Recent Reading

Betsy had read this and enjoyed it. I was looking for something light and quick, so I picked it up, too. The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy, Kate Hattemer's debut novel, was a fun read. I liked the voice and the humor, the smart characters, the premise -- a small circle of rebels at a fine arts academy try to overthrow a reality TV show that has taken over their school. Their weapon of choice? A long poem in the tradition of The Cantos by Ezra Pound. Add a gerbil named Baconnaise (loved that a family named pets after condiments), and you've got an enjoyable weekend read.  

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Over Lent, I read Deep Conversion, Deep Prayer by Fr. Thomas Dubay: 

Fr. Dubay is always worth the read and this one was no exception. He gets straight to the point and always challenges me to look at and better try to live what I believe. 

Also during Lent: Ramona enjoyed getting to know St. John Paul II a little better via Bringing Lent Home with St. John Paul II: Prayers, Reflections, and Activities for Families by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle. 

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Just finished today: 

Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks in Spring was a read-aloud with Ramona. It took us awhile to get through it, only because my college girls vehemently insisted asked if we would read it only when they could listen in. With their schedules, that limited our read-together time, but it was entirely worth it to read with all the girls, given our Penderwick history, which stretches back nine years.

When we read the first Penderwicks book, Anne-with-an-e was 12 -- Ramona's current age. So, not only were we enjoying this new book, we were reminiscing about the others (and remembering when we'd named our triops after the Penderwicks and how that turned into a horror show.)

I don't want to say much about the book, because I dread spoilers. But I will say that though it was sadder than the other books, we did love it just as much as we loved the previous three.