Books Read in 2012 - January

I'm not finding much time for blogging, so this may be all you see for 2012. I'll be listing my own reading and the chapter books that I read aloud to my kids, most of which correspond to our history studies. The favorite of the month will be pictured - just to keep things interesting! [edited to add: I'm switching to a monthly summary instead of a yearly one - hopefully, I'll be able to keep up with that, and there will be more pictures!]

JANUARY

1. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas - riveting, convicting, excellent - read it soon if you haven't already!
2. The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow by Allen French - read-aloud to correspond with history studies - in spite of the rather archaic language, my 7 & 4 year-old, not to mention their father, followed the main story line of this Icelandic epic with interest; the examples of honor and accountability set forth made for excellent discussion.
3. Chronicles of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery - Oh, this was fun! Anne Shirley only makes a few cameo appearances in this volume of short stories, but these tales of some of the more mature members of Prince Edward Island are just as full of wit and charm as one would expect.
4. Son of Charlemagne by Barbara Willard - Although I wasn't impressed with the writing style (a bit convoluted for my tastes), the history and "insider perspective" on 9th century kings and kingdom building was fascinating. This was a family read-aloud, but we were disappointed with the ending - even a brief epilogue to explain what happened to Charlemagne's children and successors would have been helpful, although it wasn't too difficult to fill in the gaps with Google and Wikipedia.