2013 Books

• 46. Whales on Stilts
• 45. Miranda's Big Mistake
• 44. Beautiful Creatures
• 39. - 43. Homeschooling Books
• 38. The Young Clementina
• 37. To the Rescue
• 36. Masters of Disaster
• 35. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
• 34. Above All Things
• 33. A Stranger for Christmas *
• 32. United We Spy
• 31. The Ocean at the End of the Lane
• 30. Blackmoore
• 29. Maid to Match
• 28. Wool
• 27. The Shoemaker's Wife
• 26. For Darkness Shows the Stars
• 25. Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
• 24. Easy
• 23. The Book of Mormon Girl
• 22. Room
• 21. The Light Between Oceans
• 20. Plainsong
• 19. Yellow Crocus
• 18. Priceless
• 17. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
• 16. Me Before You *
• 15. Gone Girl
• 14. The Secret Keeper
• 13. Full Moon Over Madeline Island
• 12. Carry On, Warrior *
• 11. Edenbrooke *
• 10. The Only True Genius in the Family
• 9. Elegy for Eddie
• 8. Rebecca *
• 7. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
• 6. Girl at Sea
• 5. If I Stay
• 4. The Secrets of Happy Families
• 3. Someone Knows My Name
• 2. The Sparrow
• 1. Cold Sassy Tree

Whales on Stilts

Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Read-aloud with my kids. I think some of the humor was lost on them. Kind of weird overall, but I kind of liked it.

Miranda's Big Mistake

Miranda's Big Mistake by Jill Mansell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great book to get me out of my reading slump. A cute rom-com of a novel.

Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Honestly, I was kind of bored and skipped a big section. I had such high hopes for this.

The Young Clementina

The Young Clementina by D.E. Stevenson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another sweet, fun romance by this author. So glad Sourcebooks has republished this.

To the Rescue

To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson by Heidi S. Swinton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Inspiring man. I didn't love the writing style, but this is certainly well worth reading.

Masters of Disaster

Masters of Disaster by Gary Paulsen
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Read-aloud with my kids. My boys loved it.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great read-aloud with all of my kids. I did have to edit a few words as I read, but we all loved it.

Above All Things

Above All Things by Tanis Rideout
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really liked this book for getting me to learn the true story of George Mallory and his Everest attempt. I think it will stay with me. The way the novel was put together and the style of presentation wasn't my favorite though.

A Stranger for Christmas

A Stranger for Christmas by Carol Lynn Pearson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another read-aloud with my kids. Have tissues handy!

United We Spy

United We Spy by Ally Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My daughter and I have loved this series. Great conclusion.

Homeschooling Books

I started homeschooling all 4 of my children this year. Here are some resources I checked out at the library:


Homeschooling: Take a Deep Breath - You Can Do This! by Terrie Lynn Bittner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Would certainly recommend for a first-timer.






The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good for understanding the classical homeschooling method. Even though I don't follow it religiously, it gave me some great ideas.



Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School by Rebecca Rupp
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Dated.




Homeschooling: The Teen Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 13- to 18- Year-Old by Cafi Cohen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These are the years that scare me the most. This made it feel do-able!


Homeschooling: The Middle Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 8- to 12-Year-Old Child by Shari Henry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

OK. But not really any new ideas after teaching this age for a year already.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm glad I stuck with this. I loved the ending.

Blackmoore

Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Completely swoon-worthy.

Maid to Match

Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We visited the Biltmore this year, so I had to read it. Gist doesn't disappoint.

Wool

Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1) by Hugh Howey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Unbelievable world-building. Great dystopian. My book club liked it too.

The Shoemaker's Wife

The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The beginning was great. She was the Trigiani of her earlier books that I love. Then it went downhill from there.

For Darkness Shows the Stars

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sci-fi Persuasion. Definitely unique.

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story by Ben Carson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The story gets 5 stars. The writing wasn't the best though. Love him.

Easy

Easy by Tammara Webber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

More adult than YA. Quick read, but I think it will stick with me.

Room

Room by Emma Donoghue
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Scarily reminiscent of actual events. Really well-written.

The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Loved the story. I liked how balanced the conflict felt. Great for book clubs.

Plainsong

Plainsong by Kent Haruf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A quiet but moving novel. Loved the brothers.