Personal Reading
The Katie Weldon Series
by Robin Jones Gunn
Continuing on my Robin Jones Gunn binge... these four books are about Christy Miller's best friend, Katie Weldon, as she finishes up her last year of college. Again, dealing with lots of issues from her family upbringing, relationships with guys (and girls), and trusting God. These books take place between Christy & Todd: College Years and Christy & Todd: Married Years. I really, really wanted to give Katie a copy of Love Defined. She could have saved herself a lot of heartache, stress, and emotional upheaval if she had followed that book's advice.
Canary Island Song
by Robin Jones Gunn
This is the story of the romance between Bryan Spencer (Todd's dad from the Christy & Todd series) and Carolyn. The story of their marriage was told in the series about Christy & Todd's married years. This is the story of how they met. Due to the mature (but not inappropriate) content, I would recommend this for only for adults.
Becoming Us
by Robin Jones Gunn
Emily and her husband Trevor have moved from North Carolina to California to get away from the pressures of his close-knit but controlling family. Emily meets Christy and her friends who welcome her into their circle as they are all learning to do life together as wives and young moms. Due to the mature (but not inappropriate) content, I would recommend this for only for adults.
Being Known
by Robin Jones Gunn
Continues the story of Christy and her friends. This one is told from Jennalyn's perspective as she struggles through a season of baby and toddler and a husband consumed with his work. Deals with tough topics of emotional adultery. Thought-provoking and encouraging as this group of young women encourage and challenge each other to walk out their Christian faith. Due to the mature (but not inappropriate) content, I would recommend this for only for adults.
A Pocketful of Hope for Mothers
by Robin Jones Gunn
A collection of poems and reflections on motherhood by the author of the Christy Miller series. This book is mentioned in one of the "Baby Years" books. A great baby shower gift or a gift to encourage young moms.
Praying for Your Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart for His
by Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer
A wonderful guide for young women as they wait on God's timing for marriage. By the author of the Christy Miller series and her friend. I highly recommend this book for all the young ladies in your life (from late middle school and up)!!
A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting
by Sophie Irwin
A fantastically funny debut novel! If you like Jane Austen, you might like this one. It is set in the same time period, but gives some more background to help the reader understand why the young ladies were always husband-hunting and concerned about how much a gentleman is worth (in pounds per year). Kitty and her 4 sisters are left with a huge debt after their parents die within a few years of each other. Since job opportunities are severely limited for young women of this time, their only hope of keeping their family home is for one of them to marry a wealthy man. Kitty is the only one of age, so she heads off to London to try to find a wealthy husband. She has no expectations of finding love but plans to fulfill her duty to take care of her sisters by marrying for money. Her fortune-hunting schemes are found out by the older brother of her most likely candidate. They verbally spar and scheme and blackmail each other, but each comes to see the real character of the other. Lots of humorous dialog and plot twists. I loved listening to the audiobook and even ordered a printed copy so I can read it again. There is some use of God and Lord in a non-praying context and maybe a few other mild oaths.
Geography Read-aloud
Books set in South Carolina:
Hey, Charleston!
by Anne Rockwell
A picture book telling the true story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band, which went on tour and started the dance named after them, the Charleston.
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
by Laban Carrick Hill
A picture book about a slave who made pottery in the 1800s, inscribing many of his creations with short poems.
Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too!
by Donna Rathmell
The story of a loggerhead sea turtle who had some kind of flu and was rescued, treated, and released.
Champions on the Bench
by Carole Weatherford
A picture book describing the true story of an all-black Little League baseball team that was not allowed to play in the championship game because the white teams in South Carolina refused to play them. But they were invited to come watch, thus they were champions on the bench.
Books set in Georgia:
And the Tide Comes In: Exploring a Coastal Salt Marsh
by Merryl Alber
Two girls explore a salt marsh between the Georgia mainland and the barrier islands. Lots of good science information presented in an engaging way.
Draw What You See
by Kathleen Benson
Describes the life and art of Benny Andrews, an African American artist whose drawings are included in the book.
A Picture Book of Jackie Robinson
by David Adler
A picture book biography about the first African American baseball player in the major leagues.
Hard Work, But It's Worth It
by Bethany Hegedus
A picture book biography of Jimmy Carter.
A Change of Heart
by Alice Walsh
The story of a black man who endured the terrors of the Ku Klux Klan as a boy and discrimination in the military as a young man. When bitterness threatened to swamp his soul, he found hope after a shipwreck in Newfoundland, where the local Canadians rescued him and treated him as a human being, without regard to the color of his skin.
A Circle Unbroken
by Margot Theis Raven
A grandmother teaches her granddaughter the art of weaving a basket so tight that it can hold water, while also teaching her the history of her family from Africa to the US, from freedom, to slavery, to freedom.
Just For Fun
The Mysterious Howling
by Maryrose Wood
This first book in the "Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place" series. Penelope Lumley is sent out from the school for poor, bright females where she has lived most of her life to become governess to three children who were found in the woods, apparently having been raised by wolves. She loves the children and makes incredible progress teaching the ways of civilized humans, primarily through reading to them. But someone seems to want to sabotage her efforts. The book ends on a cliffhanger. I've heard this book mentioned a lot, so thought I'd give it a try when came into my hands. It's fairly interesting. The only quibble I had with it was at a party when "the adults were flirting with each other's spouses, as they usually do at such parties." Making light of what could lead to adultery makes me reluctant to hand this to my kids. If you were reading this aloud, you could skip that sentence and not lose anything of the story.
