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July 2020 Reading Recap

We begin our homeschool schedule in August, which will bring LESS time for reading.

(I think I read a lot in July to make up for that!)

When people ask me how I can read so much I remember what I heard a few weeks on a podcast - you make time for what you love.

I love to read.

Not only have I been learning so much, but I’ve also been living the lives of other people - having a variety of human experiences. This month I also chose some books that would strengthen my faith and prepare me for what I suspect is going to be a more challenging time in general.

Our local library opened (squeal!) and I also had the opportunity to check out a few of my favorite thrift stores for books.

July 2020 Reading Recap @ Homegrown Learners

This month I decided to categorize the books for you - books to strengthen your faith, help you escape, learn about history, and read-alouds.

I love chatting books. Come follow me on Instagram @homegrownbookpicks, where I share what I’m reading on a regular basis.

Books to Strengthen Your Faith

I enjoyed each of these books very much!

If you’re not familiar with Sean Dietrich (Sean of the South), you should be! I have been listening to his podcast and following his Facebook page this month. His memoir, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, was one of my favorites!

Life Together - the classic by Dietrich Bonhoeffer - is a primer for living in Christian community.

Love Does, by Bob Goff is a funny, touching book that made me laugh out loud.

Finally, Eve’s Daughters - by Lynn Austin - will go own as one of my favorite works of Christian fiction. I will definitely be reading more by Lynn Austin in the future!

Books to Read for an Escape

These three books - all of them page turners - get high marks from me this month.

Susan Wiggs is one of my go to authors when I just need something light and romantic. Lakeside Cottage did not disappoint.

Friends and Strangers, a new release by J. Courtney Sullivan, was more intense, but still a quick read. It is a popular book right now - if you like stories about strong females struggling to find their place in the world you’ll like this book.

Finally, I read The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White. Wow! I would categorize this one as a mystery/thriller. It takes place in a fictitious suburb north of Atlanta and has so much that rings true if you’ve ever lived in the South. Super good!

Historical Fiction

This is my favorite genre by far. If I can learn something about history from a book I feel like it’s been time WELL spent.

The Last Train to Key West centers around the Flagler Railroad that ran to Key West. Because I grew up in SW Florida it was very interesting to me. Chanel Cleeton is one of my favorite writers, too.

I had to read another book by Julie Berry this month (I read one by her last month, too!) - The Passion of Dolssa took us all the way back to Medieval France and included mystery, romance, and more! This book is categorized Young Adult - I think it would be great for your high school girls.

I listened to Americanah and would highly recommend it on audio! This sweeping story takes us from Nigeria to the United States and back again. It taught me so much about life in Nigeria, life as an American African, and the perceptions we have of people - most of them often false.

Read-Alouds

We had one read-aloud this month.

In my son’s Challenge 2 curriculum this year we are focusing on British Literature. In order to prepare him we’ve been looking at some of the adaptations of assigned books.

Michael Morpurgo gives us a great retelling of Beowulf which I highly recommend. My son also read Sir Gawain & The Green Knight (also retold by Morpurgo) on his own this month.

What was your favorite book this month?

Share it with me in the comments below so I an add it to my list!

July 2020 Reading Recap @ Homegrown Learners

June 2020 Reading Recap

Reading as escape is a real thing, isn’t it?

There are many days in the past month where I’ve truly felt that reading a good book was the perfect way to salvage the day - or to just see some good in the world that sometimes is difficult to see (especially if you turn on the news!).

In last month’s recap, I talked to you about reading widely and well. I’m always striving for that… I hope you see some of that this month.

This month’s selections were fueled by a need for fun summer reading, some research for the SQUILT music curriculum, reading aloud to my 15-year-old, and also a need to know about some personal and family stories I’d been hearing about.

June 2020 Reading Recap @ Homegrown Learners

June 2020 Books

Each book this month received a 4 or 5-star rating from me.

There was one book I put into the DNF stack this month - The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet. It just wasn’t for me, and I could tell that after approximately 75 pages. I have learned that life is too short to hold out to see if books I don’t initially like will get better - so I am feeling less and less guilt about just setting them aside.

Highlights from the month:

  • Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment: I read this because we are studying J.S. Bach in July in SQUILT LIVE!. I couldn’t have asked for a better biography about Bach and his contemporary (and total opposite!) Frederick the Great.

    This pulled together a lot of history and gave me a true picture of how Bach influenced the ENTIRE course of Western music. VERY interesting!

  • Lovely War: I had no idea this was a YA book until after I had finished it and was watching the author, Julie Berry, on an author chat with Modern Mrs. Darcy. This book was just READABLE - it even incorporated some mythology (which doesn’t usually interest me) and I loved it! It is a work of historical fiction taking place during WWI.

    I ordered The Passion of Dolssa (another book by Berry) when I finished this one. These are great books for your high school girls!

  • Hidden Valley Road: This is the true story of a family from Colorado. Twelve children are born into the family, and when it is all said and done SIX of them are diagnosed with Schizophrenia. If you are easily triggered by mental illness, suicide, physical and sexual abuse, or abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest, you might want to steer away from this one.

    I found it a fascinating look at mental illness and the strides we have made in treating and diagnosing schizophrenia in particular. I found myself at many points wondering how in the world this mother survived life with 6 Schizophrenic sons. Truly astounding.

  • Nory Ryan’s Song: We read this one aloud - and promptly got the other two books that will round out the series. Set during the “Great Hunger” (potato famine) in Ireland, it is the story of Nory Ryan, a determined, tenacious young girl who gives us insight into what true hunger, suffering, and triumph are. I can’t recommend this one enough!

    This book goes beautifully with our study of Irish music in July in SQUILT LIVE!

Tweet Cute, Love Lettering, and 28 Summers were all fun (fluffier) reads.

This Must be the Place was one that has been on my TBR for ages, and I very much enjoyed the writing of Maggie O’Farrell - I will be reading more by her in the future!

A.W. Tozer was also new to me - The Dangers of a Shallow Faith was a wake-up call. My husband is listening to it now and getting a lot from it as well. It is packed full of practical Christian wisdom - which rings just as true now as it did in Tozer’s lifetime over 50 years ago.

Finally, while I’m not a big fan of Trevor Noah now, I had heard that Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood was a must-read. I agree. It was laugh out loud funny, but also gravely serious in many parts. The insight into Apartheid - as told by someone now living in America who enjoys great celebrity, was very interesting. I was thinking of giving this to my son to read, but there was way too much cursing. I haven’t read the young reader’s edition - but I imagine it would be good for your kids to read especially now.

Did you have a favorite book you read in June?

Let me know about it in the comments below!

June 2020 Reading Recap @ Homegrown Learners