The Birthday Books

I had said I was going to spend some of my birthday money on books, and have finally gotten around to purchasing a few.

A package from Amazon.com arrived earlier in the week:



A Fine Fleece by Lisa Lloyd features several knitting patterns that use handspun yarns. Fortunately, she also includes information for using commercially available yarns in these gorgeous patterns -- some of us don't have the patience to a) learn to spin, and then b) spend a few years trying to produce enough yarn for an entire sweater. I had this book out of the library, and there were so many patterns that I wanted to knit that I decided it should be my birthday treat.

The Best Old Movies for Families by Ty Burr is a book I discovered while reading Tara's blog. Again, I checked it out of the library. It soon became apparent that Thalia wasn't going to let it go -- the only way we were going to get the book back to the library was if we had our own copy. So, here it is. Thalia continues to work on her list of Must Watch Movies, checking out DVDs from the library and keeping track of what's showing on TCM.

And, finally, Story of the World 2 on CD. Yes, we have the paperback, and I diligently read it to the kids and did the activities, maps, and supplementary reading suggested in the Activity Guide. BUT, I really enjoy listening to Jim Weiss. And, frankly, it's easier to pop in a CD and listen than for me to have to read it all aloud again. As to whether we'll color all of the maps and do all of the accompanying activities, well, it's hard to say. But at least we'll hear about the history of the Middle Ages this year.

I also ordered some items from Rainbow Resource earlier this week, and they had the package delivered at a startlingly fast pace:



I couldn't face another go-through of The Easy French, so when AnnaBeth announced Monday that she wants to start French lessons again I balked. Jessica had reviewed Ecoutez/Parlez and it sounded like a good alternative. So, here it is. We'll start next week and see how it goes.

And I thought I might as well order more curriculum for future use while shopping Rainbow Resources, so into the shopping cart went Artistic Pursuits Junior HIgh edition. Thalia has looked it over and decided that she doesn't want to start it right away. She'd rather finish working through Mark Kistler's Draw Squad first (Thalia likes to finish what she starts rather than hopping wildly from project to project -- she didn't inherit this trait from me).

An exciting week for book purchases at our house!