What's on My Nightstand {June 2014}

I've had a good month of reading and wanted to document the titles I've read this past month with What's on My Nightstand...even if I'm a day late to the link-up.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken.  Bonnie's cousin Sylvia comes for an extended visit when Bonnie's parents go away.  A distant relative comes to care for the girls as a governess.  The governess has an evil plan under way...This was a fun middle-grade chapter book.

 King Solomon's Mines, by H. Rider Haggard. My library only had an abridged version, but I still enjoyed it.  Three men venture into the wilds and diamond mines of Africa searching for a lost man.

Jimmy, by Robert Whitlow.  My friend gave this to me when she finished it.  I had not heard of the author, but this well-written book made me interested to read more.  Jimmy is a boy who is a bit "different."  Jimmy learns despite his differences; he has courage and wisdom beyond his years.  The ending surprised me...in a good way.


Finding Father, by Susan Foy.  Kendra is a young, single mom.  When her mother moves away she feels abandoned by all.  After a series of difficult situations, Kendra meets a real friend, and they become roommates.  Through her new friend, Kendra becomes reacquainted with the father of her daughter...who raped her.  She struggles with her new faith and the idea of forgiving this man.

I actually read the manuscript for this book last year.  I like the changes Susan made to it since the first reading.  Susan provided me a proof copy.  I'm happy to pass it along to someone who wants to read it (and it'd be great if you could review it, too).  Leave a comment below.

The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins.  I began this classic as part of my Summer Reading Challenge.  Want to participate?  Please do!
At Home in Mitford and These High Green Hills.  I'm listening to these Mitford series books by Jan Karon.  I read them years ago and am enjoying them all over again.

With the Children
Tumtum and Nutmeg: The Rose Cottage Tales, by Emily Bearn.  My children (and I) delighted in these two-in-one books.  Lots of fun and adventure for these mice.  AND they are part of a series!  Highly recommend.
Socks, by Beverly Cleary.  Another fun book.  Socks is a cat, adopted by a young married couple.  All is well until a baby arrives.
101 Dalmations, by Dodie Smith.  We'll be reading this to go with July's Reading to Know book club selection.  We're a few chapters into it and enjoying it.  It's a bit different than the movies, but still good.  This is one of the books also part of the Summer Reading Challenge.

Take a peek at the vocabulary bookmark printable if you-or your child- would like to keep track of new and interesting words found in books.
Come back soon to see the mini-unit I created for the book called A Mouse Called Wolf.  It's a delightful story written at a 3.9 reading level.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, King Solomon's Mines, and 101 Dalmatians are all part of the Reading to Know Book Club.  Join up any time!

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~ Annette W. {This Simple Mom}
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13 comments

  1. Wow! That's a lot of reading! Good for you!

    I keep meaning to look at your summer bookclub. I'm off to do that now!

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  2. Finding Father sounds like a really decent book!

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  3. I really wish I had more time {or was motivated to make more time} to read. These all sound interesting!

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  4. Hi Annette, I a big reader too! Love this post and the bookmarks!

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  5. Hmm...maybe I should get an abridged version of King Solomon's Mines myself. I have to get over the notion that I'm "cheating" somehow if I do that. ha. But who cares? :) It might be that way or no way at all.

    Both my daughters loved the Beverly Cleary books, as did I when I was younger. Good memories.

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  6. i love your printable bookmarks!

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  7. I've had Jimmy for years but somehow have never gotten to it. I've only read one other book by that author that had a couple of weird things in it - I don't even remember what book - but I was curious as to whether all his books were like that. Thanks for reminding me about Jimmy - I need to pull it out some time.

    I read/listened to The Woman in White earlier this year and loved it.

    Mitford is always fun to visit.

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  8. Love the bookmark idea for new vocabulary. That's much easier than the notebooks I have my kids use. I'm hoping to pick Woman in White up again this week. I've had a crazy last few weeks and haven't had as much time for reading as I'd like.

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  9. I just finished Woman in White on Monday - excellent. I really enjoyed it...

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  10. I'm hoping to start King Solomon's Mines tomorrow. (I need to get a move on and get that one wrapped up!)

    Many thumbs up for Tumtum & Nutmeg! Is this your first time reading it with your kids? Hope they love it as much as we have!

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  11. I need to pull Tumtum and Nutmeg off the shelf next, and test it out on the boys again. I just adore the Mitford series, so I need to pull those books back off the shelf, too, and refresh my memory.

    Those bookmarks are such a great idea! I think I'm going to use them for myself! :)

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  12. In my experience the abridged copies of King Solomon's Mines usually edit the lovely Victorian style prose and descriptions. I think you're better off skimming an unabridged version.. :-)

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    1. My library didn't have any other copies, or I would have. I wondered what I was missing out on!

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