Crusoe

I just barely FOUND my Crusoe after putting it in a special spot so I'd be able to track it down in my bookshelves easily. Ha.

Am I lame that I've read three Louis L'Amour's and the first two Ranger Apprentice series recently. Yes, all books I've read before. Yes, I loved them just as much upon a rereading. Yes, I reread books all the time.

Yes, my brain is in official pregnancy hibernation.

Yes, I have to read a TEXTBOOK of all things, to put my course together. It isn't bad, but it isn't great, either.

Sigh.

Point of ramble--I'm not ready to move on to the economics book until October. Maybe by then I will have figured out my life enough to carve out time for reading.

But whatever.

Crusoe and Economics

I'm cool if we move on to the economics book and read it simultaneously with Crusoe.  Crusoe is a VERY long read and so I'm finding I need to take breaks to read other books.  I've got less than 200pgs. left!  :-)
JULIA

Readings

I read Silas Marner this weekend. I'd previously read Middlemarch. Most of it, anyway. I was finding it a little boring. I also tried the BBC DVD of Middlemarch and it just wasn't high enough on my priority list to devote the time needed to finishing it. I think it's a nice story - but it wasn't gripping or funny and sadly, I'm all about gripping or funny these days. (As in, I read Mockingjay while I was on vacation because it was more exciting to me than seeing relatives that I love and rarely see. Sad).

But back to Silas. I liked it. I don't think George Eliot is going to be one of my favorite authors. Good books. Good morals. Not so fascinating as I would like them.

I read a book called "Emily's Ghost" a few weeks ago that is a novel about Emily Bronte. The author took what little is known of the poor girl and spun a fascinating story out of it. Among other things, it gave Jane Eyre (I know, that's Charlotte's book) and Wuthering Heights some perspective that makes them more interesting to me. There was plenty in the book that was made up, but it was an interesting read.

I'm planning on skipping Defoe for now. I have other books stacked by my table that all came in at once. I'm looking forward to the Economics book. Let me know when you start it!

P.S. In The Virginian I laughed when he couldn't get through a Jane Austen book. So then I read Mansfield Park and I laughed harder because I now know what he means!

Hi all! I know I am lame. I never post. But I haven't posted on my own personal blog for 5 months now either. Oh well. So, my husband and I just finished reading The Virginian by Owen Wister. This is the third time I've read this book. It is one of my favorites. I am kind of surprised that a guy wrote it. My husband said he wasn't convinced that her dreams were met. I said he's crazy. Socially he gained her family's approval. Intellectually he discussed classics with her and gave her different perspectives simply because he was a guy and had totally different life experiences than her. Emotionally he opened up and shared his feelings-- what woman does love that? The only part I disagreed with was his reasoning for killing Trampas. I would rather he left his pride out of it since I don't think that was a valid excuse. He should have mentioned the fact that Trampas was a murderer and thief and that The Virginian needed to protect himself and his future wife from a possible stab in the back some day. But the speech by the judge was amazing!

Swamped and Sinking

I'm getting Robinson Cursoe tomorrow. Those other books on your list look interesting, Julia, but I make no promises because I'm so swamped right now. I don't know why, maybe it's just having my daughter back at school. Also, I'm sewing three Halloween costumes and digitalizing a lot of my mom's old photos, as well as trying to reorganize my Family History research. Yes, well, I have too many projects. Plus YW's. Oh, and our 2nd counselor just moved so I have no one to translate between the President and me. Maybe I should learn Spanish, um, yeah, since I go to a Spanish ward. That is all. Oh, and just for the record, I read the introduction to the Federalist Papers. That's as far as I got.

Two Amazing Talks

Literature and Testimony

An Aid to Perfection

And, Kelly, I did read that article you sent.  It is one of my favorites!
Thanks!!

Hope you're all having a good beginning of the year . . . at home or otherwise!

JULIA

Books to Add??

HI Friends!
Still pluggin' along with Robinson Crusoe.  I like it a lot, but it's starting to get a little tedious.  I am determined to finish it though. 

Okay, so I am hoping to join this other book group here in WA and wondered if any of the books/readings look good to you then we can adopt some of them onto our list . . . that way I can maybe kill two birds with one stone.  If not, that's okay, too . . . I'll just do lots more reading!

Here's the list.  Tell me what you think.


Documents- Gettysburg Address, Washington's Farewell Address, Patrick Henry's Liberty or Death Speech
Proper Role of Government by Ezra Taft Benson
Spirit of Laws Selections by Montesquieu
What is Seen and Not Seen by Bastiat
Bridge at Anadu by James Michener
And There Was Light by Jacques Lusseyran (this one was on that BYU list Kami sent awhile back)

JULIA

Missions

Julia - I thought after the discussion of personal missions you might find this talk by Sister Parkin interesting. It gives it a different twist. One that I think I like better.

Sister Parkin's talk

Reply to Ju

So, I picked up RC a few times as well and have been enjoying it. Not as much fun as Moll Flanders--at least not yet. Nobody has accidentally married his/her sibling. Sigh. If you haven't ever read Moll, you should. You really should.

I finished Why Gender Matters and loved it. I was going to write a lengthy response, but figured everyone else had basically summed up the most critical points already. Boys and girls are more physically different than we realized. Boys aren't good with expressing how they feel. Different approaches work better for different genders in an educational setting. Other people have sons who destroy their rooms when left in time out. Comforting information. I plan on getting his book about girls sometime soon.

I also read Simplicity Parenting. Thanks for the recommendation, Kelly. I was going to write a lengthy response, but then didn't. So, a few thoughts. 1) The writing was terrible. Repetitive, rambling, redundant, and too much skipping around. It appeared that he had a ghost writer. He needed a better one. 2) I needed to be reminded of everything that I was reminded of while reading. Sometimes I forget to simplify. Like Kelly said, I feel pretty confident that my philosophy closely matches a simplicity lifestyle philosophy, but it is easy to get caught up in things and forget. I was also frustrated by all the stories he told of one child families with two working parents who were so crazy busy they drove their children into early adulthood. Why didn't the mom just quit her job?????? They could afford a family therapist, I'm assuming they could afford to live on one income. So strange to me--but I'm trying to repent of all the judging of others I did while I read. I am certainly not the right one to point fingers when the best I can say most days is that at least my children aren't in a Russian orphanage. Anyway, good principles if you can get past the poor writing.

I re-read all the 12th House books by Sharon Shinn over the past two weeks. They are so good. Especially the first one--Mystic and Rider. Read it. Love it. You can skip the next two (although once you've read them a few times, you start to like them a little more), but read the fourth for sure--Reader and Raelynx. Excellent. Then don't miss out on the little sequel that isn't. It is set in the 12 houses country and periodically references the characters you know and love, but its focus is on a a little known character who is a professional fighter. In fact, she's one of the best fighters in the country and she falls in love with this esoteric academic who has never held a sword. I love it. He quotes poetry to her and she . . . doesn't really get it. But it is a great story. LOVE Sharon Shinn. If you haven't read any by her, start with Summers at Castle Auburn. BEAUTIFUL. Then read The Shape-Changers Wife. Then start the 12 Houses books. I've loved everything I've read by her except her retelling of Jane Eyre set in a science fiction setting. Without the English culture to really influence the behavior of the characters, the story falls flat. Besides, while I love Shinn, a Bronte she is not.

There you go. Now I'm off to find books on poetry for kids. I bought the new Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire for school this year, and it is FANTASTIC. Mentions several different types of poems (like limericks and odes), and keeps everything very charming. We're starting with dental health and a special guest (my sister who just graduated from dental hygiene), then moving on to poetry, then skipping over to an ancient civilization. I just need to pick which one. Kami--what should I start with??? Yes, I have a masters degree in history. No, I do not know anything about history. Unless you ask me about WWII. Or masculinity. Or feminism. But even then, my knowledge is sadly lacking. Kami, however, has a nursing degree and knows TONS about EVERYTHING. That's why we keep her around. So periodically at the dinner table we can hear someone say, "I read in the National Geographic . . .." It was good to spend the weekend with you, Susie Q.

Yes, I plan on finished RC. Happy reading everyone. And good luck with the start of the new school year for those of us who homeschool.