I would like to use our Kindle for some titles, but I don't want an unreadable translation. Can anyone comment on the best versions of these - if they are even available in updates from the old english. Utopia, Thomas More? Faerie Queene, Edmund Spenser?

I edited the op with final list. Anyone else have suggestions. I feel better about things, this seems more her level. I will have to read along to discuss now though!

I was going to assign D'Aulaire's Norse Myths and part 7 of Hamilton's Mythology. Which saga would you recommend? Which translation of Nibelungenlied or Volsung Saga is most readable for example?

I have dozens of ma and renaissance books and my 8th grade daughter is not challenged by or enjoying many historical fiction middle grade titles. I'm considering making a pared down MUST READ list. She can pick and choose what looks good to them after that. I will use Omnibus and Invitation to the Classics for readers when they apply. Included some mediocre historical fiction titles she has already read from my huge list, but disliked. Pared down reading list Spines: □Famous Men of the Middle Ages □First Book of Barbarian Invadors, Donald Sobol □An Island Story, H.E. Marshall □Invitation to the Classics □Young People’s Story of Art: Painting, Sculpture and Architecture □Fire Upon the Earth, Norman Langford □Trial and Triumph, Richard Hannula □Middle Ages: Cultural Atlas for Young People □How Should We Then Live, Francis Schaeffer □Story of Liberty, Charles Coffin □Famous Men of the Renaissance and Reformation □Renaissance and Reformation Times, Dorothy Mills □This Country of Our, H.E. Marshall Middle Ages: □D’Aulaire’s Book of Norse Myths, Ingri and Edward D'Aulaire □Part seven of Mythology by Edith Hamilton □Volsung Saga □White Stag, Kate Seredy □Beowulf with audio □King Arthur, Roger Lancelyn Green □Sir Gawain and the Green Knight □A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain □Song of Roland □Arabian Nights, Kate Douglas Wiggin □Shadow Spinner □Little Duke, Charlotte Yonge on Kindle □Viking Quest series for fun □Anna of Byzantium, Tracey Barrett □Midwife's Apprentice, Karen Cushman □The Star and the Sword, Pam McInikoff □Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott (maybe) - 500 pages □The Magna Charta, James Daugherty □Adventures of Robin Hood, Roger Lancelyn Green □Adam of the Road, Elizabeth Jane Gray □Scottish Chiefs, Jane Porter □The White Company, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle □The Canterbury Tales, abridged and unabridged but translated Renaissance: □Rats Bulls and Flying Machines □Divine Comedy, Dante □w/ Ascent to Love, Peter Leithart □The Black Arrow, Robert Louis Stevenson □Faerie Queen book 1, Edmund Spenser □The Prince, Machiavelli □The Agony and Ecstacy, Irving Stone □Foxe's Book of Martyrs - selections □Here I Stand, Roland Bainton □Bondage of the Will, Martin Luther □Utopia, Sir Thomas More □This Was John Calvin, Thea Van Halsema □Institutes of Christian Religion, Calvin (selections) □Trumpeter of Krakow, Eric Kelly □Keniliworth, Sir Walter Scott □Tales from Shakespeare, Charles and Mary Lamb □Shakespeare plays, selected □dvds of plays □Shakespeare Stealer trilogy, by Gary Blackwood for fun Reference/picture books/fun books: Cultural Atlas Middle Ages Life in the Middle Ages, Jay Williams Landmark Giant Life in the Middle Renaissance, Marzieh Gail Landmark GIant Eyewitness: Middle Ages Vikings Knights Renaissance Da Vinci and His Times Diane Stanley Leonardo Da Vinci Michelangelo David Macaulay Ship Castle Cathedral Mike Venezia Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists series Carolyn Meyer (library) □Duchessina a novel of Catherine de Medici □Mary Bloody Mary □Beware Princess Elizabeth □Patience Princess Catherine □Doomed Queen Anne □Loving Will Shakespeare More than enough right? She could maybe even pare down this list, not to mention all the books (Bethlehem Press and Hentys!) on our shelves I'm guilting her into reading bc she skipped them during her grammar level. My 6th grade son read Augustine goes to Kent in two days and liked it, but is that the best use of her time in 8th grade? History reading counts as literature for us - though she is also doing LLoLotR. Btw, we own all of these or on our Kindles. Any thoughts?

http://news.consumerreports.org/health/2012/09/fda-illinois-attorney-general-find-levels-of-arsenic-in-rice-comparable-to-consumer-reports-findings.html I priced some of their lowest arsenic ranked rice - Archer Farms (Target) and Lundberg Organic White Basmati - way to expensive. I'm switching to cheap Aldi white rice for now, bc white has such lower levels than brown in general. The arsenic is absorbed in the outer layer mostly. Just wondering. We eat brown rice 2x a week, so I feel the switch is justified and will up the fiber difference elsewhere. I regret all the rice cereal my children ate, but it is too late now. Anyone else concerned?

Thanks for your input. My daughter is in 8th grade though. I think part of it is I'm trying to get her to read all the middle grade readers that she missed during the grammar MA. She's beyond it in some ways reading level wise, but doesn't like gritty MA context. She loves her spines - Famous Men, Island Story and Middle Ages by Mills. It is her readers she can't stand!

My daughter hates different books I pick out and is pokey about finishing them. When I read them after to see what the problem is, I usually understand where she is coming from. I didn't have time to pre read every choice before I made my list! Anna of Byzantium- this one is on a lot of homeschoollists but is pretty dark.... King Arthur, Roger Lancelyn Green - violent Midwife's Apprentice - Karen Cushman, she thought it was almost dystopian and "wierd" I'm dreading assigning many of the Bethlehem titles we own or Shadow Spinner (about a harem and didn't pre read). She is also doing LLoLotR and loves that. I'm trying The King's Shadow next and we have the Viking Quest series. I think these will be uplifting. Does anyone else run into this problem? What to do! Does anyone else run into these problems?

I have lots of books - historical fiction and many of the "great books" listed in Omnibus and WTM. So, either category that would be good read out loud. Thanks!

Middle Ages: Beowulf - we have the cd of Seamus Heaney's tranlation Adam of the Road - I'll read aloud Renaissance: Lamb's Shakespeare stories - select watch several plays My children listen horribly to read alouds - they tune me out! They are both totally visual learners but I don't want them to be weak auditory for college lectures... So, I want to minimize how many read alouds, yet read a couple each semester. I just need one more Renaissance rec then we are good... Thanks!

I wanted something more uplifting after Casual Vacancy but my library holds came in: Gone Girl (p. 120 so far and good, but too many cusswords, like CV) Unbroken - my husband's favorite book the Winter Sea by Susannah Kearsley on my Kindle from library

I've been reading more reviews, and I just read an very interesting one. Maybe the "likeable" character I never found was meant to be Barry Fairbrother - (even his name is symbolic of that). However, the reviewer also concludes with "There's not enough redemption in The Casual Vacancy for my taste." I agree... http://www.booksandculture.com/articles/webexclusives/2012/october/casual-vacancy.html

Yes, that is what was so depressing about it...

Thanks, my 7th grader is doing LLfLOtR - so that is covered! I have Arabian Nights by Kate Douglas Wiggins on my Kindle - do you have another translation/adaptation in mind?

Thank you! I read-aloud Door in the Wall in the grammar stage. We loved that. Does anyone know if Adam of the Road is a good read-aloud?

For a 7th grade girl and 5th grade boy. I have tons of books, but I'm terrible at choosing which ones are best to read out loud. For example - Beorn the Proud was not a great read-aloud in the grammar stage, but good book. :)

Just finished it. Dark and depressing. The characters become well developed - which is surprising for so many characters. I don't mind a gritty storyline as long as at least one of the characters is likeable. But, in the end no one is. I need to read reviews now that I'm done. Is she saying this is the human condition? We are all wretched hypocrites. We are incapable of unconditional love - or if we even bother to try, we mess it up horribly. Very depressed. I'll have to choose my next book carefully!

Praying for you.:grouphug:

My kids read the entire series this summer (me too) at ages 11 and 13. I can't imagine stopping a year for the next book!

could it be salmonella from the Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Target peanut butter recall? http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57523769/us-peanut-butter-recall-expands-to-more-stores-including-whole-foods-target/

I'm only on page 30 but wow - I am not liking it. I'm not reading reviews online until I'm done. It seems to be like reading the world of the Dursleys without any of the warmth, suspense, and love of HP. It is a total bummer to read. Btw, I hate cuss words in books....

I am surprised bc she is a humanities lover mostly - but told me yesterday she would like to look into careers and college majors for these subjects. I see atmospheric science and various environmental and civil engineering? as possibilities. I'm out of my depth on what to google next. Other ideas? Thanks!

This is very helpful - thanks... I will not "grade" homework, but I will insist on showing all steps - nothing done in her head. I think I will come up with a way to count mid chapter quizzes and homework as part of her grade - but the chapter tests will definately count for the vast majority. After reading the Chalkdust link I posted earlier I think I have a better idea on how to grade. I really benefitted from everyone's comments too...

Has he seen an cardiac electrophysiologist? Had a tilt table exam workup? What happened? Is he on meds for this besides upping salt and potassium? Florinef? Toprol? Definately not diagnoses to be skeptical of! I hope you get more help soon.

I should have just bought it at a bookstore... Sigh... Did anyone else preorder? Does your account say shipped yet?

I found this http://www.chalkdust.com/testmeasure.html I need to read through it carefully tonight. One problem I have is that if she makes one mistake in a long solution I count the entire problem wrong. The quizzes have about 26 problems so she gets a low B when she misses a few. Chalkdust recommends assigning a problem a value of 5 points total and each careless error within would be minus 1 point. He says grading math quizzes and tests is more of an art than a science. I'm still confused, and I think the idea is to be a bit subjective in grading. I can also weigh in homework with work shown correctly or even plan extra credit if I want. I like grading to be very objective, so this is difficult to get used to...