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August 2020 Reading Recap

Raise your hand if you hide from your family so you can finish a book!

(I don’t actually “hide” - but sometimes folding the laundry or cleaning up in a specific room might take me a bit longer than usual.)

I feel strongly about homeschool parents reading - reading widely and well. It’s fun to keep track of the books I’ve read and now start to look at patterns - which genres I choose and why - and how those patterns coincide with current events and the events going on in my own life.

Reading also helps me become well-educated - it assists me in my quest to figure out what I think is important for my children to know.

 Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.— Nora Ephron

I read for all of the same reasons as Nora Ephron - “Reading is bliss!".

August Reading Recap at Homegrown Learners

I accomplished a lot of reading in August thanks to audiobooks. This has been a huge change for me in the past year, and when people tell me they just can’t pay attention long enough for an audiobook I tell them I had to TRAIN myself to listen.

Whether it is my son reading aloud to me (and I’m modeling listening) or I’m listening to an audiobook, listening is a SKILL that you are never too old to cultivate. I believe this skill of listening is translating to more than just books, too.

Books Read in August

August’s books were a mix of historical fiction (my favorite genre), homeschool development, memoir, and fiction. Intentionally I also pulled in a cozy mystery and fantasy, too.

Historical Fiction

I would recommend every book in this category! Each taught me something about a particular time period in history and added to my body of knowledge.

When We Were Young & Brave was probably my favorite - it is a story I knew NOTHING about - the internment teachers and children in a British run missionary school in Japan during WWII.

Homeschool Development

Memoir

  • The Beauty in Breaking

    I never go wrong with a Book of the Month Club selection. I love my membership in BOTM because I’m always guaranteed a good read that many other readers will be discussing, too. This memoir, by an African American doctor working in Emergency Room medicine, opened my eyes to a problem in our health care system that desperately needs to be fixed. It also addressed issues of racism and inequality in our healthcare system.

    (If you use my BOTM Club link you can get a discount on your first order.)

Fiction

Genres I Wouldn’t Normally Read

Both of these books were a pleasant surprise for me.

The first is a fantasy and the second is a cozy mystery.

I found 7 of the Maisie Dobbs books at a thrift store for $.50 each and I will definitely be reading all of them! (Apparently, this was quite the find because a lot of avid readers have been telling me how jealous they are.)

The House in the Cerulean Sea was one of my favorite audios of all time - it was just so whimsical and magical! Normally I don’t enjoy reading those types of books on my own, but I’m thinking maybe I’m wrong about that!

“Bookish” Necessities

A lot of followers on my bookish Instagram account requested I share about some of my book accessories.

Sigh. Yes, I have “bookish” accessories and my family thinks I’ve gone round the bend.

  • My favorite book light - this light keeps my marriage intact because it allows me to read late into the night while I’m in bed without disturbing my husband. I love it.

  • The iBeani - this is a great little beanbag for my iPad or Kindle - I can prop either device in it while I’m reading in bed or sitting on the sofa. There is also a pocket for your phone. I can see this being a GREAT gift for a college student! (see the carousel below for a picture of mine - I got the cute forest animals print that you see in the picture and it’s ADORABLE!)

Do you have a favorite book right now?

Tell me about it in the comments below!

August 2020 Reading Recap at Homegrown Learners

Best Audiobooks of 2019

Audiobooks played a HUGE part in my reading life in 2019.

In my previous book post, I detailed favorite fiction and nonfiction reads, and in this post I will list my favorite audiobooks. Sometimes a performance on audio can make for a truly wonderful literary experience - giving you a deeper experience than the physical book.

Driving, folding laundry, walking the dog, cleaning up around the house - those are all the perfect time for an audiobook. As a busy homeschool mom audiobooks have been a literary gift, and, with the number of apps and options for listening, there is no reason an audiobook cannot be easily accessible.

Favorite Audiobooks of 2019

Sources of Audiobooks

I love my two local libraries and most often can find good audiobooks through their systems.

When, however, I cannot, I use Libro.fm. I love that each download helps support a local bookstore of my choosing, and I love the Libro.fm app.

If you’d like to try Libro.fm you can do so by clicking here and you will receive your first month FREE!

10 Best Audiobooks of 2019

84, Charing Cross Road

This book - from 1970 - is the true story of a bookish friendship and correspondence between the author and the owner of a bookstore in London. This satisfied my bookish heart and made me smile. I think the audio was very well done. There is something about hearing letters read aloud that makes the experience that much better.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Sissy Spacek is the narrator - the end. I tell everyone now that they MUST listen to the audio of this rather than read the paper book!

My son is reading this for Challenge I, and I wish I could convince him to listen to the audio!

Once Upon a River

This British novel was beautifully narrated. It’s a mystery and you might think it’s a bit dark at first, but with all of the twists and turns there is a hopeful ending. The author’s beautiful prose just need to be “heard”.

The Dutch House

Wouldn’t you love it if Tom Hanks kept you company on a long car trip? Well, that is what happened when I listened to The Dutch House a few months ago. I had no idea he was the narrator, so when the book started in the car I practically squealed with delight.

Not only one of my favorite audiobooks of the year, but also probably one of my favorite books in general.

Echo

This audio knocked it out of the part for several reasons: it has gorgeous music and it was an experience I shared with my son.

It is a touching, magical story about several lives that come together during and after WWII - and it is all centers around a harmonica factory that we are introduced to in the beginning of the story.

If you need a great listen with your kids - this is it! (That’s coming for a mom/music educator!)

Symphony for the City of the Dead

This is another YA book. I listened to this one on my own and it was completely fascinating. I knew a bit about Shostakovich and his political influence in Russia, but this book taught me so much.

It is about the Siege of Leningrad and the role played by Russian composer Shostakovich and his Leningrad Symphony. Again, the music in the audio was wonderful.

Ginny Moon

My sister recommended this one to me - she knows my tastes well! This book was about a young girl (Ginny Moon) who is autistic. It gave me a good insight into what goes on in someone’s head who has autism. I wouldn’t recommend this for teens, though - there were some language and questionable situations involved.

All in all, however, I LOVED the book.

The Sun Does Shine

This is another book that kept me company on a long car trip. It was a HARD listen, because of the injustices that were blatantly obvious through the telling of Anthony Ray Hinton’s story.

Spending so many years in death row when he was innocent - and all of the prejudices that were in place that kept him there unjustly - made my blood boil.

It helped HEARING his words - somehow made it all that more powerful. This is a necessary listen.

The Mother-in-Law

Ooooh… at the outset, it seems like your typical mother-in-law, daughter-in-law conflict, but then as you go beneath the surface it is so much more.

I never would have expected the twists and turns in this book - that literally had me lying in bed at night with my earbuds in just so I could finish!

Ordinary Grace

I saved the best for last.

Set in the Midwest in 1961, this is the story of a family and three murders that changed their life one summer.

William Kent Krueger, a Christian author, weaves so much beautiful faith into his story - it IS his story. How do you remain faithful to God when he takes your daughter? How do you remain faithful when he takes your only child? I found myself crying, smiling, and enriched by this book.

Get One Month Libro.fm For FREE

Don’t forget - if you are interested in trying Libro.fm, use this link to receive one month for free.

I would recommend starting with Ordinary Grace or Echo (with your kiddos!)

Favorite Audiobooks of 2019

Do you use audiobooks - either in your homeschool or your own personal reading?

Tell me about it in the comments below!