What do you read?

There have been lots of great recomendations so far.

 I wanted to also point out that not EVERY book you read has to be some very heavy, deep book.  Sometimes it is OK to keep a lighter book. In fact Karen Andreola (who is very much into “mother culture”) talks about this balance in one of her books. (I can’t remember which one.)  But she talks about how she regularly keeps multiple books going at the same time.  She will have some more heavy “beefier” books for days where she feels ready to read something with more substance. You know, the types of books that are going to require a lot of “brain power” to digest.  However, she will also keep a lighter book going for those rough days where you just kind of want to escape for awhile in an easy read. 

I have started doing this on my own bedside.  I have a multitude of books going.  I have a mystery novel for some very light escapism reading.  (When I am having a day where my brain feels fried already.)  I also usually have some type of classic litterature that is still light if I want the next step up.  (Often these are books I am pre-reading for my kids:  Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, etc.)  Then, I will have a heavier book that is for days when I feel like I want something more to digest and think about.  (Currently, i am digging through Charlotte Mason’s orginal writings for this category.  But I will also have some fiction books that fit this category too from time to time.) 

If you have read any of Karen Andreola writtings, you know that she talks a lot about “mother culture”.  Which I will define as nourishing your soul so that you can deal with the stresses of day

There’s a lot of really good recommendations here. I’m a history addict so I always have at least one regarding history going and Messianic Jewish titles, both historical and for Bible Study . I usually, from my childhood, have had at least 3-5 books going at a time; then I can pick according to my mood. My mom does the same.

Currently I’m reading A Patriot’s History of the United States; The Fellowship of the Ring; Honoring G-d with my Life:Issues of Sense and Sensibility by Miriam Nadler; The Greatest Commandment: How the Shema Leads to More Love in your Life, by Irene Lipson; I browse frequently through my copy of Daily Warm-Ups:Commonly Confused Words and some book on either gardening or homesteading. Looking through catalogs is my light reading! A fairly light read I recently finished was Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince collection of fairy tales. Some I’ve read recently that I would read again and/or recommend are They Loved the Torah; Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus; Yeshua, by Ron Mosley; several books by John Garr, Ph. D.; Housewives Desperate for G-d; The HIdden Art of Homemaking; the letters between John and Abigail Adams (yes, the actual letters-fascinating!), bios of Thomas Jefferson (American Sphinx); Founding Brothers and John Adams (Passionate Sage) by Joseph Ellis and looking forward to more and David McCullough’s 1776 and John Adams-looking forward to more of his, too and two bios of Abigail Adams.

I read many classics before entering high school (on purpose) and of those that I still remember and recommend are: Wuthering Heights; Jane Eyre; Phantom of the Opera by G. Leroux; Frankenstein; The Scarlet Letter; The Anne of Green Gables Series; by H.G. Wells-The Invisible Man, War of the Worlds, and The Time Machine (even though he was a  Fabian Socialist, those were good books!);Tarzan of the Apes; Les Miserables; Moby Dick; Just So Stories (I still have my copy and remember them fondly), the story of Helen Keller, A Christmas Carol (others by Charles Dickens, though I did jump over parts) and The Sonnets of William Shakespeare.  There are others I read but wouldn’t read again or recommend!

My ‘to read’ list is practically unattainable (you should se my Amazon wish list, it’s obscene!), but the next ones are The Two Towers; the Letters between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (any books on John Adams); more bios from Joseph Ellis and McCullough; the 5000 Year Leap; more John Garr books (Messianic); more books from David Barton; more bios of our Founders (esp. the American Classic Series); I want to get through all of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers; College Without Compromise; Jewish Literacy; Prepared for Action: Preparing Home Educators for the Political Arena by Tim Boyer, and Atlas Shrugged; plus continue learning about gardening and homesteading/self-sufficiency living. I’ve been thinking about picking up some Jane Austen, some other books of the Bronte’s and Sherlock Holmes for lighter reading, plus I never got around to those when younger and I’d like to read them; otherwise I’ll live vicariously through my read-alouds with the children, like enjoying Pinnochio as much as my children right now! I need to also read more on early 20th Cen. history; I have several titles checked out and I like primary sources, too.

Did I mention that I really enjoy reading and I’d practically live in rags to buy more books??

Rachel

Just wanted to chime in that I always have multiple books going for myself as well.  I may not be able to change my ‘home decor’ but once in a very long while, but I can change up what I’m reading and that is exciting.  I remember more that way than breezing through a book at top speed, which is what usually happens if I stick to just one book.   Plus, it’s just fun to have a book on ‘hold’ then go back to it and be excited as to where you left off.  

My husband would just say, “B-o-r-i-n-g.”