The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

Two things about this picture make me very happy. 1) Claire is reading a classic; and 2) she's halfway done! At this point, I think she's definitely invested in this book enough to finish it. It never gets old watching a kid discover a classic!

Finished: Charlatan, by Pope Brock

Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam by Pope Brock
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

True story: Midwest in the 1920's and '30s. Huckster John R. Brinkley makes millions off his ridiculous goat-gland transplant surgery, which is supposed to restore "youthful vigor" (placebo effect, anyone?). He also ran for governor of Kansas (and narrowly lost), built the most powerful radio station on the planet, from which he advertised his sham surgery and worthless remedies, discovered country music stars ... and left a trail of injured and dead patients in his wake. Brinkley's notoriety soon got the attention of Morris Fishbein, editor of the JAMA, whose reputation as a quack-buster was legendary. His mission became one of exposing and bringing Brinkley to justice. The question wasn't "would Fishbein get his man?," but "how" and "when"?

I forced myself to stay off the Internet while I read this, because I didn't want to find all this out from some bland Wikipedia article, but from Pope Brock's hilarious, riveting storytelling.

Two truisms I was left with:

1) The truth really is stranger than fiction; and
2) There's a sucker born every minute. Still. In post-modern, cynical 2016.

******

New word: expatiated.

Expatiate:  verb

1. speak or write at length or in detail.

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“A Midwife’s Tale” by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maine midwife Martha Ballard (1735-1812) kept a diary. She wrote on loose paper with a quill pen and homemade ink … daily … for 27 years! I have a laptop, fast typing skills, modern conveniences … and I’m averaging about one blog post per month this year. Her entries were typically much more brief than mine, though, and she didn’t have photos to mess with. So there.

Author Laurel Thatcher Ulrich spent 8 years studying Martha’s diary, along with numerous other period writings and has put together a very interesting account of New England life, connecting the dots of Martha’s brief entries with the political, social, medical events of the times.

I have to admit, I’ve had this library book checked out for a very long time. I’ve started and stopped it a couple of times, not getting very far past the Introduction and some of chapter one. I thought about returning it a couple of times, but just kept renewing it because I trust the opinion of the friend who recommended it. She also recommended "A Perfect Storm," "In Cold Blood" and "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," all of which I liked.

A few weeks ago, I picked up "A Midwife’s Tale" yet again, got through the first chapter and part of the second chapter, and things finally clicked. I began to understand the layout of the book and the author’s goal and also started feeling like I was beginning to know and admire Martha Ballard. I read through the rest of the book pretty quickly and even went back and re-read the Introduction twice. This book had an incredible amount of information and insights that Ulrich presented in a rich and entertaining way; she was very deserving of the Pulitzer Prize she was awarded for her work.

Bonus: there is a PBS series based on the book, so, I’m definitely going to see if I can get a copy of that!


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“Les Misérables,” by Victor Hugo

Rachel has been working her way through this 1,100+ page classic and has been making a lot of progress on it lately. It’s mostly been a labor of love; it’s probably her favorite story.

Good book + warm fireplace stones + cozy spot = reading heaven.

Finished: “The Tale of Beatrix Potter” by Margaret Lane

One of my 2015 goals is to read more biographies. I already have a pretty good "to-read" list started, and first on my list was Beatrix Potter's biography. Here is my Goodreads review:

The Tale of Beatrix Potter: A Biography by Margaret Lane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really, really liked this biography! I knew nothing about Beatrix Potter except that she was the author of several childhood favorites. Margaret Lane told her story in a very engaging, conversational way. As soon as I finished the book, I immediately wanted to see her illustrations again, pictures of she and her family, and the places she lived and visited. And now I want to see the movie based on her life. Very well done!

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“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte

A long, long time ago, in a world that didn’t used to be quite so busy, it seems like I used to post an occasional picture of someone reading. It seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve done that. We are still reading around here, and this photo is evidence of that.

She knows the story. She’s seen the movie. But for the first time, Rachel is reading this classic … and she’s loving it!

“Winnie-the-Pooh’s Learn Your Alphabet”

 

Happy 3-year-old … in his faded Thomas feet pajamas … morning hair sticking up in the sunlight … enjoying a book all by himself … Mommy Bliss.  :-)

Children’s Pilgrim Progress

I just found this great animated narration of A Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim’s Progress. I’m putting a link to it here so I don’t forget to show the kids.

Courtney just finished the original book last night for her literature class. When she got to the end, she said “It was all a dream?” Apparently, she doesn’t remember me reading this to her about ten years ago.  :-).

Our pastor lent me the Modern English version a couple of weeks ago, which I do plan on working my way through … once I finish the three other books I’m in the middle of. Some years ago, I read a good portion of the original, which I borrowed from Steve, but I think I returned it. Maybe 2014 should be “The Year of Pilgrim’s Progress.”  Not a bad goal, I think.  :-)

“Bleak House” by Charles Dickens

 

Yep, this is how I sit when I read books, too.

“The Little Blue Truck” by Alice Schertle

This is a new book that we got Grant for his birthday. As you can see, Trent is a fan. :-)  Through the years, we have accumulated lots and lots of books for young children, but we’re always on the lookout for new books when birthdays and Christmas roll around. Sometimes, I think the only good books are the ones that are at least 25 years old, but then I find a new “classic,” and my faith in modern storytelling is rekindled.

And how sweet is it that Claire was reading it Trent? Rachel found the two of them like this the other morning and I’m so glad she was able to get this picture!

“Little Miss Spider at Sunnypatch School” by David Kirk

Many years ago, this was a well-loved bedtime story at our house. Sadly, it went the way of so many books these days: the binding quickly wore away, separating the book into several parts and we eventually had to throw it out. Sometimes, I can make adequate repairs to a book’s binding with packing tape, but often, it’s a lost cause. Modern-day book binding is one of those topics that I occasionally rant about. Like so many other products in today’s marketplace, it is very cheaply done with no concerns about how long the product will last. I think about how many great family books have been lovingly passed down through generations and I worry about this and future generations. What will be left to pass down? We have some very old books which have been graciously given to us or bought at antique shops and their bindings are almost always in very good shape. But many of the books we’ve bought new since we’ve started our family usually last just a year or two before the binding starts to fall apart. Frustrating!

Back to this happy picture and the book Sarah is reading. We found this copy at the library the other day. The illustrations in the book are very unusual – to the point of being distracting -- but if you look closely at them, they are actually quite clever and detailed. Trent probably just likes the fact that the story is about a spider. He likes bugs!

"All Creatures Great and Small" by James Herriot

Wow. «««««!  I just loved this book! So much that I would rank it in my top 5. Some of the chapters were laugh-out-loud funny (e.g., the calving in Chapter 1 with "Uncle" giving his 2 cents, the Bramleys and their kittens in Chapter 58), and others were incredibly poignant (chapter 45 about John Skipton and his beloved retired work horses really got me). I re-read many sections of this out loud to, well, whoever happened to be nearby when I read something I especially liked.

It's interesting, when I browse through the comments for this book on Goodreads, I frequently see sentiments like this "If you like animals, this is a good book for you," but I really think Herriot's stories show us his warm feelings toward the unique people who owned the animals, rather than the animals themselves.

This was a library book, but it definitely deserves a permanent spot in our personal library. So incredibly wonderful.

Summer Reading!

The summer reading programs are in full swing around here, with big prizes up for grabs. Our local library is offering, as one of its prizes, free tickets to the State Fair! We love going to the Fair and try to make it at least once each year, but at $8 per ticket, it can get pricey for our family. So, the tickets are at the top of our (my) prize wish list.  ;-)

Erica is reading “Mansfield Park” by Jane Austen

The library’s book criteria is pretty attainable: just read a book a week and come in each week to pick out a prize. For middle-schoolers on up, any chapter book qualifies. Kids younger than that can either read a book themselves, or have a book read to them. Claire has been really enjoying “Charlotte’s Web” and asks anyone and everyone to read a chapter whenever they can spare the time. Usually, others within earshot end up listening in, too. :-)

Also, Veritas Press has a summer reading program with prizes. Their requirements are a little more lofty: for 7th-12th grade, you must read 25 books at 200+ pages. Rachel, Courtney and Erica all have summer reading lists to prepare for their Fall classes, so we’ll probably kill two birds with one stone. 

Brooke is reading “The Happy Hollisters at Lizard Cove,” by Jerry West. A little while later, she was spotted sitting next to Mick so she could also enjoy “Charlotte’s Web.”  :-)

For their reading program, those who finish get a $10 gift certificate to be used to purchase any of their books. Also, there is a random drawing for cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Like most kids, ours don’t have to be “bribed” to read. They just consider the prizes the icing on the cake.  :-)

Courtney is reading “A Wrinkle in Time,” by Madeleine L’Engle

“Moby Dick,” adapted by Felix Sutton

 

“…Pulling his harpoon from Moby Dick’s side, he stabbed it in again and again—stabbing, jabbing-jabbing, stabbing—like a madman.” …

“…then it was that Moby Dick finally spouted the fatal black blood and sounded for the last time.” …

Not your typical bedtime story, but it held Grant’s attention.  :-)

The book was published in 1956, long before animal rights activists found a voice. A “Note to Parents” at the beginning of the book includes this: “The dramatic illustrations on every page are in keeping with the spirit of this American classic.” Indeed.  :-)

“The River of Doubt” by Candice Millard

A friend of Mick’s highly recommended this book, which our dependable library had, thankfully. He started reading it last night (on a Friday night!) and picked it right back up first thing this morning. I’ll take that as a sign this is a good one. :-)

He’s a little camera-shy, apparently.  :-D

“What Do You Love?” by Jonathan London

Time reading to little ones is always time well spent!

“Leave it to Psmith” by P. G. Wodehouse

“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare

Courtney’s online literature class read “Macbeth” recently. The instructor assigned the students parts and they “performed” the play during class.

You know, I read “Macbeth” in high school, too. But the experience wasn’t anything like this.

I’m not bitter. Really.

“The Bobbsey Twins on a Houseboat” by Laura Lee Hope

We’re knee-deep in the birthday season around here, which means lots of birthday cakes, shopping, collage-making, and special birthday meals, squeezed into our regular schedule. In fact, today is Brooke’s 9th birthday (post and collage forthcoming)! But in spite of all that, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to snap a quick picture of Sarah enjoying this book.

Worley Family Library – Megasize

So, I think I mentioned that the kids are all really hooked on “Columbo” right now and have been working their way through the DVD set we borrowed from Dad. They’re down to one more episode, which we decided to watch tonight. Getting everything cleaned up from dinner and everybody ready for bed is quite an undertaking, which happens in stages, so while various kids were ready to go and waiting on the others, they entertained themselves by reading. By the time I made it into the living room to put Trent’s pajamas on him, they were all crowded on the couches. I didn’t realize they were all reading until I started listening to them talk about what a certain word meant or how to pronounce another one. When I realized what they were all doing, I realized this was a golden opportunity – the holy grail, really – of Worley Family Library photo opportunities. So, here’s the lineup, from left to right:

• Courtney - “Beowulf”. It’s for her lit class – she doesn’t usually read Anglo-Saxon poetry for pleasure ;-);
• Erica - “Around the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne (a Christmas gift);
• Brooke – “The Clue of the Leaning Chimney” by Carolyn Keene (Brooke couldn’t even look up from her book long enough for a picture. ;-)

• Rachel – “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo
• Me: “Are you reading that for your class?”
• Rachel: “No, just for fun. Plus, I want to see the movie.” ;-)
• Grant – pondering his water bottle
• Sarah – “The Secret of the Old Clock” by Carolyn Keene (Yes, Sarah has her pointe shoes on, Yes, she often wears them for fun around the house.)
• Claire – “One Wintry Night” by Ruth Bell Graham

OK, so a few minutes after I took these pictures, it was show time and now they’re watching “Blueprint for Murder.” But it was fun while it lasted!