The Monsters and Giants

Tales From The Odyssey was $1.99 on Amazon for Kindle recently, so I snatched it up thinking Felicity might enjoy it.  The reviews were good, and many mentioned that the whole family was enjoying it.

During Advent and Christmas, we stuck to read-alouds that were more applicable, but a few nights ago, I pulled this out thinking we'd give it a go and see what happens.

I read The Odyssey when I was in high school (didn't we all?), and then it was a lady's book club selection when I lived in Wyoming.  In Wyoming, I only got through the first bit of it, at the time my bookshelf was bursting with other things that I preferred to read and it wasn't really capturing my attention.

For an introduction to Greek mythology and the story of Odysseus' adventures, I'm happy with this book so far!  I hope that when they are older and ready to read the "real thing," it'll be like revisiting old friends. My girls are completely enthralled and just beg me to keep reading! 

Sometimes I feel like maybe visions of a Cyclopes crushing dudes and eating them for breakfast might not be the best thing ever before we proceed with night prayer and a round of "sweet dreams!" 
Maybe it's just me, but as a kid the mere thought of Circe turning my friends into wild beasts would throw me into a month's worth of crazy dreams.  In fact, that could even happen to me tonight!  ha

All kidding aside, it's a really exciting relief to have moved on from some of the boring drivel of littler kid story books.  I've always felt guilty about not loving to read out loud to my kids like all the other moms seemed to, especially because it's something I am admittedly good at!  Something about the kinds of books they can enjoy now is just so much more exciting.  And things don't rhyme. (Seriously, am I the only one who feels this way?  I mean, I still do it and try not to let on!)
Also, I'd discovered that the Kindle Fire is PERFECT for bed time read-alouds.  Since it's back lit, I can turn the bedroom lights off and often this little angel falls asleep while the older girls listen to the story with rapt attention and ask me all kinds of questions like, "what's a cannibal?" and "who is Hermes again?" and "so, wait the evil witch is beautiful?"  It's just great fun.  

Are you reading anything great with your elementary aged children right now?  I'd love some suggestions for when we get through this epic story!

For myself, I also scored the entire Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis for $1.99 a book a few weeks back.  I've read Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra already in the last week and a half, and I'm going to get started on That Hideous Strength tomorrow.  Science-fiction is SO not my genre of choice, but I do love C.S. Lewis, and $1.99 is a steal for a Kindle book so I took a chance on them.  They're not what I was expecting at all.
I'm just so sad I've never read these books before.  They are beautiful.  I've had to take a few days after each one just to process everything.  Check them out if you're looking for some good fiction!