Tuesday Tome Week 32 – Romanian History

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The title of my book this week was “O scurtă istorie ilustrată a românilor” written by Nicolae Djuvara, who is almost 100 years old. I picked up this book when I was in Romania in April. To be clear, it is in Romanian.

Romanian History

Just in case you are interested in reading it, this Romanian title has been translated into English and French. The English title is “A Brief Illustrated History of Romanians” and Amazon sells it, of course. Well, I should say that is the literal translation of the Romanian title. I see they chose “A Concise History of Romania” for the official title of the English version, translated and published in Canada.

Djuvara is a historian with many book titles to his name, so I can only assume that this English translation is the same as the Romanian title I read. If you are not confused yet, read on.

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Tuesday Tome Week 31 – Nurtured By Love

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Nurtured by Love was written by Shinichi Suzuki when he was in his 80s. His wife, Waltraud, translated it into English. The subtitle is “The Classic Approach to Talent Education.” If your child is taking music lessons from a Suzuki-certified teacher, you will probably be required to read this book as a Suzuki parent.

Nurtured by Love Review

Suzuki’s idea about learning an instrument has to do with fluency in one’s native language. Just as Japanese children become fluent in Japanese and master complicated dialects by the age of four or five, American children become fluent in English, their native language, and master the accent of the area in which they were raised. It works the same way for an instrument. Continue reading »


Tuesday Tome Week 30 – One Amazing Thing

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One Amazing Thing was the book of the month of August at our book club. Its author, Chitra Divakaruni (say that three times fast!), teaches Creative Writing at the University of Houson. Her 18 novels have received awards and been translated into 29 languages. Two have been made into movies.

One Amazing Thing - Tuesday Tome

I read this book in three days and I could probably have read it in one if I were not a mom with responsibilities. What a great story about the human condition!  Continue reading »


Tuesday Tome Week 29 – Child Guidance

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If you are a Christian parent, you will probably enjoy Child Guidance, learn a lot, and, at the same time, you will be challenged by it. It would be hard to read it in one week because it is such a deeply spiritual book. You would want to savor some of the principles outlined and really meditate and pray about them before you read more pages.

Child Guidance

It contains practical advice but also general principles in how to guide your child toward maturity. It also makes it clear that we cannot expect children to do and be something we are not, as parents, as adults. So you will be challenged to become a better person, a better parent, a better Christian as you read this book.

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Tuesday Tome Week 28 – The Catcher in the Rye

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The Catcher in the Rye is not only a classic, it is a controversial classic. At some point, it was the most required and the most banished book in America’s classrooms. Published in 1941, it has sparked controversy among teachers of English literature and also among critics, who struggle to decide which genre this book belongs to. Is it a novel? Is it a memoir? Is it an autobiography? Is it something else altogether?

The Catcher in the Rye

I read portions of it in my English class growing up in Romania and, of course, I read the plot online, but have never read it word for word. Its language, I really dislike. That’s probably why I have stayed away from it all these years. Plus, once you have solved your own adolescent angst, it is so hard to go through it all over again even vicariously.  Continue reading »


Tuesday Tome Week 27 – National Parks

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As we prepare to take some road trips within the United States, my husband and I wanted to check out the national parks West of the Mississippi. So I got this book from the library, to get some information on the subject.

National Parks

Produced by National Geographic, this Guide to the National Parks of the United States is a great reference for any library. I am thinking of buying it for our library and that’s saying a lot. I believe in books in the home, but we already have too many. So I am highly selective when it comes to buying more. When I do buy another book, I usually get it on Kindle, so it sits there tucked away in the digital world.  Continue reading »


Tuesday Tome Week 26 – The Man Who Loved China

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Simon Winchester, the author of The Man Who Loved China, is quite an accomplished writer. This book is the biography of Joseph Needham, a Cambridge professor who learned Chinese and traveled to China to learn about the history of science in China. While there, he discovered what the Western world did not know: that the Chinese had discovered many, many things way ahead of the Europeans. At the end of the book, Winchester compiled a list of Chinese discoveries and the year they were used in China for the first time.

The Man Who Loved China

Personally, I love biographies. Even if I don’t agree with the person’s morality or political leanings, I still love a well-written biography. In this case, I did not agree with Needham’s lifestyle choices (he had an open marriage) or his Communist leanings, but I enjoyed the book because I learned so much from it. Continue reading »


Tuesday Tome Week 25 – Vegan Lunch Box

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A few years ago, I found this book at the library. I took it home and found quite a few recipes that were delicious. When I saw it again the other week, I took it home again. I went through it all over again and discovered other things I would like to make from it.

Vegan Lunch Box

So you are thinking, “We are not vegan. We homeschool. We don’t need a lunch box cookbook.” Well, do you sometimes think about implementing a meatless day in your week, in order to encourage the kids to eat more fruits and vegetables? You know, like Meatless Monday? This would be just the cookbook to get you started.  Continue reading »


Tuesday Tome Week 24 – Helping Parents Practice

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If you are a Suzuki parent, or any parent who needs to enforce daily instrument practice in your home, you need this book. Even if your children do not take music lessons, as a homeschooling parent, you can benefit from Helping Parents Practice. The author, Edmund Sprunger, has put a lot of psychology into this book and it’s only the first volume.

Helping Parents Practice

To be honest, I am not sure I can handle volume 2. Yet. I am still digesting this one. It’s not another book to make parents feel guilty, OK? The subtitle is “Ideas for Making It Easier.” And I tell you, I did not get the subtitle until about page 50.  Continue reading »


Tuesday Tome Week 23 – Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

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Warning! This New York Times best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, will change your life. It has changed mine. Even though I am more organized than most people, or so I am told, I needed a book on decluttering to kick into a higher gear about my house.

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It was good to read some nonfiction for a change, after all the drama of my latest fiction adventures. Marie Kondo grew up tidying up and experimenting with different storage methods. She made all the mistakes in the book and learned from each one. As a result, she has put together a method of de-cluttering which helps many people in affluent countries like Japan and USA.

And even though her Japanese background (homes are very small in Japan compared to the US or Australia, for example) and her stay in Shinto shrines have influenced her much toward a minimalist style, you can tell she also genuinely loves to help you transform your house into a space where you feel joyous and at peace. Stuff does not bring joy or peace. We needed a Japanese young lady to teach us about it and more power to her and those who listen to her.  Continue reading »