Finished my October spooky read (I gave up on Coraline): 55. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (audiobook) - I thought it a rather bizarre, but compelling story. I loved the descriptions of the labyrinth under the opera house. Nope. If I ever get to travel to Great Britain or anywhere else in Europe, I don't think I'll be reading much (except maybe on the planes/trains). There's so much I want to see!

Recently finished: 50. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - I'm reading the series to dd. So far she is loving it, but I'm just so-so... 51. A Glorious Age in Africa: The Story of Three Great African Empires by Daniel Chu and Eliot Skinner - We're learning about Africa in our homeschool, and I wanted to read this before assigning to dd. It was a good intro to a time and place I didn't know much about. 52. The Iliad by Homer (audiobook) - Amazing! Forgot to add: I'm reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman, but I'm not sure it's my cup of tea. I'll give it a bit longer. I was also wondering if The Woman in White would qualify as a scary read - looks like it might by the description.

I had Murder on the Orient Express waiting on my mp3 player, so I decided to join the Agatha Christie mini-challenge. I watched the movie years ago, so I remembered the gist of the plot, but not many details. David Suchet's narration was excellent. I've picked The Phantom of the Opera and Neil Gaiman's Coraline for my scary October reads. I considered reading Frankenstein, but I'm not really in the mood - maybe next year.

Christopher Perrin's repeated endorsements of the book during his lectures and videos pushed me over the edge. I actually don't have my copy anymore, though I want to get another at some point. I was reading it at my parents' place and my brother-in-law saw it laying around and was looking at it. I found out he likes reading philosophy, so when I was finished I gave it to him as a sort of belated birthday present. :D

I haven't posted for awhile, but I have been reading. 43. The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (audiobook) - I didn't like this collection as much as the other Sherlock Holmes stories I've read, but I did enjoy Derek Jacobi's narration. 44. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - This was a read-aloud with my dd. Now I know why my mom freaked out during the murder scene when my dad read it to her years ago. We watched a BBC version afterwards, but skipped that part! 45. Sun Horse, Moon Horse by Rosemary Sutcliff - I read this for the first time a couple of years ago, and wanted to re-read it. It's a beautifully-written and heart-wrenching imagining of how the White Horse of Uffington might have been made. 46. Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic - Another re-read of a favorite book. :) 47. Leisure The Basis of Culture (and The Philosophical Act) by Josef Pieper - Not easy reading - I found myself going over parts of it, trying to figure out exactly what he was saying - but very good. Gave me a hankering to read more philosophical stuff. :) 48. Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry - This was also a re-read, as I read many of Henry's books as a horse-crazy girl. This time I read it aloud to my oldest ds.

Here's another post from Linda at Higher Up and Further In that I've been pondering lately: http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/2013/07/you-dont-need-composition-program.html?utm_source=pulsenews&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FHUFI+%28Higher+Up+and+Further+In%29 These ladies do some formal instruction in the high school years (Cindy uses The Lost Tools of Writing and Linda mentions using online sources in the comments), but they delay at least in part to let the child absorb the styles of great writers and find their own writing style. I also think it's probably easier to teach some of these thing when they're older. But I'm just muddling through this writing issue myself, and I appreciate hearing from ladies with older kids, like you, 8. :) It seems that every writing program I look at or try isn't a good fit - too much, too scripted, etc. I think it's coming down to educating myself so I can teach my kids more organically without relying on a program. And that's no easy task with little ones around! :P

Finished this week: #40 The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Shaeffer - Encouraging and practical. The last chapter alone was worth 5 stars! #41 A Room with a View by E. M. Forster - My first book by him. It had me chuckling at some points and feeling a bit lost at others. #42 The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (audiobook) - Another author I'd never read. I had this in my Audible queue, and Robin's post was just the motivation I needed to give it a listen (and the fact that it was pretty short :) ). It was sad, but beautifully written, though it got a bit too descriptive for my tastes a few times.

Finished recently: #37 Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly - a new cozy mystery set in County Cork, Ireland. It was a fairly quick and enjoyable read, though the way it all turned out seemed a bit implausible, and I didn't really like the main character. But I think I might try the next in the series when it comes out. #38 Building Her House: Commonsensical Wisdom for Christian Women by Nancy Wilson - I found this collection of short essays very encouraging. #39 The Code of the Woosters: Jeeves to the Rescue by P. G. Wodehouse (audiobook) - Bertie's misadventures always make me smile, and I love Jonathan Cecil's renditions of the various characters, especially Jeeves.

My map and animal-loving ds will love this! Thanks for posting!

Here's what I've finished in the past couple of weeks: #32 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (audiobook) - She had me guessing right up to the end with this one - quite a shocking twist! #33 The King's Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi (audiobook) - It was interesting to learn more about Lionel Logue and how he helped King George VI overcome his speech difficulties. The audio version includes an actual recording of one of the king's speeches. #34 The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon - This book really helps you to see what it was like for women during the Taliban takeover in Afganistan, and the story of how one woman overcame the difficulties in order to provide for her family and help others was uplifting. #35 How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig - I learned so much about Shakespeare's plays and am inspired to start memorizing the suggested passages with my kids. :) #36 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien - This was a read-aloud with my oldest ds. He loved the movie and wanted to read the book, which I think he really enjoyed as well.

Finished in the last few weeks: #28 For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay - A great intro to Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy, and a good refresher, too. #29 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (audiobook) - Fun and well-written, though I wasn't too enamored of some of Flavia's behavior (repeated lying, etc.). I was kind of hoping it was something I would feel comfortable letting my dd listen to, but not so. #30 Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys by Hal and Melanie Young - Excellent book, and just the encouragement I needed with boy #4 due very soon! #31 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - This was a read-aloud with the kids which they enjoyed very much. :)

I bought an Arrow bundle from HSBC last week. If you look in "My Subscriptions" in your account, under Brave Writer: The Arrow, it should say, "You need: the Arrow Guidlines", with a link to download them. HTH I also downloaded TWJ and am slowly reading and digesting it. Very practical and encouraging so far. :)

Finished this week: #26 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I'd never read this before, and the Audible recording narrated by Jake Gyllenhaal was (and still is) only $4.86, so I decided to try it out. Fitzgerald's prose is exquisite, and really drew me in, though I found the story itself rather disturbing (but also thought-provoking). #27 A Landscape with Dragons: The Battle for Your Child's Mind by Michael D. O'Brien - lots of food for thought here, too. And a long book list at the end (always a plus for a book-loving, homeschooling mom). :)

Finished a few more this week: #23 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin - A read-aloud with dd. A good story of finding contentment with what we have. #24 Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun by Rhoda Blumberg - DD read this when learning about Japan, and I decided to read it myself after reading an interesting blog post on the subject a couple of weeks ago. The author seemed to be quite balanced in her treatment of both sides (Japan and the United States). A good intro to an event I didn't know much about. #25 The Tempest by William Shakespeare - Skimming through Isaac Asimov's commentary (in Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare - sadly out of print but available used) aided my understanding and appreciation of it. Are there any good movie versions?

:iagree: I read this about six weeks ago, and it will definitely be in my top ten for the year. I finished another very challenging, but very good book yesterday: The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield (thanks to ladydusk's and Mystie's positive reviews). And I finshed reading The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling to the kids today.

I may have to give up on my 5/5/5 challenge ths year. I've read 1 in the Canadian category, 3 in the British mystery category, 2 in the biography/autobiography category and 0 in the other two (dusty classics and dusty inspirational). I keep finding other books, either already on my shelf, at the library, or to buy that I'm more interested in reading right now! :p Also, dd is studying the Eastern Hemisphere and Africa this year, and I'm trying to read about at least some of the countries/areas she is, so I think I might be able to complete the Continental challenge. I've definitely got Europe covered already, and Anne of Green Gables and maybe one other count for North America. Just have to squeeze in at least one for South America and one for Antarctica at some point... I think there's a few on my completed list that fit in the dusty or inspirational categories as well, and I hope to read at least a few more of each. And if I can wade through Les Mis, I'll have completed at least one chunky book. :)

Finished this week: #19 Unnatural Death by Dorothy Sayers (audiobook) - Interesting and entertaining, and I liked the narrator. I did not appreciate the racism and anti-Semitism displayed from time to time (common back then, I know, but that doesn't make it right), and was a bit annoyed at Wimsey and Parker for not "cluing in" to the culprit as soon as I thought they should have ;). #20 Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick - Several of you here recommended this book - thank you! I learned so much about North Korea's history, culture and politics. Fascinating and heartbreaking.

Four more finished up over the past few days: #15 A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters (audiobook) - Enjoyed the medieval Welsh setting and trying to figure out "who dunnit". My second British mystery for the 5/5/5 challenge. #16 How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill - Read this in honor of St. Patrick's Day and my hubby's Irish ancestry. :) I found it quite fascinating, and it inspired some further additions to my ever-growing to-read list. #17 Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson - Some good encouragement for tired and overwhelmed moms (and I often find myself in that category!). #18 Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - Just finished reading this to dd. What can I say - a beautifully-written story. Of course, being Canadian-born, I may be a bit biased. ;) I identified with her dreamy idealism as a teen, and still do (but I didn't share her talkativeness or knack for getting into scrapes :D ).

Finished up two more today: #13 The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great by Benjamin Merkle - DS and I were reading about Alfred the Great in Our Island Story and I wanted to learn more, which I certainly did from this book. One of the things was that Alfred didn't actually learn to read his mother's poetry book (the story according to OIS), but got someone else to read it to him until he had memorized it. One wonders if the story was changed a bit in order to inspire children to want to learn to read. ;) #14 Very Good, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (audiobook) - Love that British humor. :D I, too, enjoyed Cecil's rendition, particularly as his voices for Jeeves and Bertie sounded very much like Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in the TV series. I think they could stand alone, but would probably be best read in order, as there are references to earlier events. I had already watched the TV series, so was familiar with many of the characters and story lines already. ETA: Here's a list on Amazon of the books in order.

Three more books finished over the last two weeks or so: #10 Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John - A wonderful read-aloud with my kids. #11 The Consequences of Ideas by R. C. Sproul - My favorite theologian's overview of the history of philosophy. #12 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - This will be on my top ten for the year, for sure. I had put off reading it because I knew it would be pretty intense, and I ended up getting the audiobook even though we already owned the hardcover, as I thought it would help me get through the difficult parts. Amazing story, highly recommended.

IMO, Jeremy Brett was the ultimate Sherlock Holmes - I can't bring myself to watch the new series. :D The series he starred in, filmed back in the '80s, was based very closely on the books.

I'm in! SunnyDays, your post reminded me that I have Wendell Berry's Bringing It to the Table on my bookshelf (Michael Pollan wrote the intro). I finished an audiobook yesterday: #9 Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer - I'm sorry to say it's the first book on my Goodreads list to earn a 2 star rating. Disappointing, as I enjoyed Cotillian so much last year.

Finished one and dropped one: #8 Evening in the Palace of Reason by James R. Gaines - Great book! I gained a better understanding of Bach, his music and the time he lived in, and iTunes is happy about all the music I purchased in order to listen to many of the pieces he mentioned in the book. I gave up on The Great Tradition. Plato and I weren't getting along, and I just don't have the brainpower and patience to tackle it right now. Hopefully someday, when I'm not pregnant and/or sleep-deprived...

Me too - just started it this afternoon! :) It's been sitting on my shelf since shortly after Ladydusk read and recommended it last year. I also read the preface to What the Dog Saw last night - it was recommended by my mom and sisters, from whom I borrowed it when visiting at Christmas. Looks interesting, but I think I'll probably be taking it a little at a time. I'm also going to join those of you who have or are reading Les Miserables. Last week, I started Heyer's Lady of Quality on audio. So far I'm not really loving it, but I'll give it a chance, as Cotillion took me a while to get into and I ended up really enjoying it. And all of that doesn't include the two read-alouds I have going and The Great Tradition which I really need to get back to... Lots of reading to look forward to! :D

#6 A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare #7 The Duggars: 20 and Counting by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar