Owlowiscious Girls

MOM'S READING My Popsugar Group read for the month of March is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  It is to fit the prompt "a book about feminism".  I was looking forward to this one because it is considered a classic and I was really curious about it.  It is turning out to be interesting but, for me, not very believable.   The speculation is fascinating though.   HERMIONE'S READING Even though I didn't tell her or help her pick this book for the "book about feminism" I have seen her currently reading Matilda by Roald Dahl.  I have seen this book on a few feminism for kids lists and I think it is so great that it worked out so well when we have been too busy to reconnect.  Hermione says her favorite part was when Matilda starts reading hard books.  I haven't even read this book so I am going to put it on my "want to read" list now.    PICTURE BOOKS Nothing special about the picture books we read thi...

MOM'S READING Well this is a really late post but on my husband's suggestion I have been switching my "day off" to Tuesdays and it is messing with my blogging schedule.  I am trying to see if this still works.  My brain is having a hard time wrapping around a new schedule especially in the middle of Lent.  I will just jump in and try to figure it out as I go. So this week I chose to read On the Road with Francis of Assisi by Linda Bird Francke to accomplish two goals- read about a Saint during Lent and to read a book set in a country that fascinates you.  I feel like I could have picked any book for this as just about every single country fascinates me to some degree but I wanted to line up a read during Lent and I like to think of myself as "Italian" even though I was just born there- I am not of Italian decent.  I wish there were better quality/color photos in this book.  I had to keep looking up stuff on Youtube to get a sense of the place...

MOM'S READING This was not my first choice, but a series of circumstances led me to this book Gods and Kings by Lynn Austin.  It is based on the life of King Hezekiah.  I am not completely done but I enjoy it.  It isn't amazing but it is a good story.  I have read 2 other books by Lynn Austin and have found her to be one of my favorites.  This wasn't totally disappointing but it wasn't the same as her other books.  This book didn't seem to have much to work with especially when you are basing characters off of people from the Bible- that has got to be tough to write. Progress: 8/40 & 0/10 HERMIONE'S READING I broadened the prompt by letting biographies count even though I don't know if they do technically but we get to make up the rules so it counts.  Hermione says she learned that he wasn't successful in the beginning and he was once paid with 100s of razors and nail clippers- that was her favorite. READ ALOUD Since thi...

 This week our reading theme was true crime, but I focused more on the true part and less on the crime part....at least for the girls any way.  Plus this theme overlaps the next which is "read a novel based on a real person" and I haven't found many appealing "novels" about real people but since it is Lent I think reading about the saints would be appropriate.  Any way, onward and upward....what have we been reading any way. MOM'S READING I finished Truevine by Beth Macy.  It was good and well researched.  I learned a lot about circus sideshows, the Jim Crow south, and a family with a strange history.  I chose this book because February is also Black History Month and I wanted to find a book that researched some crimes done on African Americans.  This book didn't disappoint my goal.   HERMIONE'S READING Hermione had a little catch up reading to do.  She read some shorter books this week and this shows you how ...

MOM'S READING I wasn't looking forward to this week's theme and I was right not to.  This week we attempted (I say attempted because Hermione is a little behind and I wasn't actively looking for sports books for the other two girls) to read a book about or involving sports.  This was the group read from Facebook Popsugar AND Goodreads so it was voted to read Beartown by Fredrick Backman.  I am not really enjoying it.  It is too predictable and fully of cliches.  There are many serious issues addressed but it is too repetitive and tries WAY too hard to sound philosophical.  I don't want to discount the subject matter but it totally reminded me of why I hate sports culture and high school.  I am still not finished so maybe it gets a little better but I won't be counting on it.  I am listening to this book on audio and there are too many characters to keep track of for me- but that might be a personal preference.  Too bad- I had seen ...

MOM'S READING   For our reading this week was a "gimme" because we do love book series around here.  I decided to read Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery.  I started Emily of New Moon last year so only naturally I thought it would be great to read the next one.  L.M. Montgomery certainly does have a style that is enjoyable and themes that are timeless.  Popsugar Reading Stats: 5/40 & 0/10 HERMIONE'S READING It is good this was an easy week because Hermione is a little behind.  She is still reading her book from last week's theme, but she had earlier this year been reading through the Big Nate series and the Mysterious Benedict Society. ARIANA'S READING My 3rd grader's current favorite series are Ever After High, the Rainbow Magic Fairy books, and the World According to Humphrey- at least these were all the books she was reading this week. LUCY'S READING Honestly I didn't have time to get Lucy a...

 This is my progress on the Popsugar Challenge so far because I don't doubt that there will be at least a handful of changes from my year plan so I will put up a progress report once in awhile.  As you can see I have already made a couple changes mostly due to illness and mood preference at the time of reading.  Also it is just plain fun to see the progress unfold.  1. A book made into a movie you've already seen:  The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien 2. True Crime: Truevine: Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South by Beth Macy 3. The next book in a series you started: Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery- CURRENTLY READING * 4. A book involving a heist:  The Heist by Janet Evanovich- DONE *5. Nordic noir:  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larson (January Group Read)- DONE  6. A novel based on a real person:  Nightingales: The Extraordinary Upbringing and Curious Life o...