I'm Currently Reading...

So, if you've never heard of Virgin River, you may be living under a rock. Well, that may be going too far, but you're definitely missing out. This series of books currently has 21 books. However, I'm just starting and am still reading book number 1. So far, it's pretty good. I quite enjoy Robyn Carr's style of writing and look forward to reading more books in the series.

Virgin River is also a Netflix original series, so I look forward to watching that after I have finished some of the books. I believe there are 2 seasons available right now.

The main story focuses on Melinda Monroe, a midwife and nurse practitioner, who needs a change from the city. She ends up in little Virgin River after a tragic loss. At first, she's not sure if she can handle country life, but she continues to postpone her exit until she finally falls in love with the town and the people living there.

There is an obvious attraction between Mel and the former marine/bar owner, Jack Sheridan that is sheer pleasure to read about.

Every book features different characters, but not necessarily new characters so you get to keep reading about the drama and antics that happen in Virgin River without getting bored by the same main character book after book. I look forward to reading them all! But first, I have to finish the first one...

Homeschool: Book Review for Read Aloud

A couple months ago, I shared the awesome books that we read aloud while my son was in 4th grade (see that post here). And I'll have some amazing books to tell you about in a couple months when we finish 5th grade! But you know how I know that these are great books? Well, one way is because I have my son do a 1-page book review after each book. Go to the bottom of this post for a free downloadable copy. It looks like this:

It's got everything you would want to know about the book. But at the same time, it's only one page so it doesn't take too long to complete.

Click here for a downloadable copy!

I'm Currently Reading...

As a homeschool mom, I don't get a lot of time to myself. However, we do have reading time every single day. This allows me half an hour to read my own book of choice while my son reads his. I think it's important for him to see me reading for joy to show that when you find the right book, reading is an adventure that you should love to be on.

For my first book of 2021, I have chosen to read The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. I had seen it recommended somewhere, but to be honest, I can't think of where.

Quoted from GoodReads
"In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.
1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.
1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she's recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, code name Alice, the "queen of spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy's nose.
Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth...no matter where it leads."

Intriquing, right? Well, I'm only about half-way through the book, and every day during our half hour reading time, I am so curious about how the book is going to end. I look forward to reading it. And I think that in and of itself shows that this is a good book. The Alice Network is definitely a mature book that should not be read by children. It's dramatic. There is pain and suffering and embarrassment and war. There are some sensitive topics like abortion and sex. However, there is also love and friendship. Overall, I'm excited to see how this book ends.

If you have any recommendations of books for me to read, please leave them in the comments below.

It's Christmas! Day 16: Read Christmas Books

It’s Christmas! is a 5 day blog and vlog segment that I’ll be doing this December to bring you crafts, reviews, and ideas to make your Christmas season even more fun this year (especially, with this pandemic thing we’re all trying to navigate).

Hopefully, my family can inspire yours to not let this crazy year ruin the holiday season for you.

One way to really embrace the Christmas spirit is to read Christmas books. We of course have our favorites. We always read “Twas the night before Christmas” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on Christmas Eve. So clearly we haven’t read those books yet. However, there are a couple books we have already read.

I homeschool my son and we have a Read Aloud time every day so it’s easy to find time for Christmas books. But you could easily read your books before bedtime.

Here are some of our favorites this year:
The Grinch (a novelization of the Jim Carey version)
Llama Llama Holiday Drama
The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas
How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas
The Little Christmas Elf
The First Christmas Night

One of my favorite parts about reading to my son is the quality time we get to spend together. So never stop reading to your kids!

And as always, from my family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Homeschool: Read Aloud Books for 4th Grade

One of the things my son has become really great at over the past couple years is reading. However, that doesn't mean that he doesn't still love to be read to. We've been reading books to our son since he was born and I love that now (since he's older), I get to read books that are interesting to me too! Since we started homeschooling, I definitely wanted to keep Read Aloud time during his "school day". He told me how much he loved it when his public school teachers would do it. My son did NOT have a very good public school experience so if he said there was something he liked, I was absolutely down for keeping that a part of our day. So, every day, I read from a book (that I have chosen) for 20-30 minutes. We also have silent reading time every day where he reads a book of his choosing.

These are the books that we read last year (2019-2020 school year). We truly loved them all (but some more than others, for sure!).

I found these books based on online recommendations and from teachers. I wanted to keep the books age appropriate, but still fun.

1. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Staar
This book was interesting. I don't think it was my son's favorite. But I loved how a lot of things didn't make sense until the end.

2. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
This was easily my son's favorite book all year! He still talks about how amazing it was. I never thought I would be able to relate to a robot, but this book has made me a believer.

3. The Wild Robot Returns by Peter Brown
Obviously, we had to read the sequel.

4. All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
This book does talk about prison, but it's in a calm, minimum security kind of way. It was definitely different from what we normally read.

5. Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
I loved that this book gave the perspective of someone that is unlike my son. The main character has dyslexia, but she's moved so many times that no one has ever caught it. I think reading books like that help to show why should have empathy for people that are suffering even if we don't know what it's like. It also shows why you shouldn't judge others or be mean to them because they might be going through things that you know nothing about. I definitely want to find more books like that this year.

6. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
I remember reading this book when I was a kid. It still held my interest, even to this day.

7. Smack Dab In The Middle Of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl
There is a lot to unpack with this book. I don't think it was one of my son's favorites. But mostly because he didn't like how sad he felt for the main character. That being said, it is still a pretty good book.

8. The Infinite Lives Of Maisie Day by Christopher Edge
This was an unexpected book. I didn't really know what it was about before wwe read it. There's a lot of science. And it doesn't have your typical happy ending.

9. Gloom Town by Ronald L. Smith
This book is dark. But not in a bad way. It was just very intense. But we still enjoyed it.

10. Matilda by Roald Dahl
This is a classic! And I realized I had never read it before! I have seen the movie a good 20 times, but never read the book. I'm glad I did. And of course, we watched the movie when we were done.

11. Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
This book was definitely in my son's top 3 favorites this year! It's such a fun story about a girl and a squirrel.

12. The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner
I loved that this book really showed you the consequences of wishing for things instead of doing everything you can to make them happen. It's a good lesson.

I hope our list gives you some ideas for what to read to your own kids!