Books We've Read in January 2019

 

Hi, Friends! Today, I am participating in a collaboration to share the books we've read in the month of January. This collab is hosted by Ingrid over at Mommy & Mia Homeschool Chronicles, April at The Simple Rugged Path, and Lee at Creative 2X Mom. I encourage you to check out these YouTube channels! Especially if you love to read, or need homeschool or Mom encouragement. Also, at the end of this post, I will share the playlist that includes everyone participating in this collab. It's a great way to find books to add to your TBR list!

Family Devotional

First up is Daily Light on the Daily Path, compiled by the Samuel Bagster Family. I recently wrote a review on a different version, but my husband prefers the NKJ version of the Bible over the KJ, so we got this one. The Scriptures are all the same each day, and we still use the other book for the family ideas at the beginning of each month.

Personal Reading

For my personal reading, I am reading Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good from Jan Karon's Mitford series. This is book #12 in that series, and yes, I've read all of the previous books. Now, I know these books are somewhat predictable, but I have been just loving this series! They are wonderful when you need a feel-good, cozy read. The writing is good, and the characters are very well developed in my opinion.

The first book introduces you to a 60-year-old Episcopalian priest to a parish in small-town Mitford. The focus of the series is following Father Tim through his life in this town. His work, his home, his interactions with the people of the town. There are 2 more in this series after this.

Watership Down, by Richard Adams. This is a book my 13-year-old is currently reading. However, I did read it ahead of him, and I have to say, it's one of the best fiction books I've read in quite awhile! A group of rabbits rebelliously leave their warren because they believe danger is coming. They initially tried to get the whole warren to go, but the warren's leadership was having none of it. In fact, they tried to stop the group and chased them down until they lost them. This story tells the adventures of this group of rabbits on their journey to get away from the danger and find their own home. It is a really sweet book, although mildly violent at times during confrontations with hostile rabbits. I can say, I will never look at rabbits the same!

My 13-year-old son is really enjoying it and constantly extends his extra reading time to read "just a little more."

School and Read-Alouds

First up for the kids, is Henry and the Paper Route, by Beverly Cleary. My 10-year-old is currently reading through the Henry Huggins series for his extra reading during school. These books are about 11-year-old Henry, his dog, his friends, and all their adventures. My son is really enjoying these books! I think with the similar age, there's a lot to relate to.

Next, is Augustus Caesar's World, by Genevieve Foster. This is our History read-aloud for the first part of our homeschool year. We are all really enjoying this book. The first time I read this, it was with my oldest, and I remember not liking it very much. Now, both of my youngers seem to be very into this book and this period of history. So, I've really been enjoying reading this to them.

This book goes through the life of Augustus Caesar, starting when his Uncle Julius was assassinated, all the way through to his death. This is done in story form, and is a great way to learn and retain history. Genevieve Foster has several other books out about various historical people, as well. I really enjoy her writing style.

Next, The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare, is our current school read-aloud. This is historical fiction about a Jewish boy zealot during the time of Jesus' ministry. He has joined a band of zealots whose goal is to overthrow the yoke of Rome over Israel. We are about half-way through this book and loving it so far.

Ancient Rome: An Interactive History Adventure, by Rachael Hanel. This book, I bought by a group's recommendation for our homeschool book basket. This is very similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure books, but incorporates historical fiction. My boys have really been enjoying this, and have been reading it over and over while it's been in our book basket.

Next, is The Book of Virtues, by William J. Bennett. I have been having both of my homeschooled boys alternate this with their extra reading books. It is a wonderful collection of short stories and poems meant to teach different character traits. The character traits listed in the table of contents are: Self-Discipline, Compassion, Responsibility, Friendship, Work, Courage, Perseverance, Honesty, Loyalty, and Faith.

And lastly, we are working through The Blue Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang from Dover Publishing. We will read a story from this book here and there, as we have extra time. I really like this book, as it doesn't water down the fairy tales like many modern books and movies do. Plus, we are reading quite a few that I've never even heard of before!

So, there you have it! We are not finished with many of these books yet, but this is what we have been reading through the month of January. I will be doing separate reviews on some of these as we do finish them.

Thank you for stopping by and reading today! Don't forget to check out the playlist for this collab, as well as the YouTube channels I listed above! Have a great day, everyone!