Fostering a new renaissance through creativity, authenticity, spirituality, and art
Not surprising for a homeschooler, I’m inside in the air-conditioning on a hot, sticky day in July planning curriculum for the coming school year. One of the distinct advantages of homeschooling is that you can customize your plan to the kid involved, and that is what is going on here. Some subjects are approached in … Read more
I loved this short book and give it five stars. Thank goodness we are not our mothers, and thank goodness for them. Women’s potential has been marginalized for thousands of years, but our mothers were the first generation where there were more opportunities for them and they could entertain the idea of having a career, … Read more
A whole lot of you wanted me to read this book, and so I finally have. I must say, sales of five million self-published books is quite impressive. But I’ve had serious mixed feelings about it. I would have enjoyed the discussion of eternity more if I didn’t have to wade through tragedy to get … Read more
I have a good friend Christine (of The Thinking Mother Blog – click here) who is moving to Texas. I knew it would help her to unload books before her move, and this thought tipped me off of inertia, inspiring me to organize Classical Kids’ first ever Used Curriculum Sale. Above is a photo of … Read more
Not usually prone to murder mysteries, here is one I enjoyed. It is a light summer read that I’d give four stars to, with unimportance as it’s only real flaw. A murder takes place in the English department of an erudite college in Massachusetts. As the story unravels, it has an academic flair, with the … Read more
I loved this book and give it five stars. It is about an elementary aged child and her mother immigrating from China to Brooklyn where they work in a sweat shop. It encapsulates their hard won progress out of dire poverty into a new culture. It is about the humble triumph of the human spirit. … Read more
Long ago, I read a translation of this book but had never seen the real (illuminated!) one in German until a couple days ago. I took some shots of it to share with you. I was very impressed with the fastidious workmanship of this large volume.
I disagree in general with the depiction of heaven in this book. Let’s explain ourselves and understand the why’s of our human lives in the ongoing here and now, instead of waiting until the afterlife. I also challenge his assertion that, without exception, every parent messes up their kids. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book … Read more
One of my spiritual mentors, Virginia Harris (CSB), was interviewed in this little book Life Messages for Moms. I thought I’d share some of what she had to say in this book about motherhood, to support all you moms out there on Mother’s Day. Like me, she is a mother of three… • “I don’t … Read more
I really value what the Dalai Lama is trying to do here. Living in India, where many religions have been coexisting harmoniously for centuries, he highlights his understanding and appreciation of each tradition in turn, underscoring their overlapping commonalities. Even though there are fundamental differences between the theology of the various faith traditions, he finds … Read more
I read the above book three years ago when my oldest daughter was applying to schools, and it was out of date then, published in 2000. Since that time, these authors have put out a whole slew of titles that you can see on the shelf in any teen section of the library. Written by … Read more
This is a pleasant read about a new widow dealing with her husband’s recent passing. The marriage had been a happy one and the story is not maudlin nor stricken, but gently progressive. Sprinkled in with her present day challenges and her retrospective wonderful memories are productive kernels of wisdom about going forward. Love remains … Read more
The Pastor of our church is two books, the Bible and “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” by Mary Baker Eddy. Christian Scientists everywhere study all week the same Bible Lesson that then is their Sermon read on Sunday. Especially in light of my role representing our church on our town’s ecumenical clergy … Read more
This book is for kids and young adults to help them be alert to and wise about advertising. I just completed it with my 8th grader, because her writing assignment was to write an ad, and she thought she hadn’t much experience with ads since we don’t watch TV. This book was excellent at instigating … Read more
After reading with my daughter The Girl of the Limberlost (click here) and loving it, I resolved to read more by Gene Straton Porter, but haven’t until now. This author, who died in a car crash in 1924 before The Keeper of the Bees was printed, wrote ten novels that have sold more than ten … Read more
Today I had the privilege of hearing Anna Lappe speak. She is the author of Diet for a Hot Planet. (I bought –and got signed– her book today but haven’t read it yet). Her mother, Frances Moore Lappe, is the author of Diet for a Small Planet, which over 30 years ago was instrumental in … Read more
I enjoyed this novel whose theme is domestic violence as much as one could on the topic. It begins rather innocuously, but is a real page turner by the end. Nicholas Sparks does a fairly good job getting inside the heads of both husband and wife while clearly contrasting it as well with a healthier, … Read more