What We've Been Up To Lately: February Book Stack and Some Basketball

Are you a planner by nature?

I am confessing right here that I am NOT.

So, the very thought of laying out the books I want to read in a month at the BEGINNING of the month feels a little stifling to me. I have come to the realization, however, that this will be a good way for me to evaluate my bookish goals.

By “bookish goals” I mean my goal of reading more non fiction, more Christian works, and in general keeping myself away from too much twaddle.

February Book Stack for Mom

I completed Inhertiance, by Dani Shapiro, just yesterday. I had heard the hype on this one, and I can tell you it lives up to that hype.

Dani Shapiro knocked it out of the park with this memoir about her shocking discovering of her ancestry.

In addition to that book, I have the following books on my TBR for February

Audio Books

I always like to keep an Audible selection going in the car.

I am finishing The Secret Diary of Hendrick Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old - it’s hilarious - but I’m warning you… you have to have a good sense of humor about aging and people being in a nursing home. I can chuckle at his stories because my dad lives in an Assisted Living, and this is SO TRUE to life!

Additionally, a book club friend asked me to read An Anonymous Girl, so that is next up in my Audible cue.

Reading for My Teens

Grant is reading short stories for his Challenge B curriculum. I have been reading a few of those aloud with him, which is interesting. I love the discussions we are having.

He is bound and determined to finish the Pendragon series. I think reading books in a series is a universal thing for middle schoolers, yes?

My daughter is taking a World Literature class this year and is finishing Julius Caesar right now. For fun, she just re-read Forever Today, which is a a story about the English musician, Clive Wearing. It is a truly heartbreaking and fascinating story.

We are starting a new read aloud this week, and I am taking the advice of so many and starting Echo. I have heard the audio is excellent, but we already own the book. What to do? I think I may use an Audible credit so we can listen and follow along.

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Basketball

A fun aside - I’ve been able to get a lot of reading done because it is basketball season!

I do a lot of waiting at practices and before games. I also sneak in reading if my husband is driving us to an away game.

This weekend my son’s team is in the STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!

We’re very excited. It is so much fun watching these kids play. He plays for a local Christian school that allows homeschoolers to play on their team, so he has quite a few of his homeschool buddies that play with him. Good stuff!

Initially I was resistant to a lot of organized sports, but this has been a spectacular experience, and I can see the many benefits this is having for my son. I anticipate he will play next year.

My life right now is SQUILT, homeschool, basketball, and BOOKS — and next week I’ll talk more about getting my oldest registered off for college, because that deserves a post all of its own.

What have YOU been up to?

Do you have a reading stack for February?

Learn About C.S. Lewis: A Parent's Guide to Self Education

For parents, the gift of homeschooling is self-education.

Reclaiming my own education has been a tremendous blessing. I love discovering with my children - discovering authors, composers, artists - I could go on and on!

If you are like me, you weren’t exactly immersed in the life and thoughts of C.S. Lewis when you were young. I vaguely remember reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Beyond that, I thought Lewis was for intellectuals - certainly NOT me!

I was intimidated by all things C.S. Lewis for many years. I wish I would have started this sooner, but I have to believe NOW is the perfect time for me.

What a gift it is now to dive into his world now and discover for myself so many of his writings - to learn about one of the greatest Christian thinkers in history.

It all started with one of my favorite books last year…

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A Gentle Beginning to learn about C.S. Lewis

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I need to slide into a deep subject gently.

There was a lot of buzz about Becoming Mrs. Lewis - the story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis’ unlikely friendship and eventual marriage. I listened to the book and was drawn into their world.

A logical place to go after listening to this book was to read A Grief Observed - this was the book Lewis wrote after his wife died. The book is short, but is so full of wisdom. I read it through quickly the first time, and then really sat with it a second time - highlighting and making notes in the margins.

I love how books just “find” you sometimes, don’t you?

After A Grief Observed I kept hearing about A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War , which is about Tolkien, Lewis, and the influence their involvement in World War I had on their faith lives and ultimately the Christian world of the 20th century (and beyond). This book was an EXCELLENT listen for both my teenage son and me.

A Plan to Learn More about C.S. Lewis

After this enjoyable introduction into the life and thoughts of C.S. Lewis, I found myself wanting to know more.

I get easily bogged down by too much “intellectual” reading (just being honest).

I have to keep it short and interesting.

First, a comprehensive biography about C.S. Lewis.

Second, the box set of C.S. Lewis signature classics (these are SO approachable - and the covers are beautiful, too!).

Third, Surprised By Joy - the shape of C.S. Lewis’ early life.

(If you want to include your children in this endeavor, I HIGHLY recommend C.S. Lewis, Master Storyteller - one of the Christian Heroes Then and Now biographies. We listened to this on a long car trip last year and all learned so much! )

Don’t you love this quote from A Grief Observed - “The best is perhaps what we understand the least.”?

I’m not trying to “understand” all of C.S. Lewis’ writings - I’m simply trying to immerse myself in his world and let the Holy Spirit work in me.

If you’d like to join me in learning about C.S. Lewis, here are the books I’m using:

Do you know much about C.S. Lewis?

Tell me in the comments below!