What We're Reading Wednesday + Five Favorites

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Happy Wednesday, Friends!! I really love Wednesdays, the day when lunch lingers a little longer because I lack the will power to pull myself away from all of the goodies that my favorite bloggers have shared in their What We're Reading Wednesday posts at Housewife Spice or their Five Favorites at Moxie Wife. Pouring over them with a cup of tea, notepad and pen in hand, has a magical way of diffusing the testosterone army of chaos that routinely streaks through my house wielding Nerf guns and swords. I love it (the blogs, the blogs!), I tell ya!

Here's my combined list of personal picks from our homestead:

1. The Boys in the Boat

"Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times - the improbable, intimate account of nine working class-boys from the American West who at the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true grit really meant."

I'm really drawn to stories that are written about unlikely heroes, underdogs and the like.  And, as a lover of history, The Boys in the Boat packs both a great story of human endurance and triumph as well as glimpses into Great Depression and pre-WWII into it's pages.  Reading Brown's book has also opened my eyes to the beauty and discipline in the sport of rowing (so much so, that I foresee a rowing machine taking over some Lego space in our basement very soon. Thank you, e-bay.).

2. Wonder

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. (Excerpt from Amazon)

I must confess that this book is here entirely due to the fact that I was under the blogger influence when I bought it.  A few of my favorite writers mentioned it on their sites, so I caved to their cyber suggestion, added it to the ol' Amazon cart thinking that I would read it aloud to the boys. Honestly I'm just not a fan of current day literature, especially what is written for kids.  Call me ancient, but I cannot help but love the classics, and therefore, my kids also read from our "Great Books" list ,too.

Reading Wonder aloud has been a challenge for me.  The author, writing from the perspective of various characters, has chosen a language style completely true to the way in which we converse today (oi).  Even though Wonder is "real life" reading, I struggle to get through the pages, simply because I am not inspired, whatsoever by this modern, conversational style of writing and storytelling, and must depend solely upon content as motivation to keep reading.

That being said, even though Wonder is not a book that I believe my boys would particularly enjoy reading on their own, it has offered us several opportunities to engage in rich and meaningful discussion on virtue, suffering, compassion, empathy, fear and social influences, and to examine our own perceptions of and behavior towards others, which has been of great value.

3.  Saints in the World (formerly Man, the Saint)

"Life is worth living if it is dedicated to some ideal; the nobler ideal, the nobler the life, 

and there is no ideal higher than Christ crucified."

If you are looking for a spiritual life boot camp, this one is a doozy.  It's one of those books that Steve and I both reach for time and time again throughout the year, reading excerpts aloud to each other when we're needing a little push interiorly.  We picked it up again during Lent, and I was reminded of what a treasure this little book is in our library.

4.  Rifle Paper Company

Several months ago, my sister, Sara sent me the most beautiful care package in the mail.  Included in the box of goodies were a lovely selection of stationary and papers from the Rifle Paper Company.  In a world of texting, e-mails and phone chatting, receiving hand written notes on beautiful paper has become a lost art.  I'm hoping for it's revival, and should there be, I'll know just where to go to stock my stationary box! The company, which is included on Martha Stewart's American Made website, also offers calendars, frame-worthy prints, phone cases and more! By the way, have any of you been watching Signed, Sealed and Delivered on the Hallmark Channel? I am loving it! If it doesn't make you want to pick up a pen, I'm not sure what will!

5.  Greater by Mercy Me
Cause I hear a voice and He calls me redeemed
When others say I'll never be enough
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world.

Easter joy is alive and well in our home! Every day, we've been listening to praise music in the afternoon while tidying up the house before Steve comes home from work.  This song by Mercy Me is definitely the boys' favorite.  I wish I had a video of Charlie dancing to it, because he absolutely goes bananas! It's one of those tunes that can turn around a bad day, really! I hope you like it, too!

Have a lovely day, everyone!!

What We're Reading Wednesday ~ When My Eyes Are Open

Well, hello Wednesday! We're half-way through the week, and I am so happy to finally wake up this morning liberated from the curse of this crazy sore throat/ear-ache thing that's had me down and cranky for the past few days.  Since teaching, really talking period, has felt like I have a lawn mower in my throat, school work has been kept to a minimum, and reading taken over as subject of necessity. Despite being somewhat handicapped in the teaching department, I am pleased to report that my sign language and facial expression skills, as an effective means of communication, are sharp as ever - particularly the eagle eye/stone cold stare/eye brow arch, karate chop combo.

The fact that our troops are great readers, really does make me very happy.  I, too, love to read, I'm just in this awkward phase right now (is a phase really a phase if it's lasted for four years?) where reading works like NyQuil plus hypnosis on my brain. I open the book, ready to be inspired and enlightened, and before I can turn the page, I've turned into a bobble head rapidly spiraling into taco neck, and the kids are shooting paper wads at me (or sneaking gum from the pantry). Bandits.

Long gone are the days when I could stay up until 2:00 a.m. reading A Tale of Two Cities under the covers by flashlight. I miss those days. I really hope they come back.  Perhaps after these children stop needing me and my mad laundry/culinary/refereeing/trampoline skills.

Since reading is the topic for the day, I thought I'd share with you our current literary picks.  First up, Andrew.  On any given day day, if you're looking for this boy, more than likely he's reading a book somewhere quiet.  Books are to Andrew as chocolate is to his mama - meant to be devoured. Last weekend, at his wrestling meet, while most kids were playing video games or listening to music on their Beats headphones, my guy was reading to pass the time between matches. He is loving the The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, which he says is far better than the movie, because it has so many more interesting details that he can't believe Hollywood "forgot about".

As a Kindergartner, Henry is just beginning his reading journey.  Teaching our children to read is one of my greatest joys. The experience never gets old.  Every time their faces light up with delight, realizing that they have just mastered a new word or phrase, is as exciting for me as it is for them.  Henry is cruising through the BOB Books by Bobby Lynn Maslen, a supplemental reading set that I use to enrich our kindergarten curriculum.  His incentive to master each box of books is, at the completion of each one, a trip to the quick shop for a treat of his choice.  As of yesterday, he wants beef jerky and an Icee. Delightful.

I wish I could say that George's heart beats like mad for books, but that would send me to the confessional. Once he gets into a story, he's good to go. The challenge is getting him to park his bottom somewhere long enough to get past the first page.  This duty has been lessened given that the cold temps have kept the kids inside snuggled up around the fireplace playing games and reading. Some days wrestling a steer seems easier than holding down George's attention to a focus, but  The House on the Cliff, by Franklin Dixon, one of the Hardy Boys series, is doing a pretty good job of it here lately.  Isn't his robe a scream? If you know my George, the flames are a totally appropriate expression of his personality (thank you, Grandma!).

Now that our oldest son, Benedict, is going to school, I really do miss seeing him in all of the pics that I snap of the boys during the school day.  This is the boy that rises at the first sound of his alarm in the morning, makes his own breakfast, and allows himself just enough time to read - yes read - before it's time for me to take him to the bus stop.  He's actually my alarm - it's the crash of the toaster banging on the kitchen counter like a gong that gets me going in the morning. I'm so thankful for him!

As a thoughtful, contemplative soul, Ben is very particular about what he reads. He has really enjoyed all of the books in The Youngest Templar Series.  I don't think they are as challenging as many of the books he has read, but the story line, for him, is quite captivating.

You didn't think I'd forget Mr. Chuckles, did you?  Without fail, if we're reading, he's reading. His cute little routine is to cha-cha-cha down the steps to the boys' library, drag up as many books as his chubby fingers can grip and wherever he lands, scan every page 1,000 times.

Now that Henry is reading aloud to me, Charlie likes to sit next to him and repeat every word as if he's reading too.  And, of course he must be praised as well.  When he's finished, he bursts into cheer, clapping and shouting, "Good job, Henry! Good job Charlie!" (Preciousness!)

I love to watch the little ones as their pudgy little fingers work so hard to turn the pages, making sure they only turn one at a time.  Then, just as they find a page that looks familiar, their eyes light up as if they have just discovered a dear old friend.  

Books can be like that, can't they? Like dear old friends?

As for me, when I can keep my eyelids propped open, the boys and I are really enjoying Where the Mountain Meets the Moon as our afternoon read-aloud.  It's is a curious combination of Chinese folklore and fantasy, a story that keeps the boys asking for me to "read on!"

In the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest.

{Summary taken from The Book Smugglers}

A couple of weeks ago, I finished The Eighty Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts.  If you are drawn to biographical works that are inspiring and uplifting, this one will not disappoint.  Letts successfully weaves Henry de Leyer's present life as a Dutch immigrant and his relationship with an unlikely show horse, Snowman, with his past memories and experiences as a victim of war.  A documentary of Snowman is due to be released sometime this year.  You can see clips of Harry and his champion horse on You Tube.

Do you have a favorite read aloud that your 

kids have enjoyed? Please share!!