Summer Reading

Any season is a good season to read. But there's something about summer that makes stacks of books seem delightful instead of daunting. Here's what we've been up to in our reading adventures this summer.

For the Kids:

I decided this summer would be the one to tackle the Little House books. I use language like tackle because I truly was afraid I would hate these books. I know these are the gold standard for so many homeschooling families, but I wasn't convinced. Then I opened the first page of "Little House in the Big Woods," and I was in love. Jack begs me to keep reading, which is another shocker, because I had also convinced myself he was going to think they were boring. We quickly made our way to "Farmer Boy," Mattie's favorite so far and are currently about a quarter of the way through "Little House on the Prairie." These are indeed some of the most delightful literature I've ever encountered. 

Another series that has made our list this summer is the Magic Tree House series. Some friends have been trying to convince me to read these for several years now. If you saw the length of my "Books to Read Aloud" list, you'd understand why it takes some convincing to get me to veer off the list.

Our current Audible listening selection is "The Boxcar Children."  I bought the recording of the first three books. There seem to be a lot more in the series, but I think I'd like to remember the Alden children just as they are in these first three.

For Me:

I began the summer reading season with this one. It is a gentle reminder of how to value our children for who they are and how a love of literature and time in nature creates well-nourished souls for the entire family.

Paris seems to be on the mind with these two selections. "Les Miserables" is no joke. All 1200 pages of it (I think my print is smaller than some fonts because one copy I picked up had 1400 pages). I'm halfway through it and then it's on to a more modern tale on the City of Light with "The Bones of Paris."