Very similar is "In Search of a Homeland"--a retelling of the Aenaid.

I think you have gotten good advice. But I think waiting until high school is going to mess with the children's ability to understand a lot of reading earlier than that. English literature that is written before about 1965 or maybe even a little later assumes knowledge of the Bible, and alludes to it a lot, usually without attribution because the familiarity is so widely assumed. Also, it's the King James Version that was in widespread use before that, so the language is older, more formal, and quite specific. I grew up going to Lutheran schools where Bible verse memorization was

I finished another book, one that I had been looking at off and on for quite a while. It is "Reconciling All Things" by Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice. For the longest time, my favorite Christian book about race has been "Grace Matters", a deeply personal story of a well-intentioned white man dipping his foot (a bit condescendingly, which he repents of, but with good intentions) into the waters of racial justice and community renewal in the Deep South, and ending up gaining as much or more than he gave, staying for a very long time, spiritually growing remarkably, and changing h

It’s funny, I read so much but I have not been finishing books this year. I keep dipping briefly into ones I have already read, not entirely rereading them, and then moving on. However, I realized that this week, sort of inadvertently, I finished one that I have been going through slowly for quite a long time. “God of All Comfort” by Donna Pyle. This book is in a genre that I often find very annoying—women’s Bible studies. Many of them tend to assume a middle class housewife lifestyle, or are very fluffy. I do not want to spend my Bible study time on a book that analogizes truths w

I finished another book, one that I had been looking at off and on for quite a while. It is "Reconciling All Things" by Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice. For the longest time, my favorite Christian book about race has been "Grace Matters", a deeply personal story of a well-intentioned white man dipping his foot (a bit condescendingly, which he repents of, but with good intentions) into the waters of racial justice and community renewal in the Deep South, and ending up gaining as much or more than he gave, staying for a very long time, spiritually growing remarkably, and changing h

Some parts of CA have banned short stay rentals. I know this only because locally a vacation resort is renting their condos by the month right now, normally daily or weekly, because it’s the only way they can legally get any revenue out of them at all. Unfortunately the rules seem to be kind of a mishmash from one location to another, and it’s hard to get definitive information.

The tripods books are now called YA but being from the 1960s they are more clean than not. Written by John Christopher, I think they were pretty engaging when I was a teenager, and I enjoyed returning to them as an adult.

Tales From the White Hart by Arthur C Clarke is good like that. Also Childhood’s End. Enchantress from the Stars is outstanding, and there is a lot to discuss from it. What was that Sci FI series with the Tripods? Those would be good about now, too. If you were willing to have him read older adult books, there is a series of American political novels by Drury that I have been meaning to reread that I think would fit the bill. The first one is Advise and Consent. There are 5 or 6 in total.

Any particular reason you are looking for newer books? I ask because I have noticed that for the middle school years, older fiction tends to stay relatively ‘clean’ but with challenging sentence construction and vocabulary so it doesn’t feel childish. 10-15 years back, Literary Lessons From The Lord of The Rings was very popular for that age, partly for that reason. (I’m old, LOL.). It might still be worth a look. Older Newbery award winners are also good choices for this age, including the Chronicles of Prydain, which is a 5 book sequence that culminates in The High King, a Newb

I did like Lori D, except more loosely. I made it a rule that Dd could read in bed as long as she wanted. No electronics, just books. Every night. Wow did that work well.

I thought Kormarov was only plus sized, but I guess not. Here’s a large that looks stunning and is a very good value: https://www.nordstrom.com/s/komarov-floral-lace-up-back-chiffon-charmeuse-gown/5665906?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FBrands%2FKomarov&color=amethyst rose I think you mentioned navy blue: https://www.nordstrom.com/s/komarov-beaded-neck-three-quarter-sleeve-a-line-dress/5750057?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FBrands%2FKomarov&color=moroccan blue

If you are plus sized, Kormorov is my go to for things like this. I can always find a skimming, flattering dress that is not too bridal and not too funereal in just about any color scheme I need. I buy them on clearance from Nordstrom or the Nordstrom Rack. To me they are pricy but I still have the first one I bought, now 10-11 years old, and it’s a timeless enough style that it still looks great, so the price per wear is actually pretty low.

It’s funny, I read so much but I have not been finishing books this year. I keep dipping briefly into ones I have already read, not entirely rereading them, and then moving on. However, I realized that this week, sort of inadvertently, I finished one that I have been going through slowly for quite a long time. “God of All Comfort” by Donna Pyle. This book is in a genre that I often find very annoying—women’s Bible studies. Many of them tend to assume a middle class housewife lifestyle, or are very fluffy. I do not want to spend my Bible study time on a book that analogizes truths w

I pm’d you through our old thread. I think it will work if you reply there.

Yes, I do. It’s the kind with slats on a frame, and because our new mattress required something underneath to avoid losing the warranty, we got a Bucky board to go over it, because it’s only 5 inches deep, not thick like a box spring. I can’t tell the difference honestly. I’m told that when the mattress starts to break down it will feel like a hard base, but I’m good with that for the esthetics of not having a combo mattress and box spring that is too high to get into without a little hop.