Books on Quarantine

This week, finally succumbing to the insanity that is social isolation, I accidentally lit my hair on fire.

First off, I'm fine, the kids are fine, the RV didn't burn to the ground (which, unfortunately, now means that we actually have to sell it), and I'm not bald. Yet. It took me a couple days of hysterical laughter before I realized that those options were all things I should've been legitimately worried about.

Second, yes, I am now in rather desperate need of a hair cut, so if you know any rule breaking, bandit hair stylists willing to wield a pair of scissors and risk their lives to COVID-19, let me know.

Obviously, I still have some hair and many children attached.

I also accidentally ate cat food, but that's another story, and completely unnecessary at this time (and at all times). But speaking of stories, let's talk books! (Bonus points for that segue.)

I have--naturally--been doing a lot of reading during this time, thanks, in large part, to our online library (whoever came up with the idea of online libraries has my eternal gratitude) and the fact that I stocked up on books the literal day that our library closed for the pandemic. Our library has currently reopened for at the door pick ups of hold items, which has brought additional joy and reading material (that was redundant) into our home.

One of the great things about not being able to browse through the library is that I get to be more purposeful in what books I bring home for the kids. I am systematically working through lists of "greatest picture books for kids" or "what books should you read before twelve" and ensuring that there are no huge gaps of classic literature that the kids haven't been exposed to. The other great thing about not being able to browse through the library is that my kids come home with fewer junk books. Hurray for that.

At any rate, (drum roll, please), some books that you too can request from your library, if you are lucky enough to have a library that still lets you pick up happiness in the form of a book! (If not, online book stores would love your business, and your book shelves will thank you even if your bank account does not. Your therapist may thank you too because reading makes people happy and reading children are less likely to drive you insane.)

First up, the kids and I just finished the audiobooks of the Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins read by Paul Boehmer. I'll be honest and say that I didn't think I was going to love them as much as I did. But, oh, I did. There was laughter, yelling at the car stereo, and even tears as we drove and listened. My husband thinks I'm insane. The kids love me forever for picking this series. My eldest son got banned from the internet after googling the ending halfway through book five. All these things are true. The story begins when a young boy falls through a grate in his laundry room and discovers an entire underground world full of strange people, huge animals, and imminent death. Mad props to Paul Boehmer for his reading. It's up there with my favorite audiobooks of all time, Bud, Not Buddy (read by James Avery) and The Saturdays (read by Pamela Dillman). Any time I think that I couldn't have read it out loud better myself, it's a win for us.

Speaking of books that I read out loud, the kids and I just finished the six book series The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. When a book can combine literature, geography, and Latin references (and even more) with a handful of snark, a good dash of quirk, and a mixed bag of ridiculous characters, my children are all on board. Now to get them to stop howling like wolves. I loved these books on their own, but they were fantastic for how often they underscored what we were learning in school. I cannot count the number of times the kids or I would say, "That's just like what we learned today!" And they also got the kids to sit and listen to me read aloud "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", "The Wreck of the Hesperus", and several other epic poems. If you'd like to read about children raised by wolves, ancient family curses, and a governess just as plucky but definitely funnier than Jane Eyre, pick these up. If you read them with your kids, they may start bellowing "DO SVIDANIYA" at opportune times, and strangers will think you are awesome for teaching your kids Russian.

Carpet burn bindis happen when you trip on your sister.

On the "teaching the twins to read" front, Bruiser and Bee are making some real progress tackling books of their own. Millions of Cats was a huge hit with Bee--she loved the repeated refrain of "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats"--and Bruiser had a great time reading about his literary doppelgänger in No, David (which I think may have visited the blog back when Littles was, well, little). I regretted reading No, David with Bruiser as he quite emphatically informed me that the mom sounded just like me, but if the shoe fits, let us, by all means, wear it. Especially as some of us have large feet and can't fit in just any shoe.

The resemblance is only marred by all Bruiser's Corona-hair.

Twinkle, meanwhile, is determined that she too is reading and will pick books at random and make up whatever she wants them to say while forming the words very slowly so as to imitate the twins. Yesterday she read the acknowledgements page in The Jesus Storybook Bible which evidently says, "The people are going to sleep where they are going to say something." I finally kicked her out of the living room as her "reading" was distracting Bruiser, who was actually trying to read for real, and she returned twenty minutes later, informing me that she had read "every word" in her Storybook Bible. Child has no limits.

Reading is for everyone. Reading is for everywhere.

As to the Bigs, Tiny has finally admitted that I choose good books for him (took him eight years before he realized that I pick better than he does). He plowed through The Hobbit at the end of the school year and is now tackling The Lord of the Rings and talking me into movie nights on week days. Since we are done with school (other than the twins who are destined to do math and reading with me until I die or they are reading fluently) and since his freckles are the most beautiful thing in my world, last night we watched the first half of The Two Towers, and I didn't even feel guilty about it. He also blew through Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in two hours and is begging me to get Through the Looking Glass for him next.

I'm sorry for two pictures of Twinkle, but she's so darn cute. Also, the Bigs don't like me to take pictures of them any more.

Littles, meanwhile, has reached the apex of nerdiness and is reading The Silmarillion--something I have never even done (don't revoke my nerd card, please, I need it or I'll have an identity crisis). My favorite book he's read lately though has to be The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix, a graphic novel about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Beautifully done, there is so much to learn and so much to challenge thinking, I'd strongly suggest it for any history or theology lovers. I'm so glad Littles read it--and glad I did too.

Reading makes you smart, creative, AND strong.

Other than The Faithful Spy--and a bunch of fluff novels that I won't recommend but that keep me entertained while the kids are doing things I don't want to know about--my favorite novel from the last month or so was What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper. Also set during WWII, it is beautiful, poignant, and full of hope. It might have also made me want to adopt certain Jewish traditions in our home like the lighting of Shabbat candles--but candles and I haven't been on good terms lately, so I may wait on that one.

I also really appreciated Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth's Adorned. If you're looking for a nonfiction read that will challenge you to think through the little choices you are making in your day-to-day as well as how you can encourage and learn from other women, this might be it for you. I wrote down so many quotes, and I'm still pondering what I learned.

Keep an eye out for Twinkle who likes to steal the very expensive bookmark you were using (your phone) and replace it with a leaky water bottle.

One more, my favorite fantasy novel from the last few weeks would have to be The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip. I feel like I should've read this one a long time ago, but didn't, but I loved reading it as an adult. The language is so rich, and McKillip doesn't take short cuts or weaken the power of the story but taking easy outs. I'd put it on my list of classic fantasy books that every fantasy lover should read.

There are so many wonderful books out there, so I hope you are getting to enjoy at least a few of them while you're home a little bit more. One of the best ways to enjoy our current season of social isolation is to surround ourselves with fictional (and sometimes historical) characters who get to live lives that we could never experience for ourselves (especially while we're staying home). Often, this helps us see our own life circumstances in completely new ways or just helps us to use our time wisely to learn and grow so that when we go back into the world, we come with something new to share. And picking up a book is always a better choice than, say, lighting one's hair on fire or eating cat food...so there's that.

If our family isn't reading, this is a perfectly acceptable reality.