Sunday, November 15, 2009

Suggestions for History Reading

For some reason I'm in planning mode right now for future readings. Here's what I'm thinking of for the rest of this academic year with S and B:
  • After Archimedes, we'll read the new book on Herodutus by Bendick
  • Since we've done so much reading in the Greeks: Tanglewood Tales, Black Ships Before Troy, The Wanderings of Odysseus, Percy Jackson books, currently Archimedes, next Herodotus, I feel the need to move on to the Romans
  • Aeneid for Boys and Girls
  • Famous Men of Rome
  • Detectives in Togas
  • Roman Ransom
By next fall I think we'll be up to Middle Ages. Here's what I'm thinking:

  • The Early Christians by Hunt (transitional book plus the kids will learn about the early Church)
  • Brendan the Navigator by Jean Fritz
  • Fingal's Quest by ???? I've heard of this book so much but have never read it.
  • Beorn the Proud - loved this book the first time around!
  • The Hidden Treasure of Glaston - I read this to myself a couple years ago - wonderful book!
  • Francis and Clare; Saints of Assisi by Homan
  • Cathedral by McCauley
  • Castle by McCaulay
  • The Trumpeter of Krakow - one of my all time favorite books!
For J who'll be 15 and in 10th grade:
  • Confessions of St. Augustine
  • Augustine Came to Kent - about the other St. Augustine!
  • Ballad of the White Horse - by GKC - I've never read this but really want to! - poem
  • William the Conquerer - Hilaire Belloc - haven't read this either
  • Murder in the Cathedral - T.S. Eliot - play
  • St. Francis of Assisi by GKC
  • St. Thomas Aquinas by GKC
  • Henry V - Shakespeare - play
  • Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
Spine for J - Didache Church History text or maybe the Catholic Textbook Projects latest book on Church History.

Supplements - Popes and Papacy Teach. Co lectures; watch movies Becket, movie on St. Francis, Henry V with Branaugh, old Joan of Arc movie. Watch Teach Co. lectures on Natural Law if we never get to it this year.


S & B: For our Modern Studies next year, I'm thinking of getting the Beautiful Feet Western Expansion unit study. I don't know how much we'll do of the actual unit study. We can pick and choose and read all the wonderful books.

2 comments:

The Beynons said...

This is where we are in history too. I had wanted to do the Famous Men books with my younger two but I think I am SICK of them as I read them both twice with the older set! Right now we are reading a bit in a Tappen book of The Baldwin Project- I think it is The Story of the Greek People. It seems interesting and not so full of Famous Men!

The Aeniad by Church is great- we read that last year.

I will also have a 10th grader next year- we are going to read some of the same books as you but will also read Gawain and the Green Knight, Canterbury Tales (some of them), and Ivanhoe. I am not sure of a spine, but between now and then I hope to figure out how our Church History fits in (we are newly Orthodox)....

Have a great week,
Kristie

Unknown said...

You can find Mark Twain's biography about Joan of Arc online at:
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
Tell everyone they can read it there free.