at the beginning of year i was in something of a reading slump. i had a few difficult books to read, but by the time i gathered my scattered attention, i didn’t feel quite up to a “hard” book.  i should have kept Karen Andreola’s–or was it from Charlotte Mason herself?–advice in mind.  she recommends always keeping four books going.  depending on what you can manage at any given time, you will have a book that can fit the mood.  i think four books might be a bit much.  when i get a few books going at once, i have a hard time keeping things straight.  but i do need to have a few different books near to hand–maybe a homeschool advice book, a more religious book, and a thick novel if i’m lucky!  maybe this post should be called reading all the time!

i wanted to gather all the reading lists and challenges i have been collecting…perhaps you too need some inspiration!

• Motherhood + Jane Austin Book Club–6 novels in 1 year. Pride and Prejudice is up first.  i am listening to the fabulous Librivox version read by Karen Savage each night as i make dinner.  the audiobook slows down my reading, and this version is a smash!
• The Well-Read Mom–booklist and discussion questions.  i read one of their selections, Exiles, and liked it quite a lot.
• The Lit Collective Online Reading Retreat--at goodreads…8 books over the year with online discussions during March and October.
• A Winter Respite–a week to focus on reading.  i think this would be a wonderful week to focus on reading aloud in the homeschool as well!
• Mentoring the Classics–a good beginning from Thomas Jefferson Education.  can you believe that i’ve never read John Taylor Gatto?
• 2014 Reading Challenge–i really like using goodreads to track my reading.  here is a tool to help you make a reading goal and see how you are doing!  in 2012 Marianna set the goal to read 112 books.  that sounded outrageous to me!  but i kept track too, and found that i could read that many books too.  last year i was holding a baby more often that a book, so my numbers are a little lower.  but i’ve got an ambitious goal for this year.  if not in the 40th year, then when?
• 52 Books in 52 Weeks–a great weekly link-up…including Semicolon’s Saturday Review of Books and many, many other challenges and book lists!