Emma

Almost 200 years since her passing Jane Austen is still considered one of the greatest novelists of all time. Years ago I read Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility--both wonderful. However it wasn't until last week that I was introduced to Emma.

How could I have missed this classic?

Maybe I read it in my early 20's and simply forgot--I doubt it.

I would not have forgotten Austen's Emma?

PBS Masterpiece Theater is showing the 2009 version of Emma free online through March 9th. The movie is divided into three episodes which can be viewed by chapters--how I watched it. If you subscribe to Netflix you can find this version of Emma along with older remakes.

Strong, witty, funny, and a self-proclaimed match-maker, Emma's meddling gets her into more than one sticky situation. It's a family friendly movie young girls can watch--no foul language or inappropriate behavior. Click here to view.

If you enjoy Emma, consider watching Persuasion too. While it is not available to watch online, the version with Sally Hawkins is available through Netflix. Masterpiece Theater had an encore presentation of it last night and our local PBS station went out with only 40 minutes to go! I hopped on Netflix today and have it in queue--along with many other viewers as there is a wait for the movie now.

If you watch it, let me know what you think!

Building our Home Library

Building our Home Library

We have relied heavily this year on our local library for books. When we began homeschooling in June I quickly realized our home library was lacking and needed to become focused on learning versus just for entertainment purposes. It has been a challenge to add quality books without spending a fortune. The Lord has truly been wonderful in opening doors of opportunity to attain good materials.

The best books we've purchased have come from our library. They consistently offer books for just a quarter that cover a wide spectrum of subjects. Just today I added the following books to our library:

* Zig: The Autobiography of Zig Ziglar (hardback)
* The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw (hardback).
* A Field Guide to Homeschooling by Christine M. Field (trade paper)
* The One Year Book of Devotions for Kids #2 (trade paper)

And our two great finds today:
* The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees
* The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders

For $1.50 we added some good books.

My daughter found a spider this afternoon and proudly announced it was a termite according to our new field guide. Praise the Lord she was wrong on that one! The books are already a hit and the kids can't wait to get outside tomorrow and begin naming trees and bugs.

Our library also sells paperbacks by the bag for $1.00. Most of the books offered are of no interest to me. What I plan to do is buy a few bags and trade them in at a local used book store where I receive credit for half of the book's value. In exchange I can add to our library with books of substance without breaking the bank.

Lastly, tonight I visited http://www.amblesideonline.org/ which offers books lists for those building living libraries in the Charlotte Mason style of home educating. While we do not teach Charlotte Mason, I do appreciate the site and plan to use it to compile a list of books to add to our library.