What We're Reading :: November

Me

Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (started to follow along with Close Reads; ended up finishing it in three days -- LOL)

CS Lewis' Till We Have Faces (just finished for my local book club)

Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov (got halfway through earlier this year -- determined to finish it up)

Volume 3 and Volume 5 (for two different study groups)

Vincent, age 11

Merrill's The Pushcart War (my kids love this one!)

Marguerite Henry's The White Stallion of Lipizza

Lois Lowry's Number the Stars (from the AO free read list for Year 6)

Gianna, age 11

Her birthday books were a stack of Redwall and this lovely costume book (we have a used hardcover, which is easy to find cheap). Gianna has been looking for one like this because she enjoys drawing historical scenes and figures but never knows how to authentically dress them.  This should do the trick! (It will also be perfect for Book of Centuries entries.)

Cate, age 8

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (and some of the sequels)

Laura Ingalls Wilder's On the Banks of Plum Creek (a re-read)

Jacobs' English Fairy Tales (from the AO free read list)

Ince's Saint Thomas More of London Town (her Sunday book that ties in with Year 3 history)

Xavier, age 7

Pyle's Pepper and Salt (a re-read from our Morning Basket from summertime)

D'Aulaires' Book of Trolls and Book of Greek Myths (he has been keeping busy working through these big collections -- must-haves on ANY shelf!)

Bridget, age 6

Her birthday books show her love for fairy tales, nursery rhymes, cute animals, and charming illustrations.

Tasha Tudor's 1 is One (perfect little girl picture book)

Zelinsky's Hansel and Gretel (on a fairy tale kick)

Alderson and Oxenbury's Cakes and Custard (another sweet collection of rhymes and poems)

Molly Brett's The Untidy Little Hedgehog and Tom Tit Moves House (adorable)

Clara, age 5

She loves all of these -- instant favorites.

Paul Galdone's Henny Penny (to add to the growing Galdone collection)

People from Mother Goose (she loves miniature books)

Wanda Gag's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (I'm surprised by just how much everyone loves this one!)

Four Little Kittens and Four Little Puppies (I always pick up vintage Golden books like these when I'm thrifting)

Little Prayers (Esther Wilkin is always a yes here)

To the Littles

Justin literally demands we read Baby Loves to him every time we sit by the bookshelf.

We just got out the fall books, and Drew claimed In November for his own.

As a Family

Louisa May Alcott's An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving (our Morning Basket read-aloud this month)

Ransome's Coot Club (on audio read by Alison Larkin)

In the Mail

So, these didn't all come in the mail this month.  I took the best of the ones that have come in the mail since Damien arrived, because that's when I last posted a What We're Reading update.

Mathematicians are People Too (I bought it used WAY cheaper than what Amazon has it listed for!)
Estes' The Moffats (to replace our softcover)
Brown and Slobodkina's The Little Fireman (I used to read this quirky book -- by a dynamic-duo author-illustrator team! -- to my bigs all the time when they were littles and finally found a copy!)
Folk Tales of New Zealand
Paul Klee, Art for Children
Butterflies and Moths (to add to our collection of hardcover Golden Guides)

I also seem to have gotten an inordinate number of books for the non-fiction shelves, which is wonderful...

Untermeyer's This Singing World (a music book)
The Story Behind Popular Songs (sounded fun but I haven't tried it out yet)
The First Book of Rhythms (apparently this is a bit difficult to find, but I got it for a couple dollars)
This is an Orchestra
The Story of Locks and the Epsteins' The Story of Printing (both part of the same series -- the latter is unavailable)
Mountain Climbing Trains
The First Book of the Early Settlers (famous naturalist-author, and the same illustrator as What People Wore!)
The Story of One Hundred Symphonic Favorites (lovely miniature hardcover, apparently one of a series of four -- very fun!)
Read About the Postman (LOVE Louis Slobodkin!)
Musical Instruments (love the line drawings in this one)
More Eggs of Things and Ants are Fun (to replace our tattered copies)
Downes' Adventures in Symphonic Music (on the recommendation of my friend Amanda)

For the American history shelf:
Alter's Heroes in Blue and Gray (after last year's Civil War reading, this was immediately snatched by my oldest son)
Hodges' Columbus Sails (lovely illustrations)
Phelan's The Burning of Washington
Gavian's The American Story (a vintage text from the 40s)
Coolidge's Men of Athens
Barnes and Wilson's The War Between the States

Hofsinde's Indian Picture Writing
What is a Fruit (we have others from this series)
More Heroes of Civilization

These two are part of our Term 2 studies for my Year 6 kids:

Graphic History of Architecture (informative eye candy)
Gladys Wynne's Architecture (assigned by the PNEU)

A few for our California collection:

Leo Politi's The Mission Bell (we love Song of the Swallows but I hadn't seen this one!)
California: A Romantic Story for Young People (haven't read it yet but couldn't resist the title and that cover art!)
Cavalcade for California

The Second and Third Book of the Great Musicians (assigned by the PNEU)

This one did NOT come in the mail -- it came via a local friend, who went to the big book sale in San Francisco, spotted five hardcover copies of Van Loon's The Arts for a few dollars each and bought them all to distribute at our next study group meeting!  My kind of friend. ;)

The dust jacket was  bit tattered but still, such a fun little addition.

So, we're heading into Christmas, also known as book-buying season...or at least book-buying with an excuse? ;)  I'm going to come back another time with books I'll be gifting this year, but I'm wondering: what are you loving or gifting lately?