I used Classic Writing for writing and I can't sing its praises enough. My dd (grade 11) is taking an English course in university this year and is so confident with her writing. This post elaborates more on the program. I also had her take the Lukeion Muse on the Loose course, A Survey of Greek Literature, which was the best course she's ever taken. The teacher exposes the students to high level literature but at a level that is appropriate, yet still has high expectations. I also have her in a Centre for Lit (Teaching the Classics) Socratic discussion class, which was great for preparing her for university, where you need to discuss for marks. I'm so pleased with how our English journey turned out ...... :thumbup1: with Math, not so much ....... :sad:

I just noticed this post and thought I'd chime in late.............. I used Classical Writing from grade 5 to present (grade 11) with my dd. Terri described very well all the benefits of the curriculum. I'd add that my dd also followed their literature recommendations and that was another HUGE benefit. She took a Survey of Greek Literature course online in the first semester of this year and did exceptionally in it because she'd already been exposed to the texts through Classical Writing. We used to look at their literature selection and think, "Whoa!" but I just got her to read them without any other expectations and soon she found that they weren't too hard and very much enjoyed them. My dd is going through Plutarch now but she's just started one English course at university. She is so confident and comfortable with her writing, and the professor is so impressed, that it emphasizes just how wonderful this program is. She does have to think outside the box with modern writing (although CW does cover it), but Classical Writing has taught her how to write, and any modifications are only structural and easy to do. I would highly recommend this program and in fact, if there was a fire, these books would be one of the things I'd grab before fleeing. :D

I really disliked WH too but I do think it's interesting if you view it as a study. It's quiet and sheltered Emily Brontë's inner self speaking and while the plot is gag-worthy, the writing can be quite lovely. I think it shows an immature talent that would have improved with practice and worldly experience. So one read is slightly informative, but I wouldn't want to do another.

Welcome, Sophia! You seem to have a great list of books either on-the-go or waiting to be read. I loved Till We Have Faces ~~ Lewis is a favourite of mine. On the Incarnation I've read twice and To The Lighthouse was wonderful ..... so far my favourite Woolf. As for Unbroken, I keep getting it out of the library, not getting to it and having to take it back. It's high on my TBR though. If you want to friend me on Goodreads, you'll find me listed as Cleo and my photo is of the Pont du Gard bridge in France. As Robin mentioned, a couple of us are reading through the WEM biographies list on Goodreads in the group Well Trained Mind Readers. You're welcome to join us or even just jump in for a book or two here and there. We're finishing up Descartes' Meditations and in February will start Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners followed by The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson. And, of course, anyone else is welcome too! :001_smile:

Argh! I can't get the multi-quote-thing to work either! Robin M ~ I'm adding the Ray Bradbury book to my list. I'm doing a Deal Me In Challenge this year where you pick 52 short stories (for 52 weeks), assign a playing card to them and then draw a card each week to find out what you're reading. I changed up the challenge though and included short stories, essays, poems and children's classics, so I suppose I'm very "zen" without knowing it! ;) Happy Birthday, Melissa! Violet Crown ~ I've heard so many good reviews of Of Human Bondage recently. I'm moving it up my list! Jane in NC ~ I have The Golden Legend on my bookshelf. It is good enough to be worth me moving it up my list? It looks intriguing. Lady Florida ~ Eee gads, you're my type of reader! Look at all those classics! I'm sticking with Ulysses and am finding it ....... well, not enjoyable yet but perhaps unique ....??? I'm used to Virginia Woolf's stream-of-consciousness writing, so I've been able to flow with it and enjoy the lyrical quality of the prose. Part III was weird, but again, I just went with it. Something useful better start happening soon. I'm reading my blogger friend's chapter posts as I go along, so it's giving me an idea of the themes/references in each chapter for an improved Ulysses experience! :001_cool: Wow, so many of you are such voracious readers! I've only read two books so far this year, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift and Meditations by René Descartes. I gave both 5 stars.

Thanks so much for sharing this! I did a language reading challenge last summer and it was so interesting to compare translations. Actually, often it was rather sad to see how much is lost in translation, especially with poems. The different translations of this poem are excellent examples of what translators can choose to throw into relief or leave back in the shade.

Best of luck to you! I found that modern French novels, such as thrillers for example, aren't that difficult to read, but then again they can be not particularly well-written too. I'm going to stick with Le Petit Nicolas and I definitely have another Maupassant short story, Le Horla, scheduled for this year. I have a blogging friend who spent a year struggling through French books and now she reads them nearly as well as in English **** envy **** If you spend the time you see the results ...... now I just need to figure out where to get more time ..... ;)

What is it with these dry French instructors? I had to slog through Le Petit Prince and my instructor was sooooo serious. Sadly, my French is at the level of Le Petit Nicolas nowadays. One of my goals is to begin reading in it again, to improve it but somehow I don't seem to get around to it. I managed La Parure (The Necklace) by Maupassant last year, but so far, that's been about it.

Thanks for the tips! I received Marcus Aurelius' Meditations for Christmas and have it planned for later in the year. I've had Seneca recommended but it's not often I've heard of Epictetus. I'm impressed with your breadth of reading!

I know what you mean! You guys are a very chatty group, which is wonderful! This week I finished Gulliver's Travels and René Descartes' Meditations. Swift's satire was brilliant, but he certainly had a dark view of society. My brain almost exploded with Descartes, but I forced myself to understand (or vaguely understand) what he was saying, but when I got to the objections and replies, I was exhausted and didn't put in as much effort. I loved both reads. I enjoyed Swift's work much better than Voltaire's Candide, so my love of satire is restored! I didn't expect to be interested in philosophy but I am. Fancy that!

I'm glad to hear that it was such an enjoyable read! **** mentally moving it up on my booklist ***** I'm so envious of your live book group. The friendship first aspect I'm sure adds another wonderful dimension to your group. I would love to be part of a live group, but my tastes don't usually run to mainly mainstream fiction which is what most of the groups around here read. However, I won't give up and keep looking. Eventually perhaps something will come up.

Three Men in a Boat is one of my all-time favourites. Not only is his work hilarious, but he also creates wonderful descriptions of the places they visit. I still have to read his Three Men on the Brummel. I just finished Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow. His introduction had me chuckling: "What readers ask nowadays in a book is that it should improve, instruct, and elevate. This book wouldn't elevate a cow. I cannot conscientiously recommend it for any useful purpose whatever. All I can suggest is that when you get tired of reading 'the best hundred books', you may take this up for half an hour. It will be a change." :lol:

I'm a Canadian who dislikes Canadian literature too. I have plans to read Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale as I've heard good reviews and perhaps Guy Gavriel Kaye. I do like Robertson Davies, but for some reason most of the Canadian lit I've read has been very dark and/or depressing with very little redemptive qualities or life lessons, and I often come away with nothing but negative feelings. However, I'm hoping that my opinion of it will change and am always open to good recommendations! :)

I've heard wonderful things about The Luminaries. I just haven't be able to get to it yet, along with Unbroken. I think everyone will have read these books before I do! I really enjoyed both Don Quixote (although the first part more than the second) and Vanity Fair. I'm still learning to like audiobooks. I find that my attention wanders and I end up having to go back in the story, so I guess it's a skill that I'm learning to develop.

As for the books I have on-the-go for January: Persuasion - for a read-along The Plague - for a read-along Gulliver's Travels - just finishing up Orlando - with a Goodreads group Framley Parsonage - I'm hoping to continue the Barsetshire series this month Ulysses - tentatively following with a Goodreads group Descartes' Meditations - finishing up The History of the Medieval World - caving in to peer pressure :eek: but looking forward to it! Since some of the books are being spaced over a couple of months, the pace doesn't seem to be too bad. I'm loving Gulliver's Travels but poor Descartes thinks too much. :willy_nilly:

Aw, thanks, Eliana! :001_wub: I'm glad to be here too! You all are a lively bunch, and full of good book recommendations! I'm glad to meet another Shakespeare Fan. I'm slowly reading through his works and the Bard has completely surprised me. The plays I expected to like most, I like least and vice versa. So far, I think Richard II is my favourite. Go figure! Mind you, Rupert Graves' performance on the Archangel audiobook I'm sure increased my good opinion of it. :) The Pre-Printing Press Challenge is any book pre-1440. It's a nice, non-pressure challenge ..... I tend to gravitate more to those types. My most unusual challenge this year is the Deal Me In Challenge, where you are supposed to choose 52 short stories to read, list them to correspond to playing cards and then each week pick a card and read the story that corresponds. I changed the challenge a little by adding essays, poems and children's lit to the short stories. It's a great challenge because it gets me reading in areas where I always want to read, but tend never to get to, AND it doesn't take up too much time. I admire your world lit aspirations. I tried to do an Around-the-World challenge and didn't do well. Even with my European challenge, I only managed to read in 4 countries! I think I need to get through a few more mainstream classics before I start to branch out further. I did read Nadine Gordimer's July's People (South Africa), but wasn't that impressed. In any case, it's so interesting so see what everyone else is reading. I'm hope I can keep up with you all!

It was more just the style that reminded me of Woolf ..... too soon to tell about anything else. But at least there will be one thing with which I'm familiar! Whew! I like how your describe Woolf's work as soothing. I just loved reading her To The Lighthouse, although I think I was the only one who did in the Goodreads group who read it. Like you, I don't want to read references and commentaries that will pull me away from the actual book but I am going to use this blog for some reference. He has a number of posts that compare chapters/sections of Ulysses with the Odyssey. They're condensed enough that they won't take too long to read and hopefully will give me a better understanding.

Who knows ....... I may have a ton of questions and decide to jump right in. However, I suspect I'm going to have a hard enough time following Joyce to manage anything else. I've read a few pages, however, and am not feeling too overwhelmed. Fortunately, I think Virginia Woolf has paved the path to this read ---- I'm now used to zig-zagging mental digressions and bizarre flash thoughts. ;-) BTW, congrats on reading Moby Dick! It's on my list but not for this year. I loved Les Miserables! Valjean is one of my favourite all-time characters.

I'm going to read and follow along, Eliana, but I probably won't participate in the discussion. I love the group, but they have so many posts going on that if you leave for ½ a day, when you come back there are about 50 posts to read through. This book is going to be challenging enough for me, so a silent lurker I will be this time. It sounds like you're joining in .....??? If so, I'll be looking forward to your posts.

I usually follow along with this challenge from Robin's blog, linking my reviews, but I'm going try to post here too this year. I see a number of excellent plans going on. I can't wait to get started! ETA: As for my challenges, I'm going to do: 52 Books in 52 Weeks Jane Austen Project Reading England 2015 Back To The Classics 2015 Pre-Printing Press Challenge 2015 TBR Pile Challenge 2015 The Canterbury/Brubury Tales read Books in Translation Challenge 2015 Deal Me In Challenge 2015 And continued from last year: C.S. Lewis Project Don't gasp. I participated in 15 challenges last year, so I am slowly cutting back! ;-)

The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems is great and the illustrations marvellous! http://www.amazon.ca/The-Barefoot-Book-Classic-Poems/dp/1905236565

We've used Classical Writing right from Aesop and my daughter is finishing up with Herodotus presently. The wonderful thing about Classical Writing is that it's flexible. Once you get used to it, and used to your children's strengths and weaknesses with writing, you can add and drop segments and tailor it to fit your personal learning plan. We dropped the whole last part of Homer B because I thought that she had a good grasp of the concepts and that she'd get further practice on them in any case, and it never hurt her one bit. Have fun with your first foray into Aesop! It's a great place to start!

I think it touches on a number of themes that echo throughout humanity. Many of us can identity with Scrooge at various times of our lives ..... we've all pushed people away, lost sight of what is valuable in life and perhaps have sealed ourselves off from others, either physically or through our behaviour. We can identify with the Cratchitts, people who try to get through life and through their troubles with a positive outlook, an admirable dignity, and still care for those around them. We perhaps can identity with the sickness of Tiny Tim. But mostly, I think, the aspect of redemption that runs throughout the story is what resonates most. We ALL can have a second chance, no matter how battered we've been by life and no matter how bleak our outlook. And not only can we have that second chance, we can believe that there will be people there to receive us when we make that step ....... not to mention the wonderful effect we can have on others when we truly chose to look beyond ourselves. I find the story quite uplifting and lovely. I've just finished Dickens' The Chimes, and while it was not my favourite Christmas book by any means, it was interesting comparing it to A Christmas Carol. Again Dickens uses spirits to speak through the past. I'm wondering if he is choosing to do this to show how inexorably linked are the past, present and future, and how our actions in each one, help to form the others. It really expresses how important each human soul is in life. I hope your son and you can give it another try one day. Often with classics, they are not so easy the first time. It takes a diet of them before you can go, "oh, now I understand what's going on here!" All the best and have a wonderful Christmas season! ~ Cleo ~

I signed up with Saylor and was not impressed. I tried their pre-English course to see what it was like; their explanations were illogical, their answers were sometimes wrong, their examples were convoluted and their discussion boards were nearly inactive. If you had a question, it was students helping other students (or you'd get no response at all to your question). I'd recommend FutureLearn or edX. I just took a first year Shakespeare course and a fourth year Dante course through edX. They perhaps look intimidating because they're university courses, but my grade 10 dd could have easily done the Shakespeare course ..... the Dante required deeper thinking so her grade probably wouldn't have been as high, but she could have still taken it and benefited. Especially in the Shakespeare class, the TAs and the professor were very active in the discussion threads and gave very helpful feedback and information. They were both reasonably good courses. In my case, my main complaint was that in the Shakespeare class they tried to modernize everything, and the Dante class they tried to psychologize everything, but I think this approach is rather normal for mainstream universities, so it gives your student a taste of it in a venue where you're able to discuss it with them. When I took the edX classes, a number of students just raved about the FutureLearn courses (out of the UK), so I've signed up for a couple of those in January. There is a university writing course for ESL students that I'm considering having my dd take; it would give her a taste of university writing at a manageable pace. Hope that helps you a little!

Lattimore is the closest to the original and the most beautiful. Fitzgerald really "Fitzgeraldized" his translation (I believe C.S. Lewis has a lecture/essay on some of his "issues") and Fagles is more of a retelling than a translation. So it depends on your goals for this reading which is the best version. Here is an excellent response by Eliana (scroll down to message 12). She could read Homer in Greek at one point and her response really resonates. I also did an Odyssey read-along this year on my blog that may give you some helpful information. You can scroll to the very bottom to find the links for the different chapters. I hope he enjoys reading this truly wonderful classic! All the best!