Saturday, May 12, 2018

The Kerrie Show Summer Reading List 2018 and Scribd Review

June 10, 2018 UPDATE: I have discovered something called Scribd and am in love and so I have accordingly dropped an ADD title from my list (I had two on there, which is boring for you), and added something more universal. You can get a free month and then Scribd is only $8.99 a month after that, and they have a ton of great ebook and audiobook options. I used to pay $14.99 on other platforms for ONE audiobook per month. This is an insane deal and I feel like I can get a lot of books on my list knocked out while I walk and listen. (click on link to see a special post about this amazing thing)

I also love the option to crack open a physical book at home or download it as an ebook so I can read it on my phone and not have to worry about getting a book wet ... for instance, by the POOL :-)

Oh, and Driven to Distraction is on there, and if you have ADD or know someone with it, you'll understand how AMAZING this is ... instead of trying to find time to sit and FOCUS on a book, which is very hard for me to do, I can listen to it. I am held captive while I walk for 30 minutes each day and that means 30 minutes of guaranteed reading for me and knowledge about how to help my ADD on top of that. WIN!

**Audiobooks count as reading (to yourself and also to your kids)!**

August 24, 2018 UPDATE: Finished Beartown, Once Upon a Secret (Mimi Alford), Ultimate Makeover (Carrie Gress), and Teaching From Rest (Sarah McKenzie)  and starting Perfectly Yourself: Discovering God's dream for You.



Ah, summer is coming! This year instead of a photo of a stack of books on my dining room table at my home in Overland Park, Kansas you get a photo of a stack of books on my deck facing my POOL and POND in Peculiar, Missouri! Yes, we have moved, in case you have not heard. We somehow got a place with lots of water (good thing the kids can all swim!), and we LOVE water!

I am hoping and praying for lots of great lazy mornings by the pool reading to myself then later reading lots of books to the kids while we break for lunch (I call this sneaking in homeschooling/learning ... woo hoo!). I'll be posting a list of books we want to read this summer for our homeschool as well over at Homeschooling Mommybot. I'll get you the link once it's up.

I love making reading lists! I don't do so hot at FINISHING my list, just so you know. But hopefully my list will inspire you to read something great and come back here to share! I'd love to see a link to your summer reading list!

Here are photos and links to my last few years of Summer Reading Lists.

Here's the link to the Summer 2015 Reading List (sorry the photo is a little small but it gets blurry if I make it larger). I actually ended up talking more about this list in the 2016 Reading List post.

Here is the link to the Summer 2016 Reading List
Here are the 8 I am tackling this summer and I'll check back in with a post about each one later on. Keep in mind audiobooks count as "reading" a book in my world ... you are still taking in the content into your brain. I have one of these books in print from the library and on loan as an audiobook from the library for free so I can switch back and forth when I'm going on a walk and need audio versus when I force myself to sit down and read a physical book.

  1. The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. Discovered this author a long time ago, as in, pre-Aron and pre-kids days.
  2. The Read-Aloud Family. Not just a homeschooler book, trust me. READ TO YOUR KIDS! They love it! It sparks wonderful discussions and that counts as reading comprehension better than anything else.
  3. Driven to Distraction. I've said it before that I'm pretty sure I have ADD, but it's not debilitating and I still get things done. I mean, I get a lot of things HALF done, and then finally, after years, enough half things have accumulated accidentally that I have finished things like homeschooling a grade, writing a book, cleaning a closet.
  4. Perfectly Yourself: Discovering God's Dream for You by Matthew Kelly. This one was free from someone at coop.
  5. Beartown. My friend Jill recommended this one and I immediately bought it because Jill knows books. She really should have a book review blog but I don't know where she'd find the time between being the homeschooling mom of five and teaching yoga. Finished this book June 3, 2018. Had not read fiction in a long time and enjoyed it. Hard to get into for me, but then I was hooked. Then I realized we were dealing with a heavy subject that triggers me but I kept going anyway. Turns out a sequel is coming out soon. Count me in.
  6. Theology of the Body for Teens. This one is not pictured, but my oldest has been going to a group to hear about this subject for 3 years and my next oldest for a year. In the fall, my THREE oldest kids will be going. It's amazing stuff. Instead of TELLING your kids "don't have sex before marriage" ... this class and book explain WHY. We have no problem talking about sex at my house, but their teacher really gets into the why of waiting. The why of being friends before diving into a relationship, etc. I get sick of elementary school kids talking about having boyfriends and girlfriends. It sounds ridiculous and where does it even come from? You don't hear that kind of stuff at our homeschool coop, which has almost 100 kids. Anyway ... check it out.
  7. When Children Love to Learn. A great homeschooling book I'm looking forward to.
  8. A Life That Says Welcome. This one is by Karen Ehman and it was recommended over at Homeschool Sisters on their summer reading list, which you should really check out!
If you are a writer, parent or someone who EATS and are looking for something to add to your summer reading list, consider MY books, here, both of which are available as print books and in Kindle format ... AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO OWN A KINDLE TO GET THEM! You can "follow" me as an author on Amazon if you never want to miss an update or new book! Both are free on Kindle Unlimited (just $9.99 a month and you can read all you want; check out 10 at a time!)

PLEASE leave me a comment with your book recommendations!