It was really beautiful to come home at nightβ¦to step out of darkness into the light and warmth of home.
L.M. Montgomery, Pat of Silver Bush, p. 67
Monday Ponderings π―οΈ{September 18th}
Category: Favorite Authors
ππΎ5 Books for End of Summer ππ
I love reading seasonally or at least I get in certain reading moods as the seasons ease into the next. ππππΎπππΏοΈπ»β₯οΈ πHere are five reads that I recommend that feel September-ishβ¦
1. From the Heart of the Home: Autumn by Susan Branch {this is a delightful collection of joyful reflections, illustrations, quotes, and recipes to get you into the fall mood}β₯οΈπ»
2. Pat of the Silverbush by L.M. Montgomery {Iβm reading this currently for the first time and itβs lovely and cozy for this time of year}
3. Christy by Catherine Marshall {beautiful story full of hope, growth, faith, and wonderful female friendships}
4. The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry {honestly, I pull this short poetry collection out all times of year, but have been craving it lately}
5. The Grasmere Journals by Dorothy Wordsworth {beautifully simple journal entries from the sister of the poet William Wordsworth. The domesticity and pace of life is just so relaxing to me and the English Lake District setting is perfect}
P.S. William Shakespeare is another I feel drawn towards. Whatβs your favorite play of his?
Do you have any favorite reads that smell and feel of September? β₯οΈ Please share!
Monday Ponderings {August 21st}
Sunlight flooded the ancient schoolroom, and chalk dust danced in the slanting rays. The massive brass inkstand on my desk gleamed like gold, and little rainbows glanced from the glass over the photograph of our Queen centrally placed on the rear wall, in the most honored position.
Miss Read, Summer at Fairacre, p. 89
Wednesday Wonders
There is wonder all around usβ¦
Listening⦠How to Heal Your Relationship with Food
Reading⦠on the top of my stack: Seasons of Your Heart: Prayers & Reflections by Macrina Wiederkehr and Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen. A wonderful, intriguing bit of Miyazaki to fill your joy cup.
Watching⦠slow, peaceful vlogs.
Noticingβ¦summer flowers, clouds, barn swallows, warmth, and summer smells! πΏ
What are you listening to, reading, watching, & noticing? β₯οΈπ₯°πΏ
Monday Ponderings {July 10th}
The whole country about them abounded in beautiful walks. The high downs which invited them from almost every window of the cottage to seek exquisite enjoyment of air on their summits, were a happy alternative when the dirt of the valleys beneath shut up their superior beauties; and towards one of these hills did Marianne and Margaret one memorable morning direct their steps, attracted by the partial sunshine of a showery sky, and unable longer to bear the confinement which the settled rain of the two preceding days had occasioned. The weather was not tempting enough to draw the two others from their pencil and their book, in spite of Marianneβs declaration that the day would be lastingly fair, and that every threatening cloud would be drawn off from their hills; and the two girls set off together.
They gaily ascended the downs, rejoicing in their own penetration at every glimpse of blue sky; and when they caught in their faces the animating gales of an high south-westerly wind, they pitied the fears which prevented their mother and Elinor from sharing such delightful sensations.
β Is there a felicity in the world,β said Marianne, βsuperior to this?-Margaret, we will walk here at least two hours.β
Jane Austen, Sense & Sensibility, p. 39
Monday Ponderings {July 3rd}
Our search must be for the grains of gold, and, as we amass these, we shall live and walk in the continual intimacy of the divine Love, the constant worship of the divine Beauty, in the liberty of those whose the Truth makes free.
Charlotte Mason, Ourselves, Book 2, p. 187 π²
2nd Quarter Favorite Reads 2023: Aprilπ²Mayπ²Juneπ²
Natureπ² and books π – two of my very favorite things! β₯οΈ
Hi Friends! Iβm loving all the summer space to soak in GREEN & BOOKS. Iβm closing out the books π, so to speak, on my favorite second quarter reading today! Hereβs first quarterβs favorites, if you are interested. I had a WONDERFUL few months of reading and I was surprised how they fell into a few main genres with a couple of wildcards. Iβm grouping my snippet reviews under those for your ease! Happiest Reading!
Historical Fiction ~
Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth by Shelia OβConner ~ 5 stars – lovely tale told through letters between a young girl and an older gentleman on her paper route. This is set during the Vietnam War and addresses conscientious objectors, war, prejudice, family, and is SO well done.
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck ~ 4 stars – set during the Great Depression/Dust Bowl era we follow a family leaving Oklahoma to find work in California. This gorgeously written, raw, heartfelt, and disturbing. I will be thinking about it for a long time. Ma Joad was my favorite character to follow. Adult content and language.
Paint Chips by Susie Finkbeiner ~ 4 stars – sobering and disturbing look at a mother (and her twin sister) and daughterβs journey through abuse and sexual trafficking. The Christian message was super well done, woven through this contemporary setting and difficult topic. This was told through alternating chapters and flashbacks. Good twist at ending.
Rose & Thistle by Laura Franz ~ 4 stars – this is a Christian historical fiction/ romance that I felt was pretty well done. A little bit of the clean cheesy romance, but overall, lovely setting and characters! This was set in England/ Scotland around the Jacobite Rebellion.
Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee ~ 4 stars – I really enjoyed this YA historical fiction that I received for my birthday about a Chinese American girl in the late 1800βs in Atlanta. Some of it seemed a wee bit unbelievable, but overall, so interesting with great characters, humor, and twists!!!! There was one weird, random sexual moment so FYI, if you are handing it to teens.
Fantasy~
The Princess Game by Melanie Cellier ~ 4 stars – unique, clean retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Interesting twist on fairytale, great main characters, plot, and action.
The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang ~ 4 stars – I really loved this Asian (Japanese?)-inspired elemental magic fantasy novel. It started off VERY slow, but I grew to love the characters, mothering, family aspect to this and some deep, beautiful lessons about growing through terrible circumstances. FYI: This is EXTREMELY violent with sword-type warfare, war crimes etc.
Domestic-y Type, Gentle Fiction ~
Katherine Wentworth by D. E. Stevenson ~ 5 stars – so gentle, full of peace, hope, nature, and a charming cottage. Second chance story with lovely mother & children. This reminds me slightly of The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, although not quite as quirky!
Mrs. Lorimerβs Quiet Summer by Molly Clavering ~ 5 stars – I read a lot of stories set in Scotland π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώ this quarter! Must be a sign. ππ A sweet family tale set in beautiful Scottish scenery. I found out that Clavering and D.E. Stevenson were friends. π
Because of Sam by Molly Clavering ~ 4 stars – A widow and her adult daughter living in Scotland! ππ₯° Sweet, humorous story with lots of delicious domestic details. Iβve read 3 of Claveringβs 8 novels so far and they are charming.
Nonfiction ~
The Alpine Path by L.M. Montgomery ~ 5 stars -reread. A short memoir on Montgomeryβs creative journey.
School Education by Charlotte Mason ~ 5 stars – reread. A challenging and encouraging vision for learning with children. The appendices are so helpful for practical application, too
Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson ~ 5 stars – a haunting poem that I so enjoyed. Thanks, Anne Shirley, for the recommendation. ππ
Unearthing the Secret Garden by Marta McDowell ~ 5 stars – such a lovely look at the 3 gardens created by Frances Hodgson Burnett in her lifetime.
Ourselves by Charlotte Mason ~ 5 stars – beautiful Christian philosophy for life! Reread with a friend!
Random Titles I loved ~
The Moorland Cottage by Elizabeth Gaskell ~ 4 stars – a Victorian novella/short story. I read and discussed this on Zoom with Booktube group. Beautiful setting, interesting widow with two children and how good parenting can make a difference. A bit over the top twisted ending, but overall, enjoyable.
Lonesome Road by Patricia Wentworth ~ a Golden Age-type mystery. The third in the Miss Silver mystery series. Very interesting and fun mystery solved by an older woman. I like these a little better than Miss Marple.
What a wonderful reading quarter! Can you believe we are halfway through the year? πππ² What were your favorite reads the past few months? Iβd love to chat below! β₯οΈ
Monday Ponderings {June 19th}
A king is not a king unless he reign; and a man is less than a man unless he will.
Charlotte Mason, Ourselves, Book 2, p. 140
Monday Ponderings {May 29th}
There is no personage of history whom we have the means of knowing so completely as we may know our Lord; and the object in our gospel reading should be, less to find words of comfort and admonition for ourselves, than to perceive with our minds and receive upon our hearts the impress of Christ. β₯οΈπΏ To know Him is life, and is the whole of life; and every thought of Him, walking in the cornfields, sitting weary by the well, moving among crowds or in solitary places, raising his eyes upon the multitude, taking by the hand the little maid, – every such living conception we get of Christ is life to us. β₯οΈπΏJust as, from the apparently casual touches of the painter, the living likeness grows, so, by laying upon the canvas of our hearts every apparently causal and insignificant detail about our Master, we shall by degrees gather a living vision of the Son of Man; β₯οΈπΏand dearer to us than any beauty on the earth or in the heavens will become the thought –
βOf Jesus, sitting by Samariaβs well,
Or teaching some poor fishers on the shore.β β₯οΈπΏ
Charlotte Mason, Ourselves, Book 2, p. 91-92
Whatβs currently on my mindβ¦
Hello π friends,
Hope this finds you well. Iβm pulling the old βmy brain is so full Iβm going to try and empty it by dumping on my blogβ trick. π€ͺπβ₯οΈ Thanks for listening with your eyes and Iβm sure, heart. πβ₯οΈ Our homeschool year is s-l-o-w-l-y winding down, we still have a field trip and a couple loose threads to tie up. Three GLORIOUS summer months stretch out in front of me full of βGREENING POWERβ as Macrina Wiederkehr writes. More on her later!
Iβve been reading a lot, maybe a bit TOO much ππ€π, excessive amounts of reading escapism and excessive food have been my obsessions when feeling stressed, pressed, and down right exhausted. Iβm declaring yet again popcorn abstinence π , more water & walk therapy, and staying far, faraway from sugar/ flour. I feel so much better when I do so. As for reading choices, I do feel Iβm balancing light & fluffy (Dean Street Press books are my current favorites) with some learning (as a human, woman, Christian, homeschooler, writer, I need to always be learning!) and some hard for just challenging perspective and understanding. I recently finished the heart wrenching Grapes π of Wrath by John Steinbeck and wow, going to be thinking on that one for awhile. Iβm so fascinated by the Great Depression era and the Dust Bowl currently.
The eyes of the whole family shifted back to Ma. She was the power. She had taken control. βThe money weβd make wouldnβt do no good,β she said. βAll we got is the family unbroken. Like a bunch of cows, when the lobos are ranging, stick all together. I ainβt scared while weβre all here, all thatβs alive, but I ainβt gonna see us bust up.
John Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath
I find myself returning to favorites when stressed so Iβve been listening to Wives & Daughters with the amazing reader Prunella Scales. Itβs included with my Audible account. This is my 3rd time through and there is something just SO comforting about Mrs. Gaskellβs writing. Iβve also watch bits of my current favorite movie π₯ and I adore it. I believe βTotoroβ by Studio Ghibli will calm even a hardened criminal down. π
Iβve also been thinking about my summer reading plans. BookTube {niche YouTube category π€π}has really helped me be a bit more purposeful about my choices, but I have to be very careful to balance that with margin for mood reading. Iβm currently very interested in Native American/Indigenous stories, especially historical fiction/biographies/poetry. I asked for a poetry anthology for my birthday (June is my birth month!) , so hopefully π€π» Iβll be digging into that this summer.? Iβm also super interested in archaeology , geography/geopolitics from a relational or conversational or βlivingβ side. So in other words, not dry. π€ͺπ Do you have any recommendations? Someone mentioned Eric Cline, so I may try his archaeology book.
Iβm also interested in Asian history, creativity memoirs (Iβve read ALOT of these, so Iβm only interested in ones that will blow my mind π) , historical fiction on βside warsβ not the World Wars, a bit burned out on those. Iβm also on a search for authors similar to Maud Hart Lovelace and L.M. Montgomery. I realize the two Mauds are a tough acts to follow, but Iβm looking for sweet family-centric, βlife softeningβ type stories. So far, Iβve enjoyed some D.E. Stevenson, Susan Scarlett, and Molly Clavering. Howβs your reading been going? Any books you are excited about this summer?
In other cheerful news π , Iβve been thinking about these lyrics and how so much of our world and culture is fake & dead β οΈπ. Thereβs a part in the MV, where the artists are with sand, water, wind, fireβ¦and it just touches me deeply about the finiteness of this all. Itβs floating and blowing away. The artist Suga smiles at the flames and as a Christian woman, I want to smile at the hard things of this world, not in denial or despair, but in a realization that itβs the spiritual that really matters. All else is going to be gone. As a pilgrim just passing through this place, I find joy in knowing that the suffering that so many are going through is finite. Catholic poetic and mystic, Macrina Wiederkehrβs book of poetry and short devotions called, βSeasons of Your Heart: Prayers & Reflectionsβ has been so lovely, hopeful, and inspiring, touching on some of these very themes. A Christmas gift from my friend. Iβm hoping to get more of her writings soon.
Iβm the slowest soul to try new apps etc π, but I finally got the Libby app and have been so happy checking out audiobooks and kindle things from the library! Yes, you do have to wait longer, but itβs so convenient and inexpensive. Iβm trying this above manga series via Kindle and the library. How cool is that? Guess what? The manga pages turn the opposite way in Kindle, too! π€―π€£My 4 yo son and I planted some moonflowers after I bought him a book for his birthday about them. I really hope they grow and we can watch them bloom in the evenings! ππβ₯οΈSpeaking of birthdays, our birthday βseasonβ is done here at the end of July and *whispering*, I always sigh in relief. πβ₯οΈ
Do you have βheart homesβ? Iβve been thinking about the places that have really meant something to me over my life. Of course, thereβs big amazing places, like Prince Edward Island and The Lake District, Cumbria π, but smaller, intimate places that Iβve visited that spoke soul-speak straight deep down. I have a few and had a chance to travel to them recently. I also often realize that the place Godβs given me to curl up in currently is a stunning place. Right at my fingertips, right out my door.
Otherwise, hereβs a list that swirling in the gray matter π§ , my love and desire to know more of tamaracks/larches and birches, Julie Cameronβs Walking in This Worldβ, my favorite from her, my penpals, Hetty Feather series I want to check more into, loving the first audiobook, wanting to learn more about watercolors, pen & ink illustrations, thinking and loving Moon Jumpers by Janice May Udry and all the magazines to catch up on. Also, how in the world can I resurrect a floundering writing practice? By writing, of course, Amy. π€―π€ͺπ π€ Iβll leave you with more reading and nature photos, thanks for being here. Please chat with me below! Whatβs on your mind? πβ₯οΈ Till next time, grace and peace through beautiful Jesus to you!
Monday Ponderings {May 22nd}
βIf anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.β
Jesus, John 7:37b-38
Monday Ponderings {May 15}
We say of some people, that they are perfectly transparent, a good and beautiful thing. We say, everything is clear as day about them. We call them sincere, that is, clear (as honey free from wax). We all value these people, βopen as the day.β They are shining as a clear, clean lamp, letting forth light. Do we ask ourselves- Have we this single eye? The answer is to be found, not in anxious enquiries into our motives and feelings, but in out-shining of the light in simple, humble, pleasant doing of that duty which comes next.
Charlotte Mason, βSimplicityβ essay, Scale How Meditations
