Books

Don't you love it when you find a book list!   I do!   So I thought I really ought to start my own so that I not only can remember when I read the book last, but so that I can remember what I thought of it...hope it helps you too in some small way.

2013
Just like Jesus

Autodidactic

How to think like Leonardo DaVinci

Screwtape letters

Unsteady

Foundation

Comedy of Errors.   Not my favorite Shakespeare play, but it does have some good commentary on the roles and relationships of men and women.  It also cautions readers to beware of assumptions and beliefs. 

The Giver.   Does anyone like how this book ends? :)   It is a great book and lots of good thoughts about society, prejudices and beliefs.  Few parts to be aware of.

The Hiding Place.  Great book.  Lots of good lessons about beauty, families, Christianity, friendships, doing the right thing, forgiveness, and seeking for God and meaning in trials.  Highly recommended.   This book is about WWII and some themes and circumstances may be traumatic especially to young readers.

Men of Iron.   I enjoyed this book.   Great picture of medieval life and the desire to become a man.  Lots of good themes of being a leader, courage, humility.

Yearning for the Living God.   Great book about Elder Busche and his post WWII reflections on his own life and his conversion and miracles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I enjoyed his humor and testimony and his faith.

Racing the Moon.   Juvenile reading.   One character completely defiant of authority and gets away with it.  Shares some history of Warner Von Braun and his rockets during WWII.

Galen and the Gateway to Medicine.  Juvenile reading.   Good story but lacking a lot of character substance.  Interesting view of Medicine and its evoltuion.

Fascinating Fibonacci's.  Fun and mind blowing book into all the places you may find Fibonacci's...in art, music, nature, math, etc.   It covers briefly each topic and shares fun examples while giving a general overview of what a Fibonacci is.   Great reading if you don't know what a Fibonacci is.

The Chosen.   One of my all time favorites!   This book always makes me want to play baseball and it always makes me want to learn more about the Jews.   Great story about friendship and religious differences.  Some swear words.

The Journey of Al and Gebra.  A fun chartoon type book about Algebra  (Al and Gebra)   not difficult to understand but doesn't go deeply into concepts.  Brief overviews of Algebra concepts in cartoon form.   I like the way the author explains different concepts.  Perhaps a good book to go along with the study of Pre-Algebra or Algebra concepts.

So Far from the Bamboo Grove.   True story of a Japanese family living in Korea during World War II.   Story of struggles and survival.   Some themes of sacrifice and endurance and family.  Some occurances of rape.

Speaker for the Dead.  Second in the trilogy of the Enders Game series.   I can't ever get enough of Ender.  Some adult themes and inappropriate language for children

Children of the Mind.  Fourth in the trilogy of the Enders Game series.  Enders "children" seek to solve the task of saving Lucitania.  Some adult themes and inappropriate language for children

Pastwatch.   Book switches back and forth between Columbus and the future.  Lots of ideas to think about.  Chapter 10 has severe self mutliation be wary when reading parts of this chapter!   Also descriptions of rape.

Acting the First 6 lessons

2012:
Bambi

House of Sixty Fathers

Rolf and the Viking Bow

The Trumpeter of Krakow

Crispin

Otto of the Silver Hand

Imperium

Do Hard Things

The cat of Bubastes:  Good story that gives a good perspective into the past of Eypt, especially their cultural and religious beliefs.  It was a little slow in parts but I enjoyed the story and the historical background.

The golden goblet:  Good story.  Some teaching on values....perserverence, courage, hope. 

Rocket Boys  (October Sky)   Good story, but too much swearing and teenage romance for my youth group to read.   I enjoyed the boys ingenuity and passion.  Good example for struggling to accomplish your mission.

The Travels, Marco Polo.   I read several accounts trying to find a good one for my youth group to read.   I did not suceed.   Too much references to his "personal journeyings" in the orient.   While I found many of the stories about his voyage facinating since I don't read much about the east, I didn't find in Marco Polo a great character worth emulating.

The First Scientist:  Roger Bacon:   A historical account of the life and times of Roger Bacon.  Lots of history regarding The Church and monks, science and censorship.  This book covers much of the themes of the medieval time period.  Not very compelling, but if you make it through it has some great thoughts and connections.

The Mystery of the Periodic Table.  Super fun book to learn about the periodic table, where it came from, and why it is important.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It was simple reading, but I learned things that I didnt know about the periodic table.

Unlikely Heroes Great book about miracles from the revolutionary time of America.  Lots of interesting stories from obscure people who you may never have heard about.  If I remember correctly, there was some language and scenes which may be disturbing to some readers, but nothing I found overly offensive

Discovering Isaac and Becoming Isaac.  Books 2 and 3 in the Remembering Isaac series.  I enjoyed reading these books.  I wanted to read them to finish the story after reading Remembering Isaac.  The first one left a lasting impression on me.  These were good as well, but not as impactful for me.  Good, clean, sweet romance as well as good character teaching.

Mathematicians are People Too Vol 1 and 2

The Tempest:   Lots of good themes:   right and wrong, revenge and forgiveness, slaves and masters.  Lots of contrasting relationships.   Some themes of magic and deception.

Homeless Bird.  Story of an arranged marriage and the young girls struggle to find her place in society. 

Year of Impossible Goodbye's

Lonesome God's.   Another one of my all time favorite books.   Some swearing and violence in this book.  I love the character traits and choices and growth that happen in this book.  Good themes about education, upbringing, and relationships.

Fish:   Juvenile reading.  Parable about a boy and a fish making a refugee journey. 

Bonds that Make Us Free.  I have tried to read this book through several times and each time stopped mid book.  It is a powerful book about changing your heart.  I studied it with a group of amazing women and finished it!  Powerful lessons about "seeing" others and yourself.

The Walking Drum



2011
Mysterious Benedict Society
Remembering Isaac:  Loved this book for its thoughts about community.   I enjoyed the pictures and doodles of the author.  It is different from many books I have read.  I enjoyed the authors personality coming into the story.  Not a difficult read, but good themes.

Single Shard:   I really enjoyed this book.  I enjoyed the characters and their hope and determination.

I am David:  I love this book.  I love that it is told from a young boys perspective after escaping a concentration camp.  I love his innocence and his desires.  Beautiful descriptions of life and freedom.

Charlie's Monument:  Juvenile read:  Lots of good themes of growing and forgiving and beauty and love.

Secret Garden:   We always ask in our family if your being Mary Contrary from this story.  Great story about relationships and becoming and nature

Toddlerwise

Plain and Simple

Witch of Blackbird Pond
Sarah Plain and Tall and Skylark
Ballet Shoes
A Little Princess

2010
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Belgariad
Mallorean
Elantris
Here There be Dragons
Plain Girl
Gentle Ben
The Winter Room
The Hatchet
Around the World in 80 days
Fascinating Womanhood:   This book was a life changer for me.  I learned how to be a better wife and a better person.   This book is not for everyone and must be read with the desires to change.  Ideas seem counter intuitive, but the truths are amazing

Wizard of Oz:  It was fun to read the original story and see the difference from the movie. 

Little Women:   I loved this book as a girl and enjoyed reading it again from a different perspective...a mothers :)

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

Anne of Green Gables:  One of My all time favorites!  Love Anne...named my little girl after her.  Great story (and several that follow) about imagination, education, determination, and self.
Phantom Tollbooth
Hamilton's Mythology.
John Adams
The First 2000 Years
The Bridge at Andau

And there was light

A Wrinkle in Time
Teach the Children

2009
The Chosen
The Promise
Door in the Wall
Mere Christianity
Nichomachus
The Weight of Glory
Star Girl
Kingdom and the Crown
A Heart Like His

Beautiful Girlhood.   Great book about the perils and duties of growing up as a girl.  Written from a strong Christian perspective.  It has great truths to teach that are different from the culture we live in.

Raising Maidens of Virtue.  Same themes as Beautiful Girlhood but less stories included.  More scriptures, more questions and activities

Daughtes of God.  Stories of women in the scriptures and the qualities they demonstrated.

The Scarlet Pimpernell
Pride and Prejudice
Great Expectations

Anatomy of Peace

Leadership and Self Deception
How Children Learn
How Children Fail

Jane Eyre 
2008
Secret Garden...see above
Heidi
Holes
Peter Pan
Pinocchio
And then there were six
Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Alas Babylon. Interesting description of the afterman of an atomic crisis.  I enjoyed reading it for the thoughts and ideas and survival tactics and commentary on society.  It has some swearing and immoral behavior. 

The Long Winter.  Oh my, I read this during a really long winter.  I thought it would never end.  But it did motivate me to want to be more prepared.

Little Town on the Prarie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, Little House on the Prarie, Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy...Great classics of the American West and familiy struggles against nature and human nature

The Haymeadow

The Dream Giver
Uncle Remus
Hans Brinker
Jungle Book
Esperanza Rising
Number the Stars
Black Beauty
Mark Twain
Star Wars


2007
Pollyanna
Where the Red Fern Grows
The River
The Sign of the Beaver
Just so Stories
The Breadwinner
Trumpeter of the Swan
Caddie Woodlawn
Old Yeller
Charolette's Web
Enders Shadow
Shadow of the Giant
Shadow of the Hedgemon
A Hive of Busy Bees
Dumbing Us Down
Little Britches
Jungle Book
Summer of the Monkeys
Indians in the Cuboard


Other books worth mentioning...I have read at some point in my life :)
Wuthering Heights
The Good Earth
Enders Game
Babywise
The Greatest Salesman in the World
How to win friends and influence people
Peacegiver
Jesus The Christ