On My Nightstand

Although I write, sell, and publish homeschool curriculum and spend much time reviewing books for children and teens, I rarely have an opportunity to spout opinions on books I am reading that don't necessarily pertain to my curriculum. Here, every week, I will share books I recommend for all ages. My hope and prayer is that you will be encouraged to read more books for yourself and more books with your family. I know I am a better person when my thoughts and preconceived notions are challenged by great (or at least interesting) books of long ago (and of today).

Here are a few books on my nightstand that I've recently been enjoying:

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith is a charming light read to be enjoyed with a cup of tea and toast with butter. The narrator, 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain, lives with her eccentric writer/father, her step-mother Topaz (played amusingly against type), her older sister Rose, and her younger brother in a crumbling old English castle. Not aristocratic or wealthy - far from it - the Mortmains are living in poverty (although none of them will actually admit to it). Cassandra's voice is a breath of fresh air-- both lively and introspective-- and we get a peek into a 1930's England I haven't read about anywhere else. (Spoiler: includes an old-fashioned romance.)

Interesting side note: Dodie Smith also authored the original One Hundred and One Dalmations!

The Best Poems of the English Language by Harold Bloom offers not just another anthology of respected poetry but help in reading and understanding said poems as well as giving info about the poets themselves. The introductory chapter on how to read a poem is a mini-course in and of itself. My favorite poem (right now!) is an excerpt from a much longer work called Jubilate Agnato by Christopher Smart from Fragment B2 "For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry."

All the Women of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer is not a book I just read from start to finish, rather it is an awesome reference book that is not only informative but delightful reading. The author gives great insight into the lives and characters of virtually every woman in the Bible - including many unamed woman. Right now I am using it to research the little maid in 2 Kings 5:1-19 who urged her master, General Naaman, to look to Elisha the prophet for healing of his leprosy. Although her story is only 20 verses long, Mr. Lockyer brings this little maid to life and helps me to get much more out of this passage than I did at first reading.
FYI: There are several books by this (and similar) titles. I have others but much prefer this one.

Blessings,
Maggie Hogan
www.BrightIdeasPress.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Illuminations1/