2024 Reading List

It wouldn't feel like a new year without a fresh new list of books to read. Most of the books on my list this year have been recommended to me by a friend, a blogger, an article, or one of my own children. 

Fifteen of my choices are sequels or additional books written by authors who I have already enjoyed. Too often I have "saved" these books for some future date when I have time to be frivolous. But it isn't frivolous to enjoy what you enjoy. Maybe it is even necessary and healthy!

On to the list . . . 

2023 in Reading: Did not finish!

2023 was my fourth year of creating a reading list for myself. It was my second year of writing my own list without any reference to a reading challenge.

Before I tell you how I did, let's review:

• In 2022, I completed my reading challenge
• In 2021, I completed my reading challenge
• In 2020, I completed my reading challenge
• In 2019, I read 36 books without any reading goals

6th Grade Homeschool Plans, 2023-2024

After last year's strengths-based approach, John is ready to take on a few more challenges, especially in terms of reading, spelling, and language mechanics. We've been easing into our new schedule and so far so good.

Here is what I've planned for John this year.

8th Grade Homeschool Plans, 2023-2024

Long gone are the days when I would have all my homeschool planning done at the beginning of summer and write these posts out way in advance. Haha! As the kids get older, our lives are so much fuller of activities and plans and travel and just talking to each other. 

I don't mind, really. It is good for me to embrace letting go of doing things perfectly. Or even doing things imperfectly but on my ideal schedule. 

But I thought I'd see just how quickly I could sketch out our homeschool plans for this year. First up, plans for Peter who is in 8th grade.

Across This Land Video List - 100+ Geography Videos about the U.S. and Canada

My oldest son loves geography. He loves maps and he loves learning about new places. He has devoured every living geography book that I have ever given him. He particularly enjoyed reading Halliburton's Book of Marvels and loves the video companions by Wonder + Wildness.

When I was planning his 7th grade homeschool year, I asked him what subject he wanted to study and was not surprised that he chose geography. Because he loves geography and retains information easily, I knew he would prefer something that was very in-depth and didn't repeat information that he already knew.

Fortunately, I happened to watch the Alveary's preview of the 2022-2023 curriculum where I learned about the college regional geography textbook Across This Land by John C. Hudson. I bought an older edition for $6.89 and got it for free with a Thriftbooks free book credit.

Second Grade Homeschool Snapshot, 2022-2023

Sylvia learns best when she learns on her own. I often wish she was more open to learning from me, but she has grown more open to it this year so progress is being made. I have gotten the best results by relaxing and encouraging her rather than trying to control her school day. 

I did require math and reading daily in small amounts, plus morning time. Before and after those were done Sylvia either played or crafted. Every day she would enroll her brothers in fort building, dress up, or some other kind of imaginative play for hours and hours inside and outside. When she tired of that, she worked on her many projects. 

Fifth Grade Homeschool Snapshot, 2022-2023

John loves to play and think and build. When he has the day to himself, he stays in bed until 9am or later daydreaming, plays with his younger siblings for several hours, then tinkers with his many projects while listening to fiction audiobooks.

He is a methodical thinker and likes to work at his own pace without rushing. This year, he took responsibility for a simple daily schedule that revolved around math, reading, and morning time plus his many projects and some audiobooks. Although the relaxed pace sometimes seemed too minimalistic, it provided a lot of space for the play and tinkering that he loves. 

Seventh Grade Homeschool Snapshot, 2022-2023

Since I never got around to posting our plans or even finishing my normal homeschool planning in the summer due to life happenings, I decided to list out the major things accomplished and books read instead of my usual recap and review post. 

Our homeschool theme this year could be described as non-coercive. I have always been very influenced by unschooling but Charlotte Mason's writings had previously reined in those tendencies. This year, I doubled down on my vision of the adults I'm trying to raise (self-motivated lifelong learners) and stopped pushing. I can see many ways that this has worked well for us. But this looked like getting rid of many practices that have born wonderful fruit in years past.

What I've learned from this year will influence my plans for next year. But always, it is trying to meet the children where they are at given my abilities that will play the biggest factor.

2023 Reading List

This is my fourth year of creating a reading list for myself for the year. It is my second year of writing my own list without any reference to a reading challenge. I have so many things I want to read (thank you Reddit!) that it feels disingenuous for me to force them into someone else's categories. 

I'm also finding that I read so much faster and effortlessly when it is a book I really want to read rather than a book I want to have read. So this year I'm focusing on books I find easy to read, which include memoirs, true-crime or true-adventure, science fiction, 19th-century literature, and short classics. 

2022 Reading List Update

For 2022, I made a nice, meaty list of great books to read. And in a year when so many things I had hoped or planned for did not get done, it felt amazing to finish my last book on the list on December 30th!

I never read as widely as I have these past three years since I began setting reading goals (2021 recap, 2020 recap) and I am loving it. I feel like a more interesting person to myself and I feel better able to home educate my kids as well as be a good example to them of a lifelong learner. To me, it has nothing to do with the number of books read, but rather that I'm feeding myself a rich feast of ideas.