This is the initial pile of books I chose to start reading this month, but guess what? …the pile has grown. I like to have some sort of reading plan so that I’m not always reading on a whim. It helps me to intentionally broaden my reading and to include new (to me) authors. I also like to read older books to help me avoid the chronological snobbery C.S. Lewis pointed out so beautifully here.

So far I’ve finished Downright Dency by Caroline Dale Snedeker, a 1928 Newbery Honor book. Two of my daughters really liked this book and said I should read it, so I thought it was time that I did. It is set in Nantucket and is an historically accurate story of a young Quaker girl who offers to teach an illiterate boy to read so that he would forgive her for hitting him with a stone. I’ve read other books by this author and she had a preceptive insight into the pain of rejection in children and those growing up in harsh conditions. This book is recommended for ag 12 years and up. Here are two of her books I’ve already written about: The Forgotten Daughter (also a Newbery Honor) and The Spartan.

The Children on the Hill by Michael Deakin – a friend of mine who worked as an early childhood educator many years ago before teaching became a university degree, read this as part of her course and she said it made a lasting impression on her. ‘In a dilapidated cottage in deepest Wales, Michael Deakin came across an extraordinary family.’ Deakin’s T.V. company was working on a series of international exchange programmes in which a film devoted to gifted children was being made in a number of countries. In a Welsh village there was said to be a child pianist of genius and Deakin was going to find out more about him. The book was published in 1972 and I’m about half-way through. From what I’ve read so far, the family were implementing the teachings of Maria Montessori. The preparation and control of the environment was paramount. Philosophically, I have problems with ‘The Process” but there are certain elements related in this book which I think are important to raising children. What would be interesting is to know how the children fared long-term. From what I understand so far, the children’s parents taught them at home until the age of ten and then they went to school.

Update: some information on one of the children later in life is here: https://chessimprover.com/the-children-on-the-hill/

Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World by Victoria Finlay (2021) – this book was an unexpected gift from my sister-in-law who knows I love mucking around with fabric. I’ve read a couple of books in recent times that were sparked by the author’s experience of grief. Finlay’s parents died within three months of each other; her mother’s death was totally unexpected.

I had written in the past about the colours of mourning…But now I understood mourning clothes for the first time. I needed an armband, a ribbon, any kind of sign that would be understood by strangers and friends to say I couldn’t be relied on, that I was to be treated carefully, that I was not, for a while, in this world.

The book starts off with the author visiting Papua New Guinea to explore Barkcloth and Tapa, and then this week I saw that Tongan tapa was being showcased at a museum in Sydney. 🙂 I found this website that explains some of the method.

Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind by Tom Holland (2019) – I’ve been wanting to read a book by Holland, British author and popular historian after hearing him interviewed at different times. I’m only about half-way through Chapter 1 so all I can say at present is that I like his writing style.

I’ve been reading through the New Testament and using William Barclay’s Bible Commentaries. They are very helpful not just in Bible reading but they shed so much light on ancient times that they mesh very well with books like the one above.

Mother Culture by Karen Andreola (2018) – I’ve had this book for a while but had a couple of false starts. I think this is a good book for a mother new to home education and the idea of ‘Mother Culture.’ Although the author has some good insights into creating a culture in the home there isn’t much in the way of inspiration for someone who has put thought into this for years. The chapters are quite short so it is ideal for someone who may only have time for short periods of reading and she suggests some books to inspire the reader in home life. E.g. No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read.

Mother Culture is the skillful art of how a mother looks after the ways of her household. With a “thinking love” she creates a culture in the home all her own.

I’ve finished a couple of D.E. Stevenson books this month: Vittoria Cottage and The Young Clementina, both just lovely light novels where you don’t feel like you’re reading fluff. Actually, The Young Clementina is quite different from some of her other books, a bit darker and sad in places but excellent. I think it’s my favourite so far.

I’m currently listening to Winston Churchill’s The New World narrated by Christian Rodska which has helped give some background to the English Civil War and tie together some historical fiction that I’ve read lately – The Child From the Sea & Royal Escape, a novel by Georgette Heyer on Charles II while he was a fugitive in England.

Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth (2005) – I picked this up secondhand today. A follow-up book to the author’s bestselling, Call the Midwife.

For although the institutions were officially abolished in 1930, in reality many did not close until several decades later.

It’s really difficult to make headway on all the books you have and want to read when you’re surrounded by people who give you books and say, “‘I think you’ll like this,” or ”You have to read this!” (that’s usually my youngest daughter – her latest suggestion is The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer.) I’m not complaining though!!

Podcasts – I listened to this but it’s also available via video: an interview with Konstantin Kisin, comedian, commentator & podcaster.

John joins Konstantin Kisin for the third time for a wide-ranging conversation. They discuss Kisin’s experience as a new father and how that has changed him, his recent viral Oxford Union speech, and the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.