false 44 787 758 true 5664586 read 7 true 2482485 currently-reading 22 true 2482484 to-read 57 false 3910966 homeschool-science 55 false 3910967 homeschool-american-history 51 false 2752929 christian-fiction 51 false 2752923 christian-living 50 false 2749163 classics 49 false 4172978 homeschool-fable-fantasy-myth 45 false 2752934 biography-auto 43 false 2749186 historical-fiction 41 false 4987256 tjed-books 40 false 5127991 young-adult 39 false 4051825 homeschool-children-s-picture-books 33 false 2752918 fantasy 33 false 3910968 homeschool-general-history 31 false 5371682 5-pillar 27 false 4448785 usborne 26 false 2749292 romance 25 false 2752921 pop-fiction 24 false 3911068 homeschool-read-a-louds 23 false 2752928 christian-theology 22 false 3910971 homeschool-literature 22 false 3910982 homeschool-reference-helps 20 false 3911215 homeschool-book-on-tape 19 false 2749320 psychology 17 false 2749183 favorite 15 false 3911067 homeschool-religion-theology 15 false 2753474 family-life 14 false 2752909 sci-fi 14 false 3910976 homeschool-math 14 false 9213960 greek 14 false 3948191 homeschool-character 13 false 2751920 health 13 false 2753451 personal-leadership 13 false 3911123 homeschool-poetry 13 false 3910979 homeschool-how-to 11 false 2756522 shakespeare 10 false 4219328 read-with-spouse 10 false 3549829 didn-t-finish 9 false 9066987 goodreads-books-i-won 7 false 2777029 byu-textbooks 6 false 3911064 homeschool-geography-cultures 5 false 2753644 financial 5 false 4123360 homeschool-music 1 false 9121941 homeschool-foreign-language http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81332200 Tellurian Suns: Seeing the Light (Book 1) by Cameron Sutter
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81284866 to: The Angels Trilogy (Mass Market Paperback) by Lurlene McDaniel
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81284789 to: Until Angels Close My Eyes (Angels Trilogy) by Lurlene McDaniel
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81284566 to: Lifted Up by Angels (Angels Trilogy) by Lurlene McDaniel
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41493339 to: Holy Bible: King James Version (LDS Edition) by Anonymous
bookshelves: christian-theology, homeschool-religion-theology
We just refinished the New Testament as a family. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80889799 Little Dorrit (Paperback) by Charles Dickens
bookshelves: classics, currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26292434 to: A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century (Hardcover) by Oliver Van DeMille
bookshelves: 5-pillar, favorite, homeschool-how-to, personal-leadership, read-with-spouse, tjed-books
I just finished rereading this book for the fifteenth... thirtieth time? I don't know.

I first read it about five years ago. It all started then. This book has had a profound affect on my life. The first thing it did for me was to introduce me to the classics. Before that point I had never had a good experience with school or a classic. I knew that I should want to read Shakespeare but believed that would never happen. I did just what DeMille suggested in his book. First I read Lonesome Gods, then I read Laddie, then I read the Chosen, then I read Jane Eyre. That's when I got it. The first three were really cool (okay I don't love Laddie let me interject) and I was happy I'd read something besides a Christian romance. I was making progress. But Jane Eyre. Wow! I knew then that a good classic makes all the difference. I loved it. I thought about it over and over. I had to have more. That was the beginning of the end. This book became the reason I even have a goodreads account. I bet 99% of all the books listed here on goodreads have all been read after this book. I actually had books to put on somewhere, to make a list somewhere. Since then there have been many Shakespeare's read several times, there's been Les Miserables, Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Iliad, Ivanhoe, A Tale of Two Cities, etc. Wow. Wow. Wow! That's all I can say.

The second thing this book does for me is that it articulates a deep feeling inside of me that screams that I need to be a leader and so do my children. Ever since I was little I felt the need to do great things and to lead others. Maybe it's because I'm Type-A, a "red" personality, and bossy? This book gives me direction to something that is rooted so deep down inside of me.

I love that my husband and I are both on board with this powerful book. We've discussed this book at length for years now. He's read probably more classics than me now. He'd only ever even read a handful of books before this book. I'm so grateful we are on the same page.

A last powerful concept (for now) is regarding the principle of mentors. I didn't know what a mentor was before. I do now. I understand why I need one and how I can mentor my children.

There are many "how to" Thomas Jefferson books on the market now, but none have been has motivating and insightful as this original book. This book stands alone for me. It's filled with treasures. The other books are just nice for ideas.

I know many homeschooling moms don't connect with this book. I know some people are offended that it attacks professionalism. It appeals to me though because I never had a real education. Perhaps my views would be different if I'd had a real education.

]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80891302 to: Alfred's Basic Piano Library: Lesson Book Level 1A (Paperback) by Willard A. Palmer
bookshelves: homeschool-music
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80889337 to: Agent Bishop: True Stories from an FBI Agent Moonlighting as a Mormon Bishop (Paperback) by Mike Mcpheters
bookshelves: biography-auto
There are lots of interesting stories in the book, including him being at the White House on 9/11, and it was fun to read. Nothing really serious or profound but he does put in several places a good word for the Lord blessing you in your profession when you are faithful in your church responsibilities (he was Bishop 4 times!). A light, humorous read. ]]>