The 2022 Afterthoughts Book Awards

The 2022 Afterthoughts Book Awards - Afterthoughts

source: https://afterthoughtsblog.net/2022/01/the-2022-afterthoughts-book-awards.html/

Let me begin with a confession: This was my worst reading year in over a decade. I ended up working on very time-consuming projects that wore away at me. I only had the mental energy left for easy reading most days during that time. Couple that with a carpet installation disaster that happened this summer — my library was supposed to be boxed up for a week or two, but ended up being boxed up for two months — and I consider 2021 subpar.

On the bright side, the best books I read this year had very little competition. Giving out the awards was much easier!

Another thing I learned is that reading aloud sustains me. On the days when I had “no time to read,” I did make the time to continue my tradition of reading aloud to my children. We got through so many wonderful books, books I could live upon when my own intellectual diet was so scanty. (My annual read-alouds list is coming soon so watch for it.)

I have to give a big shout out to our Scholé Sisters 5×5 Reading Challenge. I ended up having to rewrite my plan midstream — I made it at the end of 2020 when I had no clue the amount of work headed my way — but still … the existence of a plan and a determination to finish kept me motivated and in good habits (even if I did have to use read alouds to complete it).

Now. On to the awards!

The post contains affiliate links.

Best in Fantasy

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling

I read all of the Harry Potter series for the first time this year. I felt so burnt out in May. Escapist reading for the win! These books are controversial in some circles and I feel like I managed to disappoint most people in my response to them — I liked them too much for some and asked too many questions for others.

Rowling’s writing gets better as the series progresses. This one was my favorite.

Other contenders: As I said, I read all the Harry Potter series. This is the set we have.

Best in Government/Economics

Aeropagitica by John Milton

In a world full of “fact”-checking and censorship, it’s important to know what you’re about. There’s no better way to understand why free speech is important, and why the West thinks about freedom of speech the way that it does, than to read the original free speech tome, straight from the mouth of John Milton.

It’s genius and, for all its antiquated language, feels oh so familiar. I found it especially insightful when he explained how the most intelligent people would never take a censorship job, and so you end up with a situation where the low-IQ, under-educated part of the populace is monitoring the people who actually understand the situation.

Highly recommended.

Other contenders: Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Revolt Against the Masses by Fred Siegel

Best in Health/Science

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This book has everything going for it. It’s well-written and well-woven. It’s interesting in its story, but also raises timeless medical questions. It reminds you of where we’ve come from, and makes you wonder where we’re going. It shows the reality of a poor family never compensated by a corrupt pharmaceutical industry, but it also shows how corrupt a family culture can be. (Maybe it’s an important and timely reminder that corruption can exist on both the micro and macro levels?)

I loved this book, but it’s likely not for everyone. I wept in parts — it’s a gut punch. It tells stories of injustice and abuse, so be ready for them. Some of the abuse is graphic enough that this book is not for children.

Other contenders: Health for All of Life by Jason Garwood (beware — this one is interesting but too prosperity gospel for my taste); Adrenaline Dominance by Dr. Michael Platt; Pasteur: Plagiarist, Imposter by RB Pearson; Limitless by Jim Kwik

Best in Education

Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour

It’s probably not fair to give this award to Louis L’Amour, not when I also read CS Lewis. But the fact is, I liked this one the best (other than the book which is receiving my Book of the Year award). My Lewis title was a reread — and not a second read, but likely a sixth or seventh. I love that book, but it wasn’t the book I savored. That goes to L’Amour.

This is basically a memoir of L’Amour’s self-education during the Great Depression. He left home at 15 to find work, and managed to spend his rare spare coins on books. His reading lists are absolutely astounding and he proves that much reading can be accomplished by using the nooks and crannies of life.

Other contenders: Parents and Children by Charlotte Mason, The Abolition of Man by CS Lewis, How to Think by Alan Jacobs

2022 Afterthoughts Book of the Year

The Didascalicon of Hugh of Saint Victor

This book and I had a love-at-first-sight moment. I fell hard in the Introduction!

First, Hugh’s mind is so well organized, and it shows. He described all the different aspects of education much like a puzzle, and he does it so well that the reader can put it all together and be astounded by the picture it makes.

What I really love about Hugh’s work is how distinctly Christian it is — how he resolves all of education into the ultimate aim of knowing and loving Christ, and he does this is a highly logical manner (rather than the artificial means so common with modern writers).

I can’t recommend this book to you enough!

Honorable mention: The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon (it didn’t really fit in any of the above categories, but it is a work of genius!)

The post The 2022 Afterthoughts Book Awards appeared first on Afterthoughts.

11 Books I Assigned for High School That Aren't on the AmblesideOnline Lists - Afterthoughts

I love, adore, and have always used AmblesideOnline as our homeschool curriculum. Also, I have always collected books. In the high school years, when AO takes a pick-and-choose salad bar approach, I can't help but consider not just the books on the lists, but also the books on my shelves.

The Summer 2023 Mother Culture Reading List (Plus Summer Reading Habit Trackers!!) - Afterthoughts

If you aren't familiar with the term "mother culture," I'm actually referring to an article that appeared in Charlotte Mason's Parents' Review Magazine way back in 1892. The Mother Culture article does a couple important things.

Mothers' Education Course 2023 - Afterthoughts

How do we make ourselves better teachers? Better mothers? Better persons? Once upon a time, Charlotte Mason had a course that did just that! The Mothers' Education Course (MEC) was a three-year (and later a two-year) program Charlotte Mason put together to educate moms who were educating their children.

Spring 2023 Habit Trackers Are Here! - Afterthoughts

Spring is the perfect time to turn over a new leaf. March has arrived and we are armed and ready with brand new spring Mother Culture Habit Tracker and a whole collection of coordinating reading trackers for your students, plus blank habit trackers so you can track a lot more than your reading.

The Official 2022 Afterthoughts Read Aloud List - Afterthoughts

Reading aloud when children are young is imperative. Many treat the older years as optional. I'm so glad no one convinced me to stop! It is so much fun now that my children are older.

11 Books I Assigned for High School That Aren't on the AmblesideOnline Lists - Afterthoughts

The Summer 2023 Mother Culture Reading List (Plus Summer Reading Habit Trackers!!) - Afterthoughts

Mothers' Education Course 2023 - Afterthoughts

Spring 2023 Habit Trackers Are Here! - Afterthoughts

The Official 2022 Afterthoughts Read Aloud List - Afterthoughts

Common Place Company

Categories

Social Footprints