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I received a lot of positive feedback from the last blog post where I shared what we’d been reading. I’ve really enjoyed typing out reviews, revisiting my thoughts on certain books and also kind of keeping a log of what we’re reading. I also frequently share book reviews on my Instagram page (@beautifulminutiae), so feel free to pop over there and check those out as well. They’re typically a bit more concise.

In May, our library was still closed, but we were working our way through some of the books we’d checked out (we had about 100 books checked out to help us get through), enjoying Kindle books on the Libby app and we (myself and my older sister) ordered some new books for Claire as well.

Let’s dive in!

What I’ve Been Reading

 

Martin Chuzzlewit

My reading list this month was not nearly as long as the previous month. This book was the main reason why. It’s kind of a behemoth of a book and it’s taken me most of the month to get through. 

This is the tale of two Martin Chuzzlewits – the angry, wealthy, miserly grandfather who distrusts all of his relatives who want to get into his will, and his namesake grandson who is selfish, entitled and disinherited. There’s a lot more to the plot, with so many differing characters and side stories (fairly typical Dickens fare). 

In true Dickens style, Martin Chuzzlewit is full of unforgettable characters, wit, hilarity and heart wrenching moments. It took a while for me to get into, but I really enjoyed this book. If you’re newer to Dickens or aren’t particularly fond of his prose, I’m not sure I’d recommend it as much as his more popular works. But if you love Dickens, this story is a winner!

 

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the story of the Logan family, particularly 9 year old Cassie who comes face to face with racism and Jim Crow laws in the 1930s. It’s required reading for a lot of schools, but I never read it growing up. It was a heart wrenching read. I see why it’s considered a must read.

In light of what’s going on in America right now, I would recommend it even more strongly than I would have before. Until we learn and acquaint ourselves with the suffering of others, it’s difficult to sympathize, understand or even care about what they’re going through. This book is one I intend on sharing with Claire when she’s a bit older (the violence in it might be a bit intense for her at this age).

 

Stardust

Stardust is the story of a boy, Tristran, who is intent on winning the love of the town beauty by retrieving a fallen star. When he reaches the place where the star falls, he encounters not a piece of rock, but a girl! Unfortunately, Tristran isn’t the only one after the fallen girl, and others have far more nefarious intentions than he.

This book was … disappointing. The premise sounded so good! But despite a fairy tale setting and prose, there was random curse words and sex scenes that were not only off-putting, but also didn’t jive with the way the story was written. I actually didn’t finish this one, because I got so frustrated by it. That’s a rarity for me, but I’m learning that life is too short to waste time on bad books.

For what it’s worth, everyone (even people who liked the book) said the 2007 movie was better than the book and didn’t include a lot of the objectionable content the book did. Apparently it also changed the ending a bit to make it more conclusive/satisfying, but since I didn’t finish the book, I can’t weigh in on that.

 

Amal Unbound

This is a middle grade fiction book about a plucky Pakistani girl named Amal. While she is able to go to school, she’s still very clearly disadvantaged by being a girl rather than a boy. One day she stands up to the wrong person and it costs her her freedom.

Although relatively heavy, I think this is an important book that all children (& most adults) should read. It’s deeply saddening that there are still areas in the world where reading and education are rare and women have less rights and are lesser members of society. Not only did it make me realize how privileged I am, but I was also stirred to think about what I could personally do to help those who are disadvantaged – both around me and all around the world.

What Claire’s Been Reading

The Wild Robot

If you’ve spent much time looking into recent children’s books, The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes won’t be new to you. We read them aloud last summer, but my sister purchased the set and sent it to Claire. She was thrilled and loved reading it all over again.

Roz is a robot, packaged in a crate to be delivered with other robots via ship. When the ship wrecks and the remains wash on to the shore of a deserted island, Roz is activated and has to find a way to survive on the island.

It may sound like a strange premise, but it’s such a well done book. It’s the only book that I remember Claire actually sobbing when I read it to her. The sequel is just as wonderful and brings a satisfying conclusion to Roz’s story, but the synopsis might spoil the ending of the first book, so I’ll keep it to myself. We both highly recommend these books!

 

The Dream Traveler’s Quest (4-Book Collection)

I had no idea Ted Dekker had written children’s books! My sister discovered these and sent them to Claire. I haven’t read them, but Claire flew through all four within about three days.

Theo, a bullied 12 year old, stumbles across a mysterious, ancient book. Through this book, he is able to journey to another world. When he arrives, he is tasked with a quest to uncover the Five Seals of Truth in order to help him conquer his fear for good.

If you are a fan of Ted Dekker’s Circle trilogy, these books tie in closely with both those and his Mystic books (which I didn’t love, but you can’t win ’em all). We own quite a few of Dekker’s books, so Claire has been asking for a while when she would be able to read some. She was pretty thrilled to have her own set and she declared them as “amazing!”

 

Wednesdays in the Tower

Wednesdays in the Tower is the sequel to Tuesdays at the Castle, which was the story of Princess Celie. The interesting premise of the Tuesdays at the Castle series is that the castle itself is a character in the book. Castle Glower is able to change itself at will – adding rooms, removing rooms and even changing the size, shape and furnishing of rooms. Celie is the only one who has taken the time to map out the Castle and keep track of its shifting. 

In Wednesdays in the Tower, Celie’s brother dares her to catch the castle making a new room. When Celie takes on the challenge, she discovers a new room with a large egg in it. What does the egg hold? Why does the castle want her to take care of it? 

Claire loved this book even more than its predecessor (and said she also loved the next book, Thursdays with the Crown , even more!). She’s looking forward to finishing the series!

 

The Secret of the Mansion

Trixie Belden was a new name to me. It’s a whole series about a 13 year old who solves mysteries. A lot of people compare her to Nancy Drew, but say her books are even better! I found 5 of these books at a thrift store and Claire absolutely loves them! Mysteries are probably her favorite genre. She said she enjoys them more than Nancy Drew. 

Read Alouds

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling

The Mysterious Howling is the first is series of 6 books about a trio of siblings discovered in the woods. It’s not clear where they came from, but from their feral ways and howling, it’s ascertained that they were raised by wolves. Miss Penelope Lumley, a recent graduate of Swanburne Academy for Poor and Bright Young Females, is employed to be their governess. With her kindness and experience with animals, she encourages the children to come out of their shells. Can they discover the mystery of children’s origins?

This book was a joy to read aloud. Although it was written in 2010, it employs more archaic language, being set in Victorian times. It’s clever, witty and certainly doesn’t talk down to children readers, like so many dumbed down children’s fiction does. The day after we finished this book, Claire was begging to start the next book in the series, The Hidden Gallery. So far we’re enjoying that one too!

 

Book Scavenger

Book Scavenger is an online game where players hide and hunt down books in real life, using clues, codes and cyphers. Emily has been an avid Book Scavenger fan for years, so when her family moves to San Francisco, where its headquarters are located, she’s thrilled! But then the founder of Book Scavenger is shot and Emily finds a mysterious book that seems to point a new game he has created. Can Emily solve the mystery with the help of her new friend James?

We listened to the audio version of this book. It’s such a fun book with lots of mystery and references to classic works (especially works written by Edgar Allen Poe, one of my all time favorite authors). It teaches a lot about starting over again after moving and true friendship. Since reading this book, Claire has been trying to get her hands on as many books as possible that talk about secret codes and cyphers and is also now obsessed with Poe’s “The Raven,” which makes my mama heart happy. We’re not delving into his other works just yet though. I think The Telltale Heart might give her nightmares at this age 😉

 

The Railway Children

Roberta, Peter and Phyllis live very happy, comfortable lives with their mother and father. But when their father suddenly leaves, they have to start over in a new, rundown home near some railway tracks. They make many new friends and have many adventures along the way, but they long for their father’s return.

This was our family read aloud for this month. It’s the second Edith Nesbit book we’ve read and totally different than a lot of her other, more fantasy/magic based books. It was enjoyable and we enjoyed the children’s antics, but it wasn’t our favorite Nesbit.

 

 

What have you been reading lately? Please let me know in the comments below! I always love to receive new book recommendations 😊