The Yearling (& More May Reads)
I only got through 7 books in the month of May: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ The Yearling plus 6 others. Read on for my impression of each title:
7 Books I Read in May:
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman
My daughter recently borrowed Fredrik Backman’s The Deal of a Lifetime from our local library, but the premise made her mad. She wanted to talk about it, so I read it, too. It’s short–a novella, really–so that didn’t take long.
The story centers on a father who is consumed with the accumulation of wealth. Though wildly successful, his work means he completely misses having any meaningful relationship to his child. The character tries to justify this tradeoff in his own mind, but his family members and the people reading their story all have a better grasp on the true cost of his choices.
This tale makes me grateful for both a father and a husband who prioritize family over worldly pursuits.
Saxon Math Algebra ½ by John Saxon
A few weeks ago, I completed my 14th (and probably final) cover-to-cover reading of Saxon Math Algebra ½ when we wrapped up our homeschooling for the summer. A couple of my kids doubled up on math, but I also homeschooled three grandkids, which accounts for more readings than I have children.
I’ve always loved math and love using Saxon to teach math to my kiddos. The books explain (almost) every concept just as I would do myself, and the scope and sequence ensures mastery of the material. Homework sets do contain a lot of review problems, but if students already know how to do them, it won’t take long, and if they don’t, then they’ll benefit from the extra practice!
Exploring the World around You by Gary Parker
I have a son (now a doctor) who begged me back in middle school not to make him read fiction. “I’ll read 10 science books for every one fiction book you let me skip,” he bargained.
While he eventually learned to appreciate all the benefits of reading fiction, Gary Parker’s Exploring the World around You is one of the science books he read in the interim.
I went through it again this year with one of my grandkids. It provides a great introduction to life science, presented from a Christian worldview.
Follow Him by David Platt
I read Follow Him last month, then lent it to my mom, who finished it in a single sitting!
In this short, 124-page book, David Platt examines what it means to be a follower of Christ. He tackles such topics as faith, repentance and change, the insufficiency of works to secure our salvation, battling temptation, discerning the will of God, and more.
He also warns against trying to pick and choose which teachings of Christ we’ll accept and which we’ll ignore: “It is impossible to follow Jesus yet disregard, discredit, and disbelieve his Word.”
Otherwise, Platt writes, “In the end, we create a nice, inoffensive, politically correct, middle-class, American Jesus who looks just like us and thinks just like us. But Jesus is not customizable.”
Favorite Poems for the Children’s Hour
I love reading and analyzing poetry with my homeschool students as part of our literature studies, and this sweet old collection is a perfect choice for that humble goal.
It is filled with a wide selection of poems sure to delight young and old alike, all grouped together according to topic.
It includes popular poems we’ve committed to memory as well as hidden gems I’ve read no other place. Well worth your time if you enjoy the medium as much as I do, and worth a try if you need a little more convincing.
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
We listened to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ The Yearling on our way to Missouri and back last week. It’s been nearly 20 years since my husband last read it aloud to the family, and our youngest kids had never heard it. The book is considered a classic for good reason. The characters are all so real, they feel like old friends:
- Penny Baxter, an honest, peace-loving man with quick wit and deep integrity who longs to spare his son some of the hardships he himself endured as a boy.
- His wife, Orry, who has lost so many children in infancy, she’s afraid to get close to the one who finally survived.
- And their son, Jody, who dreams of having something of his own to love and becomes enraptured with an orphaned fawn he gets to raise.
- Add in all their backwoods Florida neighbors, and you have an endearing coming-of-age tale that has been delighting both children and adults for generations.
Inside the Box by David Epstein
I found the topic of Inside the Box intriguing: How Constraints Make Us Better. In it, David Epstein offers some compelling evidence as to how, by voluntarily limiting themselves in some specific way, authors, scientists, artists, and creative thinkers of all kinds have made amazing contributions to their individual fields.
You may want to try it yourself: Compose children’s story using only 50 unique words (like Dr. Seuss did with Green Eggs and Ham) or pen a poem that fits a particular rhythm and style or make up riddles in which every word starts with the same letter of the alphabet.
Constraints can involve tools, materials, methods, or even time — which may explain why some procrastinators do their best work at the last minute.
Do you love to read as much as we do? I’ve gathered all my best resources for bibliophiles onto this page, or you can read more of my book reviews by following this link .
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