The History of the Ancient World- chapter 5 (Bauer)

 Previously in the Ancient World... to be absolutely honest, by using the "study guide" I do not recall anything from the second half of chapter four! I am a little disheartened that I retained nothing that I can recall from the last reading. (I will say now, which is after the fact, that I retained way more by doing a narration before attempting the questions from the guide.)

For today's narration, I am reading from chapter five, The Age of Iron, and I am not going to use the study guide until after. 

When the king of Kish was collecting tribute from those sailing up and down the Euphrates, and Memphis rose with its white walls in Egypt, the third great civilization of the ancient world was still just a string of fishing villages. It would be a while before India grew up!

Those in India were not list makers, city dwellers, nor did they carve their rulers' face on stone. They didn't put down their achievements for us to read so we don't know a lot about them from this time.

We can however look to the stories told thousands of years later. Though they were told so much later, they were most likely preserving an older tradition. There is one date in particular of interest from these stories: 3102 BC and a king Manu. ("And his age still has four hundred thousand years to go.")

Before 3102 shepherds and nomads traveled to India from Central Asia, through the Khyber Pass, or others may have come over the Himalaya themselves; skeletal remains shows it was just as treacherous then as now.

Coming down, they found warmth and water. The Himalayas acted as a barrier where in the winter it never dropped below fifty degrees. In the summer, the countryside was ablaze with heat. The two rivers (Ganga and Indus) kept it from being a desert. Snow melts from the mountains and runs into both the Ganga, which then runs into the Bay of Bengal, and the Indus. At one point she says there was another river, now long dried, that ran into the Arabian Sea. This caused the current Thar Desert to be just as green as the Sahara had been (read about this in a previous chapter).

After people had grown their first crops in the Mesopotamia and Egypt, others from the north were settling in the hills to the west of the Indus (today called Baluchistan). Villages sprang up along the five branches of the Indus river (called the Punjab- Five Fingers). Other villages formed along the Ganga. There have also been primitive tools like those in Africa of this time suggesting some were brave and made their way to India from there. 

But these areas of the south, east, and northwest have long been separated by many barriers. There are mountain ranges and plains. As time passed and the weather warmed, there stretched a vast desert three hundred miles wide. So from the beginning, these civilizations have lived independent of each other.

The villages near the Indus, to the northwest, grew into cities first. 

The first houses were built well above the flood line because like in Egypt, water meant life and death. 

This brings us to the first king of India. Manu V. (I do not recall his long name.) Before this king there were six semi-divine kings, all with the name Manu, and each with a reign longer than four million years!

According to the story- it can be understood to be myth but like other times, history and myth get intertwined- the seventh Manu (this would be Manu V.) was washing his hands in the river and a fish came up asking for protection from a bigger fish. Manu pitied the fish and saved it. 

The fish was safe and to repay Manu's kindness gave him a warning of a flood that would destroy. Manu built an ark and took abroad seven wise sages, known as the Rishis. When the flood past, Manu was in the ark on a mountain and became the first king of India. The Rishis were the seven stars of the Big Dipper. The year was 3102. 

However, this story is not set on a real firm foundation. There is less to prove Manu V. was legit, along with the date, though he was around the same time as the Scorpion King; there is more evidence for the Scorpion King. Because Indian history lacks definite dates, the fact that 3102 is rather precise attracts historians into latching onto it. ("being one of such improbable exactitude, it deserves respect." - Keay)

It is certain however that in 3102 villages along the Indus began to grow into towns. There were two-story houses, kiln-cured pottery was made, tools were devised out of copper. They were becoming less vulnerable to the destruction of water.

But even though there was prosperity, it seems that there was a time of decline rather than progress. This part gets a bit confusing because it tells of the ages having a spiritual connection, and the Iron Age was the most wicked of them all. There would be dishonesty, theft, greed, etc. "becoming slaves to their earthly possessions rather than free men who knew how to use the earth."

Based on the fact that these stories were told much later, it is probable that they were reflecting a more modern (she says mature) society where the state of affairs was a bit bleak to start. But they point back to 3102 as the start of the declension, when the villages began to grow into towns.

It was at this time when Manu spoke to the fish. 

Looking at the timeline on page 35, it shows that in Egypt Menes (Narmer was king at the same time as Manu V. was the first king of India. 

Now some questions from the Study Guide. I have to try to do this without looking at the answers!

Section I: Who, What, Where

Kali Yuga- one of the ages, this one was to be overtaken by the Iron Age, I believe.

I was incorrect! Kali Yuga was the Iron Age.  

Vinhya and Satpura- these are mountain ranges in the south of India. Correct!

Section II: Comprehension

Q. Why is the upper end of the Indus River called the Punjab? 

A. Because Punjab (pronounced panj-eb?) means Five Fingers, and the Indus River has five branches. 

Correct! Except my pronunciation is incorrect: panj-ab

Q. How do we know the people of the Indus Valley participated in trade outside of the valley?

A. Because there have been found semi-precious stones from the north, primitive tools from Africa and other such things.

Somewhat correct- not specific enough. Turquoise and lapis lazuli from Mesopotamia were found in ruins of the Indus settlers.

Section III: Critical Thinking

Passage: The earliest houses in the Indus River valley were built on the river plain, perhaps a mile away from the river, well above the line of the flood. Mud bricks would dissolve in river water, and crops would wash away. (p. 32)

Connection to previous chapters: The Nile River flooded and washed away crops and houses. There was a legitimate fear of the power-destructive as well as regenerative of water. With time they were able to better understand how to plan for the changes by digging canals and filling up reservoirs. By building their houses above the flood line they were able to avoid (mostly) the destructive power. 

Page 4, "The people who lived on the southern plain, closest to the Gulf, scratched for survival in a shifting and unpredictable landscape. Once a year, far too much water covered their fields."

Page 13, "The Black Sea overran it's banks and settled into a new bed, forever drowning the villages on its edge; the people who escaped travelled south, and took with them the memory of the disaster." 

Page 22, "Thanks to the decreasing rains, the Nile flood had become more moderate; the refugees found that they could manage the yearly inundation, digging reservoirs to hold the water at flood-time, and canals to irrigate their fields in the drier months. They built settlements on the banks..."

Passages from pages 13 and 22 were included in the guide. My initial connection is close to the book's offered for "appropriate answer." 

Ourselves (Mason)

 Ourselves: Improving character and conscience by Charlotte Mason, Volume 4 of the "Home School Series."

This is not the book I have. I am reading from the "pink" cover but I really appreciate Living Book Press copies so that's what you see there. 

Alright, on with this installment. 

Book II, chapter 2: The Instruction of Conscience

Instruction by Books-- How are we to instruct the conscience? We know that life affords many instances of good and bad for us to think on. When we see a good deed, our conscience learns from it; when a bad one, our conscience condemns it. But we want more than just life, "a wider range of knowledge," to instruct. That is where books come in handy. 

Literature is replete with examples for us to learn from. History and biography are good, yes, but poetry, drama, and novels are even better because they will describe behaviors of people that we may not read in a book about a real person. Autobiographies are also good because the writer can be more free with themselves. The Bible gives many lives that are not told in a manner that cover a vice, quite like Plutarch; though he doesn't always treat each 'life' with equal justice. 

The Poet and the Essayists-- Young children get moral notions from fairy tales; adults the same from tales and verse. But Matthew Arnold suggests that poetry is the best. Psalms, Proverbs, plays, essays; these are all a help to us. It would be very sad if we were to wake and find the Psalms removed from the world. How often a line from a poem or passage will come to mind. 

Novelists and Dramatists-- Novelists and dramatists may have done the most work in the regard of helping us through reading, but not every work is good. It is best to look to those which have stood the test of time. It shows that what was written has worth and that it was written in a manner that the world cannot do without. In the other, these deal with conduct and not just emotions. More modern works often deal with emotions and other things not worth contemplating. Conduct is of chief concern to us. Also when we find such books, don't focus on getting it read but on assimilation; such good books deserve to be read again and again. 

She will offer many references to such works but she is sure we will be able to find our own (and better still). We should learn little by little, an incident here and there, by way of the grace of the writing, beauty of the poem, or interest of the story. 

Chapter 3: The Rulings of Conscience in the House of Body: Temperance

Temperance in Eating-- In this section a bit of a book is recounted (of which I am not familiar): The Fortunes of Nigel. It appears that there was a cook who was preparing the king's meal when a friend of his came around and asked to speak to him (Laurie Linklater). The cook says, "look, I'm busy making the king's soup; I don't have time." The visitor says, "I want to speak to the king." "Not happening!" says Linklater. "But I can't stop you from slipping a note between the bowl and the plate and the king will see it when he drinks the broth." It turns out (if I understand correctly) that the king didn't see the note because he was so intent on his food. 

The next paragraph compares the king's behavior to Isaac, whose love of 'savoury meat' divide his family (the story of Jacob and Esau). She goes on to tell of Plutarch's recounting of his own youth. There was a time when his group had indulged themselves too much on food and so their teacher commanded one to put his own son to the whip, because he couldn't eat his victuals without sauce. Though the boy was whipped it was all of them who were intemperate. 

In Drinking-- For this she recounts the book Quentin Durward (another I've not read). In it there is a celebration for someone that a Lord is attending. Wine is being passed around but he declines, as it is not for him to partake. It is fine for others, but not for him, he knows. (Actually I think he doesn't think anyone really should drink, especially the younger generation.) As time passes, he thinks he should at least take a sip, to be polite. Next thing we know, he's being questioned by someone and he just keeps talking, all the while drinking the wine he knew he shouldn't have, and telling the younger men to avoid. His speech soon became slurred and I imagine he was just talking way too much. 

Times have changed, she said. Those who eat and drink in excess are not of the Lord's character. Many know that plain living equals clear thinking. If it continues, we shall see that this excess is looked up on with contempt. 

In taking our Ease-- This portion is over a Harry Warrington, who had a lot of stuff; all that was expected of his station. But he was busy at idleness; nothing was of importance that he put his hand to. She then talked about Charles II being of the same kind of person. We have lots of examples in history and literature of people who idle away their opportunities. 

(I have a note in the margin of my book from another years' reading: Industry & Idleness. It is apparently what the title of Hogarth's prints referenced.)

In Day-Dreaming-- There are other ways of being intemperate, not just in food, drinking, sleeping in. The reference here is Hepizbah in House of Seven Gables. She has resided in the house for a long time but rather than doing anything worthwhile spends her time building castles in the air. All is spent on creating her life when and if fortune were to smile on her, she could quit the house ... maybe. "The sum of ill-doing is -- leaving undone."

'Know thy Work and do it'-- Now we will hear from Carlyle. He says, why would you brag about all that you have that pertains to your idleness? One monster there is in the world... the idle man. "Know thy work and do it." Know what you are capable of doing and put your hand to it, like a Hercules. Dedication to work makes a man. Otherwise he is like a jungle, chaotic. Work clears this all away. "Fair seed-fields and stately cities rise" in place of a jungle or desert. 

Principle underlying Temperance-- But here our concern is more in regard to the underlying principle than the intemperance itself. When there is more regard for the creature than the Creator, we have a problem. If there is a diet ("of nuts or apples, of peacock's brains, or of cock-a-leekie") or exercise program, or anything that puts so much excessive focus on the self, we need to be suspicious. In England, in her time, there was a real danger of being consumed with the pursuit of health (physical and mental) to the point of it being a religious cult. (Oh, if she could see it now!) But when we lose sight of Christ because of such self-conscious focus, it is to our detriment. This is for our own glory, rather than Christ. 

"Take no thought," the Bible says, "the LORD knows you need these things." So we really need to stop focusing so on ourselves to the detriment of things that need accomplished, things than can be accomplished, and that should be accomplished. 

The last portion she titled "We Live in Our Times" and rather apologized for swinging so wide of her mark. But really, everything she's said is relevant because we have to take into account what is going on here and now and how we will think and deal with it. 

I do wonder: is there a modern equivalent to Punch?

The History of the Ancient World (Bauer), with the study guide

 I am taking a slightly different approach with this now. I have the Study & Teaching Guide by Julia Kaziewicz that I will be going through as if I were a student. I may not do all that it has for each chapter but I'll use it as a springboard. Sometimes I may just do the written narrations as I have been. We shall see how it goes!

In the guide it has different Sections, which are essentially different ways of telling what is recalled from the text. In Section I it is in reference to who, what, where. For example, for chapter four the first entry is "3200 BC." I am terrible with dates, especially as I get older, so this is not generally one that I will connect with (I'm guessing). Section II is more along the lines of a narration of some specific point in the reading. One of the prompts here is, "Which way did the Nile flow? How did this affect the Egyptians' view of all other rivers?" I do like these kinds of prompts so more likely than not, I will write on those often. Section III is labeled "Critical Thinking" and is interesting. The prompts are longer, the writing required is just a few sentences, but it also requires references to the text to back up the answer. Finally, Section IV is map work. I don't think that there are actually any listed in this guide; maybe it is at the teacher's discretion. What I have been doing, but not noting it in my previous postings, is to use a blank map I already had and label it with what I find on the maps in the book. 

In order to follow the guide though I need to read the chapter in its entirety before choosing a Section to work on. This means I need to hold more in my brain for longer. I had been reading a few paragraphs and narrating from that. I had gotten through half of the chapter last time. I will finish the reading and then choose a Section to work on from the guide. 

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Section II: 6. How does the construction of the oldest Egyptian king lists vary from the construction of the Sumerian king list?

A: The Sumerian king list had kings who reigned for thousands of years. It only told of their name and how long they reigned. The Egyptian king lists were grouped into "dynesteia." 

Added after reading the "answer": Whereas the Sumerian king list intended to chronicle time from the beginning, the Egyptian king lists did not and was missing a lot of names. Also my answer originally compares what I learned from earlier chapters and not just from this chapter. I had forgotten that Manetho, a king many many years after the Scorpion king, changed the Egyptian king lists into the groups; it wasn't that way originally. 

9. What did Narmer build to celebrate his victory over Lower Egypt? Why did he choose Memphis? What does "Memphis" mean?

A: Narmer built a new capital at Memphis. It means white walls. They were painted so that they shone in the sun. Memphis was a good location. 

Added after the fact: I said it was a "good location" but should have been more specific that it was in a location where he could control both the southern valley and northern delta of Egypt. Details are important. 

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I am not entirely sure I am recalling as much this way! I will continue to try it out and see if I can't retain more from what I read so that I can answer these questions more fully. But that is all for now. 

Night Sky Tracker (Horvitz)

 My husband bought this for me years ago when I was interested in astronomy. I put it on the shelf, under other books (never a good thing). Recently I rearranged all my shelves and decided to go through the book. Half of it is a logbook but the first half is quite informative. Those pages are what I will be narrating from. My goal is half a chapter. We shall see. I have only a short amount of time this morning for reading. So, let's get to it!

A Brief History of Astronomy

From the dawn of time, people have believed that the sky, movement of the planets and stars were of major importance to their livelihood. Astronomy is the oldest science and yet it is still evolving. 

Ancient Astronomy

In the beginning there was no distinction between astrology and astronomy- the belief that the stars and planets impacted lives directly and the scientific study of stars and planets. Comets and such phenomena were taken to mean there would be negative occurrences on the earth (earthquakes, plague, etc.). Even into the Middle Ages, astrologers were also astronomers. 

Astronomy developed independently on various continents, taking on various forms, mythological to scientific. Archaeology backs this by physical findings just about everywhere that people tracked the stars and planets. In China, during the Shang Dynasty, there was a calendar of 360 days that tracked the solar and lunar phases. The Egyptians went one further and devised a 365-day calendar. 

Later in history, observation met philosophy and Aristotle declared the universe was a finite (limited) sphere with Earth at the center. This was a geocentric universe theory. The Greek-Egyptian Ptolemy stated that the Earth was the center of universe, and as such, the Sun and planets revolved around it. He made a list of 48 constellations that are still used today, with some revision.

The Copernican Revolution

In the 15th century Nicolas Copernicus wrote a book titled On the Revolution of Heavenly Bodies. In this work, he refuted the geocentric universe theory and instead advanced a heliocentric theory; that the Sun is the center of the universe and all revolve around it. This meant that the Earth was "just another planet" (third rock from the Sun) and that the stars and other planets appeared to revolve around it because the Earth itself was in motion. In addition, he put forth the idea that the stars and planets seemed to be brighter at different times in direct relation to the distance it was from the Earth. 

Copernicus did not answer all questions, such as if the Earth was in motion, how did objects on the Earth stay put and not fly off? He also understood that his ideas were in contradiction to the Catholic Church, so he was careful to state them as theories, not fact. At first, his theories made little difference but in the late 16th century the observations of others finally overthrew the geocentric theory.

There is an illustration of the Copernican model with the planets orbiting the Sun. 

Tycho Brahe and the Supernova

In the 16th century Tycho Brahe was a mathematician studying to become a diplomat. But he was in a duel (over a mathematical argument) in which he lost part of his nose. His major notable accomplishment was his observations of the constellation of Cassiopeia in 1572, in which there was an explosive birth of a new star. His well documented observations have helped many astronomers searching for evidence of other supernovas. He did however still believe in the geocentric universe theory. 

The Secret World of Weather (Gooley)

 Last time I ended with Gooley saying that it used to be that a forecast more than 2 days was crazy to believe (quite unreliable, and that upsets people) but more recently we have 10-day forecasts that aren't too bad (not 100% accurate but way better). I will pick up at the bottom of page 5 today. 

This development of accurate forecasts (with the help of advanced technology) has caused two problems (a disconnect) for us. It has led us to believe the weather itself cannot be its own forecaster and that the weather is detached from the land.

One noticeable thing is that tv and internet forecasts give us an unrealistic image of weather. On tv and the internet we often see large swirls of "weather" covering entire regions, when in reality it could take one many hours to even travel the region. We experience weather on a smaller scale.

When in conversation with a meteorologist, if they speak of showers, Gooley asks pointedly if it will rain in his backyard. The meteorologist will laugh of course because he knows that even with all the technology they have today, they still struggle to pinpoint where a predicted shower will fall. If they don't know the landscape personally or well, they will just kind of give up on that attempt altogether because they understand that even with all the computers put together they still cannot accurately determine exactly where. So, a 48-hour forecast was deemed impossible in the 1800s and yet with our extended forecasts today, the weather man still cannot give precise localized weather forecasts (small scale).

But we don't have this problem. With the use of our senses we are able to determine where rain will fall later, locally. First, the weatherman is trying to cater to thousands of people, in many counties. We only are concerned with our local area, which doesn't generally cover huge tracts of land. Second, the weatherman is looking at the atmosphere whereas we are looking at it as a person on the ground. So by being sensitive to the land a person can definitely learn the secrets of the weather that machines cannot.

The Secret World

The landscape shapes the weather. Machines can detect the factors that will affect the weather over large land masses but not when there is a change in landscape. All aspects of "weather" fluctuates as one walks even a short distance, up or down a hill, from one side of a tree to the other. If you mention this to a meteorologist they may get pedantic and say, no that's microclimate. But whatever they may call it, it is the weather we actually experience. 

The landscape we live in is actively shaped by the weather and the weather in turn is shaped by the landscape. Example: a wooded area is generally known for more rainfall. It allows the trees to grow, which in turn leads to more rain. He even says the rain we feel changes from one tree to another. 

A small flat island has different weather from a larger hilly one. From the air, you can even see the difference in color from one side to the other. One any day you may see sunbathers on the dry coasts of the Canary Islands and then rain-soaked plants on the opposite side. 

He talks next about Swiss Jura where on the two sides of a 2600 foot high ridge the climate is so drastically different it is like what we normally find traveling 625 miles across and/or 3000 feet in altitude in one single step. This proves that weather is and can be very different over very small spaces.

Another example of the extreme differences that can be detected in small areas is the juniper bush of the temperate zones of both the US and Europe. On the north side it can be as different from the south side as if we traveled 3000 miles, but it's just a few yards difference really. 

These are not theoretical or merely academic facts and figures. We can figure the average and probable weather conditions from the microclimate, but it also dictates the weather. These are our clues and with them we can learn to recognize and predict changes in weather. 

On a walk in early December, Gooley stepped into heathland from under some pines, expecting a chill in the air. He experienced just what he expected and saw some iced puddles, whereas in the wooded areas and grasslands it was not as cold. This is because heathland loses heat quickly at night resulting in cooler temperatures than surrounding land. He says we'll learn more about why it loses heat in the next chapter. 

Meteorologists are aware of these vast fluctuations and position their 'meters' at heights that will avoid them. It is ironic that those who forecast the weather go to such measures to avoid the very things that we actually experience when it comes to weather. They have perfected (well, made great strides toward this) predicting and understanding "big weather" and it has definitely proven its worth but they have also shortchanged us into thinking of weather as much bigger than it is where we actually are. 

In this book we will look at our local landscapes, towns and cities, in the hills and trees. Much will overlap with the big weather of the meteorologists but most are nestling in our small, local landscapes. It is the secret world of weather.

I have stopped before the next subheading of The Blocking High on page 9. 

A Meaningful World (Wiker & Witt)

 The book I will be narrating from today I partially* read over 10 years ago so it will be fun to revisit it. I am reading along with others over at the AmblesideOnline forum. This installment is over the Prologue, pages 11-13. 

*partially is a very generous way of saying I skimmed before or during narrations given by my kids while we were homeschooling

O, an alien "park ranger," is making his rounds of the planets. It's been one thousand years since his last visit to planet Earth. Much like the last visit, he sees war, violence, murder, envy, strife, but he encounters a pervasive hopelessness that he hadn't encountered before, as well as prosperity that doesn't normally go along with such an attitude. 

He sets out to find out why there is a hopelessness. He starts at the institutions to talk with professors but none can be bothered; they are busy reading, writing, or they just want to capture him to study him and display their "Exhibit A" to the world. 

Next he goes to the, what I'll call, common folk. These are those shopping, working day-to-day, every day people. (I think the authors are more specific about the kinds of people these are, based on what they are doing or their jobs, but I can't recall those details.) But none seem interested in helping him (or themselves) understand the pervading sense of hopelessness (they don't seem to understand even to what he is referring), instead they would rather plan their next fantasy football team, shop online, or play gory video games. It is suggested that he try one of the fancy coffee shops if he wants to talk philosophy. So he heads downtown and enters the first he comes to. 

There he hears a mixture of complaints: about this or that politician, a war or there. O points out the existence of such things have always been, but the occurrence of such complaints among people at fancy coffee shops was rather new. The last time he'd encountered something similar was in Rome, but even then, it was an exception and not the norm.

A "self-published poet in Birkenstocks" says that it's obvious: we are just dust in the wind; we are nothing, mean nothing. He knows this because Hawkins, Sagan and some other name has said so. O still doesn't understand this and asks for proof. Finally a religion professor states that we don't rely on proof anymore, we all have to make our own meaning from this world and live that out. Those in the coffee shop agree. 

O returns to his own planet and relays what he's found: despair amidst unparalleled prosperity. His fellow beings cannot believe him. He shares his findings, a nicely done powerpoint to prove to them. They are just as confused as he!

They conclude that a poison has entered human culture. Science has proven that life is meaningless and done it so thoroughly that no one ventures to present an argument. 

The aliens are fiction; the poison is real. Wiker and Witt have written this book as an antidote. 

Weekly Reading Plan

 I posted my reading goals in another post and since then I have hardly read a thing! I decided I needed a weekly reading plan. Each day I have decided which books (and sometimes how many pages) I will attempt to read. I am already technically two days behind. 

Best laid plans of mice and men...*

I tried to organize them so that I will be reading a diverse range of books, not all in the same subject matter. I imagine there will be days that I fail at this miserably. I'm okay with that. If I decide that on a particular day I do not wish to read a political science book, I will instead read an "other" book, I absolutely will! 

Key: 

H= History

E= Education

BC= Book Club

M= Math

N/S= Nature/Science

O= Other Reading

PS= Political Science

⌤= Alternate between two titles

Bible gets no designation. It needs none. 💖

Sunday:

Bible reading (Bible app, daily reading is set)

H - Bauer- 7 pages

⌤BC/E - CM Vol 3

⌤BC/E - CM Vol 4

N/S - Lehner 2-3 chapters 

H - GRH reading for week**

H - EEH reading for week**

Monday:

Bible reading

H - Bauer- 7 pages

⌤BC/E - Hicks- scheduled pages

⌤BC/E - Witt & Wiker- scheduled pages

H - ERRH reading for week**

BC - WLC Book club - roughly 1/4 of book

⌤M - Orlin- 15 pages

⌤M - Bellos- 15 pages

Tuesday:

Bible reading

H - Bauer- 7 pages

N/S - Gooley- 2 subheadings min.

O - Substack- 1 article min.

BC/PS - Ellul- scheduled pages

H - EARH reading for week**

Wednesday:

Bible reading

H - Bauer- 7 pages

H - GDCW reading for week**

N/S - Horvitz 1/2 chapter

O - Substack 1 article min.

N/S - Old Farmer's Almanac

Thursday:

Bible reading

H - Bauer- 7 pages

H - Larson

⌤M - Orlin 15 pages

⌤M - Bellos 15 pages

O - Hawke

BC/PS - Propaganda

Friday:

Bible reading

H - Bauer- 7 pages

O - Gooch- 10 pages

⌤BC/E - CM Vol 3

⌤BC/E - CM Vol 4

⌤BC/E - Hicks scheduled pages

⌤BC/E - Witt & Wiker scheduled pages

O - Substack

Saturday:

Bible reading

H - Bauer- 7 pages

O - Fleming

open - catch up

*I believe that is from Grapes of Wrath, which I have never read. Feel free to correct me! 

**These are for my online classes. GRH is Greeks & Romans History (Augustus Caesar's World, Story of the Greeks, Story of the Romans); EEH is Early English History (Birth of Britain); ERRH is English Renaissance & Reformation History (The New World); EARH is Early American & Revolutions History (The Age of Revolution, A History of the American People); GDCW is Great Democracies & US Civil War (Great Democracies, A History of the American People)

A Recap of '24's Reading (& Organizing My '25 Reading )

somewhat random stack of books

 I participate in the Schole Sisters 5x5 Reading Challenge every year. I believe I missed their debut year but since I have met the challenge. I usually start out real strong- at least in the planning phase!- and end up rearranging and re/moving titles to suit what I actually read versus what I had planned. This year I don't think I actually made a starting plan but was determined to finish anyway. I just had to look at what I had read for the year and it was easy to see what categories they fit within. Here's a recap of my '24 5x5 (copy/pasted from my SS posting):

I put hearts by the books that I liked the most. Dark red ♥️ are ones I liked most in that category. Double hearts 💕means I read it twice/love it more than all others (*I read the Bible three times). And if not for audiobooks 🎧, I think my year would have been so much worse off! I wouldn't have “read” much of anything!! I did have a few re-reads 📖, and I will do that again next year, though I may not put them on the 5×5. 

Fiction-Historical

• Flight of the Heron, D. K. Broster ❤️🎧 - Bonnie Prince Charlie time period (18th century Scotland) (this was a book that another bestseller is based off of; I thought very well done but not enough to read the series)

• All Clear, Connie Willis 💗 📖 - WWII, England (time travel) (I just love this series!! ahem, except “To Say Nothing of the Dog”… 🫣) 

• Not Saying Goodbye, Boris Akunin - 1918-1921 during the Russian Civil War (my book to “Finish a series” …which I did not finish…there’s one more book that I’m not reading) 

• Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas 🎧 - 1815-1838, France and Italy (exceptional book…but a bit of a weird ending lol)

• Matagorda, Louis L’Amour - late 19th century Texas (a good surprise Bahamas Little Free Library read!)

Christmas

• Christmas Reindeer, Thornton Burgess (sweet story)

• L. M. Montgomery Christmas Collection, Smidgen Press ❤️ 🎧 (wonderfully compiled!)

• Letters from Father Christmas, J. R. R. Tolkien ❤️ 🎧 📖 (so fun and sweet! makes me wish I’d done FC with my kiddos)

• The History of the Nutcracker, Alexandre Dumas (The Haunted Man and The Ghost’s Bargain) or (The Chimes), Charles Dickens (this was… odd… I’d never actually heard/watched/read the story that the ballet is based off)

• Winter Fire: Christmas with G. K. Chesterton, Ryan Whitaker Smith (was alright, not as good as I’d hoped… maybe I’ll appreciate it more next year)

Self-Improvement

• The Holy Bible* 💕 🎧 📖 

• Mindset, Carol Dwick 🎧📖 (a bit different the second time through… my perspective is different)

• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey ♥️ 🎧 (need to read this again and apply what I learn!)

• A Bit of the World’s Work, Anne E. White (love Anne’s writing!!)

• Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius 🎧 (need others to “work through” this one with)

History- Non-American

• Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations, Norman Davies ♥️ 🎧 (2nd Davies book and I think he may be my favorite history author of late)

• History of Sweden, Captivating History 🎧 (interesting enough to learn about other Scandinavian countries)

• Little Book of Language, David Crystal 🎧 (I honestly don’t remember much of this one at all… oops)

• History of Norway, Captivating History 🎧 (interesting enough…)

• History of Denmark, Captivating History 🎧 (still interesting enough…)

  • extra: (The Anarchy: the East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire), William Dalrymple 🎧 just not going to get it finished in ‘24; good though!

Free Reads

• The Holy Bible 💕 🎧 📖 (nothing better)

• The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side, Agatha Christie 🎧 (Christie is just so good; I did figure whodunit fairly quickly)

• Peace Like a River, Leif Enger ♥️ 🎧 📖 (beautiful… lol but I know “haters gonna hate” 😆)

• Piranesi, Susanna Clarke 🎧 (what did I just read?! lol jk… it was very interesting but was confusing at first)

• Singing Silently, Ezra Manes (a surprise poetry Bahamas Little Free Library read!)

  • extra: The Ickabog, J. K. Rowling ♥️ 🎧 (really really liked this one!!)

• extra: The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean, Susan Casey 🎧 (so interesting! I am terrified of the ocean so learning about crushing depths gave me a wee bit of anxiety but I was so intrigued the whole time- our God has made such an amazing world!)

So now that I am planning for '25, I will take note of previous years' success/weakness and (hopefully) plan accordingly. I am using graph paper to keep track of my reading progress with each book, marking out so many boxes to represent the total page count per book. Each square will represent between 10-30 pages, depending on the book. I will fill in the box when I complete so many pages. It'll help me visualize my goal. 

I am also shopping from my shelves as much as possible this time around (I've said that before!). I had created a list of hopefuls at some point near the end of '24 but I seriously have no recollection of how I came across many of the titles and I didn't add author names either! How bizarre! (It is by no means the most bizarre thing I have found myself to have done...but anyway.) Most of that list I do not own so while I will keep it for reference, I decided on a whole new plan.

I always read history and education (and the Bible, which I didn't even add to this list because it's a given). The rest of the categories are usually flexible. 

Key: 📚= I own a physical copy; 

✅= library borrow/Hoopla; 

🅺= I own a Kindle copy; 

💻= online (might print)

          🎧= audiobook

           Books in bold are ones I've added since my original posting 12/30/24 

        (Books in parenthesis are books that fit more than one category)

History (Non-fiction)

• Bauer - History of the Ancient World (774 pp) 📚

• Bauer - History of the Medieval World (663 pp) 📚

• Bauer - History of the Renaissance World (678 pp) 📚

• Larson - The Splendid and the Vile (503 pp) 📚

• open

Education

• CM Vol. 4, Bk II - Ourselves (200 pp) 📚

• CM Vol. 3 - School Education (247 pp) 📚

• (Hicks - Norms and Nobility (157 pp) 📚)

• (Wiker & Witt - A Meaningful World (252) 📚)

• open

Nature/Seasons

• Gooley - The Secret World of Weather (332 pp) 📚

• Horvitz - Night Sky Tracker (111 pp) 📚

• Old Farmer's Almanac 2025 (256 pp) 📚

• Lehner - Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants, and Trees (124 pp) ✅

• Ignotofsky - The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth (121) 📚

Math

• Orlin - Math with Bad Drawings (345 pp) 📚

• Bellos - Here's Looking at Euclid (336 pp) 🅺

• open

• open

• open

Other

• Substack - Up to 5 articles per week (~260 pp) 💻

• Hawke - Rules of a Knight (175) 📚

• Gooch - Do Not Lose Heart (232) 📚

• (Ellul - Propaganda (352) 📚)

• Fleming - Casino Royale 🎧  ✅

Bookclub Reads

WLC

• Baehr - Wormwood Abbey (230 pp)  ✅ (Jan. 17, 2025) - finished 01/05/25

• Martin - Wrapped in Rain (336 pp)  ✅ (Feb. 21, 2025)

• Barr - The Making of Biblical Womanhood (256 pp)  ✅ Mar. 21, 2025)

• Dickens/Collins - No Thoroughfare (120 pp) 📚 (Apr. 25, 2025)

AO Forum

• Ellul - Propaganda (352 pp) 🅺 (TBA)

• Wiker/Witt - A Meaningful World (252 pp)  📚 (Jan. 6-Jun. 9, 2025) 

Sophie Sistership (Schole Sisters)

• Hicks - Norms and Nobility (157 pp) 📚

I am sure this list will change over the year but I am hopeful that at least these first books will be successfully read because they are ones that I really want to read. The Bookclub Reads are not ones of my choosing necessarily but I have committed to participate so I will do my best to follow through. It is kinda nice that I have hard timelines for those ones.

Here's to a great reading year! But more importantly may it be a year of reading widely, thinking deeply, and applying faithfully!