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teachingmom
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stephanie wrote:
| I'm about to finish Austenland by Shannon Hale. |
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My oldest dd has enjoyed Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. Is Austenland aimed at older children/young adults or at adults? It sounds like something we both might like if it's appropriate for kids too.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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teachingmom
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teachingmom wrote:
| I read In This House of Brede a few years ago and loved that one as well. That's exactly why I've had Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy on my list to read. I think when I mentioned here how much I loved Brede, Kelly (and maybe some others) recommended the other. |
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OK I want to give credit where credit is due. I had thought Kelly was the first to recommend Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy to me because I had remembered what a Rumer Godden fan she is. But I just realized that it was Leonie who first mentioned it to me. So a very big thanks to Leonie, another 4 Real Godden fan, for telling me about that fantastic book. 
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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stephanie
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teachingmom wrote:
| My oldest dd has enjoyed Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. Is Austenland aimed at older children/young adults or at adults? It sounds like something we both might like if it's appropriate for kids too. |
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I don't know that I would read it with a younger child. While the book is very clean (no swearing, no sleeping around), I would say it's definitely aimed for a young adult audience as opposed to a tween type age group.
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Karen T
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My recent reads have been Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. Actually, part I read in print and the rest I listened to on audio, narrated by Jim Dale. It was a fantastic book, esp listening to it. It's one more of the classics I never read before, and probably wouldn't have picked up except it was part of an online book club. I'm now about halfway through
Journey to the Center of the Earth
I saw a poster the other day for a new movie coming out on that book, with Brendan Frasier and a little kid shown - the book's main characters are an older professor and a grown young man, the nephew; wonder what else they've changed.
I also re-read JA's Northanger Abbey for another book club. Originally it was one of my favorite JA's but now that I've read them all I'd say P&P first and Mansfield Park second.
I'm also working my way through the rest of the Father Brown mysteries that I've missed, as well as trying to read some other of Chesterton's works, but they are not light reading at all!
Karen T
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stephanie
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I have the Father Brown books and they were great, but it did take me a while to get into the swing of them. You are right ... Chesterton is not light at all. :)
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SuzanneG
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teachingmom wrote:
| I read In This House of Brede a few years ago and loved that one as well. That's exactly why I've had Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy on my list to read. I think when I mentioned here how much I loved Brede, Kelly (and maybe some others) recommended the other. |
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I finished "Five for sorrow, Ten for joy" a few weeks ago and LOVED it! Couldn't put it down!
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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Chari
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Karen, Around the World in Eighty Days is one of our favorite read-alouds!
Let's hear more about your online book club!
Good rec, Suzanne! Looks like you are still able to find time to read........during all of those nursing sessions, maybe? 
I am not sure if I have read much of anything since I last posted...........though I have started at least ten books........but nothing is holding me. It is ME, not the books.........just a lack of focus. 
Even though I have four books to add right now............it was a struggle to force myself to read. Anyone else end up in a reading slump like this before? I have a VERY LONG LIST of books I want to read...........it overwhelms me.......and some of them are such tomes.
Anyway, here is my most recent list:
I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Josh Harris
I LOVED this book. I read it to find if it would communicate to my 19.5 yo daughter, the things I want her to think of.....to take as her own plan of action as she "leaves the nest" Of course, there is going to be discussion about purity before marriage.....and because of this, I would never had it over to someone under 18yo...unless they were insisting on dating. I really like that Josh talks about shows the difference between dating and courting........and that courting that looks like dating, is STILL dating. He is very honest, covers all possibilities....and, as far as I could tell, does not write anything that would be a problem within our Catholic Faith.......with the usual exception of "confession".......obviously as Catholics, we confess to a priest, but the non-denominational Christians confess to each other. I gave it to my dd to read who also loved it.........and we plan to buy a copy of our own, to share with the other kids as they get older, and so she can re-read parts to remind her of why she wants to do things this way.
BOY MEETS GIRL: Say Hello to Courtship also by Josh Harris. I hope that is the right title. This was also a good book..........he gives the courting couple good advice on how to be a courting couple and not offend God. Again.....the topics about purity are going to come up......so, not for the under 18 crowd. Personally, I did not give this to my 19.5yo dd because she is nowhere near courtship (there has to be a guy, you know  )......and I would like her to make the above book her own first. She can read it later.........maybe next year before she goes away for college.
The ABC's of Choosing a Good Husband: How to Find and Marry a Great Guy by Stephen Wood
This was my second time to read this book.....the first time, my odest was only 17 so I did not give her the book. I wanted to see how it compared to the above books. Obviously it is Catholic. It has that going for it. It has good advice, not much different that the above book. It reads quick and easy.....and while not a living book like the ones above, I like that it can give a Catholic bent on the above books. My dd read it and was not all that impressed, but did say it was good to have the Catholic flair. I will also have my other kids read this, after they read Josh Harris's first book.
And, lastly........I found my way back to fiction!
I have recently started a Trilogy called A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman by Pamela Aidan
The first book is An Assembly Such as This
I LOVE these books (I am half-way through the second)!!!!
For anyone who NEEDS more Jane Austen, this is an excellent fit!!! In P&P, we go wherever Lizzie goes.......hear her thoughts, etc. In these books, we now (according to Aidan's opinion) go wherever darcy goes, hearing his thoughts. It is great fun and written very well for a modern book.
I have read other sequels to P&P and this is one is the tops, and the only one I feel I could recommend thus far. I am SO happy she wrote these books............AND, that I discovered them AFTER all three were published so I can just read one after the other . And, they were so easy to get through ILL.....phew! I do not know what I would have done having only read the first volume (a lent copy).
Okay......that's it for now.
How about you? Let's play catch-up for the last two months! Those of you that need to......
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Chari...Take Up & Read
Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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Willa
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Chari, Clare and I both liked those JOsh Harris books too.
Oh, dear, as for my reading list, here goes:
IQ: A Smart History of a Failed Idea by Stephen Murdoch. Very interesting reading indeed -- the link between IQ testing and eugenics (selective breeding of humans) for example.
Childhood Speech, Language and Listening Problems -- What Every Parent Should Know -- good read, doesn't assume specialized knowledge but is not condescending "parent-speak" either.
Quotidian Mysteries -- Laundry, Liturgy and Womens' Work -- by Kathleen Norris. I loved this book -- it's very short, very perceptive, written by a poet.
Education at the Crossroads-- by the Thomist philosopher Jacques Maritain.
Savior of Science -- by Stanley Jaki, Catholic scientist and philosopher -- about how only Christianity could set the conditions for the development of science.
Parenting from the Inside Out by Daniel Siegel. A book about attachment theory and how recognition and dealing with your personal "trigger issues" can lead to better parenting.
Summer for the Gods -- by Edward Larson -- about the Scopes trial and "American's Continuing Debate over Science and REligion"
These last two I'm in the middle of right now.
I haven't read much fiction for quite some time. I usually tend to save it for vacations and journeys because I can get so wrapped up in a novel I forget everything else -- not good when there are so many things to pay attention to around the house.
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Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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Karen T
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Chari wrote:
Karen, Around the World in Eighty Days is one of our favorite read-alouds!
Let's hear more about your online book club!
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Well, it's part of Ravelry, a big knitting forum. There are lots of mini-groups on it, and I've joined several book-related ones, and many have both read-alongs and knit-alongs, where you knit something that sort of goes with the book or time period! it's a lot of fun but I've managed to join too many groups and so I'm constantly adding more books to my list! I'm in a Jane Austen group, a 19th century novels (but no JA) group, a HP group, a LOTR group, a Chesterton group, a Narnia group, a group for the "Inklings" (Tolkien, Lewis, Green, MacDonald, etc. that hung out together), an Outlander group and most recently, one for Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. I don't have knitting projects going for all of these, however, just a lace shawl for the Austen group and some "Ocean" socks to go along with Around the World.
I finished Journey to the Center of the Earth - it was almost as good as Around the World in 80 Days. I wish we'd read it together (ds and I) when he was doing earth science. I'd like to read more of his works too eventually.
Right now I am just finishing up Master and Commander the first book in O'Brian's series. I started these to be able to discuss books with my dh, who rarely reads but is going to start listening to these on audio. I'm about halfway through Chesterton's Napoleons of Notting Hill and have just started Tolkien's The Silmarillion having read the trilogy and Hobbit too many times already.
Chari, thanks for listing those P&P sequels. I've never tried any of the others but wondered how good any of them were. I'll add them to my summer list! We'll soon be done with school and I plan to be reading and/or knitting for most of the summer, either watching the kids play from the screened porch, or by the side of the pool, etc.
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DominaCaeli
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stephanie wrote:
teachingmom wrote:
| My oldest dd has enjoyed Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. Is Austenland aimed at older children/young adults or at adults? It sounds like something we both might like if it's appropriate for kids too. |
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I don't know that I would read it with a younger child. While the book is very clean (no swearing, no sleeping around), I would say it's definitely aimed for a young adult audience as opposed to a tween type age group. |
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Just wanted to say that my take on Austenland is a bit different--I definitely wouldn't recommend it for anyone but adults. (And even then...) I read it a month or so ago, and it's unfortunately not as innocuous as the premise may seem...there are several scenes of "making out," heavy kissing (and a bit more). Austenland is a retreat mostly for rich married women who want to flirt with younger, attractive men (who are paid to act as "companions"). Anyway, I wouldn't recommend it--especially for teens (and younger).
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Blessings,
Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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Rumpleteazer
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Chari, I read Josh Harris' books a couple of years ago and I simply adored them. They really helped me keep the right perspective on what the relationships between a man and woman are all about. He's a terrific writer, and gives very sound advice.
I read the second and third books, I think, of the Darcy trilogies. They were very enjoyable, though I felt that in the second book, when the author was mostly left to her own imagination, she tended to get a little melodramatic.
Over the holiday (and recent tooth extraction recuperation) I've had a lot of time to just relax and read... as well as the time to type up thoughts on each book I've finished! I'm really hoping I'll be able to keep the reviews up, to reference when I'm older and, hopefully, wiser.
Most recently I finished...
The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas. I confess I didn't care for it too much. A little too inaccurate, a little too choppy. My complete review is here.
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis. The first time I've tried the Space Trilogy since I was a freshman in high school! As a young teenager I found Ransom too incompetent of a hero and the story too weird, and never progressed farther in the Trilogy than the first book. Now, however, I am absolutely and totally in love with the magic and wonder of it all. My complete review is here.
The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill. As a long-time fan of the film, I had to find out the real facts. It's a truly amazing story, a great testimony to a group of courageous and determined men. My complete review is here.
And I'm currently reading Plutarch's Lives, and A Man of the Beatitudes by Luciana Frassati. Once I get back in the 'fiction mood,' I'll be continuing on with the Space Trilogy.
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~~Clare
A Maiden's Wreath -- for young Catholic ladies
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hereinantwerp
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I am reading the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. I am always looking for a good mystery series--besides the classics like Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and a few others, I just haven't found mysteries that satisfy. These so far come fairly close! The books are set a few years after WW1 and really explore the emotional effects of that war, which is interesting for me, after having lived in Europe and realized what an incredible impact this war had over there. Maisie Dobbs is a "psychologist detective", and uses unorthodox, intuitive methods, some a bit "eastern" in flavor. They are as much novel as mystery. The third book is my favorite so far, and I just checked out the 4th.
Other than that I've been reading back issues of "Home Education" from the library and some unschooling types of readers/books.
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Angela Nelson
Mother to Simon (13), Calvin (9), and Lyddie Rose (3)
my blog: live and learn
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Erin
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I'm on an Anne Perry binge at present. I particularly love her mysteries, Inspector and Charlotte Pitt are my favourite but I don't mind Monk and Hester too. Currently I'm reading the Reavley Family Series set in World War 1. Very interesting.
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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jdostalik
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Angela and Erin,
Thank you for the mystery recommendations. I love a good mystery!  I read all of Josephine Tey's books a few years ago--I know it was someone on the message board who recommended them. They were so deliciously wonderful! 
I just finished reading Blue Camellia by Francis Parkinson Keyes...has anyone enjoyed her books?
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God Bless,
Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
Let the Little Ones Come
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Mare
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SuzanneG wrote:
teachingmom wrote:
| I read In This House of Brede a few years ago and loved that one as well. That's exactly why I've had Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy on my list to read. I think when I mentioned here how much I loved Brede, Kelly (and maybe some others) recommended the other. |
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I finished "Five for sorrow, Ten for joy" a few weeks ago and LOVED it! Couldn't put it down! |
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Thanks for the recommendation!  I, too, enjoyed In This House of Brede.
Chari wrote:
I have recently started a Trilogy called A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman by Pamela Aidan
The first book is An Assembly Such as This
I LOVE these books (I am half-way through the second)!!!!
For anyone who NEEDS more Jane Austen, this is an excellent fit!!! In P&P, we go wherever Lizzie goes.......hear her thoughts, etc. In these books, we now (according to Aidan's opinion) go wherever darcy goes, hearing his thoughts. It is great fun and written very well for a modern book.
I have read other sequels to P&P and this is one is the tops, and the only one I feel I could recommend thus far.
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I have this on my list of books to read. I’m glad to hear that you like it. I didn’t know what to expect.
My book stack gets higher and higher. Will I ever see over it again?
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Mare
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Chari wrote:
I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Josh Harris
I LOVED this book. I read it to find if it would communicate to my 19.5 yo daughter, the things I want her to think of.....to take as her own plan of action as she "leaves the nest" Of course, there is going to be discussion about purity before marriage.....and because of this, I would never had it over to someone under 18yo...unless they were insisting on dating. I really like that Josh talks about shows the difference between dating and courting........and that courting that looks like dating, is STILL dating. |
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Chari,
Have you read Arms of Love by Carmen Marcoux? I have not read this book myself, but it does come highly recommended. I thought I'd share just in case it is something you are interested in. Here's the author's website in case you'd like to read more about her.
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insegnante
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Finished my fifth book of the year, Happy Are You Poor by Fr. Thomas Dubay. I had wanted to read this for some time and my sister gave it to me as a present for Christmas 2007. This book has been mentioned on this board before. I wish I had the time/concentration/writing skill to share more thoughts about it.
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Theresa
mommy to three boys, 3/02, 8/04, and 9/10, and a girl, 8/08
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amyzkids8
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Love the suggestions so far.
I highly recommend the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy - get the edition translated by Tinna Nunnelly - much easier to follow and her historical notes are helpful. I have read these twice and loved them more the second time.
I am just starting I Believe in Love by Fr.Jean C. J. d'Elbee. I have heard very high praise for this book and so far (I am only in the 2nd chapter) it has lived up to it!
Happy reading!
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Amy, Mom to 8
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teachingmom
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I just finished the one Maud Hart Lovelace book I had missed up until now - Emily of Deep Valley - and absolutely loved it! She is one of those authors who makes you wish she had written a few dozen books during her lifetime.
A friend had raved about how wonderful this book is for teens to read, and I wholeheartedly agree. There is a lot to think about here related to self sacrifice, family commitment, suffering, feeling left out socially, and true romance. My 12 yo finished it before I did and thoroughly enjoyed it too.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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shartlesville
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I finished reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch while I was at the airport. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
I wrote more about it on my blog if anyone is interested but I also found an official website today that even has a teaching guide for it. I haven't looked at the guide yet so I can't say anything about it.
If you decide to read it, you should watch the "Last Lecture" video first because it gives a lot of background information and will help with the refrences in the book.
Blessings,
Krisann
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Krisann
DH Cris;
DC John, Elizabeth, Lilyann ^i^, Emily, Kate, Julia, Sam, & Jack;
DGC Kira, Auston, Travis, & Sarah.
My Blog: Isla del Esperanza
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4Real Forums : Book Club
Topic: Our 2008 Book List
