Classic Reads
Welcome to the Classic Reads Blog Hop and Giveaway! Below you will find information on our sponsors and the giveaway entry form!
When I think of a “Classic Read” I remember the favorite books that have been on my bookshelf for years. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Watership Down by Richard Adams, and almost any title by C.S. Lewis are among the books that bring back fond memories. Lately though, I’ve been mostly reading children’s books! I’ve been introduced to several children’s classics recently – we’ve been getting ready to start the first volume of the Five in a Row program.
Five In A Row – Classic Reads For Children
With Five in a Row, we will be reading one classic children’s book every day for five days in a row (hence the name). The program is designed so that you can do one book per week, with several fun educational activities (social studies, math, art, etc.) based on the theme of the book. I’m planning on doing two books per month, using mostly the activities recommended in the book and also adding a few of my own.
Five in a Row is designed to teach children the joy of learning while exposing them to the vast world of information that’s so important in building a solid educational foundation to prepare them for a life of learning. - From the Five In A Row Web Site
A few of the classic books on the list include Madeline, Grandfather’s Journey, The Story about Ping, Lentil, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and Katy and the Big Snow. (Some were written as far back as the 1940′s.) In Volume I there are projects and activities for 19 books. As we go along with Five In A Row I hope to write articles on my Cotton Ridge Homeschool blog – if you are interested in following our progress, you can subscribe here.
New Books From Our Sponsors
If you are interested in some “grown-up” reading, please visit one of the giveaway sponsors below – one or more of these may make it on your own personal “Classic Reads” list! These all look like fascinating stories – it’s going to be hard to choose which one to read first.
Mark of the Loon by Molly Greene
Synopsis: What happens when a workaholic serial remodeler falls in love with an old stone cottage built by an ornithologist and his eccentric Irish wife? If you’re Madison Boone, you kick your budding romance with handsome Psych Professor Coleman Welles to the curb and lose yourself in a new project.Madison renovates distressed homes in addition to her busy real estate sales career. When she hears about a quaint house on a private tract of land overlooking Lake Sonoma, she climbs in the window for a private tour and falls in love with the place. Good fortune enables her to purchase the Blackburne’s property, but far more than a new home and lush gardens await discovery during this renovation. As Madison works on the remodel, she’s drawn into an old love story with dangerous consequences. She unearths buried secrets and discovers herself in the process. Good thing she has three wise, hilarious friends to advise her along the way! Mark of the Loon is the skillful combination of history, mystery, and romance in a novel that explores deep friendship, choices, and how individuals cope with loss.
In Leah’s Wake by Terri Giuliano Long
Synopsis: A Story of Love, Loss, Connection, and Grace. At the heart of the seemingly perfect Tyler family stands sixteen-year-old Leah. Her proud parents are happily married, successful professionals. Her adoring younger sister is wise and responsible beyond her years. And Leah herself is a talented athlete with a bright collegiate future. But living out her father’s lost dreams, and living up to her sister’s worshipful expectations, is no easy task for a teenager. And when temptation enters her life in the form of drugs, desire, and a dangerously exciting boy, Leah’s world turns on a dime from idyllic to chaotic to nearly tragic. As Leah’s conflicted emotions take their toll on those she loves—turning them against each other and pushing them to destructive extremes—In Leah’s Wake powerfully explores one of fiction’s most enduring themes: the struggle of teenagers coming of age, and coming to terms with the overwhelming feelings that rule them and the demanding world that challenges them. Terri Giuliano Long’s skillfully styled and insightfully informed debut novel captures the intensely personal tragedies, victories, and revelations each new generation faces during those tumultuous transitional years.
Recipient of multiple awards and honors, In Leah’s Wake is a compelling and satisfying reading experience with important truths to share—by a new author with the voice of a natural storyteller and an unfailingly keen understanding of the human condition…at every age.
Second Chance Grill by Christine Nolfi
Synopsis: Dr. Mary Chance needs a sabbatical from medicine to grieve the loss of her closest friend. But when she inherits a struggling restaurant in Liberty, Ohio she isn’t prepared for Blossom Perini. Mary can’t resist falling for the precocious preteen—or the girl’s father. The bond they forge will transform all their lives and set in motion an outpouring of love that spreads across America.
Welcome back to Liberty, where the women surrounding the town’s only restaurant are as charming as they are eccentric. Second Chance Grill is the prequel to Treasure Me, 2012 Next Generation Indie Awards Finalist, which The Midwest Book Review calls “A riveting read for those who enjoy adventure fiction, highly recommended.”
Broken Pieces by Rachel Thompson
Synopsis: Welcome to bestselling author Rachel Thompson’s newest work! Vastly different in tone from her previous essay collections A Walk In The Snark and The Mancode: Exposed, Broken Pieces is a collection of pieces inspired by life: love, loss, abuse, trust, grief, and ultimately, love again.
Giveaway!
Two Winners will receive one $50 gift card to Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com. The giveaway is open worldwide and ends on January 11, 2013.
Blog Hop
Disclosure: Cotton Ridge Designs, LLC is not responsible for prize delivery. The book links above are Amazon affiliate links; I will receive a small commission if the links are used to make a purchase. Nevertheless, I only recommend companies and products that I believe my readers will enjoy.