Reading List: What Rin is Reading

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I tried to make it better with the Teenage Liberation Handbook review, and Kat posted a wonderful music review soon after.  But I thought I'd update you about my reading habits, in case you were interested (or just bored).  If and when I post reviews, I'll edit this and link to the articles for you.

Non-Fiction:

Do Hard Things by Alex and Bret Harris (*****/5)
How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World by Jordan Christie (****/5)
The Bible by God (it makes me happy every time I get to type, "by God" like that.  Any way, veryone should read it, although you might not want to take it on Genesis straight to Revelation your first time. *****/5)
The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel (*****/5)
Mere Christianity by C S Lewis (*****/5)


Fiction:

The Flavia de Luce books by Alan Bradly
*The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (****/5 stars)
*The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag (****/5)

The Sword in the Stone by T H White (not yet finished)
The War of the Worlds by H G Wells (****/5)
The Secret Sharer & Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (not yet finished)

Album Review: Sigh No More

Mumford & Sons, a folk-rock group from West London, has recently taken the alternative music scene by storm. The quartet was formed in 2007 and has finally released an album--"Sigh No More"--in 2010 here in the US.

"Sigh No More" has twelve tracks, each one unique but still somehow very fitting to the other songs on the album. The take the power and energy behind your average rock song by, say, Kings of Leon or Green Day, and fuse it with instruments like banjo, piano, guitar, fiddle, and even trumpet on a few tracks. They have a distinct folk/country sound that sets them apart from many other bands.

Their sound is not the only thing that's unique about Mumford and Sons; their lyrics, too, are mind blowing and more than a little unusual. The band makes references to Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" in the titular track and uses phrases such as "the flesh that lived and loved will be eaten by plague" in "Winter Winds". In "The Cave" there are references to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" and Homer's "The Odyssey". Christian and biblical hints are prevalent throughout the entire album, as well.

Tracks:
1) Sigh No More
2) The Cave
3) Winter Winds
4) Roll Away Your Stone
5) White Blank Page
6) I Gave You All
7) Little Lion Man
8) Timshel
9) Thistle and Weeds
10) Awake My Soul
11) Dust Bowl Dance
12) After the Storm

Overall, the album is inspiring and full of hope, heartbreak, and everything in between.

PROS:
-Fantastic musicality
-Folk/rock
-Trumpets. Oh, yes.
-Lyrics with meaning
-Songs not just about love

CONS:
-Occasional adult themes
-Language (especially in track 7)
-The tracks, after a while, start to blur into one
-Not much different musically

RATED T+ FOR LISTENERS AGE 14 AND UP!

Book Review: The Teenage Liberation Handbook

Hate school?

Can't stand your teacher?

Don't see the point in all of those late nights spent on Chem 101?

Quit school.

     That's exactly was Grace Llewellyn advocates in her Teenage Liberation Handbook.  Llewellyn, an ex-school teacher who went through school herself, presents a rarely considered option to typical school: unschooling.  Following in the footsteps of John Holt and John Gatto, Llewellyn explains the horrible way American compulsory schooling attempts to teach young adults.  TLH presents autodidactism, or self-teaching, as a legitimate and deceptively simple way to prepare for life.

     The book is not perfect; in teens who cannot leave school it could make a bad situation unbearable.  Some of the language feels like it's coming from a hippie who has not yet out grown peace and natural living, however I thought it refreshing to hear someone saying something that desperately needs to be said to someone who desperately needs to hear it.

     I am already a largely self-taught homeschooler, but this book made me excited about my education all over again.  I had been content with my four-years-of-high-school-then-go-to-college-get-married-etc. plan. Suddenly, I wanted to travel the world, start a business, and go to college early.  That sounded so much more interesting than school!  Come to think of it, it might even be considered more "educational".

Pros:

*Explains the evils of the formalized school and provides a clear alternative.

*Presents practical advice and answers many questions.  (About parents, legality, college, among others.)

*One of the few homeschooling or unschooling books that speaks directly to teenagers.

*Demonstrates how life counts as education.  (I have a small gardening business, lets see, that's economics, writing, marketing, biology, agriculture. . . .)

Cons:

*Has the potential to make you feel horrible if you're still in school, went to school, are sending your kids to school, heck, even if you're a relaxed homeschooler.  (Good if you can fix your situation, BAD if you can't.)

*Occasionally comes off as condescending or hippie-ish.
*Mild language.

*It costs an awful lot on Amazon.  (Get it at your library.)