The 50 Books I Read in One Year

Every New Year I see reading challenges. I breeze right past them because I know I could not possibly have the time to read ALL of those books.

Can you relate?

For some reason, however, reading jumped to the top of my list in January, and I was led to set a Good Reads goal of reading FIFTY books.  (I understand that for some people, 50 books might not seem a lot. For me, however, homeschooling my children and running a curriculum business leaves me precious little time - 50 books was an ambitious goal!)

I'm happy to report I read all fifty books. Reading helped me through one of the hardest years of my life. 

Modeling reading also is an important part of my job as a mom. I want my teens to see mom reading, mom growing, and mom making good use of her time. My friend Sarah Mackenzie calls it a "Family Culture of Books" - and that is exactly what I want for my family.

I didn't know it was going to be such a hard year in January, but my reading resolution was quite serendipitous. Reading broadened my horizons, helped make better use of free time , and gave me something to sink my teeth into. It changed the entire demeanor of my life, and for that I am thankful. I always considered myself a reader before, but now I am a SERIOUS reader.

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Strategies for More Reading Time:

I used to read all of those "reading" posts rolling my eyes and thinking, "There is no way I would have time to do all that reading.".

Well, guess what?  I did have time to do all that reading. Here's how.

Intentionally Carve Out Time for Reading:

I told my family about my goal, and even encouraged them to join me. My 13-year-old son started his own Good Reads account and has read a lot more than usual this year. 

By telling my family they were also aware that sometimes mom would slip out onto the porch to read, or that after dinner I would sneak up to my room to read my book. I also tried to take just a little time in the afternoons to sit and read - and amazingly sometimes a child (or two) would join me.

For our 20th anniversary, my husband and I went to the beach for a week and did nothing but READ. I requested a relaxing reading vacation and he was happy to comply. It was heaven! 

When I normally would have been playing on my phone I was reading.

When I would have relaxed at night with a television show, I was reading.

If I had some extra time after running errands I would get a cup of coffee and sit in the car and read. 

Reading became my priority for the year, and I am so thankful it did.

Utilize Audio Books

An Audible membership was the best investment. I could listen on car trips, driving kids back and forth to activities, and laying in bed at night.

Best audiobooks?

A Gentleman in Moscow

Hillbilly Elegy

Amos Fortune, Free Man

Number the Stars

Read With The Kids

I read all of the books my son was reading in his Challenge A class. 

I also read aloud a lot to my son.

I also decided to read "young adult" books to see what types of books my daughter would enjoy and to be able to discuss more books with her, too.

Favorite books in this category?

The Wednesday Wars

Navigating Early

Paul Brand: Helping Hands

Read With Friends/Stay Accountable

I have a few friends that were also committed to reading this year. It was so helpful to send texts back and forth about what we were reading - and to spur each other on.

In the spring I led a study of the book Liturgy of the Ordinary - probably my FAVORITE book of the year. 

Reading became an integral part of my friendships this year. I love it!

I also found myself connecting with different people - other "bookish" folks. 

Read a VARIETY of Books

By stretching myself to read many different categories of books I came to enjoy a wider variety of literature.

These books I probably wouldn't have picked up if I hadn't set a goal for myself -- and I REALLY enjoyed them!

A Fine Balance

How Dante Can Save Your Life

Persuasion

Prisoners of Geography

Three Sources for Book Recommendations

After a while it wasn't hard to find books to read -- in fact I have a HUGE stack waiting for me. If you're wanting to start reading, I recommend these sources:

Good Reads -- diving into this site was such fun!

What Should I Read Next? podcast

Read Aloud Revival Podcast

Recommendations from friends

Getting to know the librarians (I learned so much just chatting with the librarians when I would go to check out books!)

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50 Books I Completed in One Year

Following are the books I completed. 

They are in no particular order and include many genres.

I know you'll find something to read in this collection!

Are you a reader?

Can you recommend a book to me for THIS year?

 

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Buy the Swimsuit

Book Series for Middle School Boys

Mid Year Homeschool Update

As my children age, I blog about them less.

The reasons for this are two-fold: older children don't take quite as kindly to having their lives written about on their mother's blog, and the days of cute activities (that are fun for their mother to blog about) are diminishing rapidly.

Last year my daughter and I felt we had lost the WONDER in homeschool. She wasn't happy in her schooling and I had a persistent, nagging feeling  I had sold out on her interest led learning bent. We left Classical Conversations after Challenge II and decided to forge our own path. 

My son, however, after completing four years of Foundations and three years of Essentials, was ready and excited to continue into Challenge A. 

The biggest lessons I have learned are these: we MUST listen to our homeschool mom hearts. We MUST listen to our high school children. Never forget why you began homeschooling, and never let a method or a program become an idol.

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A Personal Update 

As my children have grown, my life circumstances have changed. I guess this is the cycle of life. Sometimes I long for the days of having littles curled up on the couch with a read aloud - but then I also appreciate being able to send them both to activities now with my oldest driving and me being able to STAY HOME!  

Life is funny.

My life has changed a lot in the past year. My children have made huge emotional and educational leaps. I know have two teens in the house. One of them is driving. 

My mom passed away last summer and now I am in the midst of helping care for my dad. I've had to be gentle with myself as I grieve my mom - she was my best friend and biggest supporter and there is a huge hole in my life without her.  My family is grieving, too. We've had a lot of tears, laughs, and good memories. 

My music appreciation business is growing by leaps and bounds and I'm working nearly 30 hours a week. The SQUILT LIVE! lesson academy has given me something to sink my teeth into - and hopefully this is something I can continue to sink my teeth into when my children are grown and gone.

My husband and I are actively involved in building a new church. He's been the president of our church this year, and this takes up a lot of our family time. 

God so graciously brought me to a place this year where my children are more independent and their schooling fits with our life perfectly. I have time to help them, but time to focus on other demands in my life as well. 

Homeschooling doesn't take up time, it gives us time. It gives us the freedom and flexibility to meet life's demands and to rest easy knowing WE are educating our children.

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11th Grade Homeschool Update

Our goal this year is to allow Anna to spend more time doing things she loves and to make her last years at home enjoyable and NOT tedious. 

My largest difficulty with the Classical Conversations Challenge was the ambiguity when it came to feedback from the tutor. The tutor was NOT the teacher, and in our home that did not work well. My child needed a TEACHER - an authority on a specific subject to give her feedback and GRADES. This is what motivates my child - other children may not need that motivation, but for us it was key.

The Challenge program may work splendidly for some children, but my oldest isn't one of them.

It is also my personal feeling that subjects like Latin and Chemistry (just two examples) need a skilled expert to teach them. Yes, my child can learn from a book on her own and also through discussions in a group, but her learning style is one where she needed motivation and accountability from a teacher.

(Again, my opinion - everyone is different.)

I am thankful for the many valuable skills Anna learned in the Challenge program - public speaking, integration of subjects, placing God into EVERYTHING, and personal ownership of her education. Our time in Challenge served its place and I think stepping out when we did was wise.

11th Grade Curriculum:

Pre-Calculus  - Mr. D Math  (oh how we love Mr. D and his class format!)

AP English Language & Composition - HSLDA Academy

AP European History - Memoria Press Academy

Chemistry - local Classical School

Piano, Ukulele, & Guitar - private & group lessons

Volunteer Work - Special Needs ministry through our church

P.E. - YMCA gym membership

Anna has also been babysitting A LOT - she loves children and wants to work with them someday, so I feel this has been a great investment in her education.

Another beautiful addition to Anna's year has been a BIble study with a dear friend of mine who mentors high school girls. She has been using the book GraceLaced: Discovering Timeless Truths Through Seasons of the Heart to guide the girls through so many beautiful activities. Anna has been learning calligraphy, is being encouraged in the "ancient" practice of letter writing, and is just being encouraged on so many levels.

More and more I'm witnessing Anna taking time to be creative, and I believe letting her have control of her schedule and allowing her to branch out this year is allowing that to happen. 

11th grade is a BIG YEAR, and I wanted it to be rigorous enough, yet allow space and time for my precious girl to develop at her own pace. 

We are thankful for the freedom homeschool provides, especially in the high school years!

Oh, and we've been making some college visits, too - I'll keep you updated on that as it unfolds. I will tell you this: it's not as hard as I thought it was going to be to get a homeschooler into college! 

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7th Grade (Challenge A) Homeschool Update

One word sums up Challenge A so far.

WOW.

From the first day of Challenge A I knew this was going to be a spectacular year. 

My son's group has 11 children who are highly motivated and encourage each other on a weekly basis. These children are the closest of friends, and our families have now grown close as well. We also have a tutor who loves and encourages the children. She is committed to learning and excellence, and is also a good disciplinarian. 

I've seen the motto of Challenge A, Personal Investment Builds Ownership, develop in each of the children in the past 15 weeks. 

Our kids like to have fun, too - here they are at a recent English Country Dance practice and bonfire:

We've followed the Challenge A curriculum exactly. It is such a rich year, packed with A LOT of hard work and knowledge. 

A few observations I have now that we are halfway through the year:

• The Latin presented in Foundations is ENOUGH to prepare a child to do well in Challenge.
• The Geography knowledge is incredible - and SO valuable.
• I can see my son beginning to organize his thoughts logically because of using The Lost Tools of Writing
• It is important to let your child fail a time or two - this is the only way they learn!
• A parent needs to be engaged! I've gotten an Audible subscription and listened to the literature books so I can discuss them with Grant. I've also tried to keep up with Latin.
• It is still important to let these kids be KIDS - I try to make time and space for my son to play LEGOS, play outside, draw, and do other things he loves. The work in Challenge could easily become an idol, and I'm trying to teach him to not let that happen. 

On another note -- I think my son has grown nearly a foot this year. He is now the GIANT of his class and almost as tall as his dad (6 feet). I still give him hugs liberally each day, even though I have to stand on my tip toes to do it! 

Our new puppy, Lucky, has also been a great addition to our homeschool! 

All in all, I'm very pleased with this year. Homeschooling changes a lot when your children are older, and I am thankful for the abundant resources available to us both online and in person to help us educate our children in a manner that is appropriate for our own family.

THAT is a blessing. 

I welcome any questions you have about our homeschool. Leave them in the comments below - it is my great joy to get to know readers and to encourage others with our experiences homeschooling!

 

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