So Many Books. So Little Time.

In my house the shelves are full of books. There are also table tops filled with stacks of  books; just read, half read and to be read. I also keep lists of titles for reference. List a) includes books I've read with a few notes, comments and thoughts I want to remember based on something recently read. List b) includes suggested titles I've heard mentioned or read about that I hope to have time to read in the near future. 

Books as gifts linger long after the package
is opened. Aunt Jane of Kentucky was sent
to me by an instagram friend.

Homeschooling our children as they grew from little ones into young adults added to an already crowded book collection. Many of the titles we acquired for homeschooling still continue to crowd the shelves. Some I have recently spent time rereading or browsing, particularly some of the history titles that weren't completed together as a family or were read by our "students" but not by myself at the time.

Books shared are an excellent way to create memories. The shared experience of a story and the questions, consideration or discussions that follow become bonding experiences that will always be anchors for intellectual and emotional connections. We shared many read alouds as a homeschooling family. Despite the volume of reading together we did, looking back, I wish we had found a way to squeeze in even more.

Biographies are a great way to dive into history with a more accesible hook to draw the reader in. They are also a great way to find mentors to emulate. I've been filling in some of the gaps in my own understanding of history with stories of people from the past. Good examples come from author, Eric Metaxas. He has written about many historical figures. He wrote the go to biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer that is a must read if you have any interest in WWII.

Currently, my to be read stack is pretty hefty. The trick for me in keeping the still want to read stack managable seems to be holding off on acquiring new titles until the already read is taller or at least even with the to be read. So many books, so little time. Wish me luck and much uninterupted reading time to get through what is still to be consumed of the titles in the piles of books below. More detailed reviews of selected titles coming soon.

Favorite things:
Flowers, painting and stacks of books;
library books, books recently read and
books still to be read.

What I've Been Reading in 2021

I began reading 1984 by George Orwell enthusiaticlly. Thinking that having read it in the past, it would be a quick review. Unfortunately, 1984 is a read that I have had to push through every page due to the depressing experiences of the main characters. I don't remember this difficulty when reading it the first time around many years ago, but at that time it truly read like fiction. This time, however, there are just to many similarities to our current reality. 

For most of my life, reading novels has typically been a wonderfully looked forward to escape. These days I am trying to force myself to reading in areas where there are gaps in my own education and learning. The gaps filled by reading 1984 in 2021 could  just as easily be addressed with observation of the world around us. Reading it substantiates my own observation, that much in our current culture is not simply a natural social evolution but is backed by an agenda that is being persistantly pushed onto us by design. Humans have a desire for power and control and Orwell takes us down the road to where it can lead if left unchecked. Reading this title is an excellent exercise in awareness - a much needed awareness in today's world.

Just before I began writing this post, I grabbed the mail. The delivery included my paper copy of Imprimus, a publication of Hillsdale College. Imprimus typically presents the text of a recent speech given at the Michigan based college. Each issue consistantly provides a concise and thought provoking article. The December copies' include a presenteation by Larry P. Arn, President of Hillsdale Collge. His topic seridepitoiusly included passages from 1984. I was thankful to have Mr. Arn's thoughts on Orwells's novel appear in the mailbox. I repect his thinking and his references carried through to passages later in my reading of the novel. Many of the conclusions I've drawn while reading 1984 and those of Mr. Arn's have increased my aversion to completing this read. Overwhelmingly depressing is the final review I'll assign to George Orwell's prophetic work..

Do you read Hillsdale's Imprimis? If not you should consider it. They also offer high quality free online courses. If you'd like to explore what Hillsdale offers, here's the link: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/

Other reads completed on this year's list so far are:

America Imagine a World Without Her by Dinesh D'Souza 

Great references with the overview of many aspects of the United States of America. As an immigrant Dinesh retains much more optimism about the future of our country. He digs into current aspects and history in a fascinating and very educational way. This was a wonderful one to bring me back to the hope of the USA.

Prodigal God by Timothy Keller Christian inspiration. A thought provoking Christian based read.

Along Came A Dog by Meindert DeJong One of the pre-teen teen books still in our collection from homeschooling but one I hadn't read myself or aloud to anyone. A  sweet on the farm story that actually brought to mind my many childhood visits to the farms of extended family and family friends in southeast Nebraska. Empathy for the dog and his persistance in being accepted into a home was charming and provokes empathy for the four legged creatures.

Do you have any recent reads you'd like to add to my to be read reading list? Let me know if you do!

Reading for Me

The first month of 2020 is gone. February is flying fast right behind. I didn't and I haven't in the past made many resolutions or used the year's beginning as the only time to set goals but this year I did set some reading goals for myself. I have planned to read one fiction, one non-fiction and listen to one audio book each month of 2020. One and a half months into 2020 and I have exceeded my goal. I have been thoroughly enjoying my reading for myself based on my own interests.

While browsing at a bookstore, I discovered the Literary Journeys A Readers' Journal. A small splurge has me recording the books I'm reading this year. I indulged myself and bought the reader's journal for the sole purpose of recording my own reading progress. In the past I've keep a running list in a word doc but I have often skipped adding what I've read to the list and though I've added notes about some titles, the list method just wasn't inspiring me to keep track anymore.

For the first time, I set a New Year's reading goal for myself for the new year. Entering 2020 with an empty nest, I have felt the need to establish more than a few new routines. Reading has brought me hours of joy through out the years so it's time for me to intentionally return to that experience intentionally and regularly.

It's been awhile since I've read a novel just for the sheer joy of reading. The first novel for my reading year was Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls.

Half Broke Horses led me straight to another title of Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle A Memoir. This recounting of her life story was fascinating and in some spots a little to close to home. In particular her description of her father's process of detoxing from alcohol, an experience I witnessed with my own father when I was a teen. Despite the fact that this is based on the authors life story I found myself frustrated with the ongoing dysfunction of her parents. Had this been a fictional novel I would have put it aside for the lack of resolution. Given that it was someones real life, I kept reading. Thankfully the story does have some redeeming resolution. You'll have to read it to discover the outcomes for yourself.

To add to the fun and my own sense of accomplishment, I'm keeping track of the titles by recording what I've read in a reading journal. While browsing at a local bookstore, I discovered the Literary Journeys A Readers' Journal. The small splurge of purchasing the journal has me listing the books with the sole purpose of recording my own reading progress. In the past, I've keep a running list in a word doc but have often skipped adding what I've read to the list and though I've added notes occasionally about some titles, the list method just wasn't inspiring me to keep track anymore. With space provided in the journal to include notes, other titles by the same author, writing down thoughts inspired and quotes by authors in one place, it is helping me to see my reading journey as a process of growth and the motivation to keep it up.

Encouraging Gift Ideas for a Dancer

The thick of the holiday season is upon us! For our teen daughter that continues to mean Nutcracker performances. For the rest of our family it means the excitement of seeing her perform after many hours, days and weeks of hard work in classes and rehearsals as a dancer. It also means providing  encouragement along the way; with reminders to eat well, rest and generally take care of herself. For me it also means continuing to be available for the conversations that include listening, communicating loving support and positive feedback. This year for the first time it means offering that in whatever ways I can from a distance because she is now pursuing this dream hundreds of miles away from us.

We will be traveling to see the Nashville Ballet's Nutcracker and bringing her home for our Christmas and New Year's celebrations, in the meantime, I've been researching, reading and acquiring resources to share with her over the holidays. Posting the beginnings of that exploration here, for any other dance moms, looking to enjoy the season, calm themselves and support their dancers.

Dancers spend an enormous amount of time moving and being physically active. Along with the physical stamina needed there is a significant amount of mental activity involved. The heightened awareness of the brain and body connection that dancers and other athletes have is usually keen however with the demands of performing in a competitive environment they are often likely to ignore the need to take some time to rest and relax.

Some down time that requires another approach to the kinesthetic mental and physical activity seems like a good idea to this mom of a ballerina.

Reading and instilling the love of reading has been one of the ideas I've worked to implement to counteract the tendency for the competitive young athlete to keep pushing through without taking the necessary break for recovery time. I've put together some favorites and some newly discovered reading resources that will hopefully lead to some relaxed, informative and inspirational reading time for all the dancers in your life.

First for the littles:
These are filled with delightful inspiration for the littlest ballerina. We read our Angelina Ballerina books over and over when our daughter was young.

This little Angelina board book is so cute!

Books for for older teen and young adult dancer:
(Keep scrolling, there's more).

 

Also, an excellent online resource regarding nutrition, that I recently discovered is; To the Pointe Nutrition. Created by Rachel Fine, a nutritionist and dancer she has written nutritionally sound and well researched ebooks for dancers. Look for more about her here on the blog; I'll be posting a longer review of her work in January. All of her work is available at: https://pointenutrition.com/

Here's to a vibrant and happy holiday dance season for all the families attending the wonderfully joyous performances associated with the season! Hang in there. Some rest is soon to follow!