January 2020 Books

The total for January was 21 books and 4 magazines.

The Story of the Orchestra

by Robert Levine

Colorful and engaging illustrations accompany the text, which is set off in many boxes and sidebars.  The first part of the book describes the different eras of Classical music and famous composers.  The second part describes the different sections of the orchestra and the instruments that are used.  Very interesting and informative.  There is supposed to be a CD included that contains selections that illustrate the concepts and instruments discussed, though the used copy I bought didn't come with it.  I think this would be a great book to go through with children as an introduction to music appreciation.  If our schedule wasn't already full, I would do it.  Meanwhile, I'll leave it out and let the kids look at if they choose.  One already saw me with it and snagged it.

Patchwork Mysteries

various authors

published by Guideposts

I read book one last month.  This month, I read books 2-9.  Sarah Hart, a quilter in a small Massachusetts town, solves mysteries as she quilts and dispenses wisdom and love to her son, daughter-in-law, and twin granddaughters as they adjust to her new life in this small town.

These were a nice change from my usual history and historical fiction fare.  Fun, clean, suspenseful mysteries.  I thought the writing style was excellent.  I kept noticing good examples of the elements of style and structure that we are learning through IEW.  I was especially intrigued to notice that out of the 9 books, there are 7 different authors.  If I had not looked at the title pages and the copyright dates (all in 2010 and 2011), I would never had guessed that so many different people wrote this.  They obviously worked together to plan out the details of the characters and the stories.  There are lots of details that quilters would appreciate, but not so much that they can't be enjoyed by non-quilters.

Unsung Heroes of Texas

by Ann Ruff

Short (1-2 pages) articles about important, but not as well known characters in Texas history.  It was interesting to see some of these people overlap with some of the stories mentioned in our main Texas history resource The Texas God Created.  I would rate it PG or PG-13 for violence and innuendo.

Musings of a Mother

by Doris C. Aldrich

This little book was given to me several years ago by an older lady in our church.  It contains short devotionals of a mother of many as she relates the escapades and interactions with her young children to her faith in and relationship with the Lord.  It is a bit dated (this collection was published in 1949, so the articles were first published before that), but still insightful.

The New Texas History Movies

by Jack Jackson

This is a newer version of an old book that was distributed in Texas schools for many years in various forms.  It tells Texas history in a graphic (comic-book style) format.  This one removes the objectionable ethnic slurs and caricatures contained in the older version.  I first borrowed it from the library, then ended up buying it with the hope and expectation that this will grab some of my boys' interest and get them reading about Texas history on their own, in addition to what we read aloud for school.

Pages of History Volumes 1 & 2

by Bruce Etter and Alexia Detweiler

Two boys from the future, where God and religion have been purged from society, travel back through time, guided by a mysterious notebook and a talking dove.  They learn about history from a Biblical worldview.  The first volume covers Creation to the Reformation.  The second volume goes from the Reformation to 9/11.  There are a few "darns" and "hecks", which I thought was unnecessary.  There were also some chronology issues and some statements about Biblical characters 

that ventured beyond what the Bible says and into the realm of speculation.  We started reading this aloud several years ago, but I put it on hold for a while.  I finally got around to finishing it myself, making notes in the margins about things I questioned, and then I gave them to the kids to read on their own.

Starting a Micro Business

Money and Taxes in a Micro Business

Running a Micro Business

Micro Business for Teens Workbook

by Carol Topp

I got this set of books on clearance from IEW.  I read the first one, skimmed the rest, and gave them to my oldest teen who has been interested in mowing lawns to make money.  These were easy to read, and gave good, practical advice directly to teens about how to start a micro business.  Lots of real-life of examples of jobs teens can actually start and stop easily, with little risk.

Viking Quest Series (5 books)

by Lois Walford Johnson

I found this series of books in our church homeschool library.  I devoured all 5 books in less than a week.  They are absolutely wonderful!  I highly, HIGHLY recommend them!  These books tell the story of an Irish sister and brother who are captured by a raiding Viking party.  It describes their voyage to Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and then exploring a new world with Leif Erikson.  It tells of followers of Christ who, though not perfect in their walk, talk, and faith, struggle and grow through suffering.  They learn to let the light of Christ shine through them and see God change hearts -- theirs and those of their captors.  It is not a sappy Christianity, where everything magically turns out great once people come to faith in Christ.  But it is a Christianity where people learn courage -- doing what is right even when it is hard -- and doing what they can to right the wrongs they have committed.  A well-written story with surprises, plot twists, and cliff hangers.  Yet it is not just a plot-heavy adventure story.  Lots of character development and deep things to think about.

I started these books because I have been looking for some "boy" books to entice my 11-year old to something more challenging than Hank the Cowdog  or Geronimo Stilton and to give him some stories with some strong male characters.  These books focus a bit more on the female main character, but there are two male characters who figure prominently in the story.  I think both boys and girls 10+ will enjoy these books.  Again, I HIGHLY recommend them!  I have another stack of boy books I'll be working through next month.

A Triumph for Flavius

by Caroline Snedeker

A Roman boy receives a Greek slave as a present from his father.  He learns to see the young man as a real person instead of just property.