the fiction.  Strong Wisconsin connection (author lives in Madison) because Mildred Fish Harnack is from Wisconsin and meets her German husband when he is at Madison studying.  They marry, he moves back, she works to save money and eventually joins him in Germany.  We see their lives and the lives of other intellectual women and men as they intersect.  The timeline goes from just as Hitler is becoming known until the discovery of their resistance network and the execution of all, save one of the network.  The viewpoint changes every chapter, but the time keeps moving forward.  It works, isn't as choppy as I feared, but I did struggle to remember which person was which at times.  Sara, the Jewish woman, Greta, Martha, their husbands and others...  Really good read that shows the slow creep and the terrible consequences of the Nazis.

*44. We Were There with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea by Robert N. Webb  I really enjoy these little historical fiction stories.  This one focuses on Pam and Tommy and their family.  Their father is off to fight in the war and Tommy runs away to go after him.  Pam and Mother are home where they meet Florence Nightingale.  Nurses are considered low class and Mother isn't wanting to even have her to tea, but eventually comes to love her.  The ladies (and 40 other nuns/nurses) all head to the war zone to find the men and nurse the sick.  We see how bad of a situation it was, but Ms. Nightingale whips everything into shape, is well loved by all the soldiers (even if the doctors didn't want the nurses at first) and in the end the family is all reunited.

**45. Hitty Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field  A delightful Newberry book from many years ago.  Hitty is a doll carved out of strong mountain ash and this book follows her adventures from her first owner through her first hundred + years until she is in an antique shop currently.  It is written from her perspective as she is writing down her memories.  She has had quite a life of adventure, traveling the world and seeing many cultures, many owners and many changes of clothes.

*46. Bluegrass Champion by Dorothy Lyons One of the Famous Horse Stories books.  Follows two sisters as they work to bring their farm after the loss of their parents.  A saddlebred story about a pinto that causes a big sensation, not really in a good way for a while.  Some romance as the older girl is engaged to a young vet, but won't marry him until the farm is distinguished in its own right.  Build up, drama and a fairy tale ending :)

**47. Twig by Elizabeth Orton Jones    This is a sweet story of Twig and her adventures!  We meet her neighbors on all four floors, we see her yard and the majority of the story focuses on her adventures with Elf in the little tin can house.  She sits on eggs in Mrs. Sparrow's nest, meets the Fairy Queen and more.  The lesson she learns about imagination being the magic that makes a story and that every story has a beginning and an end, which is often the beginning of another story make for a deeper level than some children may grasp.  Very sweet, silly and perfect for kids with great imaginations or those who might need a bit of a spark.

**48. The Avion My Uncle Flew by Cyrus Fisher  A good story about a Wyoming ranch boy who goes to Europe with his mom and still in the army dad just after WWII.  He is sent to spend time with his uncle while his parents are working and stumbles into a plot involving his mother's family home, a German spy, buried treasure and danger that has been lurking since his time in Paris with his parents.  The plane his uncle is building and the huge amount of French that you learn while reading make for a great book for middle schoolers and above.  

**49. The Book of Harlan by Bernice L. McFadden   Totally not what I expected, but such a good book!  Harlan's life is unbelievable...he becomes a drugged out jazz musician who plays with Satchmo and heads to Europe to play (and this is skipping over all his growing up and connecting with a Jewish man who is living as a black man and playing jazz too.)   He and his buddy head overseas, not knowing he has fathered twins (and probably more kids with his wild ways.)  They are living the life and about to come back from Paris when the Nazis invade and he ends up in a concentration camp where he eventually watches his friend be murdered by the wife of the director.  He does survive, comes home a broken man, ends up in prison for the drugs he was selling in the hospital he was working in and finally gets released.  When he and his parents are driving home they are in a terrible crash and both his parents die.  He moves in with his mom's best friend (former blues singing start) and after a decade she connects him to a man who helps him find a job as a super in an apartment building where he eventually, accidentally finds out that a 'man' there is actually the woman from the concentration camp.  The book ends with him killing her, confessing and the police detective letting him out the back door with cash because his wife is a survivor too.   Lots of real people in the book and it seems that is based on some real people from the author's life too.  A great read.

*50. Beyond the Birds and the Bees by Greg and Lisa Popcak  A good resource for raising sexually whole and Holy kids (their tag line.)  I liked that it was from a Catholic point of view and there was a lot of great parenting info that goes beyond just how to teach kids about their sexuality, chastity, what the church believes, etc.   Worth reading, should read more of these as we are going to be in the thick of puberty before we know it and that isn't the time to just begin the conversations :)

*51. Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos  A very sweet read about Clare and Cornelia.  Cornelia manages a coffee shop and is obsessed with old movies.  She meets Martin, he looks like Cary Grant and they hit it off, but it never turns to love for her.  However, when she meets his 11 year old daughter she falls hard and fast for the girl, who has a mother that has just disappeared after dropping her at the side of the road.  The mom has always been wonderful, but has spiraled with mental problems and Martin doesn't know how to really be a father and connect.  He ends up dying on a road trip, Teo (Cornelia's childhood friend who is married to her sister) is like a surrogate father and eventually love becomes central to all three of them.  Mom comes back, the fairy tale is complete, etc, etc.  It is a good read, lots of interesting, witty dialogue and references and emotions galore as well.

*52.The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman  This was a quick read, very modern in feel and some good emotional tugs.  Lilian is a young widow who lost her husband in a traffic accident in front of her house after an argument with him.  She lost her mind for a while, but is making her way with her two daughters, her sister, her rather harsh mom and her work as an illustrator.  She loses her job, but find some great freelance work and takes a gardening class to help her work.  The teacher is wonderful and brings her back to the world of dating, the class connects, people fall in love, all kinds of great things happen.  There was a fair amount of swearing and lots of current references, so this will not stand the test of time, but it was a good escape for this crazy time.

*53. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith  This was almost a 2 star book by the same author as 101 Dalmatians.  Young Cassandra and her sister, brother, father, step-mother and another young man all live in crazy poverty in a castle.  The story is told through her writings in three different journals over the course of about 6 months.  We see her father who had a huge selling book, but hasn't worked since; her sister who hates their poverty and determines that she will fall in love with the new heirs of their property and does get one to propose before she falls in love with the other and runs away to America; Cassandra who is beloved by Stephen, but falls for the heir her sister is engaged to, and more.  There is a lot of emotional action, a lot of a young girl learning the world and a lot of charm, although there are a few plot changes that happen so quickly I almost missed them...rather like the emotions of a young girl falling love for the first time ;)

*54. Ten ways to destroy the imagination of your child by Anthony Esolen   Mr. Esolen likes to write a bit sarcastically, as easily seen by the title of the book :)  He lays out many ways our educational system and culture in general are ruining our children's imaginations, thought processes, and ability to form ideas.  Chapters like "Keep your Children Indoors as Much as Possible or They used to call it Air" and "Level Distinctions between Man and Woman or Spray and Geld" make it pretty clear that he is advocating for getting kids outside, for the appreciation of gender differences, hero tales, allowing kids to develop skills, having kids grapple with big ideas, and great books and thinking.  Overall I really liked this book.  I found I needed to be fairly sharp to appreciate it.  When tired it was hard to focus, since the satire and/or snarkiness was too much for my brain.  But I think reading it again when life isn't quite so overwhelming (still COVID, and now race riots) might be a good idea.

**55. Atomic Habits by James Clear   A great book about habits...how we start good ones, how we end bad ones and how we deal with them in general.  Create a good habit: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy and make it satisfying.  To break a bad one Make it invisible, make it unattractive, make it difficult and make it unsatisfying.  How 1% improvement can change your life, why we get bored, even when we are doing well, how to hang habits on things that are already habits and more.  Worth the read!

*56. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson  A sweet love story about a widow (Major Pettigrew) and widower (Mrs. Ali) that is complicated by the people in their lives.  His son is a bit of a knob, super ambitious, but also clueless about being human.  Her Pakistani family wants her to give up her shop to her nephew and come back to the family home where she will take care of children and work.  The golf club seems basically racist and bizarre and the local manor Lord wants to sell off the land for high end homes for other gentry to come live in after they've lost their manors.  So much great British stuff in here, so many messy relationships (his brother's widow the matching guns,  the illegitimate child of the nephew, the stabbing of the mother of the child by the old auntie...lots of crazies) but the love of these two sweet people is wonderful to see.  And the unselfish friendship that Grace extends to both of them is the unsung hero of the whole story!

*57. Spy for the Confederacy Rose O'Neal Greenhow by  Jeannette Covert Nolan  Another Messner biography, so well written, easy to read and very engaging.  So interesting to learn about a woman who was such a staunch lover of the south, but spent many years living in Washington.  She used her social power to develop a network of people who were loyal to the south.  Her information was used to help the south in many of their early battle wins during the Civil War.  She was put under house arrest and eventually sent back to Richmond.  There she was asked to go to Europe and build support for the Confederacy.  While on her way back she was caught in a storm and drowned, at least partially because of the gold for the Confederacy sewn into her clothes.  Interesting note is that her son in laws were officers in the Union army.

*58. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett   Danny and Maeve are the kids who grew up in the huge, fantastic house known as The Dutch House.  The house that their father bought as a surprise for their mother, the house that their mother couldn't be comfortable in, so she left for India to work with the poor.  The house they were kicked out of when their step mother, who married their father for the house, was widowed 5 years into the marriage.  The house they'd sit in front of and watch for decades afterwards.  We see them grow up, Maeve taking her math smarts and helping grow a frozen vegetable company, Danny going to medical school to use up the education trust and then giving it up to do real estate, like his father.  We see his wife and kids and eventually we see their mother come back.  It was a good book, but I didn't find it to be as crazy fantastic as reviews would have led me to believe.

*59.The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate   A Juvenile book about Bob, the dog, Ivan, the gorilla, and Ruby, the baby elephant, as well as Bob's humans.   A super fast read, looks much longer than it is.  A sweet read for the most part, about Bob's unwillingness to forgive and his tough exterior, soft interior personality.  There are a couple of obvious issue pushing sentences, including one about two male penguins raising a chick and families being all different types and genders, and a drop in about climate change causing hurricanes.  Now I need to read The One and Only Ivan, which came first.

**60.  Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden  I never realized she had more doll stories beyond The Story of Holly and Ivy, but this is one of them and it is delightful!   Nona moves in with her aunt, uncle and cousins in England, while her father stays in India.  So much sadness at missing India, so not fitting in with her cousins and school.  When these two Japanese dolls arrive it gives Nona a chance to connect with people in the neighborhood, classmates and two of her cousins as they work to build a Japanese doll house.  Unfortunately, Belinda, the other cousin has some major jealousy as the house nears completion, but in the end there is wonder and joy for everyone!

*61. Pippa Passes by Rumer Godden A shorter novel that focuses on Pippa, a corps member of a ballet company that is headed for Venice and beyond on tour. She is talented and in a few short days moves up to a soloist, thanks to the intervention of the director of the ballet corps.  Turns out that woman has bigger sights set on Pippa and moves her into her lodging and tries to seduce/rape her.  Pippa also falls in with a Gondolier who introduces her to the local gentry and through some interesting events she ends up living with them during her stay, singing in his band, losing her virginity, and being exposed to the Catholic faith.  Quite a run for a couple of days in Venice.   Not super believable, but somehow still good.

62. Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden  This book made me feel like I missed something and I just needed a little more back story.  A group of nuns head to a place where monks previously were, but only stayed a short while.  The General has given them the palace he used to keep his wives in, up on a hill, always full of wind.  They start a school, a lace making shop, a clinic and more.  There is  the man who helps them, but causes lots of stirrings in many of the nuns, the General who is absent, but paying for everything, the young General who is so eager for instruction, the little minx who they take in against their better judgement and in the end it all kind of falls apart.

*63. The Wolfing by Sterling North This is such a good story of a boy, his wolf pup, his family, community and just general nature study, but especially of our area in Rock County.   We see him start to grow into a young man and a relationship very innocently begin with his girl, we see him work for his education, but also for his time to be free and to explore and we see his connection with Wolf.  A great coming of age book for tweens/young teens!

**64.Homebody by Johanna Gaines  A really good book for looking at your style and how to incorporate it into every room and working area of your home.  I love that she wants homes to work for the families who live there and encourages changing spaces as a family's needs change.  She makes beautiful design spaces, but wants them to center around family and life, not to be design for design's sake.

65. Cupcakes and Cashmere by Emily Schuman   Thought this might be like Homebody, but it is a young blogger and her 'life tips' which include how to do your hair for different season, makeup, a few things about your closet and pieces to buy, and a cupcake &  two cake recipes.   Mostly the wardrobe part is about how she takes all her way too short dresses and tries to tell you that some are business, some are casual and how super versatile they are for all situations.   Felt very shallow and totally not my jam.

*66. The Viking in the Wheat Field by Susan Dworkin   This is an interesting look at seed saving, plant genetics, the seed programs holding wild and cultivated genetics all over the world and more, all through the lens of the career of Bent Skovmand.  He was a major force in traveling the world to collect seeds and advise countries.  He was so focused on solving world hunger and that really drove him during his entire career.  A more interesting read than you would think about a very interesting scientist.

*67.As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner   I wanted to give this one two stars, but the ending felt flat, which is odd, because I was in tears half way through the book.  This book was published a year oar more ago, but deals with the 1918 Spanish flu, which feels close to home as we are still dealing with COVID and feel pretty confident that things will lock down again this winter, even as more and more mandates are passed here in July.   Three girls and their parents leave her family's tobacco/cigar business to mentor under his uncle and eventually inherit the mortuary business.  Father ends up going to train for WWI, one daughter gets the flu and recovers, but Momma and Uncle both die on the same night.  This is after one daughter and Momma brought home a baby found in an apartment with his dead mother and (seemingly) about to die, sister.  There is a time jump and we see the girls as they are mostly grown, marriage, love, sneaking out to sing during prohibition, and careers are a big part of the second half, along with a fated encounter that finds out that the little boy's sister is still alive.  Really fast read and overall enjoyed it.

*68. The River by Rumer Godden   I really enjoyed this one, more than some of her others.  A family in India with Harriet as the main character.  She is the second daughter and her older sister is being courted by an injured soldier, her younger brother died in the book and the youngest sister is pretty spoiled.  There is a baby coming and Nan, a servant features strongly as well.   It is, at the heart, a story of a young girl growing up.  We see her body start to change, but more important we see the relationships change, her writing voice develop, and her emotional growth throughout the book.  The brother's death is shocking, but just adds to the changes and growth of all the characters throughout the book.

*69. The Round Barn by Jacqueline Dougan Jackson   Such a fun find in our Clinton Library!   This barn was only a few miles from our house, but we haven't found it yet, which makes us worry that it was destroyed. It was such a neat treat to hear all the roads in Beloit, talk of Clinton and just know this is the history of our area.  The couple who built the barn were inducted into the Ag Hall of Fame for Wisconsin (the first couple to be brought in together) and their photos hang at UW Madison.  A great little book.

*70.  The Winter of Enchantment by Victoria Walker   A sci-fi story of two children, Sebastian and Melisssa, and how they work together across time and space to help free Melissa.  Talking tea pots, a cat who swallowed an enchanted silver fish, a meeting of the seasons, an emerald, haunted forests and a re meeting in his time are all part of the charm.

*71. David and the Phoenix by Edward Ormondroyd   This was the first book Purple House Press every published (or republished, as it were.)  David and his family move to a new town and there he climbs a mountain and befriends a phoenix.  He gets to meet other mythological creatures and go on adventures with this very talkative bird.  Together they work to defeat the scientist who is hunting Phoenix and they celebrate his 500th birthday where his instinct causes him to build his pyre.  David is distraught, but gets to see the new phoenix rise and sends him away to avoid being shot by the scientist.

*72. A Candle for St. Jude by Rumer Godden Another ballet based book.  This one finds old Madame and her tiny ballet theater/school.  Caroline is her shining star, along with Lion.  They are both dancing beyond the school, but still come back for works there.  Hilda is the next rising star, who is destined to go far, far beyond, but Madame has a strong reaction, almost hatred or jealousy to Hilda.  Hilda's ballet is to be done as part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Madame becoming a ballerina, but the day before Madame freaks out and cancels it. Lots of drama, but in the end there is much redemption and growth on the part of all the characters.  And it is all attributed to Isle (Madame's right hand woman) who is strong in faith and lit her candle to St. Jude to save it all.

*73.The Lies that Bind by Emily Giffin  For the size it was crazy how fast I buzzed through this.  Newer lit is way faster than older, that is for sure!   Cecily is a Wisconsin girl living in NYC who has just broken up with her rich boyfriend because he wasn't ready to get married.  She meets the amazing Grant at a bar when he stops her from calling her ex (Matthew.)   Grant seems perfect, but has a sad family story, including a twin brother dying of ALS.  So much stereotypical writing (gay best friend, sassy female co-worker, turns out Grant is married, which she learns from a flyer during the days after 9/11, she reunites with Matthew, gets engaged, finds out she is pregnant, finds out Grant is alive and hiding, so much angst, but yet, a readable story that is great for a quick escape type book.   Lots of details dropped in about WI and NYC, a happy, but not fairy tale ending. 

*74.  The Round Barn Volume 2 by Jacquelinne Dougan Jackson    The continuing story of the family farm and the round barn from up on Colley Road.   Some of it repeated, which was disapopinting, but overall it was great to hear more.  This volume is huge (almost 500 pages) so there was no need for the repeats!  My favorite new story was learning that the Catalpa tree forest that is over near Cranston and I-90 was planted because of a farmer buying an entire wagon load of seedlings from an injured WWI veteran.  He had his son in law plant them and they are/were in rows!   The trees made good fence posts, which is why the veteran was selling them.  The farmer bought them because he felt very guilty.  During the Civil War he paid to have another man fight in his place and that man was killed.   He never felt right about that and eventually that led to the Catalpa forest.

**75. Urchin of the Riding Stars by M.I. McAllister  This is the first of the Mistmantle Chronicles and now that I've read it I can definitely keep recommending it to everyone :)   Urchin is a white squirrel who ends up on Mistmantle.  He becomes a page to Crispin on the day he is banished by Husk for having murdered the prince (turns out it is Husk who did it.)  He then becomes page to the otter, Padra and together, with others, they help defeat Husk, bring Cripsin back and return Mistmantle to its former safe place (no culling, no work parties, etc.)  Lots of adventure, epic battle at the end, heros, villans, honor, glory, loyalty...big themes, easy read, good characters.

*76. Urchin and the Heartstone by M.I. McAllister  The second Mistmantle Chronicle book.  Crispin is about to be coronated, but a ship arrives from Whitewing Island and there is a coup attempt, led by the king of Whitewing and his marshal who is from the first book.  Urchin is kidnapped and taken to the island because they think he can deliver them.  The king thinks he'll find him more silver (which he is obsessed with) and Smokewreath, the evil sorcerer, thinks he can do evil magic with Urchin's dead body.  In the end they are able to overcome and return to Mistmantle.  We see some new characters that will definitely be in the next books.  The book ends with Crispin meeting a new squirrel who seems to be balm for his heart and Mistmantle being in a good place.  

**77.  Adventuring Together by Greta Eskridge A really fast read, but one that made me tear up a few times as it was something my heart needed at his time.  We've had a rough time as we've redone the boys room and just lots of stress around getting things done, school planned, preserving, etc.   I've been on steroids and not handling it well.  Greta talks about her choice to be very intentional in her parenting and using other local moms and the adventuring club they had started.   She uses hiking, camping, classes, and adventuring through books to get them out of their comfort zone to build relationships and just keep communication open.   Lots of good pointers about learning grace in uncomfortable situations, being willing to carry their pack for a few minutes to let them know she will always be there for them in life, and just overall good parenting through adventuring advice.  Makes me think we should be even more dedicated to the once a week adventure!  Definitely a reread book.

**78. The Heir of Mistmantle by M.I. McAllister   The third Mistmantle book.  I really like this one!   And it was so fitting to read during COVID as part of it dealt with fouldrought, a disease that caused hysteria, separation of families, and rumors to fly like crazy on Mistmantle.   King Crispin has married Queen Cedar and their baby Catkins is taken by an insane squirrel, Linty, who lost her baby in the cullings.   Animals start to question the queen, whether Husk is back and more.  Juniper finds out that his father was Husk, Urchin and Needle are admitted to the circle, Juniper is closer to becoming a priest, Fir is becoming quite elderly, Fingal is growing up and is key in rescuing Catkin, as is Sepia who went out to rescue her from the boat that she was being taken out beyond the mists in.   Lots of action, lots of faith, lots of connection to our current times.

79. Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo   A nice cookbook and tons of info on the paleo lifestyle, reducing stress, managing blood sugar, etc.  However, not AIP specific so many recipes rely on eggs and feature nightshades.   The orange beef and the ideas of grating apple into the sage/apple sausage patties or putting 1/2 pound of chicken liver into 3 pounds (pork/beef split) for a bacon topped meat loaf are good and something I should try!   There is an avacado/coconut milk/banana/cocoa/pinch of salt/pinch of cinnamon-with maple syrup if needed- mouse that sounds interesting as well.  

**80. Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen   What a sweet book!  So much sorrow, but also love and light and magic.  Harry loses his wife, Beth, in a freak construction accident when he goes to buy a losing lottery ticket.  After a year of burying himself in work and being pushed into a lawsuit by his crazy, overbearing brother, Wolf, he wins a 7 million lawsuit and gets $4 of that.  Wolf wants it, but Harry freaks out and takes off for the woods, where he meets Amanda and her daughter Oriana, who are also reeling from the loss of Dean, the larger than life husband/father who died in the woods a year ago.  Some of it gets a little too 'beat you over the head' with the archetypes, but overall a sweet book that gives a satisfying ending.

*81. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer   This book is hard to rate for me.  The topic is fascinating, but the writing was not nearly as engaging as I expected it to be. The gist is that there is a man, along with a group of others who spent years collecting manuscripts that families had kept hidden or buried in sand or just in back rooms. They are beautifully illuminated, cover many science, math and a myriad of topics, and date from the 1400s forward.   He bought them, and brought them back to Timbuktu, which was a center of learning and discourse for centuries.  They were put into libraries and preservation work was begun (moneys from all over the world being used.)  Then Al Qaeda moves in and the librarians used bribe money, trunks, taxis, river boats and more to move them to safety.  The smuggling works and only a small handful are burned, the rest are all saved.   No idea what has happened since then, but it is pretty wild to think of this all happening!

*82. Rules by Cynthia Lord  A good little middle grade novel about a girl and her autistic brother, the boy she meets in the lobby of her brother's therapy (who is in a wheelchair and can't speak, but uses a communication book), the dynamics of their family, the mean boy in the neighborhood, and the new girl who moves in next door.  Lots of tween angst about wanting a friend who is cool, wanting to just be normal for a while, wishing her family was different, embarrassment in front someone she wants to impress and more.  The ending is abrupt, but it is a good little read.

**83.The Brave  Learner by Julie Bogart  This is definitely a read again book.  Not as beloved as Teaching From Rest, but so many good points.  She talks about the seasons of homeschooling--Classical in the fall, unit studies in winter and unschooling in spring--as in known how your flow works and don't fight it, work with it.  Her sections on using your emotional bank to fight about chores or a perfect house are basically going to kill the connection in your home and the emotional stores you need for tougher lessons was definitely something I need to keep in my mind.  She really pushed me to relax on some things, focus on connection, collaboration and working together, as opposed to dictating chores and lesson to them.  Worth reading, worth reading again.

*84. Reading Magic by Mem Fox  A good read about the value of reading aloud.  Not my favorite of this genre, by far, but super fast read that keeps it simple and focuses on parents joyfully playing with reading aloud for young kids and how that impacts their ability to read.

 *85.The Healing Kitchen by Alaena Haber and Sarah Ballantyne   I didn't read through all the science in this book, but the parts I did were good review about AIP and eating good, nutritious food to help you body heal and perform as it should.   Printed off a bunch of recipes to try that were different or sounded good.  Here's hoping to find a few more fun ones!

 *86. Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery   I haven't read all the Anne books, but this one caught my eye and I am really enjoying it. We watch Jane (or Victoria Jane) grow up while getting to know her father during summers at Lantern Hill.  Her school years in the city on Gay Street have led to a pretty dreary existence with a mother who is constantly heading to society events to please a very overbearing and controlling grandmother.  Two years in you can see that Jane has learned who she is and is no longer cowed by her grandmother and that she will eventually help her parents reconnect, inspite of a meddling aunt on her father's side and disapporving grandmother on her mother's side.  

*87. Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope  A very old book that I was gifted a reprint of, and a pretty great story about a man who is a bit of a do nothing type, but goes to see the coronation of a king, who is related to.  However, his realtion is due to a dalliance and therefore he isn't announcing his arrival.  When he gets near he finds the king is prisoner and he gets tasked with being coronated to hold the spot until they can free the king.  There is love, treachery (Black Michael, the brother of the king), fighting and more.  A good read.

**88. Urchin and the Raven War by M.I. McAllister  This is the 4th of the Mistmantle Chronicles and my favorite so far, I think.  The swans come to Mistmantle to ask for help fighting the ravens who are attacking their island and killing them all.  The ravens are defeated there, but enough escape (including the Taloness and the Silver Prince) to rally all the ravens on all the islands and they attack Mistmantle. Urchin is almost killed, so many hurt and lots and lots of adventure.  Brother Fir dies of old age at the end of this one, a new Adventurer is revealed and Apple falls in love!  A good one!

 *89. Focus by    How we should be teaching kids, especially in schools.  Lots of this lines up with CM's thoughts....but that isn't a surprise :)   Lots of reading, writing, discussion, engagement with texts and less of the multiple choice tests and standards.  It goes through each subject and is very repetitive, but that is kind of the point.  They all can be taught the same way and should be for real learning.  One thing that surprised me was that in science less experiments and more reading/writing is important.  Experiments should be very connected to the subject and only every so often.

*90. How to Be a Family by Dan Kois   Subtitled The year I dragged my kids around the world to find a new way to be together, which basically describes the whole book.  They left NYC when their kids were growing and moved to an upper middle class suburb of DC.  There they struggle with the privileged their kids have and their disconnect as they run the rat race, so they checkout for a year and spend 3 months each in New Zealand, Denmark, Costa Rica and Kansas.   Very interesting to see the different parenting styles, very frustrating to put with his running liberal commentary about Trump and Kansas, even as it comes up that the 'non diverse' classes in their kids school have more diversity than the ones in the DC suburb.  Interesting, just definitely done without the liberalness screaming through all the time.

*91. The Pharaohs of Ancident Egypt by Elizabeth Payne (Landmark book)  A great run down of the Pharaohs, their lives, what was known and what we still don't know about them.  I loved end, as they ran down a brief time line of what happened since the Pharaohs, Alexander the Great, that Rome came next--when Cleopatra was alive, the Arabs next took over, then the Turks, then Napoleon.  I love the Landmark series! 

*92. The Art of Tasha Tudor by Harry Davis  A very interesting look into the art of Tausha Tudor, and also her life as an illustrator (she never considered herself an artist, like her mother was.)  Harry was a man who studied her art his whole life and eventually met her, helping manage the business side of her work.  His stories about her, including her burning up lots of amazing paintings, were pretty interesting, as was learning more about her childhood.

 *93. The Tausha Tudor Cookbook by Tasha Tudor  Such a pretty cookbook, love the illustrations!  I can't eat most of the things in it, but lots of old time type home cooking.  I do think I'll try the coffee jelly (like jello) and the citrus ones as well.

*94. A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell   Virginia Hall is a woman who basically helped write the book on how to develop resistance rings and how to help ensure security by keeping them separate and keeping her identity different for each of them.  Here story of perseverance in becoming a espionage expert in France before America got involved in WWII.  She had a fake leg and at one point walks over a mountain range to escape with her life.  Her drive, her determination, her incredible work all make for quite a story, especially as a girl who was raised to marry well and be a lady who lunches/society maven!   The book did drag for me, as the detail were very thorough and sometimes bogged down the narrative.  Overall though, it was totally worth reading and I'm glad that this early pioneer of the CIA has gotten some of the recognition she deserved, even though it was so belated....granted, she didn't really want it when she was alive, but she sure deserved it!

*95. Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty   Well reading this after the last one definitely shows me the difference between a meaty book and a twaddly one!   Flew through this and it was like eating  candy...can't stop, but not very fulfilling.  Triplets and their lives...one flighty, one driven, one cool.  Little interjections of strangers perceptions of them at different points in their lives happen throughout the book.  The flighty one has a dead fiance and many boyfriends who are dropped unexpectedly ever since. We learn of the abuse as the story goes on, and she ends up pregnant from the guy she really liked, but dumped because his sister slept with her cool sister's husband.  That sister had the hip relationship and was trying for a baby.  Turns out her husband was cheating, but stopped because she got pregnant, then she lost the baby and he left her for the other girl.  The driven one has a great husband, a little girl and panic attacks.  No one is perfect, they are crazy with each other, but also fiercely loving.  Totally a beachy type, just fly though it read.

96. Sky Ranch by Bobbi Phelps   I would never have guessed this was a new book, it read like one from a while back and not a super well written/edited one at that.  Bobbie was a flight attendant who starts a fly fishing calendar/high end gift company, moves to a small town in Idaho, marries a farmer, has a child, learns her East Coast country club childhood did not prepare her for life in the wide open spaces of Idaho and eventually moves off the farm with her family and they sell it, starting a totally different life.  The epilogue shows us that she and her husband divorced, their son is grown, she's remarried and lives in TN now.  I was bothered throughout that the way her husband was referred to made it seem like he was pretty uncaring about her and her feelings, so it wasn't too shocking to find out they weren't married anymore, although there was no reference to them being divorced in the entire book. The general sense of cohesion and story telling could have been so much better.

*97. Calico Bush by Rachel Field.  Same author as Hitty, which I also enjoyed.   Set in 1742, while 13 year old Maggie (Marguerite) is staying with the Sargent family as their bound girl.  She had come from France with her uncle (who died on the boat) and her Grandmother (who died shortly after), she is living in a time when the French are not highly thought of in the colonies.  The family moves to the shore of Maine and the book follows their first year as they try to settle in. We meet the very few neighbors, learn of all the challenges with the Native tribes (the PC police would hate their portrayal, but the actual interactions are peaceful, although terrifying for her.)  We see tragedy, injury, struggle for survival, as well as her growth, budding romance for another couple and just how incredibly challenging this time period was.   Really enjoyed this book and see why it was so highly regarded for so long.

**98.Urchin and the Rage Tide by M.I. McAllister   The last of the Mistmantle Chronicles!   SUCH a good book, such a great ending to a wonderful series.  Mistmantle is facing a rage tide (sounds like a sunami wave) and it happens not only one time, but a second wave comes as well.  There is mentally unstable, charismatic squirrel names Mossberry who is convincing animals to follow him and leave the island.  In rescuing him and his followers, Sepia is washed to sea.   The new Voyager, Corr heads out to try to find her, involving the Swans again.  There is major saddness, including King Crispin sacrificing his life to bring Sepia back, there is joy, watching Sepia return and recover, her impending nuptuals with Urchin, Catkin being installed as Queen. I was teary eyes so many times during this book.  Really love this series!

*99. The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton  This books is highly rated by Read Aloud Revival, but I must say I didn't love it all that much.  It was a fun read and in some ways I was reminded of Carl Sandburg's Rutabaga Tales.  It involves an island that is built on top of a sleeping giant and a young, spoiled, crazy king.  He wants pepper, the leaf eaters want gold, there is a heroine who doesn't know where her father went, and all sorts of other characters.  Some learn they are stronger than they think, others learn to live in harmony, and the island comes together in the end.  Good, but definitely not on my great list.

*100. One Year Off by David Elloit Cohen   Not sure why I got this book from the library, but it was a great read.  He and his wife used to be big travelers before they married, had kids and settled down.  They jump into a year long trip away, taking their 9,7 and 2 year old kids and their babysitter with them.   Obviously, they were a financially well off family and they had an incredible variety of adventures, many of which, I have no interest in doing, especially with kids.  However, the stories were fantastic and the idea is amazing.

*101. Black Fortunes by Shomari Wills   A fascinating book!  It follows the first 6 African Americans who became millionaires after slavery ended.   We meet some who do so in real estate, the woman who started the first international black hair products company, the man who basically founded Beale St. in Memphis (and bailed out the entire city multiple times), a woman who was the mistress of a white man and ended up incredibly wealthy, while he was almost broke.  Super interesting to read about the sub plots too...that Madame CJ Walker stole the formulations from Anna Malone (who really was the first to start a black hair products company), that the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma involved the Native Americans taking their African American slaves with them and that many, many of those slaves died on the way, that during the land rush people were trying to make Oklahoma a black state, but the Native Americans worked against that.  So many different stories, many heart breaking, but so interesting and super well written look into history I never knew!

*102. Christmas for Tad by Helen Topping Miller  A sweet little book that is about the Lincoln family.  Lots of great history woven in, all focused on the time leading up to Christmas.  We see the loss of a son and how it impacted Mary, we see what a little scamp Tad is and we see how much Lincoln cared for his soldiers.  Worth the read and if I could ever have the chance it would be worth owning.

*103. The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie This is a great collection of short stories, some are very short and some are longer.  All feature the same detective and are great little reads.  Enjoyed it a lot.

*104. The Christmas Pony by Helen McCully & Dorothy Crayder   SUCH a sweet story!  Definitely want to own this one.   It is the story of a family in Nova Scotia and the mother's desire to get her children a pony for Christmas.  In the end the entire town has to keep the secret, as the pony is brought in by train and kept hidden.  The kids have no idea and the beautiful surprise is kept until Christmas Day. Just a charming story of believing in Santa Claus, which turns out to be TRUE!  I just read that on the dust jacket and it makes it all the sweeter...

105 An Old Fashioned Christmas Edited by Reginald T. Townsend  This is a collection of stories full of yuletide spirit from Country Life.   I so wanted to love this little book, which has a pretty picture from Petershams in the front.  The stories are pretty odd, some are okay, but overall not really worth keeping.  

106. Miracle in the Wilderness by Paul Gallico  I'm not sure what to think about this book either...it was rough to stomach how the Native Americans were depicted, but the miracle part is pretty great and also involves Native Americans.  It is called a Christmas Story of Colonial America and is written as passed down from a great grandma, making it seem as though it might be a true story.

*107.The Christmas Carp by Vicki Baum   What an interesting tiny book.  Starts as a neat story about how a family celebrates, including getting a carp to eat each year.  But transitions to the war and how different Christmas will be.  The aunt somehow gets a carp and they have to keep it in their bathtub for 3 weeks...which makes them all think of it as a pet and then when they are faced with it, they just can't make themselves eat it.  An odd ending, but the rest of it is pretty good.

*108. All Creation Waits by Gayle Boss   This is a neat book that has 24 different animals featured.  Each vignette is 2-3 pages long, has tons of great information about the winter habits of that animal and is told in a very living fashion.  It is supposedly an advent book, but the tie seems loose at best.   Would like to own this one though!

*109. The Bells of Christmas by Virginia Hamilton  A sweet story about an African American family living in the 1890s.  The youngest son can't wait for his cousin and her family to arrive (the Bells!) and neither can his neighbor and friend, who is in love with the cousin.  We see a close family, beautiful handiwork and carving, learn about the history of the road they live on that was a main thoroughfare during westward expansion and see his dad go from a peg leg to a real wood leg thanks to his uncles artistic and engineering capabilities.   Another one to watch for!

**110. Treasures in the Snow by Patricia St. John   A bit moralistic, but overall a really sweet book about a girl who loses her mother on Christmas day, but is 'given' her newborn baby brother to care for in her mother's final words.   Grandmother moves in and the family is able to overall move forward in love and peace.   She has a falling out with a local boy that leads to all kinds of hardships, and after a long while, leads to many of them learning to love God and love each other in the best ways.   So sweet and touching, a bit like Heidi at times.

2019 Chicken Totals

We just spent form 8:30-12:30 getting 29 chickens in the freezer.  We did a laying hen as well and there was one meat bird that got harvested early.  These are 8 weeks, 3 days old so slightly younger than last year, but overall they were just smaller for some reason.  We ordered all males, but had at least 4 females in the group and they were small.  Two adults, a 16 year old hatchet man, a 14 year old, 11 year old and 7 year old who all assisted him, and 9 and 10 year old girls who helped with legs, oil glands and even did a bunch of eviscerating!  Everything totally done in about 5 hours, including all clean up and lunch :)

Total meat for all 30 birds was 158 pounds exactly.  The early harvest was only 2 lbs, 1 oz, so brings average down, but overall we averaged just over 5 pounds each.  We also harvested all the feet, 3 lb, 5 oz of liver, 1 lb, 3 oz of hearts and 3 lb, 8 oz of gizzards for a total of 8 pounds of offal. 

Total feed costs (1 bag starter, 3 of grower, 4 of finisher plus most of a bag left from last year): $226.15
Total chick costs $54.00

Total expense: $280.15
Total meat: 158 pounds

$/pound: $1.77
$/pound (including offal):$1.68  

(does not include feet)

Pork Break Down 2019

We, once again, got a whole pig from Ibelings, which was processed at Sorgs.  Here is the breakdown of costs, including a bit of cost increase in processing.


Costs $150 to Ibelings for the hog and $192.20 to Sorgs.  $15 trucking free, $55 butcher fee (up from $40 last year) and $.65 cute and wrap (up from $.50 last year.)  Total cost is $342.20  We had nothing smoked, didn't ask for the fat and just got it as ground pork, not sausage.  No extra charges, although we did get the bladder for a rousing game of Little House.


Side Pork: 18 pounds, 2 oz, 2 packs
Hams: 35 pounds, 4 packs
Neck Bones:  4 pounds, 1 pack
Jowls: 3 pounds, 10 oz, 2 packs
Pork Steak: 6 pounds, 9 oz, 2 packs
Spare Ribs: 5 pounds, 7 oz, 2 packs
Country Ribs: 3 pounds, 1 oz, 2 packs
Hocks: 7 pounds, 12 oz, 2 packs
Ground Pork: 14 pounds
Butt Roast: 8 pounds, 8 oz, 3 packs
Loin Roast: 7 pounds, 2 packs
Another Roast we couldn't read: 7 pounds, 3 oz, 1 pack
Shoulder Roast: 7 pounds, 4 oz, 2 packs
Liver 3 pounds, 3 packs
Ham Steaks: 11 pounds, 6 packs
Pork Chops: 24 pounds, 12 oz,  14 packs

We did the same cuts as last year, so refer to that for cutting instructions.  Roasts to 3 pounds I do remember.

Total meat: 166.25 pounds, which means $2.06/pound.  Last year our total was around $1.50/pound, so pretty big increase overall, but we'll eat it up in no time I'm sure.

Half beef purchase 2019

It has been forever since we bought part of steer, but this fall we had the chance to buy a grass fed one from Wundrows.  This is a Brown Swiss Steer who has basically grass fed his whole life.  Processing was done at Lake Geneva Country Meats at $.82/pound, which included the kill fee and wrap fee.  We didn't get anything extra like tenderizing or patties done to the meat, which would have been an upcharge.

Hamburger: 66 pounds, in 1 pound packs
Liver:  4 pounds, 6 packs
Oxtails: 3 pounds, 1 pack
Heart: 3 pounds, 1 pack
Beef Suet:

Brisket: 4 pounds, 2 packs
Short ribs: 13 pounds, 5 oz, 6 packs
Stew meat:  8 pounds, 5 oz, 6 packs
Soup bones: 20 pounds, 9 packs
Knuckle bones: 3 pounds, 1 pack

Round Roast: 6 pounds, 6 oz, 2 packs
Chuck Roast: 27 pounds, 7oz, 8 packs
Rump Roast 6 pounds, 7 oz, 2 packs
Arm Roast: 7 pounds, 2 oz, 2 packs
Sirloin Tip Roast: 6 pounds, 9 oz, 2 packs
 
Sirloin Steak: 16 pounds, 11 oz, 11 packs
T-bone Steak: 9 pounds, 8 oz, 7 packs
Flank Steak: 1 pound, 2 oz, 1 pack
Skirt Steak: 1 pound, 14 oz, 2 packs
Porterhouse Steak: 3 pounds, 8 oz, 2 packs
Rib Steak: 10 pounds, 12 oz, 7 packs
Round Steak: 12 pounds, 11 oz, 8 packs

I did get some suet, but I somehow didn't weigh it, so it isn't in the total.

Total meat listed above is 231.5 pounds.  The $.82/pound must be on hanging weight, not on processed weight as the charge would have been less if it was on the processed weight.  The charge to Wundrows was based on live weight and was $1.30/pound I believe.  We paid them a total of $781.00 and we paid Lake Geneva a total of $247.63.  This brings our total cost to $1028.63.

We ended up paying a total of $4.44/pound for everything we got, including the bones.  Basically the same price, or a bit cheaper than what we paid 6 years ago, so we can't complain at all!

2018 Preservation List

Since it is now 2019 I figured I should up date this before my scribbled paper gets lost!

Big year for maple syrup, some other things I just couldn't do this year.  I was a bit overwhelmed with the food changes that Mike had to deal with, but I did plug away and did what I could.

Frozen
Roast Veggies 10 containers
Corn 11 bags
Pesto 17 1 cup jars
Celery 1 quart
Swiss Chard 11 bags
Kale 1 bag
Blueberries 5 gallons
Strawberries 2.5 gallons whole, 1 gallon whole, 4 jars sliced
Mulberries 4 gallons, 2 quarts
Peaches 2 gallons
Beets 11 bags
Green Beans 22 bags
Zucchini Butter 6 batches


Canned
Applesauce 55 quarts
Peaches 12 quarts, 8 pints
Pears 8 quarts, 6 pints
Roasted Corn Salsa 4 quarts, 7.5 pints
Salsa 6 quarts
Pickles 7 quarts
Garlic Dill pickles 31 quarts
Garlic Scapes 4 pints
Bread and Butter Pickles 11 quarts
Cucumber Relish 16.5 pints, 17 tiny jars
Sweet and Spicy Pickles 2 quarts
Pickled Beets 3 quarts
BBQ sauce 13 pints
Diced tomatoes 15 quarts
Pasta Sauce 12 quarts
Ketchup 4 12oz jars
Sweet and Sour Sauce 10 pints
Rotel 4 pints
Tomato Soup 7 quarts
Chicken Stock 7 quarts
Rhubarb Sauce 7 pints
Mulberry Jam 3 1/2 pints
Maple Syrup 8 quarts
Cherry Juice 8 pints

Dehydrated
5 quarts apples
1 quart cherry tomatoes
1 quart mint leaves

90 heads of garlic harvested


Thoughts:
More garlic, always more garlic
More tomato soup and pasta sauce, especially pasta sauce.
Keep up huge amounts of fruit,

What I read 2019

Here's hoping that I don't lose this list in November this year :)  Kind of excited to enter my first book on Jan 1st as it was a wonderful, low key day and I got to finish a sweet novel during the afternoon while enjoying the fire!

**1. Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson  I really enjoyed this book that features letters back and forth between a farm wife in England and a museum director in Denmark where the Tollund Man is exhibited.  She sends a letter to a deceased professor and the director responds back.  They share each other's lives over the next year and a half and help each other work through some challenges they are facing about where their decisions and those of their loved ones have left them.  As their relationship deepens and infidelity on the part of her husband is revealed you can see where it might be headed.  I love that the book ends before they meet.

2. Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith  I read the other book 'the Nester' wrote and enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  This one gave me the opposite experience.  Good advice, but very, very repetitive and I personally felt like it could have been a 50 page book at most.  That being said, I do know I need to focus on big statement things and less on all the tiny piece we have.  And it is helping me toss the terrible couches, so that is a win!

**3. Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh  What a gem of a book!  Some great musings on shells and being a woman and a mother.  Sounds strange, right?  But it really works!  There is an update from her 20 years after she wrote the book and it is amazing how relevant all her essays are still today.  Definitely a reread.

*4.  Between Me and You by Allison Winn Scotch Ben and Tatum meet and fall in love, he seems to be Hollywood's IT boy so they move to CA.  His career stalls, her takes off like a rocket with an Oscar and everything.  They both lose parents, he also a brother, they have a son---it all seems perfectly wonderful.  But their amazing connected love story slips apart and the ex-girl friend, Allison shows back up and stays showed up.  It is told in alternating view points and also jumping around in history.  So we see each situation at least twice, sometimes more and this method made it feel slow moving and way too rehashed for me.  A nice love story in the end and a show of how messy life can get, but definitely not one of my favorites.

*5. A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg   This books is mostly memoir with a recipe or two at the end of each chapter.  I kind of think I may have read it before, but it was a good, quick read for a snowy cold day in Jan.  Molly has a blog that came about after studying a whole lot of things and visiting Paris many times.  Food and telling stories about food was always here thing and now she makes a living at it.  Her father died when she was in college and lots of the book is about him and his impact on her, the rest is focused around meeting and marrying her husband.  Lots of great talk about food and the recipes mostly sound great.

*6.  Dawn Wind by Rosemary Sutcliff  This is almost a 2 star book for me. I saw some people enjoyed her books and was very pleasantly surprised at how it sucked me in even as I read it on the exercise bike!  Owain, 14, is the hero of the story and it starts with a terrible battle where he watches his family die and his home be overtaken by Saxons.  Lots of historical context in the ongoing struggles between the British and the Saxons, amazing ending with St. Augustine showing up!  In between we see his amazing character, what it was like to become a slave/servant, meet the Dawn Wind who is an all white horse (and considered a God) and watch how devotion can overcome years of separation.  All in all a very good historical fiction read for MS and up!

*7. A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich  This book follows Abbie from her dreams of being a lady like her grandmother was to her life as a homesteader in Nebraska.  We see her let go of her singing dreams and raise her 4 children, many of whom live out the dreams she once dreamt.  Lots of major changes in our country during her lifetime and many of her children and grandchildren don't seem to appreciate what she and their father went through to get them to where they are.  Overall a good read.

**8.Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys   This is a heartbreak of a book!  It is YA, which typically I find to be rather ugh, but this one is well written and was so engaging that I read it in a day.  A really cold day when no sane person wants to do anything outside, but still. Lina is 15 and is taken last one night, along with her 10 year old brother and mother.  They are from Lithuania and the Soviets are in the process of taking over the Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia).  This part of WWIIs history are not often talked about, especially because the people who survived and did go home (after 12-20 years of torture, back breaking work, no food, and exposure to the elements) never talked about it.  If they did talk about it they could be rearrested and killed.  Lina's father was the provost at university and helped a brother move to Germany, which is why his family was put on the list. He was sent to a prison, they end up in the beet fields and eventually at the north pole, where they are forced to scrape together a hut for their lodging.  The exposure and the work they do, with their incredibly meager rations cause many of them do die, including Lina's mother.  There is a Russian guard that shows tiny doses of humanity and ends up saving Lina's borther's life by sending in an inspector who demands they are given fish to fight off scurvy.  A book to remember, worth owning to tell this important and unknown story.

*9. Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay  I realized I've read this before, but I couldn't remember the way it wrapped up so I read it again.  Ellen and her husband and two kids have moved in with his abusive father and little girl like mother. This book feels disjointed and sad and hard because that is what their life is like at the moment.  Unfortunately her husband has rejoined his family dynamic and left his wife and kids emotionally bewildered.  Lots of struggles with faith (a very old, harsh type of Catholic faith) and a new teacher friend who is separated and is trying to suggest Ellen needs to consider it.  Which she does and the book ends with her ready to take back her life, hopefully with her husband in it, but for her children and her sanity she needs to be in her own home.

*10. William the Conqueror by Thomas B. Costain  (Landmark book) William was quite a guy with the whole take England by force and then not be sure he can pass his kingdom on to his son because God has to decide that.  Pretty brutal military tactics, but all started when he was only 8 years old and made ruler of Normandy.  He was incredibly strong and a strong ruler too.  And it seems that when he set his mind on getting something (England) he'd spend as many years and lives as it took to get it!

11. Milk Street Tuesday Nights by Chirstopher Kimball  A beautiful cookbook that isn't going to be super helpful for us, but I'm glad to have enjoyed the eye candy.

*12.  The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah  A heart breaking, sometimes crazy intense book about a girl and her parents as they move to Alaska in the 1970s.  We see her Vietnam POW dad deal with PTSD and her mother deal with the abuse he hands out.  Leni grows up, becomes one with Alaska, falls in love with the only boy her age, gets pregnant and helps her mother cover up her father's murder before they disappear back to her grandparents' home in Seattle.  So much beauty, so much heart break, overall a great book.  Written by the author of The Nightingale.

*13. One Day in December by Josie Silver  Very a la Bridget Jones Diary (even references that in the book), set in England where a girl sees boy at the bus stop and instantly knows he is the one.  She and her best friend spend a year trying to find him with no luck until the friend brings her new beau over and it is him.  Cue them trying to become friends and not let each other know they recognize each other.  Girl travels, find and marries other man, eventually falls apart.  Best friend and boy break up and after a good long while they finally get together.  Overall a good read, sweet love story.

*14.  The 100-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson  Another Swedish author writing a quirky, but good book.  Allan climbs out a window on his 100th birthday to avoid his party and ends up stealing a suitcase along the way to the wildest journey you can imagine.  We find out he has been in involved with almost all major world leaders (Churchill, Mao, Truman, Stalin, etc) and had a big part in the nuclear bomb.  Jumps back and forth in time, but it works.  Enjoyed this one too.
.
*15.Lafayette in America by Andre Maurois  This is the first North Star Book I've read and it was a good biography for upper elem and beyond.  Learned a lot about Lafayette from his growing up years, to his marriage, lots about his time in America helping fight the Revolutionary War, his years back in France trying to help with the revolution there and his return to trip to America when he was in his 60s.  It is amazing to think that such a young man (he was called 'the Boy' because he was 19 when he first came over) had such an important role to play in assisting Washington and providing French support to help the colonies free themselves from English rule

*16.Eating from the Ground Up by Alana Chernila   A great vegetable focused cook book.  I should definitely look at this one again come summer and fall as it has many great fresh ideas, as well as ones for later in the year.  Hard to be too excited about now as we work to eat through the freezer...can't wait for fresh veggies again!

*17. Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman  I really enjoyed this 1947 novel!  Katherine Mary moves from Boston to the north to stay with her uncle because of her pleurisy.  She not only gets relief, she meet Mike Flannigan and moves with her Monty to far north.  There they build a life with the Cree, trappers, and some 'breeds as those of mixed race are called.  They survive a major wild fire, have two children, lose them to disease, and Kathy moves back to Boston because she can't stand the sorrow.  While there she realizes how much she has changed and how much she loves her husband.  Their reunion is sweet, even as life and death (due to flu and war) are still central to their lives in the rugged terrain.  They end up raising twins after the loss of both their parents and  grandmother and they are joined by a little sister when Oh-Be-Joyful (the young Indian girl who had lived with them for years) dies and her husband brings them the baby.  The cycle of life and love feature prominently and I am so glad I finally read it!

*18.  Why Not, Lafayette?  by Jean Fritz  I read this to compare to the North Star bio I just read.  This one is also really well done, focuses a lot more on his return to France and the rest of his life than the others.  I feel like the North Star is really centered around his time here in America during the Revolutionary War, where this one makes quicker work of that and is probably more balanced throughout his entire life.  This is a faster read, I think, but they are both good and for similar aged audiences.  I think I'll be keeping them both on my shelves :)

*19. We Were There With Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys by Robert N. Webb  I think this is the first "we were there" I've read and it was great.  Lots of excitement, but a lot of historical fact as well.  I knew nothing of Ethan Allen, but now know that he was the man who led the forces that took Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolution, that Benedict Arnold tried to take over his command, that he was captured trying to take over Montreal and then shipped to England.  Hope they are all written this well!

*20. The Treason of Benedict Arnold, 1780  by Robert Kraske  This is a Focus Book and I think these are worth looking for and then keeping.  They are specifically about events in history that often don't get a lot of explanation.  This one focuses on Benedict Arnold and all the details around his service to the Revolution and then his turn to working for the British.  Lots of details and drawings, but not boring at all.

*21. Vincent and Theo  The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman  A YA book about the brothers and their relationship.  I loved how thorough it was following their lives, their art, their relationship, them falling in love and out of love and in love, etc.  I didn't love the pacing and repetition of the book.  I think it was for effect, but it might also have been for the YA reader.  Glad I read it, for a 400 page book it was a fairly quick read.

**22. Mitten Strings for God by Katrina Kenison  This book is subtitled Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry which pretty much sums up why I needed it :)  This spring is just crazy busy and I'd like to step off the train!  Such beautiful writing and ruminations.  I am glad I read it, I need to read it again and I should definitely own this book.  Katrina didn't homeschool, but her family has definitely made a decision to put their relationships first and to step off the whirlwind of society's expectations for our kids now.  Such good stuff.

**23.  The Colonial Twins of Virginia by Lucy Fitch Perkins   I've found 4 of these and hope to find more.  There are typical period issues (slavery) but the writing is good, the story line is exciting and the history is woven in seamlessly.

**24. The Winged Watchman by Hilda van Stockum  One of the few old books to survive the culling at Elkhorn's library.  This book is about a Dutch family during WWII.  So much history, so much Dutch culture, so much excitement, so much simply excellent writing.  I read this all in one day while the house was sick, and just loved it.  I need to have this book in our home library!

*25.The Light Beyond the Forest The Quest for the Holy Grail by Rosemary Sutcliff  The Holy Grail gets a book of its own!  A quick book with chapters following Sir Lancelot, Percival, Bors, and especially Sir Galahad. It follows their quest to find the Holy Grail and bring it to the court of King Arthur, which ends with them returning it to the sacred city where Sir Galahad dies.  Chivalry, maidens, temptation, deaths and knights are all a big part of the exciting story!


*26. Brown Eggs and Jam Jars by Aimee Wimbush-Bourque  A great real food cook book with lots of recipes using maple syrup!  She is the writer for Simple Bites blog and while living in a city has still managed to stay connected to her rural upbringing.  Worth digging in to.

*27. The Child From the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge   My first Goudge!  It took a long time as I started it and then put it on hold for at least 6  months before picking it up and finishing it.  At almost 600 pages it was loooong, but the writing was very good and I can see why everyone loves her books.  "The Child From The Sea tells the rich, turbulent 17th century tale of Lucy Walter, secret wife of Charles II, and mistress-despite-herself to a gallant and reckless Irish nobleman in exile."  Crazy enough, it wasn't until the end of the book that I realized this was based on Charles II and wasn't just fiction!  But the focus is very much on Lucy's life so I just didn't put it together.

*28. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi   A really fascinating look at a devout Muslim who converted to Christianity.  He was raised with his sister by parents who were very devout and taught so their children to value their faith.  He explains a lot about the mindset of most Muslim families, the conflict as children are raised in America, the shame-honor process of Islam (based in obedience) vs. innocence-guilt in Christianity (based in reason).  I feel like I have a little better understanding of very different the culture is.  His incredible historical and spiritual research (and his friends who helped him along the way) and his willingness to lose his family and culture for God is pretty awe inspiring for sure!

*29. The Swamp Fox of the Revolution by Stewart H. Holbrook  Landmark book #90, about Francis Marion, the swamp fox, and his important role during the Revolutionary War.  He was able to use his small force of men to disrupt a lot of the British supply lines and battalions due to his hit and run methods.  He and his men seemed like ghosts because they lived in the swamps and marshes so no one could find them and they tended to use surprise raids to accomplish their goals.  A lot of this book got to be very yawn inducing for me because of all the names and battles and such, but I now know he was very important in South Carolina and that there very well may not have been a victory without him and others like him.

**30. Unplanned by Abby Johnson  I went to see the movie on its opening weekend and it is was so powerful!  It was not easy to watch, but there were moments of laughter and sweetness in the midst of a heavy subject.   Reading the books showed me how much they worked to tell the story exactly as Abby had written it.  A very few things were condensed or very changed in a very minor fashion.  Basically she was a girl who believed Planned Parenthood and wanted to do good for women.  After 8 years of being a model employee and clinic director she held the ultrasound probe and watched while a baby was killed.  After that her parents, husbands, the Coalition for Life and many other people's prayers were answered as she walked away from PP and joined in the pro-life movement.  Amazing story, should be required for all who say they are pro-choice.

*31. Dakota: A Spiritual Geography by Kathleen Norris  I enjoyed this book which is almost more of a series of essays. She is a poet who has moved from New York back her grandmother's home in Lemmon, South Dakota.  She continually refers to North and South Dakota as Dakota (which drives my mom nuts and therefore grates on me a bit too) and spends much of the book comparing it to monasteries.  She talks a lot about the western Dakota sky, the weather, the harshness of the landscape, but also the challenges of small communities and her faith.  Her spiritual journey is an interesting one since she was raised with grandparents of faith, parents too, but spent about 20 years with none of her own.  Now she seems to dabble in multiple faiths and is more interested in spirituality even as she is drawn strongly to the monastic and Catholic liturgy.  I don't feel I'll read it again (lots of repeating themes) but it was interesting because of my tie to the state, even if it is the east side instead of the west side.

32. The Etruscan Smile by Velda Johnston   A mystery that involves two sisters, one missing in Italy and one rushing to find her, but months after she has disappeared.  The girls were raised by their grandparents after their parents died in a car crash, but it turned out that their mother was adopted when she was two and was actually the daughter of a mobster who had fled to Italy after his wife was killed.  And surprise! the missing daughter put together that the old man she was renting from was her bio grandpa.  Oh, she also found a Etruscan statue which was valuable, but neither scheme would get her any money for her drug addict boyfriend, one just ended up with her being killed.  It was okay, but not worth keeping.

*33. Indian Creek Chronicles by Pete Fromm  This was actually close to two stars for me, which was surprising!  It is the tale of a WI boy who heads out to college in Montana with grand dreams of being a mountain man.  On a bit of a whim he drops out of school in order to babysit 2.5 million tiny salmon  in Indian Creek over the winter.  He is ill prepared, but his adventures and the way he comes to embrace the solitude and conditions are captivating.  I really enjoyed this!

*34. Boy of the Pyramids by Ruth Fosdick Jones  This is a great book about ancient Egypt told in such a living story (mystery) way.  My only hold up is that  I would guess that slaves were not quite as happy as people in this book were portrayed.  The story is good, all the incidental information is great and the writing is perfect for elem into MS.  Glad to have found this one!

**35.  Hurry, Spring!  by Sterling North  A great little sets of vignettes about spring.  Each one focuses on some animal and often a story of his that goes with it.  He mentions the Rock River and other WI areas but at the time this is written he lived in NJ.  Obviously a great lover of nature (and sometimes very anti-hunting) and overall a sweet book to use as a read aloud nature study book for spring.

**36/37.  84 Charing Cross Road/The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff  The first book is a delightful exchange of letters between a woman in NY and a used book seller in London.  So much like Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, but it a real set of letters!  real people!  so great :)  Even though I knew the ending because of a newspaper clipping in my copy it still caught me off guard and hit me like a punch in the stomach.  The second book is the story of her FINALLY getting to London.  Also delightful, but more of her personality and less of the British charm that the other letters brought in.  Either way these were wonderful and so glad to have read them!

38. Seasonal Disorder by Pat Hagan  This was a fun, quick read that worked really hard to be funny and crazy.  I enjoyed it, but I would have loved to have even more story of his work and less comedic efforts.  He is a seasonal ranger at Glacier National Park and shares some of his experiences amongst a lot of frat boy type humor.

*39. High-Rise Secret by Lois Lenski  A young book by her about a housing project near Lake Erie.  Some of it was neat, explaining all the challenges of so many families in a small living space.  The story about the cat would have been sweet, but I didn't like the hiding and lying about it, especially to parents.  A work kids would like though, easy to read, engaging, like so many of her books.

40. The Awakening by Kate Chopin  Written in 1899, it shocked people because of Edna's 'awakening' to her own thoughts and desires, her separating herself from her husband and her infidelity.  I could see her walking the path to other men, but the book is so restrained that I'm still not sure she was ever physically unfaithful.  I was a bit surprised at the ending where she basically commits suicide by swimming out farther than she can return.  Was it because she knew there were no real options for herself?  That seems odd since she had moved homes and had people in her life.  Was it because there was no way to continue her story in that time period without complete shock?  Not sure, but it was worth reading, although I'm not going to keep it.

*41. Letter from New York by Helene Hanff  A later book than 84, but charming as well.  This is a series of scripts from a 5 minute radio program she did for BBC about her life in New York.  This is after 84 was published and actually covers her going to London to see the premier of the the play.  The little vignettes of life in an apartment building, going to Central Park with the neighbor's dogs, and the people she is friends with are quick to read and wonderful fun.  

*42. Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff  I'm on a kick :)  Actually, just reading the books our library had that she wrote. This one was so interesting because it covered a big part of the time when 84 was becoming known, when the BBC made it into a TV show and then when it got made into a play on the West End and was a huge hit and was brought to Broadway and wasn't.  Q is Sir Arthur Quiller- Couch who was a professor from Cambridge who did a series of lectures that were published as "The Act of Writing."  She found that book when she had to leave college and was looking for a book to tutor her into becoming a play write.  This all led to her needing to learn more and eventually ordering books from London, which led to everything else.  A neat memoir of her adult life.


*43. The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong  SUCH a good book!  Loved the story of this brave little boy and his pig as they deal with the serious challenges the Japanese-Chinese war throws at him.  He earns his family money, he saves a US fighter pilot, he escapes the Japanese invaders, gets adopted by 60 US airmen, and then convinces them to help him find his parents and baby sister.  Definitely a great read for studying about China and for kids who want a book with an adventure.

*44. Country Matters by Michael Korda  A book about the purchase of a country home that eventually became their main residence and the challenges that go with a house/farm that is from the time of the Revolutionary War and small town people.  Lots of humorous stories about locals, especially Harold who became their caretaker because he basically demanded it on the first day they owned the property.  Lots of horse related talk because they met on horseback in NYC and over time at the farm Margaret grew the herd as she was competing in eventing.  A whole different lifestyle with the home in NYC and at times homes in Florida and New Mexico as well, plus the huge money poured into the farm.  But all in all a pretty nice read, although it won't be kept on the shelves.

*45. Our Independence and the Constitution by Dorothy Canfield Fisher  Landmark series  I loved this one!  It was about the time of the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention.  The story focuses on one particular family and their little girl. She is tiny when the Continental Congress is held and the Revolutionary War happens, but is a young lady by the time they come back for the Constitutional Convention.  During the first she meets Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin and we learn some of the story through their interaction with her.  The second involves a delegate staying with them and we learn of how much they wrestled to get big states v. small states and the branches of government worked out.  It finishes with her as an older woman buying the books that are the notes taken by James Madison so she could learn what was happening in the Convention.  This books is such an easy read, but so much good history in it.  I found it charming and educational and it made for a good read aloud.

*46. Maria Takes a Fancy by Margaret Pitcairn Strachan  In this Mennonite romance of sorts, Maria starts working for a family when her grandmother dies.  Only the mother of the family is plain, the rest have fallen out of the faith.  The father has a temper, has invested all their money (including his adult son's money) in a mine that eventually fails, and the bishop is upset with Maria because he feels she shouldn't be there.  One of the sons wants his money so he can buy his own place, the neighbor girl is throwing herself at him and then gets jealous when it becomes obvious that there are feelings between Maria and the son.  An okay read, for the genre it is probably great.  The story wraps up very sweetly even after all the challenges and frustrations of everyone.

*47. The Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris  This was part of a lecture series put on yearly by Notre Dame University.  I liked this better than Dakota and it was written later...I think it is obvious that she is more settled in her faith, which makes it more peaceful writing for me.  She focuses on the everyday of our lives and how we can find the holy in it.  Like there is the liturgy of the hours and the repetition in prayer we can use our mundane everyday tasks (laundry, cooking, dishes) to find the holiness of God in our lives.  A small book with lots of good stuff.

*48. The Surgeons by Charles R. Morris  A fascinating look at a Columbia-Presbyterian and their top heart program.  It covers everything from policy, costs to following individual cases and the doctors who are on staff.  Of the 6 main doctors, one was Dr. Oz!  This was written as he'd been on Oprah and written YOU:An Owner's Manual, but before he was a huge celebrity. It was so interesting to hear his back story!  Really interesting, really technical at times, but a peek into the medicine of heart disease during a very specific time period around 2006.

*49. Citizen 13660 by Mine Okubo  Wow!  So glad I grabbed this book, it will be staying.  Ms. Okubo is a Japanese American who was interned in camps during WWII.  She was on an artist Fellowship in Europe when war was declared in Europe and then when Pearl Harbor happened.  She headed home and with her brother was required to report to a camp.  She was working for the ARMY when this happened.  She recorded it all through sketches and short paragraphs of what was happening.  There is no judgement, no anger, no bitterness, just the story of what they went through and what the camps were like.  It was released right after the war and re released in 1983 with a new intro by her.  I'm so glad I read this book and it will definitely be staying on my shelves.

*50.  Food in Jars Kitchen by Marisa McClellan  Nice book about using preserves.  We like the pickle potato salad a lot!

*51. The Amazing Land of Wew by John G. Kaufer  This was such an odd book! Totally reminded me of The Wizard of Oz and when I looked it up online that was stated, even down to comparing characters!  And yet, the online prices of this one are off the charts.  Probably going to sell it because although it is interesting it isn't so  great that I wouldn't take the money instead :)  Boy ends up in enchanted land with talking animals, under the sea, riding magic chariots, trying to rescue a queen that became a bee, etc.

*52. A Pony Called Lightening by Miriam E. Mason  I was curious about her since I've collected a few of her books.  This is a sweet story of an Indian pony who is given to a white  family after the daughter saves the life of the chief's son.  Lightning loves to run and as he grows up he learns to trust the little girl, sees a train and eventually outraces a prairie fire that was started by lightning.  Great book for young readers venturing into chapter books.


*53. Beautiful Fools by R. Clifton Spargo  So cool to read this book by my beloved advisor, Dr. Spargo!  The story of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald as they traveled to Cuba for their last time together.  By this point Zelda has been spending years in mental facilities and Scott has been barely making it in Hollywood  while he waits to be inspired with his next big novel.  He lives there with another woman, which has not been acknowledged, but Zelda seems to know.  There are major scrapes with locals including a man who ends up dying in a nightclub after Zelda rushes through the crowd and a cock fight that leaves Scott beaten after he tries to rescue the chicken.  Such beautiful writing in this novel.  Amazing to think of someone I knew researching and writing it!

54. Point of View by Elisabeth Hasselbeck  I'm thinking this deserves a 1/2 star.  Some is interesting because  it talks about her years on The View and other career move, some is interesting because she talks about her family and you see the deep love, some is good because it talks about her faith and how we can all grow in it.  But it also felt a little rah-rah and it also felt too bubbly, too all over and I think I'd have done better with a deeper dive on fewer things.  Too many 'lessons learned lists' and the like for me.  Not a bad book, just not one I loved.

55. No One  Writes to the Colonel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez  He's a  Nobel Prize Winner, but I think I just don't get these short stories.  They are translated, so maybe that is some of it?  I think they are all related, but again, my brain wasn't firing well enough to know for sure.  Not my cup of tea, especially for summer reading.

**56. The Enchanted Hour by Meghan Cox Gurdon  What a  wonderful book!  I  feel like it should be required reading as soon as you get pregnant :)  This and CMs volumes are like parenting how to from the get go!  She lays out all the studies and benefits for reading out loud to your kids and even to adults.  Most of the book is focused on the early years because the brain benefits are strongest then, but biological benefits never stop, so neither should the reading out loud!  Loved this.

**57. Three Weeks with my Brother by Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks  This is a travel memoir  of Nicholas Sparks and his brother as they took a three week trip around the world on a tour to lots of the most unusual places around the world.  The writing about the trip is interspersed with writing about their childhood, the loss of their parents and sister and their lives.  So many interesting things learned about their childhood (very poor, parents who were somewhat estranged, too much freedom, but a super close family.)  Really loved this one too!

*58. The Library of Lost and Found by Paedra Patrick  This is the same author as The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper and this book is another delight!  Martha works in a library, but can't hired full time even though she does everything for everyone...washing for a woman with a broken washer, sure!  babysit fish forever, sure!  make home biscuits for everyone, sure!  watch her sister's kids, sure!  And yet she has nothing in her life that is hers...she lives in her parent's home since she cared for them until their deaths, full of their things and things she is fixing for other people.  And then a book shows up that is full of her stories and inscribed by her dead grandmother three years after she died.  Eventually she is reunited with her grandmother, learns her father wasn't her father, meets the guy who helped get the book back to her,  learns secret upon secret and finds her way to self worth that isn't about just being a doormat for everyone.

*59. The Autoimmune Solution Cookbook by Dr. Amy Myers  A good read for a newly diagnosed RA patient!  Found multiple recipes that sound good and are doable.  I'm going to have to  jump in to cassava flour I think and as much as she loves tigernuts, they are  crazy pricey so for now I think we'll hold  off.  She's got some good general info on AIP as well, but mostly I was in it for the recipes and there are some good ones.

*60. The Alternative Autoimmune Cookbook by Angie Alt  A really simple, quick read.  A fair number of good, doable, yummy sounding recipes that are organized by elimination and reintroduction stages.  In between there is commentary by Angie about her path to diagnosis, dealing with grief, some handy charts and such.  Much lighter and fewer recipes than the one by Myers, but all typical ingredients and quicker, easier to get through.  Kale and Pineapple Breakfast Skillet, Breakfast Meatloaf, Sunrise Smoothie, Rosemary Tea Time Biscuits, Lemon Bar Ice Cream, Canadian Brussel Sprouts all sound like winners.

**61. The Read Aloud Family by Sarah McKenzie  Written in her breezy, totally relatable, preaching to the choir at our house style and well done at that.  Book lists, 10 questions to ask about books (for me and the kids) and more great proof that reading aloud changes our kids for the best, reading for pleasure is more important that reading for improvement, building a book club culture and making connections with books...could it get any better?  :)

*62. The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion  Enjoyed this one, but had to overcome a lot of  'agenda' type writing.  This is the third in the series about Don and Rosie and now their son, Hudson, who is 11.  Hudson has issues at school (they want him to be tested for autism) and Don leaves his job to help Hudson learn the skills he needs to fit in.  By the end they have more questions about if his fitting in was worth it, but he has definitely figured out how to solve all his issues, reunite with friends, earn a ton of money coding, and make decisions for his life.

*63. The Masai Herders of East Africa by Sonia Bleeker  I've only got two Bleekers right now, but after reading this one I get why they are so loved.  A great summary of the history, beliefs, culture, and geography of the Masai.  I didn't see a lot of things I'd feel the need to explain or put in context and I'd love to see if that carries in the ones written about North American tribes.  Will be great for Africa studies.

*64. Betsy Ross and the Flag by Jane Mayer  This is a Landmark and it is a really good one!  I loved the tone and writing in this one and need to own it for sure!  Tells the history of how a flag came to be wanted/needed by Washington and others as well as telling a bit of history of Betsy Ross herself. My favorite part was the very beginning as it talked about America.  Good, quick read for all Americans.

*65. Nutrient Dense Kitchen by Mickey Trescott   Another good cookbook that also focuses on the nutrient side of AIP.  Good one to check out again when it is time for mashed veggies and soups. This one and the one by Angie are both ones to get again (and they blog together too!)

**66. How the Heather Looks by Joan Bodger  I need to own this one! :)  A delightful travel memoir of a family's trip to England.  They went with their 9 year old son and 2 1/2 year old daughter to discover all the sights that connect with children's books.  This book sent me to the computer to request books over and over again!  The exploring they did, the imaginations, the connection to Swallows and Amazons, Beatrix Potter books, Narnia, Winnie the Pooh, the Borrowers, and on and on...  Wonderful book.

*67. The Story of Joan of Arc by Jeannette C. Nolan (Signature Biography)  Such a great middle grade biography for kids.  I learned about her early life, her service to God and country and her terrible death.  I've wanted to read all the Signatures we own, but they often get pushed back.  This one moved up with Bishop Don said it is one of his favorite books and made a big impact on him when he read it at about age 9.  Tickled us to know we owned it!

*68.  Two Under the Indian Sun by Jon and Rumer Godden  Interesting book written by the two oldest sister, who are both authors.  This tells of their childhood in India and a bit of the years  they were in England without their family.  It took me a while to get through it, but it was highly enjoyable.  The ending felt abrupt and a bit dispiriting, but I loved the stories of their times in the Hills and the vivid descriptions of their games, the Christmas celebrations and such.

*69.  Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman  I inhaled this book in a day, after returning from South Dakota.  It is quirky, it is heart breaking and it is redemptive.  Eleanor has had the worst childhood imaginable, but you don't find out details until the very end.  She lives an incredibly isolated life, other than work and when IT guy Raymond bumbles his way into her life things change.  She crashes hard when she realizes the singer she thinks is the love of her life is a made up crush basically, but he is there to pull her through.  Sammy, the old man they rescue in the street brings a whole family dynamic that with Raymond turn her world upside down, pull her up from suicide and eventually help her face her demonic past of a mother who tried to kill her and did kill her sister.  Quite a book, really.

*70.  Making Rounds with Oscar by Dr. David Dosa  Mom recommended this and it was a quick read about a cat who lives on a floor of a nursing home with dementia patients.  He isn't particularly friendly, but has a gift of knowing when people are ready to die.  He stays with them and their family during their last hours and is a support, comfort and brings peace to a hard situation.  Dr. Dosa touches on medical care for dementia, his own struggles with RA, his unbelief in Oscar's gift and more as he works his way through the story.

71. Rheumatoid Arthritis Everything you Need to Know by Dr. Robert G. Lahita  A quick read in question and answer form.  Some good info, but it is a bit older and wasn't as helpful as I'd hoped.  I also was reading the First Year book written by a patient expert and it was much better, but still so hard to read because it is so scary and hard to face this all.  I need to finish that one though, as it is much more comprehensive and applicable.

*72. The Secret Lives of Midwives by Sally Hepworth  I'm pretty positive that I've read this book already, but I started it at Aunt Mary and Uncle Rogers so I got it from the library and blew through it.  It is about 3 generations of midwives and the secret the grandmother holds, which comes to light as the daughter's secret pregnancy also does.  The birth is dramatic, the friendly doctor turned boyfriend turned jealous of who he thinks is the baby's father turned happily ever after is too :)  But it is a good read with interesting points because of the midwife aspect.

*73. Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome   A British novel that has been loved for decades.  It is literally about three men who take a trip in a boat with their dog and their adventures.  It is very much written as if someone was telling you the story, complete with side a trails, sudden return to the main story, and unbelievable craziness at times.  Laughed out loud at times, although some of it was just goofy.  Overall I found it charming and a good light read with lots of boating and English-ness for fun!

*74. Wisconsin Angel by Jane Walrath Solem This is the story of Cordelia Harvey, the wife of WI governor Louis Harvey.  She and her husband lived in Clinton Corners and Shopiere, owning a mill and a store. They were originally from Southport (Kenosha) and moved there, getting involved in politics, which eventually moved them to Madison.  Louis died shortly after taking office, while visiting WI soldiers fighting the Civil War.  Cordelia carried on his work and eventually got Lincoln to agree to build military hospitals in the north (3 in WI) where soldiers could recover and be able to survive to fight again. The southern hospitals were so bad that many soldiers were dying instead of recovering.  This led to the establishment of the VA, although the book doesn't talk about that at all.  A flowery, good read, written by a local woman about a local woman.

*75. My Man, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse I read this one and most of Carry On, Jeeves, but that one got returned to the library accidentally before I finished it.  This is more British humor and reminds me of Three Men in a Boat in many ways.  Lots of bizarre scrapes that Jeeves helps them get out of, but then often results in more challenges, but somehow he gets them out of that as well.  Pretty good for light reading.

*76. Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb  A historical fiction about WWI and a well done one at that.  This is done as letters between Evie and her brother Will and his best friend Tom as well as her friend Alice.  The boys join us right away and after a while Will is killed.  Alice is also headed to the war as a nurse while Evie is at home finding jobs to do and wishing she was at the front.  She does eventually get there as a telephone operator after years of postal work and writing a column for Tom's father's (and his, after his father dies) newspaper.  There is a proposal from Tom's cousin, issues with the men running the paper, lots of misunderstandings and so much hurt.  In the end we see Evie and Tom's growing love has come to where it should be.  All in all a good read.

*77. The Mitchells Five for Victory by Hilda van Stockum   The first of three books she wrote about the Mitchell family.  The five kids work hard to support the war effort, deal with a bully next door, befriend a refugee and help reunite her with her grandfather and get into all sorts of mischief as well.  I like her writing and think this is a good middle grade-MS series based on this first book.
 
*78. Canadian Summer by Hilda van Stockum The second one in the series where the Mitchells move to Canada following their Dad's job.  They rent a ski lodge that is way up in the mountains and not having a car or access to a town changes their adventures, but not their spirit!  They meet French speaking families, help bring a war wounded veteran back to himself, get lost in the woods, worry their mother and Grannie, and are their general jolly selves.  The challenge of a permanent place to live is barely solved in the nick of time before winter sets in, but it is solved and they'll be living near Montreal.

*79. Friendly Gables by Hilda van Stockum   The last of the Mitchells and my favorite one!  They are still in Canada and now twins have been born.  We meet Miss Thorpe the baby nurse, Paul the boy who needs to learn that Americans can be wonderful, and we see a blossoming romance between Pierre and Joan.  The kids make their own snug nest, 'Homework' and they learn so many great lessons during this book.  This is a great series for elementary and MS readers.

80.Clara's Kitchen by Clara Cannucciari  A cute little book by Clara, the YouTube grandma who was pretty popular a few years back. She and her grandson would film her cooking and talking about the Depression and her words of wisdom. This book is full of recipes and her thoughts, but it mostly boils down to (over and over again) pasta or veggies with oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and maybe put between bread.  And her thoughts are that they had nothing, but didn't really know it and you made and ate what you could and didn't complain.  It was fine, but not as charming as her videos had been.

*81.Young Mr. Meeker and his Exciting Journey to Oregon by Miriam E. Mason  A super fun book about the Oregon Trail for an elementary reader (or a fast read for a MS reader.)  The family has to wait for Mr. Meeker to start out on the trail and throughout their journey.  Mr. Meeker is the new baby who arrives as they prepare to set out.  His mama, Eliza Jane, makes them wait at certain times because Mr. Meeker likes clean clothes and such.  These rests end up being the reason they get to Oregon in such good shape with animals who can make it over the mountains.  Mr. Meeker also shares his medicines and trades with a Native and is just an all around great leader at just a few months old!  Very cute.

*82. Caroline and the Seven Little Words by Miriam E. Mason  Another great little books.  This one is longer and harder than some of her others ones, but still very elementary friendly. Caroline stands up in school and says she is going to be a doctor some day in a time when girls weren't to have goals beyond motherhood and keeping a home.  She is harassed by her (young) uncles, but over the coarse of the book she shows how good she is at tending sick people, rescues a dog from death and shows herself to a be a an all around wonderful little girl.

*83. The Lewis and Clark Expedition by Richard L. Neuberger  Such a good Landmark!  A quick read, but a really good way to get an overview of the challenges and journey that opened up the Louisiana Purchase.   I'm loving doing more outside history reading this year!

**84. Dr. George Washington Carver by Shirley Graham and George Lipscomb   I don't know if I've read a better biography!  This is Messner and it is wonderful.  I didn't realize what a strong man of God Dr. Carver was.  To see his rise from slavery to revolutionizing the farming of the south is just incredible.  So loved this one.

**85. Grain by Grain by Bob Quinn and Liz Carlisle  Loved this book and need to send it to Jacki and Ryan.  I read it to go with crop rotation, but it is about a lot more than just crops.  This is the farmer who developed Kamut, which we need to look into.  He went from huge conventional farm to completely organic and rotational, work with the earth farming.  Loved this book.

*86. Turkish Delight & Treasure Hunts by Jane Brocket  What a great little book with recipes and activities to go with so many classic children's books.  Highly suggest that we try and do some of these with books we read!

*87-91. First Farm in the Valley, Winding Valley Farm, Stairstep Farm, Willow Wind Farm and Betsy's Up and Down Year by Anne Pellowski  The five Latsch Valley Farm book series.  They are wonderful books for elementary and early MS age readers.  Wisconsin history, Polish immigrants, a different generation in each book so seeing things change through time and Catholic as well.  Such a great way to see farming in WI through the years and so much good stuff for big families, working hard together and more.

*92 Andrew Jackson by Clara Ingram Judson  I liked this biography, the first of hers I've read.  Good for later elem-MS for sure, older might enjoy as well.  She definitely makes her subject out to be a hero and white washes over some things, but it is a good introduction to a major character in our country who doesn't always get a lot of good press.  It was good to learn about his wife, his adopted boys, his life at the Hermitage.  I thought she definitely glossed over his dealings with Native Americans and the problems with his presidency.  Overall, I'll keep collecting her books.


*93. Meriwether Lewis Mystery by Wilma Pitchford Hays  A good book that tells the story of the Lewis and Clark journey in a very engaging way.  I was confused about the mystery part, but that is because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.  The last chapter talks about all the stories surrounding it and shows photos of the areas and reconstructed cabins and such.  For the most part I'd just consider this a very good book for kids to learn about the journey in a story format.

**94. What Katy Did by Susan Collidge   This is a WONDERFUL, sweet little novel that should be reading for all kids, but especially girls struggling with becoming patient young women.  Cousin Helen is sick, but a huge influence on the household of Katy and her siblings.  They are a fun, rough and tumble, active group until Katy gets hurt.  Her recovery is very, very slow and in the process she learns and loves more than she ever could have if she was well.  A great book, should read again, and should definitely own!

*95. Napoleon and the Battle of  Waterloo by Frances Winwar  Landmark book, and another winner at that!  These are such a quick way to get a good feel for what happened in history.  Napoleon was so good at what he did, even if what he did wasn't really good for the average person.  His military victories were pretty amazing and the fact that he left exile in Elba and came back to fight at Waterloo and almost win is nothing short of amazing.  His second, and final, exile to St. Helena in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean really floored the kids.  What a tiny island to hold such a mighty dictator!

*96. It's Not Supposed to be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst  This might be the first book I've read by her, although I know I own at least one other.  This one is about 'finding unexpecteds trength when disappointments leave you shattered.'  A good read, one I had thought might be particularly appropriate due to my reeling life right now.  Her life was turned upside down by her husband's infidelity and while a lot of what she writes is universal to the hard parts of life, regardless of situation, some of it felt very repetitive and didn't speak to me as much as I'd hoped.  A good read overall.

*97. Clouds of Witness by Dorothy Sayers The first murder mystery I've read by the 'mistress of the golden age of mystery!'  A man has died at the Duke of Denver's country home and he has been arrested, but his brother, Lord Peter, a detective, comes in to prove his innocence.  Turns out in the end that there are three plots all working together that night. The dead man was found to be a cheat at cards and told to leave their home the next morning, but he heads out into the storm and won't come back.  Their sister, Mary's fiance is the dead man, but the man she was going to elope with was in garden that night as she went to meet him.  The Duke of Denver had gone to visit a very abused local woman he had started an affair with, but came home to find the man dead in the garden. In the end the man died for passion as his mistress had shoved him off for a rich American.  The way the story unfolds took a bit to get into, but was quite good as it rolled along.

*98. Blue Willow by Doris Gates  What a great little historical fiction book!  Janey is the daughter of a migrant farmer and his wife, her mother having died years before.  Set during the Dust Bowl, we slowly learn that they lost their farm and are doing the best they can to keep fed and follow the crops.  Janey has a Blue Willow plate that she treasures that was her mother's.  They keep it packed up because Mom won't put it up until it has a proper house to be in.  Janey makes friends with Lupe in the house near the shack they moved into and learning to be a friend is  a big part of the story.  Bounce, the dishonest farm hand, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, a kind doctor and a whole lot of pluck eventually help Janey get her wish to stay "as long as we want to."

**99. The Pueblo Indians by Sonia Bleeker   Another great one!  This is definitely a series I need to get more of.  Such a good way to learn more about the Pueblos.  I could totally see how these were the people who came from those we learned about at Mesa Verde.  I just love how much she packs in these in such an easy to read, but not at all worrisome about honoring their history type of way. This one also covers the Spanish invasion, missionaries, and eventually the US and the Sante Fe trail as well as a bit about more modern times.  I'm sure they aren't totally perfect, but I find them to be just outstanding!

*100.  We Were There with Jean Lafitte at New Orleans by Iris Vinton  These are such great books!  I didn't know much about Lafitte and his pirates.  As we've studied Andrew Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans it came up that these pirates were approached by Great Britain to fight for them, but they went to Jackson and offered to give them the information and fight for the US even when they had originally been told their services weren't wanted.  In the end they helped the US win at New Orleans and keep that very important port open.

101.  Now & Again by Julia Turshen  A recommended cookbook with recipes and then idea of how to use up the leftovers.  Most of these won't work for me (big surprise!) but there are a couple I want to try.   Celebration Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Dates, Maple Roasted Apples, Charred Broccoli with Capers and Lemon, and Radicchio and Roasted Squash Salad are all possibililties.

*102.  Cooking up U.S. History by Suzanne I Barchers and Patricia C. Marden  This is a neat book that goes through different times in US history as well as different regions in the US.  For each section there are quite a few recipes and book recommendations, both fiction and non-fiction.  There are other things included like questions and video links, but overall this is a neat resource to tie in with a specific time like Westward Expansion or area like Southwest.

*103. The Cottage at Bantry Bay by Hilda van Stockum  The second series of hers, this one about the O'Sullivan Family for Ireland.  Mother, Father, Michael, Brigid, and the twins Francie and Liam make up this sweet family.  We see Michael and Brigid go off to sell the donkey (and have quite an adventure), the twins start school, and the finding of some very old poems that lead to the money for Francie to get his foot fixed.  I LOVE her writing and would now like to own all her books. Such a sweet example for middle grade readers.

*104. Francie on the Run by Hilda van Stockum  The second in this series.  Francie has gone to the hospital in Dublin and is just about ready to go home when he decides to head out himself.  He tours Dublin and ends up visiting many places around Ireland through a series of misunderstandings and willful choices.  In the end he meets up with Paddy and gets home to his family.  A neat way to experience a bunch of Irish culture and geography, although I loved the other story better. Her writing is all amazing!

*105. Heart to Heart Stories for Mom by Joe L. Wheeler  A collection of short, sweet stories about moms, for moms.  Very much a tear jerker, all the feels kind of book.  I checked it out to re-read Applesauce Needs Sugar, which is quite a testament to faith!  Nice book for sitting by the fire.

**106. The Gown by Jennifer Robson  What a great historical fiction novel!  The story is centered around three women, Heather the modern day daughter who loses her grandmother.  When she inherits a box of beautiful embroidered swatches she embarks on a trip to England to discover the life her grandmother never shared.  Ann is the grandmother who fled England after been the main embroiderer on Princess Elizabeth's (now Queen  Elizabeth) wedding dress.  We meet her just after the war and learn a lot about her job, her way of life, the man she starts seeing and when he rapes her, which leads to a pregnancy and her leaving for Canada without ever looking back.  We also meet Miriam, who leaves France for England after losing her family in the Holocaust. She ends up working with Ann as an embroiderer, is the other main person working on the wedding dress and falls in love with a wonderful man.  She and Walter raise a family and she becomes an artist, very much based on urging of Ann when they lived together.  Her grandson connects with Heather and there are sweet love stories as well as hard realities of WWII.  Really good!

*107.  Beyond Bacon by Stacy Joth and Matthew McCurry  A Paleo book that is nose to tail pig recipes.  There are a few in here that I can make work like Citrus Infused Pork Burgers, Ham Bone Soup, Ham and Broccoli Pasta (spaghetti squash), Fried Yuca fries, Maple Sage Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosemary Carrot Mash and more.

*108. Lightly by Frances Jay  A book by a minimalist about moving lightly through life.  She talks about everything from possessions to the environment, scheduling and more.  A lot of it was good to hear and helped me get rid of a bunch of extra pots and plates.  I could use a lot more 'lightly' in many areas of my life.  She says it works as a philosophy because it is simple and only one little word to ask yourself before adding things or commitments to your life.  Some of the book is a bit out there and extreme, but overall worth reading.

109. Old Town in the Green Groves by Cynthia Rylant  This book has me so torn!  It was written by an author we like and illustrated by someone we like and I love the subject matter, but I'm not sure it should have been written and I really don't know if we should keep it.  It is a book about the 'missing years' that Laura Ingalls Wilder never wrote about.  The family moves to Iowa, Pa and Ma work in a hotel and their little boy who is just born when they move, ends up dying on their way there.  Such a hard time as they've not been able to make it after the grasshoppers destroy their crops near Plum Creek, MN.  The story is well constructed (based on writings of Laura's that were never published) but the flow is definitely not hers and even the conversation is very different.  Seeing it listed on the back with all the other books kind of freaked me out too :)

*110. Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink  Another great book by the author of Caddie Woodlawn, this one set in WI during the depression.  Minty and Eggs and their poetry quoting dad are heading to Aunt Amy's house because they've lost their home, their store and are needing to find a place to settle.  When their car breaks down they find a summer cottage and decide to spend the winter there.  Along the way they pick up a boy who has run away from home, try and avoid the sheriff, and Minty struggles with how they will leave rent money for Maria Vincent when they leave in the spring.  The contests they enter don't pan out, until  the end when the amazing pancakes their dad makes earns them $1,000!  The family who owns the cabin comes to kick them out in a blizzard, but ends up loving their company so much that they all become friends!

*111. Happy Little Family by Rebecca Caudill The first in the series and such a sweet one it is.  About 4 year old Bonnie and her siblings.  We see Bonnie as she works hard to be a big girl now whether it be skating with the others on a river, heading to school for the first time or striking out on her own on a forest trail.  A great elementary fiction book.

*112. The Chippewa Indians by Sonia Bleeker  I wanted to read this one since it is about a tribe that is somewhat local.  I did not realize that the Chippewa (Ojibwa) were people who moved as much as they did.  They cycled from early spring in the maple groves making their sugar for the year, to summers on the Great Lakes in their permanent wigwams.  There they grew their gardens, the  men headed out on 'adventures' and the war path and they fished.  In the fall they harvested wild rice and in the winter they moved into the forest.  This book follows a family with four children, two boys (we see them go out on vision quests) and two girls (one who is born as the book begins.)  Another good one from her!

113. The First Book of Indian Wars  Finally read one of my First Books!  This one is much higher reading level than some of them, with good reason given the subject matter. It had many maps and was very much about conflicts between Native Americans and settlers and the impact they had on how our country came to be as it is now.  It was fairly specific and covered a lot of ground.

*114. America Builds Homes by Alice Dalgliesh   In this book she covers different groups of settlers, the kinds of homes and communities they  built, famous leaders of their group and such.  English, Dutch, German, Swedish and more are talked about.  Communities in Virginia, New England, New York/New Amersterdam, Pennsylvania, and Williamsburg are the main focus of the book.

*115. Turkeys, Pilgrims and Indian Corn by Edna Barth  I've collected all of her holiday books and now I've got to read them :)  This is a great little book explaining lots about the different people who came over, the mistakes we commonly see in how they and the Native American people are portrayed, and specific history on many parts of their lives and the things we most commonly associate with Thanksgiving.

*116. Pilgrim Stories by Margaret Pumphrey  What a little gem of a book!  I've got an old copy from Talcott and it is a bit fragile, but this is basically two different books in one.  The first and largest part is a lot of history of the Pilgrims.  We see their lives in England, their move to Holland, their lives there and then finally the sea voyage and move to North America.  Lots about their struggles here, their interactions with Native Americans and finally into their celebration of Thanksgiving.  The second part is little chapters on interactions between specific people and Native Americans, some of which should be taken with a grain of salt.  Good book for kids, illustrations by Lucy Fitch Perkins of the Twins books.

117. Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser  I am SO GLAD to be done with this book.  It is about Laura Ingalls Wilder and is well researched and I thought I'd love it.  But instead, I was often forcing myself to finish it and finding myself overly annoyed with the author.  She really seemed determined to repeat things over and over and had her own agenda she was constantly pushing.  Who supported who...well, you know what, it was complicated.  Rose was an only child who was a spender, her mom was poor, but a saver.  Sometimes one sent money, sometimes the other.  But nope, it goes on and on through the whole book.  I definitely don't like Roger MacBride now, after finding out he never knew  Laura, but has the rights to her books and basically, with Rose and on his own over rode Laura's wishes.  Arg, glad I'm done, learned a lot, but it was a beast to get through.

*118. The First Thanksgiving by Lena Barksdale (Illustrated by Lois Lenski)  I'm so glad I grabbed this sweet little book. It is about a little girl who very suddenly gets the chance to go stay with her aunt and uncle and GIRL cousins.  For Thanksgiving they to Grandma and Grandpa's house and she gets to hear about the first Thanksgiving from her Grandma who was there.  Many Native Americans are also there to celebrate because her grandparents love them and are so grateful for the help they gave them during those first years.  Hannah is nervous about them, but comes to realize they are no threat to the feast.  A really quick read, a neat look at the traditional story.

*119. John Alden and the Pilgrim Cow by  Margaret Friskey   Another neat look at the lives of the Pilgrims.  John Alden is a main character, but so are many others.  We see him encourage Giles to overcome his fears and Giles ends up being a great sailor.  Alden marries Pricilla in this book (we read the Miles Standish poem by Longfellow this year, which brought many of these characters to life!) and he eventually gets a cow which leads to his ranch.  We see the challenges and changes over a few years.

**120. Wild Things The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas This was a good read for me as we are raising two boys :)  I wish I'd read it sooner, but I'm glad I read it now.  My biggest take aways are that we need to adjust our parenting to the different stages our boys are going through, ,that we need to keep having conversations about their emotions and encouraging them in their emotional vocabulary, that we need to plan initiation ceremonies for them as they get into the their teen years (with other men..godfather, grandpa, Uncle Jim, etc.), and that we need to let them have their wild side, not make them neat, neutered, and no longer men.   Worth reading again as they continue to grow up.

**121. The Trees Kneel at Christmas by Maud Hart Lovelace  This is such a sweet book by the author of the Betsy-Tacy series.  It follows a Lebanese-American family as they prepare for Christmas.  The kids talk Dad into a tree, Grandma tells the story of how the trees all kneeled in Lebanon, and we learn all their traditions leading up to Mass on Christmas Eve.  Afify and her brother Hannah have a secret place in the park surrounded by trees.  They decide that they are going to see the trees kneel at the moment of Christ's birth in their secret place and the leave after their parents go to church.  The icy, snowy night finds them hurrying to their spot where a Christmas miracle awaits and finds them returning home to worried family members, who become enthralled with the beauty of their story.

*122. The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola  A classic, and really wonderful!  Would be worth having as a reference and refresher!

*123. The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens  A tiny little book he wrote for his own children.  It is a father's retelling of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Very complete, very easy to read and a wonderful ending paragraph!

*124.  A Newberry Christmas by various authors  I loved this collection!  So many great authors with stories I knew (A Hundred Dresses) and many I didn't.  Some short, some longer, but all infused with so much of the Christmas spirit.  Definitely worth owning and reading yearly!

*125. The Christmas Mouse by Miss Read   I read this one last year and now I own it!  A woman, her widowed daughter and two grand daughters are doing the best they can to have a wonderful Christmas, but in many ways their lives are a bit stuck.  Then a mouse comes in the bedroom, a mouse like boy comes into the kitchen and other events show us not only their love for each other, but the love the future holds too.

*126. Ourselves by Charlotte Mason  BOOK 4 is COMPLETE!  This one is a 2 part book (sometimes published in 2 volumes) and is the one that she wrote for kids and their parents to enjoy together.  It won't be long and I'll be reading it with Garrett!  An easier read than some of her others, but so much good stuff about how our will works, how we make decisions in our lives and how they impact everything we do, become and are.  Love how she writes!

*127. Spring Came On Forever by Bess Streeter Aldrich  Almost a two star book!  I loved this story about a young love that doesn't connect, as sad as that sounds.  It follows Matthias and Amelia as they meet at the local forge where her father buys a soap kettle he has made.  They meet up secretly a few more times, but then her community leaves for the Nebraska territory and the older man she must marry.  He tries to get to there first via the river, but the steam boat gets caught up on a sandbar.  She has already married and their German Lutheran community has established their 11 homesteads, including her father and brother. She has a son, but loses her father and husband in a terrible blizzard. Over the years she raises her son, her grandson and her great-grandson, always the windblown, tiny German speaking grandma. He stays in Nebraska, eventually moving to Lincoln while it is only a few cabins.  He is very successful as a merchant, then a banker, marries and has a son.  We follow the generations, including the depression, we see a falling away from their values and eventually a return.  And we see their two families come together in the end.  Like this one even more than Lantern in Her Hand!

*128 The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman  A fast read, pretty light, but a cute story.  Nina works in a bookstore, deals with anxiety, loves trivia and prefers being alone.  All gets upended when she is contacted by her unknown father's estate and discovers she has many, many relatives and finds a boyfriend all at the same time.

*129. Aunt Sass by P.L. Travers These are three stories she wrote for her own family, not ones written to share with the public like Mary Poppins.  However, these are some great stories that are all involving Aunt Sass.  The first introduces her, the second is about their Chinese cook, Ah Wong, who cared for their family in Australia and she meets up with again as he is returning to China to die and the third is about a swearing, huge hearted jockey, Johnny Delaney who makes it his life's work to carve a nativity involving native bush animals and their family.  All three characters are wildly harsh at times, but have huge hearts and are general all around characters.

**130. Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts  Oh my goodness did I enjoy this book!  Very well researched historical fiction about Maud Baum, wife of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz.  This follows her life as daughter of a well known suffragist, her going to college at a time when women didn't do that, their marriage, his acting career, their move to Dakota Territory, her sister and her incredibly hard life and it is intersperses this with the filming of the movie after his death and her desire to protect Dorothy and Judy Garland.  So much history about the filming, about their life and how the story came to life.  Really good!

*131. The Warehouse by Rob Hart  Wowza, this book is unsettling.  This massive company has taken over pretty much everything (schools, some government agencies,  life/work complexes, etc.) and it is pretty freaky.  Zinnia and Paxton both go to work there, Paxton because his company folded due to Cloud and Zinnia because she was hired to infiltrate the company.  The mystery is decent, but the premise is the hook in this book!

*132. The Boy In The Alamo by Margaret Cousins This book is the same as the We Were There at the Alamo book and it is a good one!  We follow a 12 year old as he sneaks away to be with his brother and Davy Crockett as they enter the Alamo and fight.  When he leaves with the women and children he goes on to meet Santa Anna and help in the battle to defeat him.  A quick read and a good one to add to our collection if at all possible.