A FEW BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS: EXPERIENCING A SOLAR ECLIPSE by Kate Allen Fox. Illustrated by Khon Le. Everyone knows about the upcoming Solar Eclipse in April of this year. If you want a picture book explaining what is going to happen so your kids have an idea what to expect, A Few Beautiful Minutes: Exploring a Solar Eclipse by Kate Allen Fox is a good one. As we get closer to the event, I'll talk more about this picture book, but for now, I'm just making you aware of it!

A CHRISTMAS CAROL MURDER: A DICKENS OF A CRIME by Heather Redmond I know it's past Christmas, but I was gifted this marvelous mystery, A Christmas Carol Murder, by my daughter for Christmas. After just completing The Christmas Carol in Book Club, followed up by watching the great movie The Man Who Invented Christmas, I eagerly jumped into this read! At this stage in his life, Dickens is a journalist engaged to the dashing, young Kate. While out Christmas Caroling with friends, the group witnesses an odd murder. The body of Jacob Harley comes flying out a window of the home they are caroling in front of, wrapped in chains. Over the next few days, as Dickens tries to discover more about the murder, friend and business partner of Harley, Mr Screws, engages the help of Dickens to help unravel the murder along with some other mysterious happenings. If that wasn't enough, unexpectedly, Dickens encounters a young woman, who thrusts a baby at him claiming that the child is the result of a relationship between Dickens and her sister who has recently died. Knowing this isn't true, Dickens begins the hunt for the father before his fiancee catches wind of the supposed ordeal. Despite the supposed relationship, A Christmas Carol Murder is a clean read except for - HEADS UP- There is one curse word at the end of the story. The illegitimate child is referred to as a Bastard a handful of times.

STORIES WE SHARED: A FAMILY BOOK JOURNAL by Douglas Kaine McKelvey I enjoy keeping a record of the books we've read aloud. Call it my first born nature, but I love to flip through the pages, glance over the titles and let the memories flood my mind. I happened to come across The Rabbit Room Booth one time at the homeschool convention. In the middle of the shelves, I found this gem of a book waiting for me - a family book journal entitled Stories We Shared by Douglas Kaine McKelvey. This wonderful book gives you space to record each book you've read and some basic info about it, extra room to write yourself notes if you want to, and a place to rate the book. It also includes lots of variations of literary "quests " if you need a prompt for your read alouds. Consider diving off into a Genre Quest, World Explorer Quest, a High Adventure Quest, or more. With the start of a new year, it's a great time to start a book journal. By the way, I receive no benefit for recommending this book. It truly is a gem that I appreciate in our home!

THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE by Richard Osman Book Four in Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club Series, The Last Devil to Die, is a read that has some very lighthearted times and some very heavy times, but unfortunately, it is not without some hiccups. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim are back at it again. These four active senior citizens have had another murder fall into their laps, and this one is decently close to home. When a friend, who owns a pawn shop, gets caught up in an unplanned heroin exchange and ends up dead, the four friends can't let it go unsolved. What exactly happened that caused their friend to even become involved in the first place? Once the door is cracked up, the four friends step into a world of antique dealers, art forgers, and drug dealers. It's an intricate, deadly world with no room for mistakes. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's precious husband, Stephen, is slipping further and further away due to his battle with dementia. It is time for some very serious decisions to be made, and these decisions are life changing. Even with all of this going on, Stephen will have one more brilliant surprise for them all. I really like the overall idea that Osman has created with four senior citizens. We all long to be active and productive even in our older years, and these four are doing exactly that. However, I have to say this series is pushing me to the end of my limits. HEADS UP- Within this book you will deal with a smattering of language that includes "Jesus." There are some sexual relations going on although there are no intimate details. Also one of the characters shares about a gay relationship in his past. He tells the story of how they met and moved in together. He also shares about his partner's unexpected death. Again, no intimate details. SPOILER ALERT One of the hardest parts to read is the decision of Elizabeth and Stephen to follow through with his plan of patient assisted suicide. The book chronicles their last few minutes together and tracks her grief to the end. Osman does allow the reader both sides of the issue as Elizabeth's friend writes her thoughts in her journal when she finds out.

KINGDOM'S DAWN by Chuck Black We recently read Kingdom's Dawn for our family devotions. Book 1 of 6 of The Kingdom Series by Chuck Black, this amazing allegorical story goes through many of the Genesis stories of the Old Testament but is told in a medieval setting. Reading the story you will recognize the stories of Creation and the Fall. You'll recognize the Biblical characters of Satan, Joseph, Moses, Pharaoh, and more. Once you finish the story be sure and flip back to the Author's Notes to fully appreciate all the parallels from the Bible that Black wrote into his story. I was unfamiliar with this series until this spring when I had multiple encounters with the book. First, my husband and I heard Chuck Black speak at the Homeschool Convention we attend. We both walked away from his session very touched and convicted. Black is a former Air Force F-16 pilot who has an amazing heart for God and his family. He wrote his stories originally for his kids, and now we are blessed to be able to enjoy the stories as well. Second, my eldest daughter attends a dramatic arts school. This spring as well, one of the students, who had grown up reading this series and was very spiritually touched by them, wrote the story into a script, and the academy performed the play. Chuck Black was able to attend one of the performances. It was clear it was time for us to experience this wonderful book.

JOY TO THE WORLD: A REGENCY CHRISTMAS COLLECTION Sometimes when you have a super busy week you just need some fluff to add into your reading pile. Joy to the World was my little bit of reading respite. Three Christmas novellas in one book to enjoy, Joy to the World is a Christy Award winner. All three short stories have lines from traditional Christmas Carols and romance with happily ever afters waiting to happen. So tonight while the snow falls outside the window and my flannel sheets call my name, I will happily drift away to fluff land for a little while! HEADS UP- The second story has a main character who is a single mom that was raped and got pregnant. There are no details to the act. The story is one of restoration and healing.

FUN WITH NATURE/MORE FUN WITH NATURE These are some of my favorite nature reference books for elementary. I bought these when my oldest was around first grade, and she's now 21! So why in the world am I sharing nature books with you as winter begins? I am pulling them off the shelf for us to reference as we watch birds at the feeder and will be looking for tracks and scat in the upcoming snow. I've talked about this before, but I loved doing Bird studies with my kids when they were younger. We would watch for birds to come to the feeder. We would observe their behavior. Did they prefer suet, sunflower seeds, or mixed seed? I had purchased Dover Coloring Books on birds and we would color the picture of the bird we were studying. Then we would read about the bird. Depending on the child's age we would record 2-5 facts about what we learned. We would wrap up with listening to the bird's call. (You can do this by googling.) We all really looked forward to this winter study.

TALES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES I always find it so interesting to read tales from other countries about Christmas and snow. I recently enjoyed one from Sweden (part of my heritage) and one from Russia. The story of Lucia is a fascinating Swedish story. My grandparents were both Swedish on my father's side, so my siblings and I grew up surrounded by lots of Swedish decor, food, and of course, the story of how at Christmas time girls would wear wreaths of candles on their head in honor of St. Lucia. In their Lutheran church, that tradition was still a part of their Christmas celebration. Despite hearing all of this, I never knew the story behind Lucia and why exactly she wore the candles. One of you wonderful members, sent me this picture book, Lucia's Morning in Sweden, that shares a family's celebration of the day, but also includes Lucia's story as well. I am finding as I grow older, I want my children to know more about their heritage and am incorporating parts into our lives. Recently I did a post on The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (see previous post for details). At the end of her book she attributes the root of her Pulitzer Prize Finalist retelling of the Russian fairytale by the same name to a Scholastic book. I had to hunt it down, and I was able to order this used copy. This fantastical story of an elderly couple who are unable to have children end up with a child in a most unusual way. They create a child of snow, and the child comes to life. This tale took me back to my own childhood, not because I was created out of snow, but because some of my favorite books to check out of the library were a series of books that were fairy tales from other countries. I loved those books and eagerly dove into them each time I brought one of the copies home. This particular telling of The Snow Child ends with a satisfactory ending. I do believe that the original is tragic.

FOXE'S BOOK OF MARTYRS by John Foxe I recently finished reading Foxe's Book of Martyrs. While I do carry a book just about everywhere I go, I tend to read at night before I fall asleep. Reading the stories of those who have gone before us in the faith subjected to persecution and martyrdom was not my typical bedtime reading material. Oddly though, I found the stories reassuring. Story after story focused on the unwavering faith of these great people. There were a few that wavered for a bit, but then ultimately came to a finalizing decision for Christ that then cost them their very lives. In a culture where faith, morality, and truth change on a whim or bit of discomfort in people's lives, I found it fortifying to read stories of no compromising. HEADS UP- While I certainly believe this is an important book to read, it is not for the faint of heart. The process of how these people died is laid out for the reader. While the details are not bloody, there is little left to the imagination. It is horrific to think about what human beings are capable of doing to each other.

THE SNOW CHILD by Eowyn Ivey Set deep in the Alaskan Wilderness in 1920, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is an emotional read that is very easy to get lost in. Jack and Mabel have traded in standard American living to homestead in one of the brutalist, unforgiving lands, Alaska. As time slips by, their dreams of making it and raising a family are being crushed by the barrenness of the place and the barrenness of the womb. Hurt and despair are settling in and the companionship they once shared is being replaced with the normalcy of becoming strangers side by side. After a snow, they break out of their melancholy routine and build a little snow girl together. When they wake up the next morning, the snow girl is gone, but they start seeing glimpses of a girl running through the woods. The question is is she real or are they going crazy from their being in the wilderness so long and their want of a child? This story is a beautiful read of wonder, tragedy, loneliness, healing, and more. I found myself drawn to it like a child is drawn to a fairytale, because it is based on the Russian fairytale about an elderly couple who desire a child. Bits and pieces of the original tale are woven throughout this story as Mabel recognizes what may be happening and desires to head off the disastrous ending of her favorite childhood fairytale. If you read this book be sure and read through the author's notes at the end. Ivey knows the Alaskan territory well as she resides there and works at an independently own bookstore! Okay, now for the Heads Up part. HEADS UP- There are some elements you need to be aware of. First, there is some language sprinkled around. There are no f-bombs. However, there are a couple G**D****, and a few J**** C***** explosions. They are infrequent, but present. Also, there is a point where we learn of a sexual experience going on between teens. There are no intimate details. The girl ends up pregnant, and they end up marrying.

BAT AND THE END OF EVERYTHING by Elana K. Arnold. Illustrated by Charles Santoso Well, Callie and I did it! We read all three of the Bat books together, and they did not disappoint. In Bat and the End of Everything by Elana K. Arnold, we finally arrive at what Bat and Thor's future will be, because that's been the question the whole way through the series. Without giving anything away, I will tell you that everyone is okay in the end! This is a series that you would want to start at Book One, so that you get a full picture of the story and Bat and Thor's relationship. Overall, this series is a delightful read of the adventures of a boy who is on the autistic spectrum and an orphaned skunk kit. Both help each out as Bat becomes the best skunk caretaker he can, and Thor helps Bat develop some wonderful human friendships in his life. HEADS UP- Only one minor issue to make you aware of. As previously noted in the other Bat book reviews, the parents are divorced. In the previous books there were no uncomfortable situations. In Book Three, however, we have a situation where Dad tries to introduce Bat and Janie to his new girlfriend without giving them any warning. Things go a little south with Janie, who refuses to meet her. Dad promises to not plan anymore surprise visits, and that's the end of it.

CELEBRATING THE BIRTHDAY OF THE KING DAY 12 - CELEBRATING THE BIRTHDAY OF THE KING https://docs.google.com/.../12W80I-I53YlDRw.../edit ...