December 23, 2011
One of my favorite parts of Christmas is reading aloud in front of the fire and the Christmas tree lights each evening in December.
This year we’re reading The Handel’s Messiah Family Advent Reader, which includes 28 nightly devotionals and an audio CD with related bits of The Messiah to accompany each reading. A “Read More [...]
December 7, 2011
In honor of St. Nicholas Day, my boys and I are about to snuggle by the fire and read one of our favorite Christmas books:
The Baker’s Dozen: A St. Nicholas Tale
A fair but tight-fisted baker learns an important lesson about generosity.
This new edition includes a recipe and pattern for St. Nicholas cookies. Might be [...]
December 2, 2011
I teach a weekly literature class for grades 9-12 as part of our homeschool co-op. Here’s this week’s assignment, which I developed 4 years ago in response to a student’s complaint: “Why do we have to read this stuff? Why can’t we just read whatever we want?” The answers were fascinating. Eager to hear what [...]
May 19, 2011
Great titles are really important to the success of a book (or movie). A while back there was something called “Lesser Titles” on Twitter. Here are a few of my contributions:
The Sun Also Peeps through the Clouds in the Rain
The Cerulean Letter
The Taming of the Meerkat
Sleepless in Schenectady
Lost: Pair o’ Dice
A Farewell to Snow Globes, [...]
March 23, 2011
The three-year wait for the final volume of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle is nearly over.
Random House announced that the fourth book, Inheritance, will be published on November 8, 2011.
Books already published in the cycle include Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr.
Paolini was a 15-year-old homeschooler when he wrote the first draft of Eragon. He [...]
March 15, 2011
John Evans of Lemuria Bookstore, a fabulous independent bookstore in Jackson, Mississippi, writes about the experience of holding and reading a physical book:
“Finishing a book is special. It becomes part of your life as it rests on your bookshelf. It watches you as you live around it. It’s always waiting to be held and remembered. [...]
October 5, 2010
October 3-9 is Great Books Week!
Participate in the Great Books Blog Challenge, and celebrate and share books that made a difference!
August 27, 2010
Today is the first class day for my high school literature class for our homeschool co-op.
When I taught my first group class 4 years ago, I mostly lectured, anxious to cram the information into my students. My teaching style has evolved so that now I teach almost entirely by leading class discussion. I’ve found [...]
