Friederike in Persia Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I'm bored (not that there isn't lots of homework to do:eek:) and figured that this might be a good time to "pre-read" some of those classic books that my dcs will read later on. I've read some, but quite a lot of them not in English,... The list in the WTM is so long, could you suggest 5 or 6 of your favourite ones? Oh, and do you figure it's worth while to buy SWB's book on how to self-educate yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I like the Well Educated Mind as a starting point for re-reading the classics. It has different reading strategies for each genre and a list of good books to read. I resisted buying it for a long time with the assumption that it wasn't much different than other similar books I have read. I have now had it out three times from the library, so I think I should probably give others in my neighborhood a break and buy it. I am working through British Lit right now with my son. We are finishing Paradise Lost and starting Frankenstein I have Dickens novels coming up soon on the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lorna Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I would be tempted to read good adult books which deal with the subjects you will be studying together in the future. For example, Rebecca Fraser's 'A People's History of Britain', which your children won't read (until perhaps much later) but would give you a great background for answering questions on 'Our Island Story' and subjects such as the Tudors (as I see you are loosely following the British National Curriculum). Laura in China's suggestion of 'The Canon' by Nathalie Angier, where a New York Times science journalist asks the leading scientists of the day to say what they wished the public knew about science, is another excellent read (thanks, Laura!). Another one for science is Bill Bryson's 'A Short History of Nearly Everything'. Shakespeare's plays would be great to study too for familiarity and future discussions. These sorts of books help give one confidence and equip one for all those inevitable questions. I love to read biographies of people I admire, such as C S Lewis. I concentrate particularly on their childhoods to try a glean what made the difference in their lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Central TX Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Here are the ones that I would recommend: Homer's Iliad Homer's Odyssey Vergil's Aeneid Dante's Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatory, & Paradise) It seems that an allusion to any of these 4 works has come up many times in our literature studies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nissi Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas, Chosen and other novels by Chaim Potok, Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, and Chesterton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friederike in Persia Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 sounded like a load of quotes lined up after one another. Could you suggest a specific book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in GA Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Have you read Orthodoxy? It's definitely not light reading, but gets you to look at worldviews in a new way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in GA Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Beowulf (Seamus Heaney translation) Jane Eyre Moby Dick -- this one is worth sticking with! Pride and Prejudice Crime and Punishment Don Quixote would also be a good choice, but I have to admit I only got halfway through and moved on. So many good novels, and so little time!! :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nissi Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Try "Father Brown"- English Mystery series featuring a priest as the detective. Different from Sherlock Holmes but equally stimulating! Enjoy! Nissi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 For Chesterton's fiction: - Father Brown mysteries - Club of Queer Trades (tongue in cheek poke at Sherlock Holmes) - The Man Who Was Thursday For Chesterton non-fiction, a collection of his essays can be nice -- they are so short you could read one a day. Warm regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soph the vet Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Beowulf and Don Quixote are two favorites. Anything Shakespeare or Mark Twain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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