I’ve been planning for Year 12 and thinking about the year ahead generally: choosing books, praying for wisdom; trying to discern what is best and committing it all to the Lord.I find it very refreshing to read Charlotte Mason’s words in A Philosophy of Education: ‘Some men take naturally to learning, and will struggle manfully … Continue reading Ambleside Year 12 Planning Post
Ambleside Year 12
The Body by Bill Bryson
The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson was published in 2019 and is a very readable and comprehensive book about the human body covering interesting aspects of anatomy, physiology, disease, the history of medical science, the immune system, conception and birth, and much more. The author includes amusing (and sometimes horrifying) anecdotes to … Continue reading The Body by Bill Bryson
An Australian Classic: The Fortunes of Richard Mahony by Henry Handel Richardson
The Fortunes of Richard Mahony is a 943 page classic and an Australian one at that. It is also a tragedy. The author relentlessly follows the ‘fortunes’ of both Richard Mahony and his wife, Polly (known as Mary later in the book), the ups and downs of their rollercoaster-like lives, the inevitable sadness of their … Continue reading An Australian Classic: The Fortunes of Richard Mahony by Henry Handel Richardson
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
For many years scientists had been trying to grow human cells outside of the human body in order to have a continuous (immortal) line of cells that would constantly replenish and that could be used to study any number of things, especially viruses. Mouse cells had been cultured successfully, but every attempt to … Continue reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The Spartan by Caroline Dale Snedeker
The historian Herodotus, (c. 485-425 BC) in his narrative history which records the wars between the Greeks and the Persians, gives an account of a young man named Aristodemos. Caroline Dale Snedeker has taken this brief description, fleshed it out and brought this period of ancient history vibrantly to life. The son of … Continue reading The Spartan by Caroline Dale Snedeker
Living Science Books for the 20th Century: Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks
Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks Oliver Sacks is a neurologist and an award winning author who has written a number of books based on the case studies of some of his patients. Uncle Tungsten takes a different tack in that it is a memoir of Sacks's boyhood in England: his … Continue reading Living Science Books for the 20th Century: Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks
Death of a Guru
Death of a Guru by Rabindranath R. Maharaj Rabindranath (Rabi) grew up in Trinidad and was descended from a long line of Brahmin priests. His father, a great Yogi, had renounced all attachments to the physical world within days of his marriage and from that time on had responded to no one (including Rabi … Continue reading Death of a Guru
journey & destination 