What We’ve Been Reading – April 2020 Edition

It’s been an interesting month. I’m sure the same is true for you. Almost nationwide, there was a shelter in place order and pretty much everything was closed (it’s still that way here). Though we were very thankful that we were used to staying home anyway (homeschool life), the difference was definitely still felt. No zoo trips, no going to the museum, all the state parks were closed and [HORROR OF HORRORS] the library was closed.

Thankfully, we made one last huge library trip right before it shut down, so we’ve had a decent amount of reading material between that, the Libby app and Book Outlet.

Book Outlet is a new discovery of mine. Typically I prefer to thrift books, because it’s so much cheaper. That might still be my preference, but it’s not an option right now 😉 Book Outlet is the next best thing! Book Outlet receives overstock of brand new books from bookstores, Amazon, etc and sells them at a highly discounted rate (50-90% off). Most of the books I purchased through them I got for $2-$5. If you’ve never signed up for a Book Outlet account, click here. It will give you $10 off your first order! With prices already that low and free shipping for orders $35+, you could get a ton of books! You also earn free books with every purchase.

I thought I’d take a minute and share some of the books we’ve enjoyed this month. Maybe you’ll discover some new titles to check out!

Me

 

As I Lay Dying

Normally, William Faulkner is not my cup of tea. He’s a notoriously difficult writer, especially as he writes a lot in the streams of consciousness style. When Claire was an infant, I read The Sound & The Fury, because it was touted as one of the most difficult books to read. Admittedly, the only reason I stuck with that book was so that I could say I read it. So I’m not really sure what made me pick up As I Lay Dying at the library, but I’m really glad I did.

The tale of Addie Bundren’s death and her family’s trek to bury her where she requested, it’s definitely a morose and odd book. It’s written from multiple different perspectives, ranging from incredibly lucid to borderline insane. Somehow, Faulkner manages to give each narrator (15 of them!) a distinct voice and personality. It was one of the most dysfunctional things I’ve ever read, but it was so entertaining. It was like a train wreck I just couldn’t look away from. I finished it in one weekend.

Side note: I’m not sure I would recommend any of Faulkner’s other works. As previously mentioned, I hated The Sound & the Fury. During this month I also read Light in August and couldn’t finish it. It wasn’t confusing or difficult to follow, but the depiction of hatred, misogyny, racism and darkness was just too much for me, especially during a time when I needed something a bit more uplifting. For a book that contained the word light in the title, there was very little of it.

 

The Westing Game

Samuel Westing is dead. But when 16 unlikely people gather for the reading of his will, it’s clear that Mr. Westing is still playing games, even from his grave.

This book was fun. I read it in one sitting. I’m fairly sure it is geared towards middle grade, but it was still twisty enough for me to enjoy. I’d describe it as Agatha Christie for kids. More complex than Nancy Drew, but not too complex for older kids to follow. Once Claire is a little bit older, I know she will enjoy this one!

The Yearling

Admittedly, I went into this book with absolutely no inclination of what it was about. All I knew was that it had something to do with a kid and had beautiful depictions of nature. Both of those things ended up being totally true. But I also had assumed it was heart warming. While that was true in parts, overall this book was more heart wrenching. I sobbed and sobbed. And afterwards, I sobbed some more. That being said, it was was a truly wonderful book that I highly recommend.

On another note, what is it with books about boys named Jody being devastating? The Red Pony also comes to mind. Are there any other books where the main character is a young boy named Jody? If there’s happier one, I’d love to read it 😜

 

Hattie Big Sky

This is the story of Hattie, an orphan who has been passed from relative to relative (each being more reluctant to take her in than the last). One day 16 year old Hattie receives a notice that an uncle she was unaware of has left her his homestead in Montana. Plucky Hattie packs up and moves from Iowa to Montana to forge a new life and a place of belonging.

This was a lighter read, but it was so refreshing and enjoyable. The depiction of farm life and “roughing it,” just threw fuel on the fire of my desire to homestead someday. 

I also read the sequel Hattie Ever After. I didn’t like it as much as the first one, as it deals with a totally different subject matter and setting. I won’t describe it any more or it’ll spoil the first book. It was still a good book, so I recommend it if you enjoyed the first one.

Stargirl

Stargirl appears at school one day and she’s all anyone can talk about. No one has ever met anyone like her before. Leo is immediately smitten. But while Stargirl’s uniqueness initially make her popular, how will Leo handle it when her differences cause the entire student body to shun her … and him?

This book reminded me how it felt to be in high school. I was homeschooled, so it wasn’t that same as actually being in a high school, but I remember all too well the struggle of wanting to fit in and everyone to like you.

Apparently it’s also a movie that’s just been released on Disney+. I can’t attest to how true to the book it is, but I’ve heard that it’s good. Either way, check out the book! You’ll enjoy it.

 

The Winter of Our Discontent

We’re all familiar with the saying, “Nice guys finish last.” Nobody has experienced that more than Ethan Allen Hawley. With the on going pressure from those around him and the discontented frustration of his family, Ethan finally decides to step away from his scrupulous moral standards to get ahead.

I’m not totally sure what I thought of this book, to be honest. I was really rooting for Ethan, but I also didn’t want him to get away with his moral failings. As a Christian, I understand that true joy and fulfillment can only be found in Jesus. Material possessions, wealth and status don’t bring satisfaction. They just make you feel more empty. Steinbeck’s writing wasn’t my favorite in this novel. He switches between first person and third person unnecessarily. Also, the word “pert” to describe various parts of the female body was overused, to say the least 😂 The last few pages of this book were very satisfying, but I don’t think it’s one I would reread. 

 

Family Read Alouds

 

The Incredible Journey

As a child, I loved the movie Homeward Bound. It’s based on this book. It’s a lovely story of the journey of three animals to find their way back home to their beloved owners. They encounter many dangers and have many adventures. This book had absolutely beautiful depictions of nature. We were all so endeared to the animals, despite the fact that they don’t talk (unlike a lot of books from an animal’s perspective). I definitely cried at the end of this book. We all highly recommend it!

PIE

When Alice’s Aunt Polly, the “Pie Queen of Ipswitch,” passes away, the whole town mourns the loss of Polly’s kindness and her pies. Polly’s pies won national awards and the whole town is eager to learn her secret for perfect, flaky pie crust. However, when Polly leaves her pie crust recipes to her cat, Lardo, and Lardo to Alice, everyone is confused. How can you leave a pie crust recipe to a cat? As everyone scrambles to make their own award winning pie, Alice must solve the mystery!

This book was one that we were originally going to read for school as part of our Brave Writer program. We still did the the accompanying Arrow guide, but they had ideas for a book party at the end. Since things are so strange right now and we can’t really go out much, we decided we would do the book party with Daddy! We read this book together as a family and loved it.

Fair warning, there are a lot of descriptions of pie in this book and you will probably get hungry. At least the beginning of each chapter includes a recipe for a different kind of pie, so you can try to make them yourself!

Claire

 

A Bear Called Paddington

We read the first Paddington book a few summers ago, but Claire has really been enjoying both this book and a few of the sequels that I purchased from Book Outlet. His goofy antics and silly adventures keep her giggling!

 

A Lion to Guard Us

The story of a young girl bringing her siblings to America to find their father, Claire said this book was exciting and interesting. Though it’s a classic, I’ve never read this one. Shout out to my mother in law for sending this to Claire! She read it three times within a few days!

 

Zeus the Mighty: The Quest for the Golden Fleas (Book 1)

This is the story of the pets in the Mount Olympus Pet Center: Zeus the Hamster, Athena the Cat, Aries the Pug, Demeter the Grasshopper & Poseidon the Puffer Fish. They follow instructions from the Oracle of WiFi to find the Golden Fleas!

We studied Ancient Greece last fall and one of Claire’s favorite parts was the Greek myths. This book is so clever and has a lot of fun play on words. Claire loved it!

 

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

I read this aloud to Claire in first grade, but she’s been reading it herself. She’s read it several times in the past few weeks. It’s probably one of her all time favorites (along with the Pippi Longstocking and the Mrs Piggle-Wiggle series).

 

 

What have you been reading lately? Share in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you.