Read-at-Home-Mom Report: March 2026

March Favorites 

The Year of My Humiliation by C.J. Sursum
This reminded me of The End of the Affair. It explored issues of faith and morals without tying things up neatly in a bow, and the somewhat unreliable first-person narrator worked so well. 

Everybody's Favorite Guy by Katherine Center
This short story was an enjoyable second chance romance to transition from winter to spring.

Good Writing by Neal Allen and Anne Lamott 
I love Anne Lamott's books, and this collaboration with her husband gives some solid writing advice that I found practical as well as entertaining. 

Family Reading Lists 

M. (girl, age 12)

• The Galleon by Ronald Welch

C. (girl, age 10)

• On Boston Bay by Melissa Wiley
• On Tide Mill Lane by Melissa Wiley
• The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs 
• The Three Investigators in the Case of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur, Jr.

E. (girl, age 8)

• The Story of Thomas Jefferson by Earl Schenck Miers
• Ramona and her Mother by Beverly Cleary

R. (boy, age 6)

• Choose Your Own Adventire: Vampire Express by Tony Koltz
• Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
• Bunny and Clyde by Megan McDonald
• Bunny and Clyde on the Lam by Megan McDonald

A. (girl, age 6)

• Captain Cat by Syd Hoff
• Ups and Downs with Oink and Pearl by Kay Chorao
• Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower by Peggy Parish
• Amelia Bedelia Helps Out by Peggy Parish
• Fox on the Job by James Marshall 
• Bony-legs by Joanna Cole
• Fish Out of School by Evelyn S. Shaw
• Nate the Great and the Sticky Case by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat 
• Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss 
• Forest by Laura Godwin
• Clara and the Bookwagon by Nancy Smiler Levinson
• Barn Owl by Phyllis Flower
• Arthur's Prize Reader by Lillian Hoban

Dad 

• Shen of The Sea: Chinese Stories for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
• The Beachcombers by Helen Cresswell 

Homeschool Update 2025-2026: 6th Grade

We moved (only one house down!) at the start of this school year and I never sat down to write up our plans for this blog. Now we're more than six months in and winding down on some things already, but I wanted to give a little glimpse into what everyone is doing. To make it a little more manageable, I'll do one post for each grade level we have this year, starting with the oldest. 

M., 6th grade 

Math 

• Textbook: Jacobs Geometry
• The Great Courses: Geometry: An Interactive Journey to Mastery with James S. Tanton 
• Khan Academy High School Geometry
• Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra I with Economics
• Singapore Math: Challenging Word Problems 4 

English

• Essay assignments from Jensen's Format Writing (2002)
• Sentence Diagramming 2
• Editor in Chief Beginning 2
• Daily Grams 

Science 

• The Great Courses: Nature of Earth: An Introduction to Geology with John J. Renton
• The Great Courses: Meteorology: An Introduction to the Wonders of Weather with Robert G. Fovall 
• Monthly meetings of the Future Rockhounds of America
• Participation in the Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show of the Gem, Lapidary, and Mineral Society of Montgomery County MD

History

• The Great Courses: The Rise and Fall of the British Empire with Patrick N. Allitt (first half)
• The Great Courses: War, Peace, and Power with Vejas G. Liulevicius (first half)
• Tuttle Twins: America's History Part I

Music

• Minuet in G on Piano from Anna Magdalena Bach's Notebook
• "Taps" on French horn 
• Scales and "Stars and Stripes Forever" on tenor recorder 
• Denes Agay Book 3
• The Great Courses: How to Play Piano with Pamela D. Pike 

Art

• Concordia University course, grades 5-8 
• Rainbow loom bracelets
• Alcohol markers
• Oil pastels
• colored pencils 

Religion

• New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism
• Advent wreath
• Weekly Mass
• Monthly TLM
• Arise girls group (Also covers health topics)

Latin

• So You Really Want to Learn Latin? Book 1 (and videos) by Nicholas Oulton 

Read-at-Home Mom Report: February 2026

February Favorites

• Exiles Come Home by Winefride Nolan
  This is a vintage British children's novel about the discrimination against Catholics during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and her successor, James I. (It's the sequel to Rich Inheritance.) It was so well-written and captures an experience that American kids might not be familiar with. I like the redemption arc for one main character and the mystery plot involving the kidnapping of a child.
• The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savery
  This is another vintage British children's novel. This one involves an American soldier being held as a prisoner of war in a British family's home, and his relationship with both the family and with his friend, another prisoner who is ill. 
• Hearts on the Fly by Toni Shiloh
  This unapologetically Christian romance with a touch of the miraculous was such a breath of fresh air. It's a hockey romance, but a wholesome clean one with a player's blindness after injury at the center of the plot. 
• All of Us: The Collected Poems by Raymond Carver
  I took a class on Raymond Carver short stories in college, but found the analysis aspect difficult and stayed away from his writings for years. But as a writer I'm inspired by his economy of language, and I was in the mood for poetry, so I listened to this and loved it. 

Family Reading Lists 

M., girl, 12 

• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
• Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
• The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder  

C., girl, 10

• The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
• Holes by Louis Sachar 

E., girl, 8

• The American Revolution by Bruce Bliven, Jr.
• The Secret Diary of Jeb and Abigail by Jean Fritz 

R., boy, 5 

• Walt Disney's World of Nature (selections)

A. girl, 5 

• McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader (selections) 

Dad 

• Two Little Pilgrims' Progress: A Story of the City Beautiful by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Trial Valley by Vera Cleaver 
• How to Enjoy Writing: A Book of Aid and Comfort by Janet and Isaac Asimov
• The Key Word and Other Mysteries by Isaac Asimov
• The Disappearing Man and Other Mysteries by Isaac Asimov
• Kidnapped by Accident by Arthur Catherall 

Read-at-Home Mom Report: December 2025 /January 2026

I fell a bit behind with reading updates, so I combined two months for this one. 

December Favorites

Joyride by Susan Orlean

This memoir of Susan Orlean's writing life was so interesting and so well written. It made me want to seek out the books of hers that I have not yet read.

Mint to Be by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
This was a really sweet YA romance for the holidays.

The Kindness Challenge: A Christmastime Novella by Melissa Cate

Melissa is a fellow Nicole Frail Books author and I had the opportunity to endorse this novella about a grieving family doing acts of kindness in memory of their deceased father and husband during Christmas. This was an uplifting and hopeful holiday read.

12 Knights of Christmas: A Sleigh Full of Love Stories by Button Hall Publishing 

This is a wonderful Christmas collection with a variety of contemporary and historical romance stories that were extremely well written and well edited. 

January Favorites

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 

I absolutely loved this epistolary novel. I will probably want to read it again someday. 

December Read-Alouds

Greenglass House by Kate Milford 
The Smugglers by Iain Lawrence (audiobook in the car)

January Read-Alouds

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson (read-aloud with twins)
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (audiobook at lunchtime)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling (read to E. by dad)

Family Reading Lists

M. (girl, 12 years, 2 months) 

December:

• A Dog on Barkham Street by Mary Stolz
• The Bully on Barkham Street by Mary Stolz
• The Explorer of Barkham Street by Mary Stolz 
• Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

January:

• Fair Wind to Virginia by Cornelia Meigs
• Early Thunder by Jean Fritz

C. (girl, 10 years, 4 months)

December:

• A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
• Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling 
• Oddkins by Dean Koontz

January:

• The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl
• Danny: The Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
• The Ramayana by Elizabeth Seeger
• The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs
• Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

E. (girl, 8 years, 3 months)

December:

• Fire on the Wind by Geoffrey Trease
• Witchcraft of Salem Village by Shirley Jackson
• The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds
• The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
• Benjamin West and his Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry

January:

• Catherine the Great by Katharine Sherman

R. (boy, 5 years, 10 months)

December: 

• The Trees Kneel at Christmas by Maud Hart Lovelace 
• Adventures of the Wishing-Chair by Enid Blyton
• The Wishing-Chair Again by Enid Blyton
• More Wishing-Chair Stories by Enid Blyton
  
• Mystery Behind the Wall (Boxcar Children #17) by Gertrude Chandler Warner
• Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine by Jay Williams 

January: 

• Redwall by Brian Jacques
• Betsy and Billy by Carolyn Haywood 
• Betsy's Little Star by Carolyn Haywood 
• Snowbound with Betsy by Carolyn Haywood 
• The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden 
• The Spartan Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins 

A. (girl, 5 years, 10 months)

• Adventures of Sophie Mouse Book 1: A New Friend by Poppy Green
• New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky
• Something Big Has Been Here by Jack Prelutsky
• It's Raining Pigs and Noodles by Jack Prelutsky
• Selections from the Read-To-Me Storybook
• Selections from McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader

Dad

December:

• Toliver's Secret by Esther Wood Brady
• The Smugglers by Iain Lawrence 
• Early Thunder by Jean Fritz 

January: 

• The Drummer Drives! Everybody Else Rides: The Musical Life and Times of Harry Brabec, Legendary Chicago Symphony Percussionist and Humorist by Barbara Brabec
• Tree of Freedom by Rebecca Caudill 

Read-at-Home Mom Report: November 2025

November Favorites

A Ferry Merry Christmas by Debbie Macomber

This was just very classic Debbie Macomber, which I love.

Hearts in Circulation by Sarah Monzon
The writing in this series is delightful. I really liked the hero, Levi, whose sensory processing disorder added an interesting layer to the story. 

The Book Club Boyfriend by Kendall Ryan
This is a new author for me. Her books are not 100% clean, but I still enjoyed this one, and I only had to skip a scene or two. 

What Kind of Woman: Poems by Kate Baer 
I always enjoy Kate Baer, and this was a great collection. 

Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
I loved this holiday romance so much. This will be on my favorites list this year.

Family Reading Lists 

M. (girl, 12 years)

• With Clive in India by G.A. Henty

C. (girl, 10 years, 2 months)

• My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara 
• Hittite Warrior by Joanne Williamson 

E. (girl, 8 years, 1 month)

• Puritan Adventure by Lois Lenski 
• Witch Dog by John and Patricia Beatty 

R. and A. (boy and girl, 5 years, 8 months)

The twins had some false starts and unfinished books this month. R. abandoned a collection of haunted house stories that was too hard for him, and A. read a couple of Carolyn Haywood books, but decoded without comprehending, so needed to try something else. 

R. also read these: 

• The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton
• The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
• The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
• Snowbound with Betsy by Carolyn Haywood
• Betsy and Billy by Carolyn Haywood

Book Review: Finding Flannery by Christina Brajkovich, Karen Anne Mahoney, and Roxane B. Salonen (ARC)

Any time I meet a Flannery O'Connor fan, I find myself feeling that I have found a kindred spirit. I encountered three such women in Finding Flannery: A Travel Memoir Exploring the Mystique of Flannery O'Connor and the Legacy She Has Left Us All. In this unique memoir told in three voices, Christina Brajkovich, Karen Anne Mahoney, and Roxane B. Salonen shared the story of their trio's visit to Flannery's home, Andalusia, and surrounding landmarks in Flannery's hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia. Each chapter of this book focuses on a different aspect of Flannery's legacy: her faith, her writing, her perseverance in the face of illness, her relationship with her mother, her friendships, etc. Within every chapter, each of the authors has a section marked by individual birds they chose to represent themselves, and each one reflects on the theme of that chapter. The result of this three-part narration is the sense that the reader is in conversation with fellow travelers, all of whom love and appreciate Flannery.

I have long wished I could visit Andalusia, but this book is truly the next best thing. I loved experiencing Flannery's world vicariously through these three writers' eyes and I enjoyed hearing how they discovered Flannery and became so interested in her. I've read a lot about Flannery, so a lot of what they discussed was familiar ground for me, but there were little tidbits here and there that were new to me, and some fresh perspectives I had not considered. I think my favorite part was the chapter focused on Flannery's relationship with her mother, Regina, and on Regina herself as a mother. I have always found their dynamic fascinating, and it was interesting to see each writer reflect on it.

Flannery fans will adore this book, but I think it might also win over some Flannery skeptics, who, even if they struggle with her fiction, won't be able to resist her personality and strong faith after spending time with these devoted fans. I'm grateful to Roxane for the review copy. It's going on my Flannery shelf!

Read-at-Home Mom Report: October 2025

October Favorites

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

I love Hemingway's writing. This was really sad, and I didn't love it as much as The Sun Also Rises, but I still really enjoyed it. I also loved learning that he wrote so many different endings before deciding on one. 

A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan
I always enjoy Sarah Morgan's holiday books. This was a perfect blend of family drama and romance.

The Shock of Holiness: The Romance of Everyday Life by Michael Pakaluk 
I reviewed this excellent essay for Catholic Mom. Read my review for my full thoughts.

Ordinary Jack: Being the First Part of the Bagthorpe Saga by Helen Cresswell
This was a hilarious and entertaining read aloud. The kids loved it, and so did I. 

Family Reading Lists

M. (girl, 11 years, 10 months)

*She provided the star ratings.

• Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinneli ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

C. (girl, 10 years, 1 month)

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 
• Lost Evangeline by Kate DiCamillo
• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 
• The Rescuers by Margery Sharp
• Veronica Ganz by Marilyn Sachs 

E. (girl, 8 years)

• This New Land by G. Clifton Wisler
• The Man Who Was Don Quixote by Rafaello Busoni (selected sections)
• The Adventures of Don Quixote by Leighton Barret and illustrated by Warren Chappell  (selected sections)
• Homes in the Wilderness: A Pilgrim's Journal of Plymouth Plantation in 1620 by William Bradford

R. (boy, 5 years, 7 months)

• Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
• Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
• White Bird by Clyde Robert Bulla 
• Summer Magic by Ruth Chew 
• The Hidden Cave by Ruth Chew 
• Halloween Treats by Carolyn
• The Little Leftover Witch by Florence Laughlin 

A. (girl, 5 years, 7 months)

She read a ton of easy readers, including: 

• The Tortoise's Gift by Lari Don
• Never Trust a Tiger by Lari Don
• I Wish I Was a Wolf by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I was a Llama by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I Was a Gorilla by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I was a Kangaroo by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I was a Monarch Butterfly by Jennifer Bove
• The Witch Who was Afraid of Witches by Alice Low
• Gus Gets Scared by Frank Remkiewicz
• Hoot, Owl! by Shelby Alinsky
• Slither, Snake! by Shelby Alinsky
• Emmett's Pig by Mary Stolz
• Railroad Engineers and Airplane Pilots: What Do They Do? by Carla Greene
• Hidden Animals by Millicent E. Selsam
• Edgar the Super Dolphin by Nathaniel Benchley
• George the Drummer Boy by Nathaniel Benchley
• Monkey Friends by Edward W. Dolch 
• Tony's Birds by Millicent E. Selsam
• Woodchuck by Faith McNulty
• Happy Jack by Malcolm Carrick
• The Bug that Laid the Golden Eggs by Millicent E. Selsam
• This is the House Where Jack Lives by Joan Heilbroner 
• Warton and Morton by Russell E. Erickson
• Who's a Pest by Crosby Bonsall
• Tom and the Two Handles by Russell Hoban 
• Abu Ali by Dorothy O. Van Woerkom
• Baltimore Orioles by Barbara Brenner
• Elephant Seal Island by Evelyn Shaw
• Steven and the Green Turtle by William J. Cromie
• Seahorse by Robert A. Morris
• Flap Your Wings by P.D. Eastman 

My husband 

• American Sons: The Untold Story of the Falcon and the Snowman by Christopher Boyce
• Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
• The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
• Bilgewater by Jane Gardam