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.

---

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!)

---

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?

 

You might also like:

Buy the Swimsuit

Book Series for Middle School Boys

Making Memories: How to Make An Apple Pie and See the World

 We created so many wonderful memories with the Five in a Row curriculum. 

A particularly memorable book we rowed was "How to Bake An Apple Pie and See the World".

The premise is this: The child in the story goes to the market to get the ingredients to make an apple pie. But, the market is closed. She embarks on a journey around the world to gather her ingredients. Brilliant!

Little did I know we would have a week of magical learning that would create beautiful memories for my children and me. I pray you can create those memories, too!

*Enjoy this Homegrown Learners throwback post -- I want to show you the spectacular memories we created through homeschooling! And it's just such fun to see these pics of my kids when they were little! 

---

A Week with Five in a Row & How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

I love the plan for a week of learning that is the premise for each Five in a Row book.  It is just enough to keep children engaged, but not too much to bore them. 

Monday

We began the book by reading it once through on Monday - we sat by our world map  (to this day we still have this same map in our school room - it has lasted a long time and issimple and effective) and I pointed to all of the places visited in the book: Italy, France, England, Sri Lanka, Jamaica and Vermont . Then, my children took turns pointing when I read the book again.

Tuesday

Tuesday we read the book again made Apple Pie Playdoh.  The recipe was so easy and smelled so good. (My kids STILL talk about this Playdoh and they are now teens!)   Each day during the week we brought it out and my youngest would play with it while I completed our read-alouds. I'm thinking a different batch of homemade playdoh each week may be in our future.

Wednesday:

We began a lapbook which I found at Five In a Row Circle and Homeschool Share. I must say the favorite activity was the geography matching game. My son played this numerous times, and it has reinforced many of the concepts in the book.

We also enjoyed one of the minibooks, which was a saltwater evaporation experiment. My son was amazed that after three days of letting our saltwater sit out on the counter all the water evaporated and we were left with salt. One of the lapbook elements was coloring the flags of places visited in the story. Grant has a real eye for detail and loves coloring, so this was another one of his favorite activities this week. All in all, the lapbook was a success, so if you row this book, just follow the links I gave above and have your child complete the lapbook.

*Note:  The original lapbook has been removed from Homeschool Share, but using the links above you can put together quite a nice lapbook of your own. There are some examples at Five in a Row Circle, too - that might inspire you.

Thursday:

We read the book again and did more lapbooking and playing with Play Doh.... what I love about rowing a book is that kids are EXCITED to visit the book again and again. It makes school FUN! 

Friday:

To culminate our book adventure, we visited a local produce stand and picked out four different types of apples.

We baked an apple pie . Here's a photo my hubby took of the three of us before we ate the pie - I realized I forgot to take pictures while we were baking. Oh well! We had a long afternoon at the park and produce stand, then baking a pie and cooking dinner... we all look a little wiped out! 

We read the book to daddy during dinner and then enjoyed the pie for dessert. And oh my goodness --- look how small my kiddos were -- what a memory!  

Every time we make an apple pie we think about this sweet time in our homeschool. My kids ask to go pick apples each fall so that we can recreate this time. 

THIS is why we homeschool.  THIS is what it's all about.

---

Recommended Resources:

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World (Dragonfly Books)Five in a Row (Five in a Row): Volume 1Rand McNally Signature Map of the World, 50 x 32-InchFive in a Row Cookbook

As you can see, Five in a Row is a favorite curriculum in our home.  Check out other titles we rowed and start making great memories with your kids, too! 

Have you created a beautiful memory with a book?  Do you use Five in a Row?

Leave me a comment below and tell me about it!