Feb. 4, 2010 - Book Review: The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliff
"The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe, was published in the summer of 1794 by G. G. and J. Robinson of London in 4 volumes. Her fourth and most popular novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho follows the fortunes of Emily St. Aubert who suffers, among other misadventures, the death of her father, supernatural terrors in a gloomy castle, and the machinations of an Italian brigand. Often cited as the archetypal Gothic novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho plays a prominent role in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey, in which an impressionable young woman, after reading Radcliffe's novel, comes to see her friends and acquaintances as Gothic villains and victims with amusing results."
-Summary by Wikipedia
Review by Shiloah Baker
This book is a beautifully written tale full of mystery, intrigue, valuable lessons in character and life, with an end that satisfies all the curiosities one receives when reading it.
Emily is the protagonist whose character is worthy of all girls to emulate. She is always checking her propensity for fear and superstitions. She never feels sorry for herself despite all those she loses to death, being suffered to an imprisonment in a “haunted” castle and the selfishness of those who were around for the greater part of a year.
She loses the love of her life by choice when she finds out that his character became flawed and his addictions she knew he would have problems with throughout his life. Throughout the years I have had friends whose marriages soured for one reason or another. The ones whose marriages ended due to infidelity and mistreatment often affected me the most in a melancholy way. I spoke to my wise mother-in-law about it and she said many times people are not careful in the dating process. People think they can change people or that problems in the youth will be conquered in later years, much of the time this is not so. Emily’s wisdom and prudence is a wonderful example to impressionable girls in this day and age. She shows strength of character that is not often seen in the shallow characters of protagonists today.
Centuries after this book is written, our way of life is so utterly different from those in the 1500’s. I have always been curious as to how the relationships between servants and master operated. I especially enjoyed reading what they ate: breads and cheese, fruit with cream, etc. Considering that the story took place mostly in France and Italy it gives me an idea of the types of bread and cheese. The children and I have enjoyed this faire off and on while I read the book. Blame it on pregnancy cravings. {Smile}
The author takes us to many locations without ever making the reader feel lost. The descriptions are rich and it makes one crave the reprieve of an Italian countryside. She brings the reader with Emily to two haunted castles and yet never leaves a question unanswered by the end of the book. Despite the gloomy circumstances at times in the book, it has an extremely happy ending. It is master story-telling at its finest.
When speaking of the death of an unhappy woman who committed great sins, the following wisdom is still relevant to today:
“Her death presents to us a great and awful lesson.” Continued the abbess; “let us read it, and profit by it; let it teach us to prepare ourselves for the change, that awaits us all! You are young, and have it yet in your power to secure ‘the peace that passeth all understanding’-the peace of conscience. Preserve it in your youth, that it may comfort you in age; for vain, alas! and imperfect are the good deeds of our latter years, if those of our early life have been evil!”
Living our lives the best we can not only gives us a free and clear conscience now, but when on our death beds we will have the peace of mind knowing we lived a good life.
Several of the characters were selfish, passionate, cruel and sinful. The author clearly illustrates the unhappiness of a life lived in this manner. One lesson taught was that all passions- good or bad should be bridled.
“Remember, sister, that passions are the seeds of vices as well as of virtues, from which either may spring, accordingly as they are nurtured. Unhappy they who have never been taught the art to govern them!”
I really enjoyed listening to President Uchtdorf the other night. One of the things he mentioned that really struck me was that there is no “FREE AGENCY” there is agency. Nothing is free because it all comes with a price. There is always a consequence to every choice.
By the end of the book, you learn throughout the story that while good or bad, we all must pass through sorry and hardship, but in the end if we endure we shall triumph:
“O! useful may it be to have shewn, that, though the vicious can sometimes pour affliction upon the good, their power is transient and their punishment certain; and that innocence, though oppressed by injustice, shall, supported by patience, finally triumph over misfortune!”
The Mysteries of Udolpho is a classic novel worth reading. I have shared the storyline with my children as I read and they are so excited to read it in a few years. I thought it would make a great movie, but on second thought it might appear very scary and thus giving it a rating I wouldn’t want to see. It is better that it remains a book and the ideas left to the imagination. All is explained at one time or another, but until then, enjoy the suspense and mystery!
Feb. 4, 2010 - Classic Kids Book List That EVERY Child Needs: List Four
This is part four in the series as the book lists I have to share are VERY long. Keep checking in for new lists. Some of these books you may or may not recognize from your own childhood. One thing I love about book lists is being reminded of good books I may have forgotten about. Time to rekindle some pleasant memories and make new ones with our children today.
Here is the next book list:
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
The Rose in my Garden by Arnold Lobel
Taka and his Dog by Edna Walker Chandler Sailboat Time by Maj Lindman
Series Books:
The Littles Series by John Peterson
The Littles
The Littles Take A Trip
The Littles To the Rescue
The Littles Have A Wedding
The Littles Give A Party (originally issued as "The Littles Surprise Party")
The Littles and the Great Halloween Scare
The Littles and the Trash Tinies
The Littles Go Exploring
The Littles and the Big Storm
The Littles and Their Amazing Friends
The Littles Go to School
The Littles and the Lost Children
The Littles and the Terrible Tiny Kid
The Littles and Their Amazing New Friend
The Littles and The Scary Halloween
The Littles Have a Happy Valentine's Day (adapted from The Littles Have a Wedding)
The Georgie Series by Robert Bright
Young Readers:
Five Little Monkeys with Nothing to Do by Eileen Christalow Bear Snores on by Karma Wilson
A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson
Billy and Blaze by C.W. Anderson (Good beginning reader) The Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy
The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord
Pickles to Pittsburgh by Judi Barnett
Froggy by Jonathan London
The Island of the Skog by Stephen Kellogg
TJED is based on Classically based books and mentoring. Start buying and reading the suggested books and see which ones will work for you and your family library. For those who missed where I got these book lists, I received from a good friend who is well versed in classic books for kids and has a house filled with bookshelves full of classic books for children. Several afternoons she had me come and copy down the titles so I could start my collection. Thank you, Linda! Happy reading, everyone!
Books on my bedside table: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Ann Bronte Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Books on my Scholar Phase daughter #1's shelf:
Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling Bleakhouse by Charles Dickens
The Golden Crown by Christ Heimerdinger
Hard Times by Charles Dickens
The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes
Books on my Scholar Phase daughter #2's shelf:
The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
Trixie Beldon and the Mysterious Code by Karen Kenney
Books on my Love of Learner's shelf:
Knight at Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne
Jan. 22, 2010 - To Book, Nook, Swim, Audible or All?
Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds and so many times my head is swimming with all that is available to us. I was homeschooled growing up and the resources my mom had to work with were slim. Still she managed to find us some neat curriculum and learning tools. Today I am a homeschooling mom and while I enjoy simplicity I also enjoy technology and technology is not always simple and there are so many options what is a modern mom to do?
The Book
Let’s start with the “old-fashioned” book. I’m a traditionalist, especially when it comes to books. I love to hold them, smell them, read them, curl up with them and dog ear the pages {shhh, don’t tell!}. I’m in love with classic books new or used. I’m a Barnes and Noble chick all the way. While other moms go to the movies or to the mall for their time out, I am sitting in a corner of a Barnes and Noble or a Borders reading and browsing books or writing an article in my notebooks. I feel inspired just being around books.
The other thrilling aspect of books is collecting them and having a library in my own home. While I enjoy brand new books I also adore perusing through used books stores. I will travel 45 minutes away just to go to a favorite used book store. You know the kind, the ones that are jam-packed full of books, old fashioned cookbooks, antique books and many of these used books stores are usually dusty or dingy. That’s okay, because book collectors know where to go to get the “good” books.
To Swim
To swim or not to swim, that is the question. Just like Netflix has DVD’s you can rent through the mail and keep as long as you’d like without late fees, Book Swim does the same thing- only with books!
BookSwim says,
“BookSwim is the first online book rental library service lending you paperbacks, hardcovers and now college textbooks Netflix®-style directly to your house, without the need to purchase! We stock all the latest bestsellers, new releases, and classics! Read your books as long as you want - no late fees! Even choose to purchase and keep the books you love!”
Sounds like a better option than the library as far as convenience. Still there’s nothing like being “around” books sitting in a library. {sigh}
The Nook
Barnes and Noble has come out with the Nook- an electronic book! Amazon has it’s Kindle, but I’m looking at the Nook because of pricing and the size of that beautiful piece of electronic glory.
I’ll admit, though when I first heard of books on an electronic piece of equipment I wasn’t thrilled. I wondered how you could curl up with it; you don’t get the sensation of turning the page or looking in the back of a book store for a treasured book. You DO get free classic ebooks and the “pages” are lit up so if you want to read in bed you don’t even need a lamp. You DO get to loan an ebook to a friend who also has a Nook for two weeks.
What Barnes and Noble says about the Nook,
“Choose an eBook using the beautiful color touch screen, then watch it appear instantly on the E Ink® display, where text appears as crisp as a printed page. The 16-level gray scale display offers great contrast with no glare or backlight. Choose from five font sizes so you can read with ease.
Store as many as 1,500 eBooks, eNewspapers, and eMagazines on your nook’s 2 GB of internal storage, so you'll never be without your favorites. Need more space? Just add a Micro SD card.”
Audible
But will the Nook replace my love for books on audio? Doubtfully. I have a subscription to Audible.com where I can buy one audio book for $14.95 a month. They have a children’s section and {thrill} a classics section among all the newer books as well. I LOVE that I can listen to audio books while I’m at the computer. I love that I can put them on the Ipod’s for the kids to listen to either on the stereo, in the car, or whenever they want to. It is great putting an audio book on while they’re doing dishes. They’re pulling double duty and don’t even realize it- learning and working! Audible has many sales on their audio books and even offers free audios as well!
So tell me, with all these options can a book lover like myself really have the cake and eat it too? I’m loving the options! What about you?
Sep. 14, 2009 - Classic Kids Book List That EVERY Child Needs: Three
This is part three in the series as the book lists I have to share are VERY long. Keep checking in for new lists. Some of these books you may or may not recognize from your own childhood. One thing I love about book lists is being reminded of good books I may have forgotten about. Time to rekindle some pleasant memories and make new ones with our children today.
Here is the next book list:
Series Books:
Mist of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry (and other sequels) Betsy Tacy by Maud Halt (10 in series)
TJED is based on Classically based books and mentoring. Start buying and reading the suggested books and see which ones will work for you and your family library. For those who missed where I got these book lists, I received from a good friend who is well versed in classic books for kids and has a house filled with bookshelves full of classic books for children. Several afternoons she had me come and copy down the titles so I could start my collection. Thank you, Linda! Happy reading, everyone!
Sep. 7, 2009 - Classic Kids Book List That EVERY Child Needs: Two
This is part two in the series as the book lists I have to share are VERY long. Keep checking in for new lists. Some of these books you may or may not recognize from your own childhood. One thing I love about book lists is being reminded of good books I may have forgotten about. Time to rekindle some pleasant memories and make new ones with our children today.
Tate, Suzanne (Especially because shes is NC born and lives in the outer banks of NC -Nag's Head)
*Did you Know?
"Gruelle created Raggedy Ann for his daughter, Marcella, when she brought him an old hand-made rag doll and he drew yupa face on it. From his bookshelf, he pulled a book of poems by James Whitcomb Riley, and combined the names of two poems, "The Raggedy Man" and "Little Orphant Annie." He said, "Why don’t we call her Raggedy Ann?"
Marcella died at age 13 after being vaccinated at school for smallpox without her parents' consent. Authorities blamed a heart defect, but her parents blamed the vaccination. Gruelle became an opponent of vaccination, and the Raggedy Ann doll was used as a symbol by the anti-vaccination movement." (Source: Wikipedia)
TJED is based on Classically based books and mentoring. Start buying and reading the suggested books and see which ones will work for you and your family library. For those who missed where I got these book lists, I received from a good friend who is well versed in classic books for kids and has a house filled with bookshelves full of classic books for children. Several afternoons she had me come and copy down the titles so I could start my collection. Thank you, Linda! Happy reading, everyone!
Here is the posted explanation straight from the group's page:
"This idea is based on the book "Flat Stanley". A Flat Traveler is a person, animal or thing made out of paper. You print or draw your Traveler, laminate it and then mail it along with a blank journal to someone in another area, state or country. The host family treats your Flat Traveler as a guest and takes it places they go. After a short time your Flat Traveler is mailed back to you along with a completed journal and perhaps some photos, postcards and/or souvenirs. You look over your Flat Travelers journey and plot it on a map.
Some families keep a scrapbook with all their journals, souvenirs and photos inside. Some families send out one Flat Traveler and other families send out dozens! You can make this project as simple or as detailed as you like. This is a fun way to learn about geography and history among many other subjects!
This group has been formed to give homeschool families a group of participants to contact world wide. As a member of this group you should be prepared to host Flat Travelers from other families as well."
What a fun and educational project to do, especially for homeschooling families! :)
A few days ago, I read an online article on The Boston Globe by David Abel. The article was explaining how the New England prep school the Cushing Academy is riding their entire library of our 20,000 books and replacing it with digital screens, places for laptops, etc.
The first question that entered my mind was how the library cannot invite the digital books and books online along with the books? I’m all for the convenience of modern technology, but there are many things that technology cannot completely take the place of without consequences and one of those is books. What has been working well for centuries shouldn’t just end because one generation found an invention they liked better. It was mentioned in the article that the staff of Cushing believe it is the start of a new era. The problems I foresee, aside from losing the pure love of books, are what if there was a power surge? What about the effects on the eyes as people do more reading on a computer screen? Like the television the computer screen can affect the brain waves as well. The author also pointed out various other problems with digital "books" such as sand, liquids and the cost of accessing the materials as many of the materials online are not free.
I'm also not in agreement with the library bringing in a coffee shop containing and encouraging the use of legally addictive stimulants for youth. Not just any coffee shop mind you, but a $50,000 coffee shop that will include a $12,000 cappuccino machine. We travel an hour away to go to libraries in a large city nearest us. We have access to almost twenty libraries that inter-loan.
I cannot imagine not being able to browse through the shelves, picking out books that catch my eye. Sometimes the spiral bound cookbooks are my favorites to browse, or books that are warn on the covers and pages dog-earring showing me that this was a well-read and well-loved book. I write ebooks and articles, most of which are featured online. That still doesn’t replace the value of a book in my mind. Call me old fashioned but I love a book, a real book.
Aug. 8, 2009 - Christian Family Radio and Classically Based Catalog
On the way home from the grocery store I was listening to this wonderful broadcast on the radio station. I wrote down the website on the grocery receipt so I wouldn't forget it when I got home. I'm so glad I did! I highly recommend this website it is called Family Research Council at www.frc.org . It is radio programs from the family Research Council keeping you abreast of news from Washington with a Christian mix.
Articles made into news broadcasts include things like this. Click the link to download and listen to this newscast:
"Science Czar or just plain bizarre? Hello, I am Tony Perkins with the Family Research Council. Among President Obama's growing list of czars is the White House science czar, Dr. John Holdren. Holdren, along with the sky is falling scientist Paul Ehrlich, who wrote the now-discredited book entitled "Population Bomb" in the 1960's claiming the world was overpopulating and would be out of food by the end of the 1970's, wrote a text book together. Holdren and Ehrlich's book, which they wrote in 1977, was entitled Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment. In the book Holdren advocates for radical government action to limit population growth. Among the proposals, forced abortions for women, involuntary sterilization through infertility drugs placed in food or the water supply...." For more visit frcradio.org
This website is very enlightening and I have been making it a habit to listen more to the talk radio shows.
The other thing I wanted to share with you was the Veritas Press catalog. A friend of mine shared this catalog with me as she knows I'm doing TJED which is Classically based.
Things I love about this catalog:
It is broken into grade levels so I can, at a glance, be sure I'm not looking at something too easy for the child I'm buying for.
I love the suggested books per grade level. I'm using it as a guide to gauge the kid's school this year. For instance for my eldest (Calypso), it suggested she read the Lord of the Rings series. Well, she's on book 2 already! Right on!
It even includes classically based math books, which I have been on the search for. One for instance by Harold Jacobs.
Hope this post give you some ideas and a couple of new places to visit.
Aug. 3, 2009 - Classic Kid's Book List That Every Child Needs
I found my notebook with the promised book list! Tis the season for me to get back into my homeschooling life, so I will be better about posting. Promise. {smile}
Series Books:
Twig by Elizabeth Orton Jones
Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull
Pedro's Journal by Pam Conrad Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop
Miss Hickory by Carolyn Bailey
Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
Pinky Pye by Eleanor Estes
"Do you know what is wrong with people who never read nursery rhymes? I will tell you. When little boys and girls grow bigger and older, they should grow from the outside, leaving a little boy in the middle; even when they are quite grown up, the little child that once they were should be within them. But some unlucky people grow older from inside and so grow old through and through."
We have been reading several poetry books as a family. The book Honey for a Child's Heart has a section about Poetry which inspired me to get back on track with reading the children poetry aloud. We're currently reading "The World of Christopher Robin" by A.A. Milne as a family and we love the silliness of them. Some other wonderful poetry books aside from our favorite Dr. Suess:
Randolph Caldecott's Picture Books-
mostly nursery rhymes, but pictures are magnificent!
Mar. 17, 2009 - Our Homeschooling is Always Improving
I recently found and loved the guidelines set in The Well-Trained Mind. It goes along with TJED so well, but I needed a more rigid idea of what needs to be done for my kids but with the classical mentality that I love and feel strongly about. I've been ordering some of the books suggested.
In addition I have a friend, a mentor, who owns hundreds of Classic children's books I had NEVER even heard of! I thought I had at least a mediocre idea of children's literature. I found that I am but a babe, a child myself in this wide world of classical children's literature. I spent two separate days copying all of the book titles in her many bookshelves. I still have another day or two to go to finish. I have hundreds of books on my list to get. When I have some extra time I will be sharing this list. She then took me to the numerous used book stores and helped me pick out additional titles of children's classics to get, many for $1 or less.
Two of those books are from the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series of which there are four, I believe. We begun reading the first one aloud. I highly recommend this book! It is an easy to read aloud book meaning it is easy to imitate the characters and it is enjoyable. My five year old and up absolutely love this book and beg me to read just another chapter. Even my husband laughs with the kids during some of these funny adventures. We have read almost half of the book in three separate sittings, so it is also a quick read. I am so glad we found this series!
M, my almost eight year old daughter, is listening to the CD that is the audio companion to The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. She loves it and the songs that go with it. I love hearing the younger children repeating all the alphabet sounds too.
This blog is for the purpose of sharing my triumphs, joys, troubles and stresses of raising and homeschooling my seven children while pregnant with #8.
We are a military family currently living in Colorado.
"It is in the digging that life is lived.
And I believe it is joy in the journey,
in the end, that truly matters."
Books Read for 2009
One Second After by William R. Forstchen
Odds are You're Going to be Exalted by Alonzo Gaskill
Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
31 Hours by Masha Hamilton
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Detectives Don't Wear Seatbelts by Cici McNair
The Runner's Diet by Madelyn H. Fernstrom
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The Biggest Loser Fitness Plan
The U.S. Constitution for Everyone by Mort Gerberg
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
You Can Heal Your Life Companion Book by Louise L. Hay
The Well Trained Mind
Doctrine and Covenants
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
You Can Heal Your Life By Louise Hay
1776 by David McCullough
Follow the River by Thom
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Through the Window of Life by Suzanne Freeman
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
Judge Me, Dear Reader by Erwin Wirkus
Cheaper by the Dozen by Gilbreth
FedEd by Allen Quist
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Books Read for 2008
The Chimes by Charles Dickens
Prevention's Shortcuts to Big Weight Loss By Chris Freytag
Shrink Your Female Fat Zones By Denise Austin
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
The Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman
Anna Karenina By Leo Tolstoy
The Virginian by Owen Wister
Feelings Buried Alive Never Die by Karol K. Truman
The Bonds That Make You Free
Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by James L Wilson
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Hiding in Plain Site By Ken Bowers
Going Home (Brides of Webster County #1) by Wanda E. Brunstetter
Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
It Takes a Mother to Raise a Village By Colleen Down
Ten Peas in a Pod by Arnold Pent III
One Tattered Angel by Blaine M. Yorgason
Finished 2007:
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Emma by Jane Austen
Homeschooling Methods by Paul and Gina Suarez
I'm Going to be the Greatest Mom Ever by Terri Camp
If it Weren't for Eve, I'd be a Perfect Wife by Terri Camp
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
She's Gonna Blow by Julie Ann Barnhill
I Didn't Plan to be a Witch by Linda Eyre
Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner: Personal Discoveries of a Mother of Twelve by Jaroldeen Edwards
The other Eminent Men of Wilford Woodruff By Vicki Jo Anderson
Arm the Children by Arthur Henry King
Books Read as a Family 2007:
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
King Arthur Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang
Ten and Twenty
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Finished 2007:
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"The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe, was published in the summer of 1794 by G. G. and J. Robinson of London in 4 volumes. Her fourth and most popular novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho follows the fortunes of Emily St. Aubert who suffers, among other misadventures, the death of her father, supernatural terrors in a gloomy castle, and the machinations of an Italian brigand. Often cited as the archetypal Gothic novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho plays a prominent role in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey, in which an impressionable young woman, after reading Radcliffe's novel, comes to see her friends and acquaintances as Gothic villains and victims with amusing results." 
The author takes us to many locations without ever making the reader feel lost. The descriptions are rich and it makes one crave the reprieve of an Italian countryside. She brings the reader with Emily to two haunted castles and yet never leaves a question unanswered by the end of the book. Despite the gloomy circumstances at times in the book, it has an extremely happy ending. It is master story-telling at its finest. 
passeth all understanding’-the peace of conscience. Preserve it in your youth, that it may comfort you in age; for vain, alas! and imperfect are the good deeds of our latter years, if those of our early life have been evil!” 
digital books and books online along with the books? I’m all for the convenience of modern technology, but there are many things that technology cannot completely take the place of without consequences and one of those is books. What has been working well for centuries shouldn’t just end because one generation found an invention they liked better. It was mentioned in the article that the staff of Cushing believe it is the start of a new era. The problems I foresee, aside from losing the pure love of books, are what if there was a power surge? What about the effects on the eyes as people do more reading on a computer screen? Like the television the computer screen can affect the brain waves as well. The author also pointed out various other problems with digital "books" such as sand, liquids and the cost of accessing the materials as many of the materials online are not free. 
