What I Read: September 2024
Great read-alouds + two promising novels I wouldn't recommend.
September! Routine! Cooler temps! I am here for all of it.
We’ve been back at school for a month now, finding a bit more of a groove every week. I’m drowning in end-of-summer produce, pawning it off on friends if they happen to walk through the door. Trying to plan as many fall hikes as possible, looking ahead to pulling out the sweatshirts and reveling in long days outdoors without a drop of sweat.
Arthur sat down and read four books to Scott this evening, one after another. Scott, flattened by a head cold, sat with his eyes closed and just listened. Tennyson was already in bed, and I cleaned the kitchen, watching Arthur come in and grab a second book, and then a third, and then a fourth, triumphant at his own progress. It was another one of those glimmers, a slice of joy amidst the daily, uphill trudge of parenting.
Here’s What I Read in September:
Crossing the Pressure Line {middle grade fiction}
by Laura Anne Bird
This was a sweet novel about a young girl named Clare in Chicago who is reeling from her grandfather’s death at the beginning of the year. It’s almost summer vacation, and she misses him — but she, her mom, and her grandma (three women who don’t always get along) are being asked to spend the summer “up north” at her grandfather’s cabin as one of the last requests in his will. It’s a summer of growing for Clare, age 12, who decides to set three goals for herself, one of which is to land her first-ever musky. I think any kid 9-12 would enjoy this book. It’s a simple, quick read; a bit formulaic, full of predictable, but dependable characters, and gently explores what it means to grieve and forgive yourself for mistakes you think you’ve made.
How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky {fiction}
by Lydia Netzer
I loved Netzer’s first novel, Shine, Shine, Shine, but this one fell entirely flat for me. The plot is fantastic: two scientists meet as adults and are perfect for each other… only to discover that their mothers planned their romance in the womb. I think the novel is trying to do too many things. It’s a discussion of science and faith and love and destiny… but it’s also got some pretty intense on-page romance and tackles alcoholism and betrayal and role-playing video game alter egos… it ultimately wound up disjointed for me, and I never fell in love with any of the characters.
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The Well-Educated Mind {nonfiction}
by Susan Wise Brown
A friend loaned me this one after I read The Well-Trained Mind, and I’m just not sure I needed to read it. Wise Brown argues that we can — and should — read a survey of classic history, literature, drama, poetry, and autobiography in order to expand our own self-education and broaden our horizons, and she gives you a roadmap to do so. I do not need to be convinced that reading is good for your brain, or that I can tackle a classic and live to tell the tale. I read the intro chapters and the section on novels… only to realize that I read much of her recommended reading list(s) while studying both History and English in college, and that thought of undergoing an intense self-study of many of the books on the lists didn’t excite me at this point in my life. Would I like to devote more time to reading the classics I haven’t yet? Yes. And this season of homeschooling little kids might just not be the season for it.
The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life {nonfiction}
by Julie Bogart
I’ve enjoyed listening to interviews with Bogart before, and looked forward to reading this book that a friend had passed onto me. It felt a bit too long for what it was. There were a few great nuggets in here, and ultimately I think it would make a great book for someone just starting out on the homeschool journey. The reminder that a kid can only pay sustained attention for the age they are plus one minute (e.g. Arthur at age 7 has 8 solid minutes of attention in him before he needs to task switch) was probably the nugget I walked away with that is going to be most useful going forward.
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The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic {novel}
by Breanne Randall
This could have been a great book. The concept is solid, the setting idyllic, the atmosphere perfect for fall. Instead, it just didn’t jive with itself. It was equal parts church-y and romance-y and also used a lot of swear words? The mechanics of the plot were under-explained, and the endless lists of ingredients and what magic they imparted got a bit old after awhile. The characters felt like stereotypes in the extreme, and the predictability was less comforting than it was annoying. And I love a good, predictable rom-com! But this was both over- and under-done (baking pun intended!), and I think I’ll head back to Katherine Center for my next rom-com of a read. Ashley Brooks had a similar review this spring, so maybe this book was just more instagramable than it was readable.
Goodreads | Bookshop | Libro.FM
I’m also slowly working my way through How to Read a Poem. It feels good to be reading poetry for myself again, like stretching a muscle that hasn’t been used in a while.
What I’m Reading with the Kids:
We finished Brighty of the Grand Canyon this evening! It took awhile, not because it wasn’t compelling — we all loved it — but because we all loved it and wanted to all read it together, so we couldn’t read it on nights that Scott wasn’t home.
We also listened to the next book in the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, By the Shores of Silver Lake. I skipped Farmer Boy for now, because I don’t want to ruin the “surprise” of who Laura marries, and we just got our first glimpse of the Wilder boys as they drive horses across the prairie. It feels like keeping a huge secret from them, which is kind of fun (but also, neither of them have yet deduced she marries a Wilder based on her last name… I’m waiting for it).
Arthur and I are working through our first real chapter book together. I grabbed A-to-Z Animal Mysteries: The Absent Alpacas off the shelf because he loves a mystery and this has larger print and pictures still on every spread, so it’s not as intimidating as jumping straight into a more dense chapter book. It’s good so far — some of the vocabulary is definitely a stretch for him at 7, but it’s made for great practice together. Plus, if we like it, there promises to be a whole long alphabet full of sequels to read through. ;)
Ask Me and The Library were serendipitous library finds. We enjoyed both of them, thoroughly.
What I’m Reading Next:
I have Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit checked out from the library, and my book club just selected The House on Mango Street as our November read. Our next read-aloud is Heidi and I cannot honestly remember if I’ve ever read it or not, so I’m excited to dive in with the kids.
It makes me so sad that The Unfortunate Side Effects isn't better! Just seeing the cover here made me think, "Maybe I'm misremembering how much I disliked it," but nope! Hopefully October brings some better cozy reads to you!