Reading Report

We did it—we read “A Swiftly Tilting Planet” aloud.  At 320 pages this is definitely the longest book I’ve read to the kids.  It’s also by far the hardest—lots of different characters, travel through time, and a fair amount of heartbreak.  But we did it, and it was magnificent.  I was determined to be done before the kids left on the trek, and in a manner very foreign to me (much more like Russ, the worlds greatest read aloud parent) we read together for hours at a time and I was hoarse for days.  And it was so worth it.  Madeleine L’Engle is one of my favorite authors, and this is one of my favorite of her books.  (Right up there with “A Ring of Endless Light.”)  I love L’Engle’s descriptions of the music of the universe, of the old harmonies, and her explanations of how the littlest change can impact the entire world.  I hope my kids got some of that and were able to appreciate the beauty of her language as well.

Next up on our reading plate: “The Book of Three,” the first book in Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles that’s better known for the second book, “The Black Cauldron.”