I’m mixing up the format up in here. I’m finding that most of the books I read don’t warrant a whole blog post, plus I’m reading a ton of books that I don’t list here because they’re for homeschool, or they’re cookbooks or other reference books.

Starting this week, as I approach the end of my 9th year of blogging, I’m going to post a weekly update on what I’m reading. If a book is awesome (like anything written by T. Greenwood), I’ll give it the honor of a separate post.

Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch

My grandmother would’ve hate this book, because it’s basically about vulgar people behaving in a vulgar fashion, but Herman Koch is such a delectable prose-spinner that I quite enjoyed the actual read. Basically a doctor who holds his patients in contempt pursues an affair with the wife of a boorish movie star, and the results are disastrous for his entire family. The ending didn’t wrap things up neatly but opened up some intriguing possibilities about the nature of the unreliable narrator.

Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

We participate in a weekly homeschool coop, and my older daughter is in a “book club” for 2nd and 3rd graders. The first semester book was the abridged, illustrated version of Swiss Family Robinson, and she absolutely loved it. The teacher came up with some really fun hands-on activities, like learning semaphore, finding out how caverns form, and snorkeling. The adaptation gave me some fits because there were lots of typos and it felt like a lot must have been left out. At times we couldn’t quite follow the story because of what was unsaid. But it was a good choice for the class. Up next is a personal favorite of mine from childhood: Julie of the Wolves.

Tales of the Greek Heroes by Roger Lancelyn Green

I read this aloud to the girls and it was a huge hit. As a child, my favorite favorite book was Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, which I read about a hundred times when I was 7, 8, and 9. As much as I will always love that book, I think this one is a much better introduction to classical Greek literature. We plan to read The Tale of Troy right after we finish reading our current read aloud, The Princess and the Goblin.

Miscellaneous

In the car, we listen to audiobooks, and currently we’re enjoying The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis. The version I’m linking to shows the book cover that my parents turned into a cake for my 6th birthday party. Contrary to what any of the new versions say, Dawn Treader is book THREE not book five. The version we’re listening to is fantastic and available for free here.

So far this month, I’ve been cooking out of The 21 Day Sugar Detox and the companion cookbook. I’m on my 3rd year doing the detox in January and I love how it helps me hit the reset button after the indulgences of the holiday season. I got Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison for Christmas and have been using it for inspiration for my CSA box.

I started Station Eleven this morning and am liking it so far.