This number does not take into account family read alouds, or any book that I have read before, but it does contain several children's books, which were either read for my own pleasure because I missed them during my own childhood or part of my hit-or-miss prereading for homeschooling.
I've grouped the books into some broad categories and I love to see that I haven't read too narrowly. However, this year and every year recently, I've picked up books without any prior planning. Either they piqued my interest from my library's new books feed, I came across them online, a friend was also reading it, or it came into my life from a book sale.
I really do love choosing books serendipitously. However, sometimes it feels a bit scattered. Next year, I'm going to try an easy-to-accomplish reading challenge to branch out just a little bit more, Don't worry (I say to myself) there will still be plenty of room on my reading schedule to choose books on the fly.
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2019 Reading Recap
Professional Development Reading for Homeschooling / Parenting
The Grace of Enough by Haley Stewart
As I already live a very home-centered life that is intentionally simple and frugal, this book was not a challenging read, but rather a warm and encouraging one. I have followed Haley online since her move to Texas and especially appreciate what she has to say about hospitality and community.
The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart
While I think Julie Bogart has a lot of wisdom and I appreciate learning from her experience, we disagree on some fundamental philosophical points. I enjoyed reading her book to explore ideas about interest-led learning but as usual, I balk at her admonitions to avoid the things that didn't work for her--Charlotte Mason-style narrations and requiring her kids to do chores, just to name a few.
Teaching Right from Wrong by Arthur Dobrin
My husband and I read this for an in-person reading group. We didn't agree with a lot of it, but it is always fun to read something together and discuss it. Charlotte Mason provides better guidance on this topic by discouraging talky-talky, moralizing, or teaching young children to be very introspective about their feelings, which this author specifically encourages.
Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn
Over the last decade of reading books about parenting, I have frequently come across mention of this book. I already knew the premise--rewards and punishments interfere with intrinsic motivation and thus create students and workers who are motivated only by extrinsic rewards. I really enjoyed learning about studies that have measured how rewards and punishments affect performance, enjoyment, and creativity. This book pushed me to look harder at practices in my own home that encourage compliance through some kind of parental manipulation. Kohn and Charlotte Mason share many ideological points in common about education, but where they subtly differ, I still prefer Mason :-)
Playing with Math: Stories from Math Circles, Homeschoolers, and Passionate Teachers by Sue Vanhattum
I interlibrary loaned this book and found so much inspiring, worthy information that I had to buy a copy for myself! Each chapter is an essay from a parent, teacher, or math circle leader about how to play with math with children and adults. If you want to understand the type of math education our children and all children deserve, read this book!
Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing by A.S. Neill
I have always been fascinated and inspired by unschooling. Summerhill was the original British democratic school and the model for the democratic schools in the United States, so when I saw this at a used book sale, I happily scooped it up. Neill's ideas are interesting and challenging. We disagree on some fundamentals about the nature of children and he believes books are the worst ways to learn (reflecting a very common view about bad school books, but not living books!), but I also felt challenged in a good way, after I tossed out the stuff that didn't speak to my values or worldview!
Fiction (Sci-fi/Fantasy/Mysteries)
As usual, I mainly read science fiction, fantasy, and mysteries.
The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi
This type of high concept sci-fi is not my usual cup of tea and truthfully, I sometimes am not sure that I am following or understanding everything that is going on. However, it is the mystery and intrigues that keep me reading.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Not recommended. I went on a three-week vacation without bringing a book for myself. In my defense, we left 3 days earlier than anticipated due to an impending ice storm. Eventually, I broke down and scoured Overdrive for an ebook to borrow. This was a dark, twisted, and improbable novel that sadly I can't forget. So it was memorable but horrific.
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Another vacation read, this one was more forgettable. It was ok.
The Silkworm / Career of Evil / Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
I absolutely loved reading the next three Coromoran Strike novels by Robert Gailbraith and can't wait for another installment!
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
This was my favorite sci-fi book of the year. After years of only reading sci-fi written by men or my much-loved Ursula le Guin, it is so refreshing to be able to hear different voices adding their experience and style to the genre.
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
I've been a Brandon Sanderson fangirl since he completed The Wheel of Time Series so I always enjoy reading his novels. This wasn't so memorable or remarkable, but I know I enjoyed it as a light-hearted escape read.
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
I had never read any Hardy and I must say that this was a pleasant surprise!
Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club / Suspicious Characters (aka Five Red Herrings) by Dorothy Sayers
After picking up a very old volume of three Lord Peter Whimsey novels at a book sale, I rediscovered my love for Dorothy Sayers and I am very happy that there are many more Lord Peter Whimsey novels for me to enjoy in the future.
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
I don't read too much contemporary fiction, but this was well worth it!
Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott
I picked this up at a book sale because I know Charlotte Mason was a big Scott fan. This was hard to get through and not my favorite. I'll reserve judgment on Scott until I try another novel.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The show is a guilty pleasure of mine so I picked this up as an easy holiday read.
Children's Fiction and Nonfiction
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
I had heard so much about this book and I did find it moving. So many people talked about this book as a must-read for young children to teach them why not to bully or exclude people who are different and I don't really think this book or any book can accomplish that. I will likely encourage my children to read this when they are old enough to really put themselves in other people's shoes--in my estimation not until about 12 or so.
The Story of Florence Nightingale by Margaret Leighton (preread)
Enjoyable!
The Story of Mark Twain by Joan Howard (preread)
Also enjoyable! Reading children's biographies makes me feel like I am learning but it is also giving my brain a rest.
The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong
My favorite book of the year. I had overheard my husband reading parts of this book at bedtime and found it oddly compelling. I have never read another book quite like it. Haunting, charming, peaceful, warm, delightful, poignant . . . . it is hard to describe.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (preread)
As I read more and more quality literature, reading classics from different time periods has become easier and more enjoyable. I think I did read this years ago, but it wasn't in my journal where I record all the books I read, so I'm not sure. Regardless, it was fun to read this book, especially because we so often find mention of how others from the past (real or fictional) have read it.
Commander in Chief: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War by Albert Marrin (preread)
I learned so much from this book! I continue to lament my sad history education.
The Singing Hill by Meindert DeJong
Another charming title by DeJong. Not as special as The Wheel on the School, but it definitely has its moments.
Nonfiction / Memoirs / Other
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
I had tried to read this as a young person, but I found it too boring. Thanks to my liberal education that is a side effect of homeschooling, I enjoyed this autobiography.
Breaking and Entering by Jeremy Smith
This book tried too hard to be a sensational thriller when it wasn't. However, I did enjoy hearing the story of a woman hacker.
The Glorious Adventure by Richard Halliburton
This was a surprising favorite of mine. I read it in order to preview Halliburton's writing and while I don't think this book would be a good choice for young students, I enjoyed it as an adult who had read the Odyssey.
American Prison by Shane Bauer
Everybody who teaches kids about slavery needs to read about prisons. Contrary to what I ever learned in school the end of slavery created the demand for forced labor and the huge expansion of the prison system in the United States. This book provided a fascinating look inside a for-profit prison and gives a compelling historical overview of prisons, both government-run and for-profit.
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
Despite the huge amount of stuff we own as a 6-person household, I consider myself a minimalist. This was not the type of book I thought it would be, but a very moving account of end-of-life decluttering--basically dealing with all the "stuff" of a full life so that your loved ones don't have to suffer after you are gone.
Fair Play by Eve Rodsky
My most recommended book of the year, Fair Play describes a system for communicating and allocating the work of family life between two partners. My husband and I have always shared household work--before and after having children--but this book helped us see some ways to be more effective, even without using the full game/system she describes.
Brotherly Love by Daniel Hoffman
This novel-length poem didn't fit into any other category. I don't normally read long poems but I really enjoyed this one about Philadelphia and William Penn.
The Sun is a Compass by Caroline Van Hemert
My favorite nonfiction of the year. This was a great nature read and an exciting story!
So that is what I read this year. Stay tuned for my reading goals for 2020. I'm planning on participating in two reading challenges: this one and this one, but I'll be double-counting my books, choosing easy categories and including my homeschool prereads . . . and I still won't feel bad if I don't get to all of them :-)
Although I keep track of the books my children read and the ones we enjoy together, I have never kept track of the ones I read just for myself. I have no idea how many books I read this past year! Of the books you read this year, I had read Punished by Rewards back when I was earning my doctorate. I read Wonder and The Wheel on the School out loud to my children awhile back and enjoyed both of them. My daughter fell in love with Wonder so she owns a copy of the two books (Wonder and Auggie and Me) as well as the DVD. She has read and reread the two books many times. And it inspired her to read other books that have a similar theme such as Fish in a Tree, Counting by 7's, Ugly, Out of my Mind, Rules, Mockingbird, One for the Murphys, The Thing about Georgie, etc.
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