Spiritual Woman: December 2021

Friday, December 31, 2021

What I Read in 2021

Welcome to my 2021 Edition of What I Read This Year!

I'm dividing what I read into sections - Leisure Reading, Reading for Work (which doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it), Great Books Project (I've been working on making my way through the syllabus of Thomas Aquinas College. I started this is the Spring of 2019. I have no idea how long it will take me.), and Books I Read with My Daughter. Not included are books that I have read to edit (due to client confidentiality).

I worked on this post throughout the year. I have included the dates I finished the book. If you notice I finished more than one book on one day, it is because I am frequently reading more than one book at a time and just happened to finish them on the same day. Enjoy!

Leisure Reading

1/9/21 Syllabus - William Germano & Kit Nicholls - To be honest, I almost put this book down after the first chapter. I had seen it advertised and I enjoy reading about educational theory, so I thought I'd pick it up. It did get better after the first chapter, but is mostly geared to those teaching in college. It did invite some interesting thought about course planning and what it means to be an educator.

1/10/21 INFJ Revolution - Lauren Sapala - I had received this e-book as a free gift for being part of being on Lauren's email list. I do enjoy her books as I continue my ongoing quest to understand my personality and how best to function in a world in which I really don't fit anywhere. Her work is a bit New-Agey.

1/17/21 The XX Brain: The Groundbreaking Science Empowering Women to Maximize Cognitive Health and Prevent Alzheimer's Disease - This was an interesting book on women's health and how our hormones effect our brains. Yes, it spoke about Alzheimer's Disease but was also about other common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause and what we can do to transition through those stages more smoothly.

1/17/21 Giving - Alexandre Mars - one of my goals for 2021 is to become more intentional about giving. I've always been a small-scale philanthropist supporting causes that are important to me, but (with the exception of my weekly offering to the Church) this often involves looking at who has sent me requests for money recently and picking one to donate to when I pay the bills. There is no great thought or plan behind it. Anyway, I requested a couple books on philanthropy from the library and this was one of them. It was not what I was looking for. The author has started a platform called Epic which allows employees to donate through payroll deductions. It was primarily about that. It is a worthy endeavor, but not relevant to my situation. Fortunately, it was a short book.

1/24/21 Inspired Philanthropy - Tracy Gary & Melissa Kohner - Unlike the above book, this one offered much more of what I was looking for in terms of developing a giving plan. It was written in 2002 so I'm sure some of the material and references are dated, but the core information of how to determine your priorities, set a giving budget, and allocate resources well is still relevant.

2/7/21 The Solace of Water - Elizabeth Byler Younts - This one was recommended to me by fellow Catholic Writer Carolyn Astfalk. Set in 1950s Pennsylvania, it focuses on a friendship between a white Amish woman and a Black woman in a time when the races didn't mix. The two are joined by their shared grief over the loss of a child. It is a poignant portrayal of grief and healing.

2/7/21 The Lost Manuscript - Cathy Bonidan - I enjoyed this quick read about a typed manuscript that was lost in an airport in 1986 and found in 2016 and the various hands it had traveled through during that time. The manuscript has changed several lives and brings an unlikely group of individuals together.

2/13/21 - The Library of Congress - Gene Gurney & Nick Apple - There are not a lot of places on my bucket list, but The Library of Congress is definitely one of them. In the meantime, I checked out this 1981 book from the library. While I wish it had full-color pictures, it was never-the-less very interesting. After I read it, I went down the rabbit hole of watching videos about The Library of Congress on YouTube and had quite a pleasant armchair excursion!

2/21/21 - The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine - Janice P. Nimura - This was an interesting biography about Doctors Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell, two sisters who were among the first to earn M.D.'s as women in America. It was also an informative look at medical practices in the 1800s. One item of note is that Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell encouraged women to regulate births by avoiding sex during fertile periods (NFP)!

2/21/21 The Poets & Writers Complete Guide to Being a Writer - Kevin Larimer and Mary Gannon - I make it a point to read every issue of Poets & Writers magazine. I always find it very informative. This book is like reading an extended version of the magazine (except without the images!) It contains all the basic information you need if you are interested in pursuing a writing life, tackling topics such as craft, inspiration, agents, editors, publishing options, and a realistic look at how much money you might make.

3/6/21 - Chatter: the Voice in Our Head, Why it Matters, and How to Harness It - Ethan Kross - as someone with an interior voice that never shuts off, I was fascinated by this book. It was very interesting and I am going to try to incorporate some of his suggestions to see if they help me limit the negative self-talk.

3/13/21 - The Kindest Lie - Nancy Johnson- This debut novel features a black woman who gave up a child for adoption when she was 17. She's always kept it a secret, but after many years, she tells her husband and goes back home to search for the child she gave up. Set in 2008 against the backdrop of Obama's election to the presidency, it pits the hope of that election against the reality of race relations in the United States.

3/14/21 The Listening Path: The Creative Art of Attention - Julia Cameron - Cameron is best known as the author of The Artist's Way which introduced the world to morning pages and artist's dates. This book continues those practices but emphasizes the importance of listening to ourselves, others, God, those who have gone before us, and silence. While I appreciate this value of listening and this book had some valuable information, it crossed over into New Age territory pretty quickly.

3/21/21 Letters to Juliet: Celebrating Shakespeare's Greatest Heroine, the Magical City of Verona, and the Power of Love - Lise Friedman & Ceil Friedman - Letters to Juliet is one of my favorite movies. I watched it recently and saw in the credits that they mentioned this book as the inspiration. This was an interesting story about where the story of Romeo and Juliet came from and how the tradition of writing to Juliet began.

3/28/21 The Orchid and the Dandelion: Why Some Children Struggle and How All Can Thrive - W. Thomas Boyce, M.D. - Dr. Boyce's theory is that about 20% of children are more sensitive than others (the orchids). These children have both the capacity to be hit harder by life and to achieve greater things than the rest of children (the dandelions) who are able to reasonably thrive in any environment. I think that his theory has merit and I appreciate the realization that some children are simply born more sensitive than others (as opposed to it being a personal failing), but where the book comes up short is in strategies to help orchid children thrive.

4/3/21 Heal Pelvic Pain - Amy Stein, M.P.T. - I have had interstitial cystitis, a painful bladder condition, for over 16 years. Some days are better than others, but it has been bothering me quite a bit lately. This book was recommended in the IC group I belong to on Facebook. It offers exercises to help people with bladder and bowel problems. I am trying to incorporate them into my life. So far, I've done them the past three days and I do feel a bit better. The hardest part is finding the 1/2 hour to do them as my life is already pretty full, but if it helps, it is definitely worth it to make the effort!

4/18/21 The Paris Library - Janet Skeslien Charles - Word War II Fiction is definitely a trend right now. I've read more than my share and was hesitant to pick up this one, but it is a book about people working in a library. How could I resist? I'm glad that I did read it. While the dangers of war are definitely there, it primarily focuses on the life of the main character Odile. A parallel story has the same woman in the 1980s befriending a teenage girl in Montana. It was an excellent story that I greatly enjoyed!

4/25/21 Life in the Studio - Frances Palmer - Palmer is a ceramic artist from Connecticut. This book is a visual delight. I loved looking through all the beautiful photos of her work. She also shared some lovely images of her garden as she often photographs her pots with fresh-cut flowers. In addition she offered her own reflections on living a creative life.

4/30/21 Remember - Lisa Genova - Genova is best-known for her fiction including Still Alice, a moving story about a woman with Alzheimer's disease. In this work, she puts on her hat as a neuroscientist and discusses the ways our memory works and doesn't work. I found it fascinating.

5/1/21 Cottage Gardens - Toby Musgrave
5/2/21 The Cottage Garden - Christopher Lloyd and Richard Bird - I'm grouping these two books together because they were both part of a weekend of dreaming about the garden I'd like to have. Every year, I gain some plants and others die. I keep trying to move toward the vision I have in my head, but I am limited by time, money, and the fact that I am not particularly good at gardening. Nevertheless, the flowers I do have make me happy as did looking through the beautiful photos in these books. I did find the Lloyd book to be the more down-to-earth of the two books in that it included the common names for plants and not just their Latin names (although apparently the version I read is not available on Amazon).

5/9/21 Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston - I've known about this early work (written in 1937) of Black feminist literature for a long time, but I've never made the time to read it until now. Much of it is written in dialect so I found some parts a bit hard to understand. The version I read was a 1990 First Perennial Classics edition that I requested from the library. It featured a Foreword by Mary Helen Washington and an Afterword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., both of which I found very interesting. They spoke about the life of Hurston and how the book fell into obscurity and the author was buried in an unmarked grave until author Alice Walker found her grave and reintroduced Hurston to the world.

5/12/21 True Devotion to Mary - St. Louis de Montfort - I first made my Marian consecration on May 13th (Feast of Our Lady of Fatima) six years ago using 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley. I had never read the original Marian consecration classic and decided to do so this year. It was interesting, but if you are going to make a consecration (which I do highly recommend), I would suggest using the 33 Days to Morning Glory book as it has been updated for today's world.

5/16/21 The Literary Ladies Guide to a Writing Life - Nava Atlas - I discovered this book while looking for something else in the library online catalog. I enjoyed these excerpts about the writing life from several famous female authors from days gone by. The book was also beautifully designed.

5/23/21 Stories Carved in Stone: West Springfield, Massachusetts - Rusty Clark - I've always enjoyed walking through cemeteries, especially old ones, reading the stones (and praying for the dead). I also enjoy learning about local history. This book featured a combination of those two interests. It featured several interesting cemetery stones in a local town and shared stories about the people who were buried there.

5/30/21 Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping - Matthew Salesses - This book was accessible to non-experts and really challenged my understanding of bias in the writing field. I highly recommend it to anyone involved in teaching writing or the act of writing itself.

5/31/21 Every Note Played - Lisa Genova - Genova's fiction depicts people suffering from neurological diseases but is inherently pro-life in that it depicts those lives as still having value. This novel focused on a concert pianist who has ALS. It is definitely raw and earthy but well-worth reading.

6/5/21 Out of Many, One - George W. Bush - Former President George W. Bush combines his paintings with profiles of various immigrants in this amazing book. I am so glad that I had the chance to read this book. I loved his paintings - so vibrant and full of color with thick brushstrokes - and the stories that went along with them. It has much to add to the debate over immigration and helps to make the stories of immigrants (both illegal and legal) much more than the numbers profiled in the news.

6/6/21 Mom Genes: Inside the New Science of Our Ancient Maternal Instinct - Abigail Tucker - This was a fascinating look at how our genes and hormones and our children's genes help shape our parenting and our brains for both good and bad. As a mom of both bio and adopted children, I was especially interested in the interplay. It is fairly common knowledge now that our children's cells live within us long after they are born. In one case, "doctors discovered that a son's lingering cells had rebuilt an entire lobe of one woman's ruined liver." This case is particularly striking because the baby boy had been killed through abortion. They've also shown that evidence suggests that caring deeply for a baby (as through adoption) can "mold the maternal brain" even in mothers that have had no biological children.

6/13/21 House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery - Liz Rosenberg - I've loved Anne of Green Gables since I was 10 years old. This book was an interesting biography of the author who, like her most famous heroine, also grew up in Prince Edward Island. I also found it interesting that she suffered from depression, especially seasonal depression which I imagine is even worse up in Canada than it is here in Massachusetts. This book said it was for young readers (ages 10-14), but I found it could be enjoyed just as much by adults.

6/20/21 The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot - Marianne Cronin - This book has been getting some good buzz and is being adapted into a film. An 83 year-old woman and a 17 year-old girl become friends in the hospital and create art based on their lives (which when you add the years equals 100). I like the premise and the story was fairly interesting. Potential readers should know that the older woman is bisexual (although there is nothing graphic in the story).

6/27/21 ADHD 2.0 - Dr. Edward Hallowell and Dr. John J. Ratey - I read this as a leisure read but ended up reviewing it on my homeschool site. I highly recommend it to anyone who has ADHD or has a child with ADHD (or with similar symptoms even if not diagnosed).

7/3/21 My Remarkable Journey - Katherine Johnson - I first learned about Katherine Johnson who worked as a mathematician for NASA from the movie Hidden Figures, which I loved. This memoir, co-authored with Katherine's daughters, is an inspiring story, definitely worth picking up. I read it while sitting outside, waiting for the 4th of July fireworks in my community.

7/4/21 Little Dancer Aged Fourteen: The True Story Behind Degas's Masterpiece - Camille Laurens - I've always loved Degas' paintings of ballet dancers and his sculpture of the "Little Dancer", but this book reveals a dark side to the world of those young dancers. Desperate mothers would hire their daughters out to the dance community where they were often groomed to be prostitutes at young ages. This book was heartbreaking and I will never be able to look at those paintings in the same way again.

7/11/21 Outliers: The Story of Success - Malcolm Gladwell - My son had to read this book for college and recommended it to me. It is an interesting examination of the various factors that go into making someone a "success" (at least by conventional standards).

7/18/21 Just the Job: How the Trades got their Names - Alexander Tulloch - I find etymology fascinating. Why are things called what they are called? This book was full of interesting tidbits. For example (and relevant to my own career choices, "editor" comes from the Latin edere (out) and dere (a form of dare to give). An editor is one who gives out information and was originally used to describe publishers. Even today, there can be a great deal of overlap in the two descriptions. The term "freelance" comes from the days when knights fought for lords. A "freelance" was one not tied to a particular lord; instead being willing to work for whomever was willing to pay.

7/25/21 Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro - Ishiguro is a past winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. This story tells of Klara, an AI "friend" to a sick girl named Josie who is willing to go to great lengths in order to "save" Josie. Told from Klara's perspective, it raised some interesting questions about what AI might be like in our future. Overall, however, I found the book a bit odd. Sometimes it is good to read things a bit out of your comfort zone. This one fell in that category for me.

8/1/21 The Pull of the Stars - Emma Donaghue - This is a book set in a hospital maternity ward during the Spanish flu epidemic. The first thing I noticed was that no quotation marks are used. This is the second book I've come across like this. Why is this a trend? Quotation marks are useful. Other than that, the high-stakes world of the main nurse, Julia, who spends three days facing life and death situations, kept me turning pages. One thing I realized in reading this is that no matter how bad life might be in the age of Covid, it is nowhere near as bad as the days of the Spanish flu. Also, I could never be a nurse, but I already knew that! This story does feature one lesbian love scene although it is nothing graphic.

8/8/21 The Personal Librarian - Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray - This work of historical fiction focuses on Belle da Costa Greene, a light-skinned Black woman who was forced to hide her true identity and lived as a white woman working as J.P. Morgan's personal librarian. It was a fascinating story that included many famous people from the late gilded age, not to mention some priceless works of art and literature, while exploring issues of race, class, and gender.

8/22/21 The Belle Skinner Collection of Old Musical Instruments - I recently had an opportunity to visit Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke, MA which inspired me to look up information about the family that lived there. Belle Skinner collected antique musical instruments - many of them valuable specimens from the Renaissance and Enlightment periods. This book was a 1933 catalogue of her collection compiled by her brother William. The musical instruments are no longer stored at Wistariahurst. They were donated to Yale University in 1960.

8/22/21 The Women's March - Jennifer Chiaverini - Chiaverini is one of my favorite authors and I was excited to read her latest work of historical fiction that centers on a march to call for women's suffrage that took place right before Woodrow Wilson's inauguration in 1913 (an event I knew nothing about before reading this book). The three main characters are Alice Paul, Maud Malone, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett. I found it very interesting and a reminder of how much women had to fight to get the right to vote.

8/23/21 Eleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt's Search for Freedom and Identity in New York's Greenwich Village - Jan Jarboe Russell - I saw this book on the "new nonfiction" shelf at my local library and thought it looked interesting. Before reading this, I knew painfully little about Eleanor Roosevelt. I now know a great deal more about this influential First Lady. The title of this book is very misleading, however. It does discuss her time in Greenwich Village and how it influenced her, but overall this is a general biography. I found it interesting, although I now know more about Eleanor's extramarital romantic entanglements than I ever cared to (for the record, FDR had his as well which the book also discusses).

9/5/21 Holyoke: The Belle Skinner Legacy - Jack Dunn - I picked this up to learn more about Belle Skinner who lived at Wistariahurst in Holyoke, MA. This was a novel written by a local author which features two writers who want to learn more about Belle Skinner. I enjoyed learning about local history, especially Holyoke in its heyday. Belle Skinner's most remarkable accomplishment was rebuilding the medieval village of Hattonchatel in the north of France after World War II.

9/12/21 How to Be an Antiracist - Ibram X. Kendi - This book was recommended in a writing magazine I read (I don't remember which one) as a must-read for anyone interested in making sure that their writing isn't racist. I found the book thought-provoking. I also appreciated Kendi's personal stories of ways he has been racist in his life and how he has tried to move to be an antiracist. He maintains that racism is based on what you are doing, not on who you are. He really tries to separate the word "racist" from being a slur. He wants to have a meaningful conversation about racism. The key point that I took from this is to "treat people as individuals; not representative of whole races." That's good advice in general. Meet people where they are and treat them as equal in the eyes of God. What I wish Kendi had provided more of was practical ways to be an antiracist. There are a lot of ideas in this book, but putting them into practice in terms of real-life is always more of an issue.

9/19/21 What Fresh Hell is This?: Perimenopause, Menopause, Other Indignities, and You - Heather Corinna - I don't recall where I saw this one advertised, but the title is definitely the most catchy one I have seen this year! When I requested it from the library, I didn't realize it was written by a gender-fluid person very into profanity, but I still garnered some useful information from these pages.

9/26/19 The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories about the Origins of Everything We Eat - Matt Seigel - This book offered some fascinating info about the history of food as well as the foods we eat today. One caveat - some of the facts are so disturbing that it may make you want to give up eating (which is obviously not an option).

10/3/21 Emily's House - Amy Belding Brown - Back in my teens, I was quite the Emily Dickinson fan. She appealed to my young angsty poetry-writing self. As an adult, I visited her home in nearby Amherst, MA which is now a museum and found it very interesting. I really enjoyed this novel that focuses on Emily's Irish Catholic maid Margaret Maher who did the world a service by not burning all of Dickinson's poems despite that being Emily's dying wish.

10/10/21 Two-Way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Fiona Sampson - I knew nothing about Elizabeth Barrett Browning before reading this book other than that she was married to Robert Browning. I now know considerably more, but I feel like this book was intended for someone who was already familiar with her work. I also found it really drawn out in spots (I skimmed over those sections).

10/17/21 The Wish - Nicholas Sparks - It was time for my annual Nicholas Sparks book. I've been a fan of his ever since The Notebook (which was 25 years ago!). Some of his books have been better than others, but this new one was so, so good. It tells the story of a 39 year-old woman who is dying of cancer looking back at the year she was 16, pregnant (due to a one-night relationship), and sent away to live with her aunt (a former nun). While she is there, she falls in love with a homeschooled young man who plans to enter the military. Catholicism is presented in a positive light as is homeschooling. Truly, I loved it!

10/24/21 Forgiving Paris - Karen Kingsbury - I've read lots of Kingsbury's fiction over the years and was excited to get this book in at the library even before its release date on Amazon! It focuses on Ashley Baxter, an artist who is getting a one-woman show in Paris, but must face the bad choices she made there as a young woman. It is a story about redemption and how God can use all things for good (even our mistakes) for those who trust in Him. I enjoyed it a great deal!

10/31/21 The Weight of Memory - Shawn Smucker - It was totally coincidental that my leisure read for Halloween ended up being a somewhat mysterious story that included ghosts, but I enjoyed this story about a dying grandfather who has custody of his granddaughter and his trip back to his childhood home to find someone who might be able to care for her once he is gone.

11/7/21 The Musical Child: Using the Power of Music to Raise Children who are Happy, Healthy, and Whole - Joan Koenig - This was an interesting exploration of how music impacts children's brains. It focuses on birth - age 6. It combines neuroscience, psychology, anecdotes, and practical suggestions for incorporating more music in children's lives. If you have young children or work in educating young children, this book is definitely worth reading.

11/14/21 - Smile: The Story of a Face - Sarah Ruhl - I first learned of playwright Sarah Ruhl when my sons studied her "Melancholy Play" in acting class (It turns out her most famous play is about the history of vibrators - I did not know that when I picked up this book). For some reason, her name stuck in my head and when I saw this book advertised, I decided to read it. In it, she tells of her decade-long experience of Bell's Palsy which she came down with after giving birth to twins. She shares her physical and medical journey how that prompted her to reflect on what our appearance, especially as women, means to us. She also shares her struggles with post-partum depression, balancing work and motherhood, and her relationship with God and religion (she left the Catholic faith when she was 13).

11/21/21 - Faye Faraway - Helen Fisher - This was a time traveling story in which a thirty-something year old mother of two daughters gets to go back to the 1970s and meet the mother she barely remembers. It reflects on love and grief and the connection between mothers and daughters. It's definitely a secular book (there is drug usage, vulgar language, and some taking of the Lord's name in vain and Faye has a difficult relationship with a God she barely believes in) and the ending leaves a lot of loose ends, but I enjoyed it.

11/25/21 - Emily Writes - Jane Yolen - This is a children's book written by fellow Western Mass native Jane Yolen. It imagines Emily Dickinson as a young girl just learning how to read and write and make rhymes. It features sweet illustrations by Christine Davenier and would be a lovely way to introduce children to Dickinson. I also enjoyed the author's note (written for adults) at the end of the book.

11/25/21 - The Stranger in the Lifeboat - Mitch Albom - I always make a point of reading Albom's books when they come out. For one thing, they are relatively short and I can read them in a sitting or two. Second, I find them interesting. This one is about a group of people on a raft who have escaped from a sinking ship. A stranger comes to them in the water and says that he is the Lord. They let him on the boat, but it raises the question of would we recognize the Lord if he came back in human form. Albom frequently ponders questions of faith and God and heaven in his work and this one is no exception.

11/28/21 A Piece of the World - Christina Baker Kline - This one was recommended on Franciscan Mom's Open Book post in October and I am so glad that I requested it from the library! It is a novel based on the life of Christina Olsen of Cushing, Maine, the woman in the famous painting "Christina's World" by Andrew Wyeth. It was a lovely and painful story about an independent spirit who happened to be in a disabled body.

12/7/21 The Christmas Promise - Richard Paul Evans - Each year in December I make a point of reading the new Richard Paul Evans Christmas book. His stories are always interesting and heartfelt. This year's edition features a pediatric ICU nurse who is grieving the loss of both her father and her sister when a new love interest enters her life. He seems almost too perfect to be true and her friends warn her to be wary. He's not a criminal, but he does have secrets he is hiding, secrets that may change everything.

12/14/21 A Mrs. Miracle Christmas - Debbie Macomber - This is a charming Christmas tale of an angel (Mrs. Miracle) who comes to help a woman take care of her grandmother who is suffering from dementia. Mrs. Miracle also brings tidings of a baby coming to the woman and her husband who have been longing for one for quite some time and had given up hope.

12/18/21 The Dogs of Christmas - W. Bruce Cameron - My daughter and I have read a whole bunch of Cameron's middle-grade books about dogs so I decided to give one of his adult books a try. Josh, a young man with a broken heart who has never owned a dog in his life, suddenly finds himself the owner of a very pregnant dog named Lucy. His whole life is about to be turned upside-down. The romance in this book seemed a bit forced, but I enjoy a good dog story so it had that going for it!

12/19/21 The Christmas Lights - The Catholic Teen Book Writers - This is a feel-good short story available on Kindle only that was collectively written by the The Catholic Teen Book writers. Each of them wrote one part of the story then passed it on to the next person so that only the last writer knew how it ended. It is a testament to their talent that this ended up being an amazing well-written Christmas story about a teen girl trying to get help for her family after they are injured driving off the road.

12/25/21 There's Something About Christmas - Debbie Macomber - This romantic comedy focused on a young woman writing a set of articles about finalists in a fruitcake contest. Unfortunately, in order to travel to interview these contestants, she has to travel on a small plane she is terrified on flying on with its self-assured pilot!

12/25/21 The Christmas Sweater - Glenn Beck - This story about a 12 year old boy dealing with guilt and grief after the death of his parents had me ugly crying. This is a heartwrenching tale but is definitely worth reading. (As an aside, I've never read or listened to anything else by Glenn Beck. I picked this up wandering the library looking for Christmas stories.)

Reading for Work

1/5/21 Blackberry Beach - Irene Hannon - This was an enjoyable inspirational romance to start the year. A Hollywood actress seeks refuge from the big city in Hope Harbor where she meets and falls in love with a local coffee shop owner who also gave up the rat race. It also features a touching romance between two senior citizens. As a plus, a Catholic priest was portrayed in a positive light. (Read for a Book Review Publication)

1/9/21 Real Learning Revisited - Elizabeth Foss - I had purchased this last year to read for my Today's Catholic Homeschooling site. She had much good information to offer.

1/18/21 All That Really Matters - Nicole Deese - This had a somewhat predictable plot in that an Instagram beauty influencer starts working at a home for former foster kids who have outgrown the system discovers what really matters in life and falls in love with the program director in the process, but it did feature several unexpected plot points on the way to get there and was a honest portrait of the trauma foster children face. (Read for a Book Review Publication)

1/21/21 Let Go of Anger and Stress - Gary Zimak - This was a thought-provoking book on how to invite the Holy Spirit to work more in your life. I reviewed it here.

2/4/21 Closure - Lindsey Todd - This book was unusual in that it was a work of Catholic fiction that I was asked to review for the book review publication I work for (I usually only get Christian fiction). I was torn in that this was an excellent book, but it included wayyyyyy more premarital sex in it than is usually featured in inspirational fiction. This is a YA novel that completely captures the intoxicating experience of first love. It is about a young woman torn between her love for a man and her love for God. (Read for a Book Review Publication)

2/5/21 The Singer and the Sailor - I enjoyed this novel based on a true love story set in early 20th century Massachusetts and focusing on the French-Canadian community. I reviewed it here.

2/12/21 Living Memento Mori: My Journey Through the Stations of the Cross - Emily DeArdo - A powerful reflection on living with suffering and uniting it with Jesus' suffering. I reviewed it here.

2/20/21 The Letter Keeper - Charles Martin - This is the second book in the Murphy Shepherd series and I was a bit confused as I started reading. I had no idea who these characters were or how their lives fit together. It turns out Shepherd lives a dual life as Anglican priest and special op fighting sex trafficking. He also writes best-selling novels on the side. This book made me terrified of sex trafficking in a way I never was before. (Read for a book review publication.)

2/28/21 Affiliate Marketing for Dummies - Ted Sudol and Paul Mladjenovic, CFP - I've been an Amazon affiliate for many years and was interested in learning more about affiliate marketing for my homeschool site. What does it say about me that much of this book "for dummies" went over my head? Nevertheless, I did pick up a few tips. I appreciated that this book did not present affiliate marketing as a get-rich quick scheme and actually warned people against such schemes.

3/4/21 The Librarian of Saint-Malo - Mario Escobar - Jocelyn Ferrec is a librarian in the town of Saint-Malo, France during World War II. Despite the constant threat of danger and the German's decree to ban many books, she is determined to preserve the knowledge contained in her library. This is a fast-paced book full of violence, suffering, and danger, but not one to read if you are in the mood for a feel-good story. (Read for a book review publication)

3/18/21 Chasing Shadows - Lynn Austin - Unlike The Librarian of Saint-Malo above, this World War II story was uplifting. It featured three strong women in The Netherlands fighting to stay alive and work for the Resistance. (Read for a book review publication)

3/24/21 Louis and Zelie: The Holy Parents of Saint Therese - GinaMarieTennant - This is a biography written for ages 8+. It is a part of the Vision Book series by Ignatius Press. I reviewed it here.

3/31/21 No Journey Too Far - Carrie Turansky - Turansky tells of the McAllister family and their experiences facing prejudice as former British Home Children in Canada in the early 1900s. It is part romance, part courtroom drama. I enjoyed this quick read. (Read for a book review publication)

4/15/21 Forever My Own - Tracie Peterson - This second book in the Ladies of the Lake series focused on Swedish immigrants in 1870s Duluth, Minnesota. It emphasized the importance of forgiveness. It was an enjoyable read. (Read for a book review publication)

4/30/21 Gold of Pleasure: A Novel of Christina of Markyate - Ruth Mohrman - This excellent debut portrayed the life of a 12th century British mystic. This work of historical fiction kept me turning pages. (Read for a book review publication)

5/2/21 The Handy Little Guide to Prayer - Barb Szykiewicz, OFS - As the name suggests, this is a quick handbook to developing a deeper relationship with God through prayer. I recommend it to anyone looking to learn the basics of how to pray.

5/12/21 Close to the Soul - Mary Jo Thayer - This is a pro-life novel set in the 1950s and 60s. I reviewed it here.

5/19/21 To Write a Wrong - Jen Turano - This was a fun historical romance/mystery served up with a hearty dose of comedy. A mystery writer who moonlights as an inquiry agent in 1887 New York City sets out to discover who is trying to murder another mystery writer. (Read for a book review publication)

5/24/21 Beginners Guide to Growing Baby - Bonnie Way and Anna Eastland - My childbearing days are behind me, but this was a useful, friendly guide to pregnancy, childbirth, and adjusting to one's new life as a mother. I reviewed it here.

5/28/21 Crossed Lines - Jennifer Delamere - This was an enjoyable adaptation of the Cyrano de Bergerac story set in 1881 London. (Read for a book review publication)

6/5/21 Secrets of the Sacred Heart: Twelve Ways to Claim Jesus' Promises in Your Life - Emily Jaminet - June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart. This book explains each of the 12 promises Jesus made to St. Margaret Mary for those who foster a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

6/6/21 Menopause Moments: A journal for nourishing your mind, body and spirit in midlife - Melanie Rigney - Yes, I am the target market for this book (sigh). Rigney approaches all the unfortunate aspects of this stage of life with humor and understanding, helping women adjust to this stage while keeping their faith strong.

6/14/21 The Heart of Splendid Lake - Amy Clipston - A woman tries to keep her family's resort afloat after her father dies. A handsome stranger helps her out.This was a formulaic clean romance complete with a happy ending. Easy reading which required limited brain power. (Read for a book review publication)

6/25/21 The Wish Book Christmas - Lynn Austin - One of the joys of being a book reviewer is getting to read Christmas books in the summer. I greatly enjoyed this delightful tale about two single mothers and their five-year-old sons in 1951 Connecticut. (Read for a book review publication)

7/6/21 The Catholic All Year Compendium - Kendra Tierney - This is a great book if you've ever wondered how to live (and celebrate) the liturgical year more in your family. I reviewed it on Today's Catholic Homeschooling.

7/8/21 The Heart Knows the Way Home - Christy Distler - It has been a while since I've read any Amish or Mennonite fiction, and I enjoyed this story about a young woman returning to the community where she grew up and discovering she has feelings for the young man who was her best friend growing up. (Read for a book review publication)

7/10/21 A Catholic Guide to Spending Less and Earning More - Sam and Rob Fatzinger - This Catholic homeschooling couple with 14 children! wrote this guide on how to live debt-free. I personally have never been able to achieve this goal (although definitely working toward it), but this is a great book to read for financial tips and one to share with young people just starting out in life. I reviewed it on Today's Catholic Homeschooling.

7/15/21 St. Monica and the Power of Persistent Prayer - Mike Aquilina and Mark W. Sullivan - St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, teaches us how to pray when all hope seems lost and it feels like God is ignoring us. I reviewed it here.

7/24/21 Shiloh - Lori Benton - This follow up to Benton's Mountain Laurel continues her epic tale of the Cameron family in the 1790s, including Ian Cameron who has freed his slaves and gone in search for the love of his life, a former slave. The couple and their families attempt to build a new life together in the Adirondack mountains of New York. I enjoyed this story, although I do recommend reading Mountain Laurel first if you are interested. (Read for a book review publication)

7/28/21 Jumbo Book of Art Ideas for Teachers and Parents - Mary Kathleen Glavich, SND - This is a handy book to have around the house when you need a quick craft idea to do with your children. I reviewed it on Today's Catholic Homeschooling.

8/13/21 The Debutante's Code - Erica Vetsch - This is billed as "Jane Austen" meets "Sherlock Holmes" as a young woman in 1816 England is about to enter into society but is also entering the family business which happens to be working as spies for the Crown. It was a fun quick-moving book. (Read for a book review publication).

8/14/21 Stumbling Into Grace: How We Meet God in Tiny Works of Mercy - Mary Pezzulo - Mary Pezzulo is a mother who also suffers from chronic illness. In this deeply personal memoir, she shares her own struggles with spiritual abuse and physical poverty while examining the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. She offers concrete ways on how we can practice these works of mercy in our own lives.

8/20/21 In Full Bloom: Finding the Grace and Grit to Thrive Wherever You're Planted - Claire Swinarski - Claire is a young wife and mother. She is a millennial who writes for millennials, but this aging Gen X-er was able to appreciate much of the wisdom she has to offer. I picked this up out of my "to-be-read" pile because I have always been a Bloom Where You're Planted kind of person, but I'm in one of those periods of life when I'm just feeling at loose ends. Swinarksi offers solid advice on discernment and making the most of whatever season you are in.

8/27/21 Lost in Darkness - Michelle Griep - This gothic romance set in 1815 London features an independent woman making her way in the world as a travel writer, her horribly disfigured brother, and two doctors, one evil and one trying to make up for his past sins. Mary Godwin, who would later be Mary Shelley and write Frankenstein, has a guest appearance in the tale. (Read for a book review publication)

8/31/21 The Catholic Educator’s Guide to Teaching History - Philip Campbell - Once upon a time, I was a history major in college with dreams of becoming a history professor. Campbell is the author of the highly respected "Story of Civilization" series by Tan Books. In this book, he offers some practical information for Catholic educators (both brick and mortar and homeschoolers) on how to make history more interesting for our students. I reviewed it on Today's Catholic Homeschooling.

9/10/21 Behind Love's Wall - Carrie Fancett Pagels - This is a dual timeline story set at the Grand Hotel on Macinac Island in Michigan. The story set in 1895 involves a singer. The story set in 2020 (Yes, COVID is a thing in the story) features a hotel designer. The core story is interesting, but the many subplots and confusing family relationships made this one a challenge to follow (Read for a book review publication).

9/16/21 Little Saint Therese Grows Up - Margaret Mary Myers - This is a sweet book designed for children which has one-page stories about aspects of St. Therese's life as both a child and adult. (Reviewed on Amazon)

9/22/21 St. Therese of Lisieux - Living on Love - Fr. Didier-Marie Golay - This book is a visual delight for anyone who would like to learn more about St. Therese's life and world. I reviewed it here.

10/3/21 Foundation of Love - Amy Clipston - Clipston is best known for her Amish romances. It had been a while since I read one, and this one is a delight featuring a romance between an unmarried 33 year old woman who cares for her brother's large family but longs for a family of her own and a 47 year old widower. (Read for a book review publication)

10/6/21 The Interior Castle: A Boy's Journey into the Riches of Prayer - Judith Bouilloc & Eric Puybaret - This is a valiant attempt to introduce children to the spiritual riches of St. Teresa of Avila's masterpiece The Interior Castle. (Read for Catholic Library World)

10/7/21 Behold the Handmaid of the Lord - Fr. Edward Looney - This book is designed as a ten-day retreat, with each day bearing a title of Mary. Each day (chapter) includes a few-page reflection, prayer, and a traditional Marian hymn or prayer. Through the ten days, one is invited to make “a journey to Jesus through the heart of Mary, with St. Louis de Montfort as our guide.” I reviewed it here.

10/18/21 Marry Me, Millie - Amy Lillard - This is the first book in a new series about the Paradise Springs Widows Group (aka known as the Whoopie Pie Widows Club). Millie is a young pregnant widow. Her aunt wants to pair her up with Henry (whose fiancee left him to go to Belize) but both Henry and Millie are determined to not marry again. The two become friends and agree to play along with her aunt's attempts to put them together. When real feelings get involved, however, things get complicated in a hurry. (Read for a book review publication)

10/29/21 Seriously, God? Making Sense of Life Not Making Sense - Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran - Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran tackle the tough questions of life, such as why God sometimes says no to perfectly good prayers, why we face unexpected storms in life, why bad people are sometimes in charge, why God sometimes seems to be stopping us from doing good things, why we suffer, and why people die in unexpected and painful ways. To answer these questions, they offer examples from the Bible as well as what they have learned through their own lived experience. The combination of a priest and a married layman speaking is profound as they are each able to bring their own unique perspective to the questions. I reviewed it here.

11/9/21 Where the Last Rose Blooms - Ashley Clark - Alice's mother disappeared during Hurricane Katrina and Alice has spent the last 16 years trying to find out what happened to her. Meanwhile, back in 1861 Charleston, Rose is a slave searching for her daughter Ashley (with the help of her abolitionist leaning owner Clara) after they are both sold and separated. This dual-timeline Christian inspirational includes suspense, romance, and mystery with a lesson of God being with us even in our darkest hours (a little bit of everything!). (Read for a book review publication)

11/15/21 Adore: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation - Fr. John Burns - This is a lovely journal to help prepare for Christmas featuring reflections on the scripture readings and collects (opening prayers) of the Mass. A nice feature is that this isn't tied to any particular year, so it can be used over and over again. I reviewed it here.

11/17/21 St. Dymphna's Playbook: A Catholic Guide to Finding Mental and Emotional Well-Being - Tommy Tighe - As someone who has struggled with mental health most of my life, I was eager to read this book. St. Dymphna is the patron saint of those who suffer from mental illness (she hears a lot from me as I pray for others who struggle with their mental and emotional health as well as for myself). What was wonderful about this book is that Tighe, a licensed marriage and family therapist, also knows what it is like to suffer from mental illness. Not that I would wish that on anyone, but having experienced it himself gives Tighe much more understanding than someone who has only studied about mental illness. This book is a great resource for anyone who might be struggling.

11/26/21 The Bookseller's Promise - Beth Wiseman - This Amish romance features Yvonne, a book buyer from Texas, who is on a mission to purchase a rare book from Jake Yantz, an Amish bookseller in Indiana. The problem? Jake promised his grandfather he would never sell the book, which is rumored to have the power to help save souls. Meanwhile, the romance portion involves Jake and his employee Eva. He realizes he's in love with her, but another young man in the community has made his feelings for Eva public knowledge and Jake believes he needs to do the honorable thing and step aside. This is the first in a series based in Amish bookstores and it was an enjoyable beginning. (Read for a book review publication)

12/7/21 Awakening at Lourdes: How an Unanswered Prayer Healed Our Family and Restored Our Faith - Christy Wilkens - Wilkens shares a powerful story of her family's experience of traveling to Lourdes on pilgrimage in the hopes of gaining healing for their young son Oscar. She shares her struggles with faith and surrender and coping when God says no to prayers. It also includes a study guide for individual or group use.

12/23/21 Life is Messy - Matthew Kelly - I've read a lot of Kelly's works over the years, but this one is very different. It was written out of a place of pain with its key questions being "Can someone who has been broken be healed and become more beautiful and more lovable than ever before?" It is a series of short essays, each a reflection on a particular topic that Kelly has wrestled with. It offered a great deal to think about.

12/23/21 The Spark of Love - Amanda Cabot - This is the 3rd book in a series set in 1850s Mesquite Springs, Texas. Alexandra Tarkington is a young heiress who has followed her father to Mesquite Springs in order to escape from a dangerous suitor as well as hoping to nurture a deeper relationship with her father. In the process, she falls in love with a man who has been sent to investigate her father. (Read for a book review publication)

Great Books Project

2/6/21 Herodotus: The Histories - Herodutus was born between 490-480 BC and traveled over the then-known world. He was the first Greek to use prose as the medium of a work of art. His history was a new thing. His goal was to trace the war between the Greeks and Persians. There was a lot of military history in this book (understandably so), but I'm not a big fan of military history. He did, however, include many interesting social history tidbits of different tribes and communities that I found fascinating. Herodotus had a healthy sense of humor as well and a healthy dose of skepticism. My favorite line in the book: "My business is to record what people say, but I am by no means bound to believe it - and that may be taken to apply to this book as a whole."

2/12/21 Lycurgus - Plutarch - I've entered the "Lives of Plutarch" section of the syllabus. Plutarch wrote this around 75 AD. Lycurgus lived in the 9th century BC. he was a lawgiver of Sparta who set about to reform the government. Honestly, it seems like he was a communist before that was a thing. He provided a middle-way between monarchy and democracy, establishing a senate. He also divided Laconia into 30,000 equal shares and Sparta into 9000 shares. Each family got one lot which was enough to grow about 82 bushels of grain and a suitable amount of oil and wine. He stopped using silver and gold for money and instead used iron in order to cut down on greed. He had all people eat together so that rich and poor had to associate with each other. When children were 7 years old, they were taken from their families and raised in government institutions. According to Plutarch, his laws were followed for 500 years.

2/20/21 Pericles - Plutarch - Pericles was a Greek who died in 419 BC. Honestly, I was a bit confused by this biography. It was nowhere near as readable as Lycurgus (above). What I primarily got from it was that Pericles ruled by pleasing the people. It got them involved in public works projects and had frequent banquets and processions. Later in life, he became more aristocratic in his rule, but Plutarch argues that Pericles should be respected for his equitable and mild temper and because his authority helped keep people safe.

2/27/21 Aristides - Plutarch - Aristides died in 468 BC. He held that he should serve his country irrespective of any reward (riches or glory). He was a champion for justice. He remained poor even while being in charge of public revenue and taxing others.

3/6/21 Alcibiades - Plutarch - Alcibiades was raised as a ward of Pericles and Ariphron, sons of Xanthippus. Socrates took a great interest in him. Alcibiades was a boy/man of great passions, but Socrates worked to tame them somewhat. He still tended to flaunt his luxurious life. He did conquer his enemies many times, but was eventually killed by Lysander's men (or in an alternative version, by the brothers of a girl he was sleeping with).

3/11/21 Alexander - Plutarch - Alexander the Great lived from 336-323 BC. I found it interesting that Plutarch maintains that Alexander was descended from Hercules on his father's side and Achilles on his mother's side. That is an impressive pedigree! He may also have been conceived due to a god in the form of a serpent being with his mother. He was educated by Aristotle and learned philosophy and the art of medicine. He had a love of glory more than anything else.

3/17/21 Hippolytus - Euripides - I enjoyed this play about a woman, Phaedra, who is a victim of fate. Aphrodite makes her fall in love with her stepson, Hippolytus. As in all classic Greek tragedy, no one wins in the end.

3/30/21 The Birds - Aristophanes - This is a Greek comedy. Originally performed in 414 BC, it is an utopian satire of the folly of Athenian political life (or at least that is what the commentary told me). Honestly, I found it a very odd play about a group of men who are either pretending to be birds or who were actually changed into birds who challenge the gods to be rulers of the earth.

4/6/21 The Clouds - Aristophanes - Another Greek comedy. This one pokes fun at the Sophists, using Socrates as a scapegoat. One thing I found interesting is that Plato actually blamed Aristophanes for contributing to the charges that led to Socrates' death.

5/13/21 The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War - Edited by Robert B. Strassler. - If you ever want to read this book, I definitely suggest this edition. It contains many helpful maps and notes (In the name of honesty, I mostly just read the notes. My goal with this great books project was always more familiarity rather than expertise. I know I wouldn't remember it all anyway). I started this year reading Herodotus and it was interesting to compare the two historical writers. Herodotus had many more anecdotes. Thucydides was more concerned with historical accuracy and eyewitness accounts.

And with that, I have finished the Freshman year reading list! It took me a little over 2 years. On to Sophomore year.

6/7/21 On Christian Doctrine - St. Augustine - Sophomore year began with this excellent work by St. Augustine on interpreting Scripture and how to use rhetoric to better evangelize. One of the topics I found most fascinating were the challenges in translation, especially considering the rhetorical devices in the ancient Greek. For example, did you know sarcasm was a thing even back then? They called it antiphrasis. Like sarcasm today, it can be hard to interpret in text!

6/17/21 On the Spirit and the Letter - St. Augustine - This was an interesting reflection on 2 Corinthians 3:6 "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." A holy life is a gift from God. We should act through love of righteousness not fear of punishment and only grace can help us to lead a righteous life.

6/29/21 On Nature and Grace - St. Augustine - In this book, St. Augustine was writing in response to a book by Pelagius that had been sent to him. In some ways, it was similar to On the Spirit and the Letter because it also focused on the importance of God's grace. We can only resist sin with God's help. He argues that we are capable of living without sin even though no one has ever achieved that. However, it is definitely possible for us to be without sin in next world. One quote I liked from this book is "Perfect Love is Perfect Holiness".

7/12/21 On the Predestination of the Saints, On the Gift of Perseverance - St. Augustine - The problem of our free will and God's omniscience is one that has bothered me since I was in third grade. The two seem mutually exclusive. I had asked my teacher, who was a religious sister, about it. She said it was like a father who could see his daughter about to get hurt but was too far away to stop it and couldn't do anything about it. It was a valiant effort to explain the situation, even if it does come up short. As an adult with significant theological study under my belt, I've come to realize it is a philosophical question we can't understand this side of eternity. Maybe on the other side. In any event, Augustine comes down solidly on the side of predestination - God knows all before it happens, including whether we are to go to heaven or hell. This was a very discouraging and depressing two-part book that I don't recommend reading. The Catholic Church today maintains that God wants all to be saved and that no one is predestined to hell. From a practical standpoint, the question of free will vs. predestination doesn't matter. We still have to get up every morning and do the best we can with our lives to know, love, and serve God and others.

8/7/21 City of God - St. Augustine - This is St. Augustine's manifesto on the city of man (the secular world) here on earth and the city of God (the kingdom of God). The first part of the book is St. Augustine's arguments against why the Romans should not blame the Christians for the fall of Rome. He then turns his attention to salvation history, comparing it with secular history. In his final two books (what we would call chapters), he describes hell and heaven. Reading St. Augustine has left me feeling more hopeless and discouraged than I have in a long time. Despite all St. Augustine's arguments for the importance of the justice of God and the innate sinfulness of humans, I don't want anyone to go to hell. All I can do is pray for God's mercy. In any event, I am thankful to be done with St. Augustine for a while.

8/9/21 Canons of the Council of Orange - 529 AD - It was refreshing to read an eight-page document after the 800 plus page City of God! The Council of Orange affirmed much of St. Augustine's thought but sharply refuted the idea that anyone is predestined to evil.

8/14/21 On the Incarnation - St. Athanasius - St. Athanasius lived from 296-272. He was a Bishop of Alexandria and preached against Arianism (the heresy that Jesus wasn't divine). In this document, he lays out the case for Jesus' divinity and why the Incarnation was necessary.

8/18/21 On Behalf of the Fool - Guanilo; Reply to Guanilo - St. Anselm - This was a two-for-one as these two individuals were in debate with each other. Guanilo was a French monk; St. Anselm was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093-1109. Honestly, the philosophical argument went somewhat over my head. In reading the Reply to Guanilo, St. Anselm refers to the Proslogion which is next on my list to read, so I think that I probably should have read that one first. In any event, they were debating the idea that God is greater than the greatest thing (nature, person) that can be thought. It made my head hurt.

8/25/21 Proslogion - St. Anselm - I enjoyed this short work in which St. Anselm contemplates the mystery of God. The readings I had done last week related to one short chapter in this book.

9/24/21 The Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith - St. John of Damascus - St. John of Damascus was a Christian monk who lived from 675-749. This was a lengthy, rather dry work in which he tackles proving that God exists, the mysteries of the Trinity, free-will and God's providence and foreknowledge, the mystery of the Incarnation, Mary's role, and the honor due to the saints. One thing that I found interesting is that he refers to receiving the Eucharist in one's hands: "with our hands held in the form of the cross let us receive the body of the Crucified One," thereby illustrating that Communion in the hand was an acceptable way to receive the Eucharist long before Vatican II.

10/24/21 Physics - Aristotle - It took me just about a month to make my way through this one. Needless to say, it was not a page turner. Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who lived from 384-322 BC. I've read other things by him and I do admire his efforts to compile all the knowledge known in the world. In this book, he discussed causes, motion, place, the void, time, and change. One thing I found interesting is that he stated the first mover must be something that is both one and eternal. I might not be right about this, but I think this is the beginning of the idea of God as Prime Mover that shows up in later Christian philosophy.

11/5/21 De Anima - Aristotle - I enjoyed reading this much more than Physics. This one is Aristotle's attempt to understand the soul. He defines the soul as being "the essential 'whatness' of a body" and states that the soul is inseparable from the body. There are also different abilities that a soul possesses with the most basic level belonging to plants and simple animals (the nutritive and reproductive qualities) with higher-order functions belonging to more complex animals. Those who have the ability to calculate are of the highest order. This was my last book in the philosophy section for sophomore year. I am now moving on to natural science.

11/13/21 On Generation and Corruption - Aristotle - This was Aristotle's attempt to explain how things grow and decay. I have to give him points for trying. Given the fact that the basic elements were understood at his time to be earth, fire, air, and water, it is very hard to explain how things grow. He certainly made a valiant (if inaccurate) attempt.

11/19/21 On the Principles of Nature - St. Thomas Aquinas - Aquinas is never an easy read. This was definitely a read only three pages a day kind of document with a lot of rereading of sentences involved. He was discussing different types of being, generation, corruption, principles of nature, and causes.

11/23/21 On the Combination of Elements - St. Thomas Aquinas - I wasn't able to find the full document of this one, but I read some excerpts. As the name suggests, Aquinas was pondering how elements combine to form new things.

12/28/21 Elements of Chemistry - Antoine Laurent Lavoisier - Lavoisier was a French chemist and nobleman who lived from 1743-1794. He recognized and named oxygen and hydrogen and discovered the role oxygen plays in combustion. He also wrote the first extensive list of elements. His wife, Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze, contributed a great deal to his work and was instrumental in the standardization of the scientific method. I certainly didn't understand everything in this work (science was never my best subject), but I found it fascinating how much progress had been made in understanding the elements. One could recognize modern chemistry in this book. I also found it interesting that Lavoisier discovered that water could be broken down further into two elements. What a discovery that was!

Books I Read with My Daughter

1/7/21 Zeus the Mighty: The Maze of the Menacing Minotaur - Crispin Boyer

1/20/21 D'Aulaires Book of Norse Myths

1/21/21 George Washington - Ingri & Edgar D'Aulaire

1/27/21 Abraham Lincoln - Ingri & Edgar D'Aulaire

2/9/21 Jo's Boys - Louisa May Alcott

2/11/21 William Still and his Freedom Stories - Don Tate

2/15/21 The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell - Chris Colfer

2/24/21 Prairie Lotus - Linda Sue Park - I wrote about it on Today's Catholic Homeschooling.

3/7/21 The Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns - Chris Colfer

3/22/21 The Land of Stories: A Grimm Warning - Chris Colfer

3/24/21 Too Small Tola - Atinuke