In my childhood home, we had a room called “The Library”. It was a beautiful room with dark wood built-in book cases and glass doors. It was always my favorite room in the house. My dad had a deep and lovely leather chair which was perfect for getting lost inside of a good book. My…
Month: May 2016
Great Courses Company: How To Read and Understand Shakespeare
I was a theater minor at Hillsdale College. When I participated in the Oxford exchange, I travelled to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see several plays. During two of my Hillsdale summer breaks, I travelled with the theater department to the Canadian Stratford Festival. Shakespeare was central to my liberal arts education. Confession: all that exposure to the…
The Children of Noisy Village
Oh. Oh. Oh. This review breaks my heart, and it is wrong. 3 Stars – “The content is too old for kids in 2016. Too old school story.” (An Amazon Reviewer) Confession: I am not a big fan of Pippi Longstocking, also by Astrid Lindgren. I love the charm of Lindgren’s writing but Pippi’s unconventional…
The Hedge School
In 17th century Britain, the Protestant English settlers of Ireland had failed to assimilate the native Irish Catholics, and there was serious political and religious tension on the island. In 1641, native Irish landowners staged a rebellion against the English settlers and failed. A bloody, complicated, and chaotic series of events unfolded causing political, economic,…
Twenty One Balloons
“We are slaves of our own piggishness, we have locked ourselves in a diamond prison. On the other hand, we are very happy here; and I suppose the fascination of knowing that we are each one of us richer than the combined Midases, Nabobs, and Croesi of history enters too into the Krakatoan spell which…
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Once upon a time, in a book club far, far away some friends got together and read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I must confess that I instigated the request for the book. I had read it a while before, and was positive they would also like it. I love to read…
Nurse Matilda
Nurse Matilda by Christianna Brand is one of those books that the child in any of us would enjoy. When I consider recommending it, however, I realize that I have to wear two different hats. Wearing the hat of my inner child, I adore the book. It is delightful. It is moral. It is creative. It…
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic
“If the pages that follow are inspiring, enlightening, or life changing, I take full responsibility, but if there are any errors it is not my fault.” – Prologue from The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic “There is a very good possibility that you will not believe a word I say.” Excellent opening words for…
The Woman Who Was Chesterton
Who is not aware of the giant that was G.K. Chesterton? Even if we post-moderns haven’t read much or any of his brilliant writings, knowledge of the “Apostle of Common Sense” (a term used by Dale Ahlquist in a definitive Chesterton biography by that name) is inescapable. Chesterton was a lion for truth, and his…
Brain Games
A year or so ago, my family discovered the National Geographic Channel show Brain Games. It isn’t perfectly family friendly, but there is much about it to love. We are a puzzle family and love Mad Libs, brain games, Ravensburger puzzles, etc. We love to exercise our mental muscles. Several years ago we removed most…
Freckles Book Club
“Freckles never tired of studying the devotion of a fox mother to her babies. To him, whose early life had been so embittered by continual proof of neglect and cruelty in human parents toward their children, the love of these furred and feathered folk of the Limberlost was even more of a miracle than to…
Great Courses Company: Everyday Engineering
I always knew that houses were complex systems of systems, but I never fully appreciated all of the aspects of engineering that go into making them snug, safe, and efficient. Thanks to Dr. Ressler and The Great Courses Company’s Everyday Engineering course, this non-science mama is now able to appreciate how rain water does not pool…
Fairchild Family Series: Happy Little Family
Turning four is practically turning ten, or at a minimum, almost six. Just ask sweet little sister Bonnie who is thrilled to be graduating from babyhood, and who is scrambling to play catch-up to her four older siblings in this charming story about an Appalachian farm family living in the early 1900s. Reprinted by Bethlehem…
Picture Study Portfolios from Simply Charlotte Mason
I was a miserable art student throughout childhood. I was miserable in art class and my art was miserable. Really, there was little that I found true, good, or beautiful about my art. I was blessed. My parents love travel and, while this introvert loves being a homebody, I did grow up with a passion…