Though The Darkness Hide Thee

(BOOK 24 of the 52 week Challenge)






When Thomas Clement accepts the job as pastor in a small, country church, the Clement family returns to the wife's hometown to renew family relationships . They land right in the middle of a long-standing family feud complete with two suspicious deaths (considered suicides) and a murder. The tale is complete with ponderings on how Jesus really wants us to live while here on earth.

The book is a page-turner; I settled in on the couch one night this week around 8 pm to "read a couple more chapters" and I finished the book around 12:30 am. It definitely kept my attention.

This novel was written by Susan Wise Bauer, co-author of The Well Trained Mind, a book which provides guidelines on giving your children a classical education at home.

Teen-Proofing: A Revolutionary Approach to Fostering Responsible Decision Making in Your Teenager

(BOOK 23 of the 52 week Challenge)



I think John Rosemond had a little fun with his title. There is nothing *revolutionary* about the advice he offers. As he explains in the book, his suggested methods of parenting teens are nothing new; they are simply good, old-fashioned, common-sense ways of thinking that seem to have gone out the window in today's era of feel-good psychobabble.

If you are a parent, read this book. You won't necessarily agree with everything he says, but I guarantee that he'll give you some things to think about.

For Women Only: What You Need To Know About the Inner Lives of Men

(BOOK 22 of the 52 week Challenge)




If you're a woman, read this book. Eye-opening. I wish I had read it 20 years ago.

An Ideal Husband

(BOOK 21 of the 52 week Challenge)



This was another play by Oscar Wilde that I greatly enjoyed.

Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule

(BOOK 20 of the 52 week Challenge)




As part of Reconstruction when the American Civil War ended in the spring of 1865, the Freedmen's Bureau instituted a plan to give 40 acres (and maybe a mule) to families of former slaves. This story follows the life of Pascal, a 12-year old orphan who has been a slave on a plantation in South Carolina. When the war ends, his brother, Gideon, returns to South Carolina to collect him and a former slave girl, Nelly, and they head to Georgia in hopes of receiving one of the parcels of land. During their journey, they collect a grandfather and his granddaughter, and this newly-formed "family" continues on in their quest for land of their own.

I listened to this book being read by Andrea Johnson and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Summons

(BOOK 19 of the 52 week Challenge)



The wasn't the best John Grisham novel I've ever read (I prefer his earlier works of A Time to Kill and The Firm), but it was fine for quick beach reading.

The Cherry Orchard

(BOOK 18 of the 52 week Challenge)



Anton Chekhov's last full-length play tells the story of an aristocratic Russian family at the turn of the 20th century. The family has lost their fortune and faces the sale of their estate, including its showpiece, the cherry orchard. The storyline also depicts the social changes occurring in Russia during that time period.

I enjoyed reading this selection, and look forward to discussing it with Zachary and Ryan in a couple of weeks as part of their TOG literature studies.