Cross-X : The Amazing True Story of How the Most Unlikely Team from the Most Unlikely of Places Overcame Staggering Obstacles at Home and at School to

The author annoyed me, but the story was interesting.

I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade by Diane Lee Wilson

I read this out loud to the boys. It bored me.

Triangle : The Fire that Changed America by David Von Drehle

This is the first good book I've read in a looooong time. I wish there was a word for the genre of history-ish books that take one pivotal event and trace all that led up to it (from the pogroms in Russian villages and agricultural disasters in Italy that resulted in specific young women working at this factory) and all that came from it (such as new safety laws). Recommended.

Spirit and Flesh : Life in a Fundamentalist Baptist Church by James M. Ault

The ethnographic parts of this book were a little dull, but his sociological discussions were fascinating--I've never heard a liberal describe conservative beliefs with such charity and clarity.

Proverbs by Tremper Longman

I liked this.

Psalms, vol. 3: Psalms 90-150 by John Goldingay

More of the same.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

A pre-read for Simon; it was excellent.

Psalms, Vol. 2 : Psalms 42-89 by John Goldingay

Another title for my class. It is pretty good, but not exceptional.

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

I read this to the boys. They absolutely loved it. I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it was very engaging and funny and it had a lot of historical detail in it. (We stopped frequently to talk more about daily life and customs of the middle ages, so that was a big plus.) On the other hand, there was a good bit of scatological humor, and I consider it my role to discourage--not contribute--to that. (Of course, the boys loved it.) Also, I had to edit out a little bawdiness from time to time.

The Geographer's Library by Jon Fasman

I didn't get this. What were all of those objects for?

The Birth House by Ami Mckay

I like this.

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E. L. Konigsburg

This was a pre-read for Simon. I absolutely loved it.

Boomsday by Christopher Buckley

This was really funny.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

review in haiku:
funny Greek hermaphrodite
genetics and fate

Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

I read this out loud to the boys. It was pretty good.

Augustine Came to Kent by Barbara Willard

This was a pre-read for Simon. I was disappointed. This book is such a classic in the classical ed. homeschooling world, but I thought it was flat.

Oh well.

We can use it as a springboard to discuss what it was missing that makes a book interesting.

Garbage Land : On the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte

This was interesting. The first part made me feel guilty about contributing the landfills. The second part made me think recycling is a waste of time.

So there you go.

Psalms, Vol. 1: Psalms 1-41 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) by John Goldingay

I'm reading this series for the class I'm teaching. I really like it.

The Forgotten Man : A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes

I listened to this as an audio book with the dh. Honestly, if I had been reading it, I probably would have deemed it too boring to finish.

Lies My Teacher Told Me : Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

I thought I would hate this as a PC screed, but it wasn't like that at all. It was wonderful and interesting and really made me think and certainly gave me lots of fodder for discussion with the dh. I imagine that some of his critique is out of date now; I may actually pick up the revised edition.

We don't use history texts in our homeschool, but I still felt that there was a lot of beneficial thought here. I highly recommend this for all readers, but especially for anyone homeschooling.