It is widely assumed that if you read five books on any particular subject you know more on that subject than 99% of the population. (I must have read that somewhere…). Anyway, if you have an interest in a particular field why not try to read deeply in that direction?
I enjoy the Schole Sisters podcast. Fellow classical homeschooling moms who seek not only to educate their children, but to educate themselves. They had the brilliant idea to start a reading challenge among moms to read five books in five different categories each year. It focuses your reading and allows you to “shop your own shelves.” If you are like me, you have loads of books on your shelves that you have not yet read. However, you keep buying books in subjects that interest you. So, let’s read some of those books that have been patiently waiting for us, shall we?
Here are the books I am reading in 2025:
Religion/Theology
The Bible – Spanish
The History of the Waldenses – J.A. Wylie
Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis
Education
Parents and Children – Charlotte Mason
School Education – Charlotte Mason
Ourselves – Charlotte Mason
Climbing Parnassus – Tracy Lee Simmons (finished January 2025)
Progymnasmata
Classics
Republic – Plato
The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
Persuasion – Jane Austen
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Heart of Darkness –
Rob Roy – Sir Walter Scott
Writing/Language
On Writing Well
The Craft of Research
The Healing Power of Stories
The Loom of Language – Frederick Bodmer
On Writing – Stephen King
American History
Empire of the Summer Moon
River of Doubt
The Origin and Principles of the American Revolution
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
John Adams – David McCullough
So far I have the main topics set in stone, but am going to be flexible on the books in each category. Right now I have more or less than five in each category.
I did not include a “books I’m reading with my kids” category, but I will let you know which ones we finish this year together.