August Reads
The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner - 8/7/2011
Excellent - Nonfiction
Why even our best schools don't teach the new survival skills our children need - and what we can do about it.
What an eye-opening book! This will make a big difference in what I require of my own children for high school. If you are at all concerned about education not preparing children for the real world, you should read this. It's not about homeschooling at all. Instead, it is about how even the "best" schools are not giving students the skills they need to succeed.
You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know by Heather Sellers - 8/13/2011
Good - Memoir
Heather has prosopagnosia, aka face blindness, that prevents her from reliably recognizing people's faces.
Heather Sellers teaches at Hope College, the second book I've read by a professor there. She has an extremely interesting story stemming from her condition, but I didn't find it particularly well-written or compelling in style.
Discovering the History of Your House and Your Neighborhood by Betsy J Green - 8/14/2011
Good - Nonfiction
Detailed manual on researching the history of your house (old or new)
Interesting reading. If I only had time to research this.....
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - 8/18/2011
Excellent - Classic
Oliver Twist, an orphan in Victorian England, runs away from the orphanage to make his way in London.
I am teaching this book for the Brit Lit class we are offering at co-op, so I wanted to prepare for it. Not sure I've ever read it before now, though I've seen a couple of movie versions. Really good - excellent intro to Dickens (I've already read Little Dorrit which is more difficult.) I am excited to teach it!
The Living Stone by Jane Orcutt - 8/18/2011
Good - Inspirational Romance
Leah's husband and small child are killed in a drunk-driving accident.
A predictable and poignant Christian romance novel.
The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson - 8/24/2011
Excellent - Inspirational Romance
Mary-Margaret has always wanted to become a nun, but her friendship with the troubled neighbor boy leads to a divine calling that changes her life.
This book was recommended to me by my mom who told me it would be unlike any Christian romance book I've ever ever read. She was right. NOT predictable. NOT your run-of-the-mill formulaic romance. Samson challenges the reader by giving us an unusual heroine and an even more unusual hero. I loved it and want to read it again, to experience its many layers while already knowing how the story turns out.
So, what are YOU reading?
(If you are reading this, I challenge you to comment!)
Excellent - Nonfiction
Why even our best schools don't teach the new survival skills our children need - and what we can do about it.
What an eye-opening book! This will make a big difference in what I require of my own children for high school. If you are at all concerned about education not preparing children for the real world, you should read this. It's not about homeschooling at all. Instead, it is about how even the "best" schools are not giving students the skills they need to succeed.
You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know by Heather Sellers - 8/13/2011
Good - Memoir
Heather has prosopagnosia, aka face blindness, that prevents her from reliably recognizing people's faces.
Heather Sellers teaches at Hope College, the second book I've read by a professor there. She has an extremely interesting story stemming from her condition, but I didn't find it particularly well-written or compelling in style.
Discovering the History of Your House and Your Neighborhood by Betsy J Green - 8/14/2011
Good - Nonfiction
Detailed manual on researching the history of your house (old or new)
Interesting reading. If I only had time to research this.....
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - 8/18/2011
Excellent - Classic
Oliver Twist, an orphan in Victorian England, runs away from the orphanage to make his way in London.
I am teaching this book for the Brit Lit class we are offering at co-op, so I wanted to prepare for it. Not sure I've ever read it before now, though I've seen a couple of movie versions. Really good - excellent intro to Dickens (I've already read Little Dorrit which is more difficult.) I am excited to teach it!
The Living Stone by Jane Orcutt - 8/18/2011
Good - Inspirational Romance
Leah's husband and small child are killed in a drunk-driving accident.
A predictable and poignant Christian romance novel.
The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson - 8/24/2011
Excellent - Inspirational Romance
Mary-Margaret has always wanted to become a nun, but her friendship with the troubled neighbor boy leads to a divine calling that changes her life.
This book was recommended to me by my mom who told me it would be unlike any Christian romance book I've ever ever read. She was right. NOT predictable. NOT your run-of-the-mill formulaic romance. Samson challenges the reader by giving us an unusual heroine and an even more unusual hero. I loved it and want to read it again, to experience its many layers while already knowing how the story turns out.
So, what are YOU reading?
(If you are reading this, I challenge you to comment!)
Comments
I'll have to check out the Achievement Gap book!