Happy Friday and welcome to our new series Together We Read. Would you consider yourself a bibliophile and/or perhaps a librocubicularist? (A bibliophile is a person who collects or has a great love of books and a librocubicularist is the sesquipedalian [polysyllabic] way to say “someone who reads in bed”. Isn’t learning fun?) Do you have an ever-growing stack of books on your nightstand? How about your kids – do they devour books so fast that you can’t seem to keep them well-stocked with reading material? Perhaps you would not consider yourself a bookworm but you are ready to challenge yourself to read more. Or maybe your kids are still discovering a love for reading? Either way, these posts are for you! Our school theme this year is Together and SLO Classical Academy is a community that values quality literature. Reading is essential to a passion for life-long learning. So it only makes sense that when looking for our next read or a page-turning series for our kids, that we should look to each other for trusted recommendations.
A few weeks back we asked our SLOCA community to fill in a survey all about the books they and their family enjoy. In this Together We Read blog series we will be sharing their answers with you. We hope that this will not only be fun but that it will also be an excellent resource to you. We have linked each title to Amazon as a quick reference, but don’t judge a book by its cover, and don’t forget to check the school bookstore, The Den, for some of these titles, as well as the school library and your local library.
Want to share your favorites? Our survey is still open for new submissions. We would love to hear from you! Click HERE!
This week we are sharing with you what those in the SLOCA community are currently reading. We hope you’ll find something new to add to your stack!
Recent Reads – Adults
- Laurie Fletes: Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa TerKeurst — It is a really good book to help heal your soul.
- Deena Eschenbach: We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter — For education and a better understanding of those who have suffered persecution and loss.
- Tracy Wick: The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni.
- Jill Richert: Moby Dick by Herman Melville — I was inspired to re-read this classic after hearing my highschooler’s enthusiastic commentary after reading it for English class last year.
- Sarah Ryan: How to Talk to Kids so They Listen and How to Listen so Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish.
- Andria McGhee: Becoming by Michelle Obama — I chose this because she is an inspiring woman who has worked hard from little money to positively influence the lives of many, especially the less fortunate. Also, The Teenage Brain by Frances E. Jensen & Amy Ellis Nutt — I started realizing that I do not know enough about teenage development so I am getting some information as my oldest is growing into those years.
- Morgan White: The Giver of Stars — Book Club choice!
- Rebekah Venturini: I Want to be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom — I love the author and I saw her interviewed on Late Night with Seth Meyers. She read an excerpt and I had to get the book because I needed more of it.
- Jennifer Martinez: Essentialism by Greg McKeown — make better use of my time/resources.
- Wendy Shaw Dahl: A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson — I loved his newest book, The Body, A Guide for Occupants. It was my first Bill Bryson book and so well done, now I want to read all his works.
- Vanessa Stringham: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes — It is the prequel to the Hunger Games series, which I enjoyed.
- Stephanie Ridley: Breaking Bread with the Dead by Alan Jacobs — I am reading this because it reminds us of the importance of classical literature and discusses how to approach it. Raising Human Beings by Ross W. Greene Ph.D. — I am reading this one because I want to have as many tools in my pocket for parenting and teaching as I can. The Sword and the Shield by Peniel E. Joseph — I have always been intrigued by the way the goals and methods of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. diverged and converged and I wanted more insight about it.
- Sharon Cumberland: Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (Audiobook). Both of these are classics that I have never read and wanted to read.
Recent Reads – Students
If the student’s grade was provided it is in parentheses.
- Laurie Fletes: The Chronicle of Narina books by C.S. Lewis (8th grade).
- Deena Eschenbach: On the Far Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (5th grade).
- Tracy Wick: Twenty One Balloons by William Pene du Bois.
- Jill Richert: The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, McBroom’s One Acre Farm by Sid Fleischman (2nd), Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar, Hans Christian Andersen Original Tales, The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (5th), End of the Spear by Steve Saint, Basic Electronics (7th) How to Be an Atheist – Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes (11th).
- Sarah Ryan: Whatever After by Sarah Mlynowski (Primary)
- Andria McGhee: The Hounds of Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. My child says: “It’s really cool how he makes decisions based on observations that you think would be normal but don’t end up being normal.”
Wildwood by Colin Meloy – “It’s cool how there is a whole other civilization in the story.”
Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson – The book that follows Chains. This is a wonderful series that gives an up-close look into what it was like during the time of the American Revolution and what it was like to a person in slavery.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls is fantastic in that it shows diligence, and pride in work that you love. It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking which is what happens in life. It has its ups and downs but it is very worth the tough journey. - Morgan White: The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen (20 months)
- Rebekah Venturini: Little Fox and the Wild Imagination by Jorma Taccone (3rd grade)
- Jennifer Martinez: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (3rd grade), Bob Books (Kindergarten)
- Wendy Shaw Dahl: Dune by Frank Herbert (12th grade)
- Vanessa Stringham: Bob Books – (Preschool – starting to read!)
- Stephanie Ridley: My 2nd grader wants all the historical fiction books right now. He goes through them so fast (but then also rereads) that I cannot even name them.
- Sharon Cumberland: The Owl Diaries by Rebecca Elliot (1st grade) The Ashtown Burials series by N.D. Wilson (6th grade).
Thank you to all that filled in our survey! You too can be a part of our fun posts by filling in our survey. Click HERE!
Tell us what are you currently reading and/or what are your kids reading in the comments below! And be sure to check back in for our next Together We Read post where we will be sharing everyone’s favorite books and more.
