I was worried about this book.  Green Gables and all of it’s people have such a hold on my heart, I was worried about how the author would portray them.  I need not have feared. 

Marilla of Green Gables is extremely well done.  The writing is lovely, the characters are true to my beloved idea of them.  I completely adored this book.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

I read this for book club, and goodness it was a slog for me.  There were some good parts.  The idea of the story is interesting.  

There are some major problems with slavery and the treatment of “savages”, but I suppose the attitudes are keeping with the time the book was written.  I didn’t like it much, but I’m glad I finished it, for cultural awareness if nothing else.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

My daughter asked me to read this book because she enjoyed it so much.  I liked how it was written, the plot is interesting though predictable.  

It’s definitely a YA romance novel and some parts are silly, some parts infuriating, and some I definitely disagree with.  Not my favorite book this month.

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

I’ve been hearing about this book a lot lately. Lots and lots of people loved it.  And while I liked it, it was not life changing for me.  Her writing is entertaining, her life story is interesting.  I found a lot of the advice to be conflicting (work really hard and reach for your dreams and never give up, but don’t work too hard, etc). As a foster/adoptive parent I had a major issue with her portrayal of their adoption/foster care experience (side note: I am happy she talked about their experience. I don’t think enough people are aware of the work and heartbreak that goes into being a foster parent. It’s good to get the conversation going).  

There seemed to be a definite “White Savior” mentality, and a LOT of judgement toward the biological parents.  Our experience opened our eyes to the heartbreak of addiction and if anything it helped us love the biological parents more, rather than judge them for their mistakes… Okay, obviously this is something I feel strongly about.  I’m going to stop here, since this is supposed to be a short book review.  (I’d be a lot more harsh if we were talking about this in person).

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

I love Kelly Corrigan.  I love everything I’ve ever read by her.  She has such an ability to find the magic and meaning everyday occurrences.  

Her descriptions of Motherhood brought tears to my eyes and helped me realize that it’s okay to be The Glue.  In some ways, I so identify with Kelly’s mom. Just a lovely book.

Dear Mr. Longfellow: Letters to and from the Children’s Poet by Sydelle Pearl

Loved, loved reading this book aloud with my kiddos this term.  It’s short and sweet and tells his story so well through letters written to him from schoolchildren.  

It made me love Henry Wadsworth Longfellow more than ever before.  We’re following this up by reading some of his poems from The Best Poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

This has been on my list to read for a long time.  We listened to it together in the car.  It was a good look at life in a Puritan village and Colonial America.  

The River by Peter Heller

I’ve heard so much hype about this book lately.  Jason and I listened to it on a recent road trip and it’s worth the hype.  The characters are well developed, the story is so well told and heart-wrenching.  

We both really enjoyed it.  Major disclaimer about the language: It is really, really bad.  And it just gets worse as the tension rises.  I hate that.

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

Read this classic with my kiddos over the past few weeks.  While I’ve read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe many times, we have never gone further into the series.

I’m delighted that we all enjoyed the book and will slowly be working our way through the series.  We’ll probably read a different book in between each of the Narnia books, but I’m definitely looking forward to the next in the series.  

By the way, there is some dispute about the correct order in which to read these books.  As the purist I am, we are reading them in the originally published order, which is:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)