Current read-alouds

Mark has been reading Little Britches to us in the evenings, and we're all *really* enjoying it. 

Here is a portion of what we read tonight:
But first: The background to this excerpt is that the narrator, Ralph, a boy of eight~ has lied to his mother.  When she finds out, she makes him stand with his face in the corner and wait-- missing supper-- until his father comes home.  His mother briefly fills his father in on the situation, and then this:

When he spoke, his voice was deep and dry, and I knew he must have been coughing a lot on the way home.  "Son, there is no question but what the thing you have done today deserves severe punishment.  You might have killed yourself or the horse, but much worse than that, you have injured your own character.  A man's character is like his house.  If he tears boards off his house and burns them to keep himself warm and comfortable, his house soon becomes a ruin.  If he tells lies to be able to do the things he shouldn't do but wants to, his character will soon become a ruin.  A man with a ruined character is a shame on the face of the earth."

I loved that illustration about the house, and I intend to use that in the future.

For the past few weeks I have been reading the.most.annoying.book.on.the.planet.  I know.  I thought this one took the cake.  But oh no.  This is far, far worse.  Surely you've heard of it:  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?  Oh my goodness gracious, it's no wonder I never read this as a child.  Do not ever read it.  Trust me.  It's just... odd.  All of it.  For some reason the kids want me to finish it, though I can barely stand to.  But I think we're now two chapters away from being done with it so I will.

In the meantime I've also begun reading this to them

...because it's my all-time favorite book and I used to want to be Anne in the worst way.  I wanted to be Anne Shirley even more than I wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder, and that's saying a lot.  (And- truly: who doesn't want a Matthew Cuthbert in their life?)  So ~*happy sigh*~ that is making up for the insufferable Lewis Carroll book.  (My apologies to anyone who adores that book.  I simply do not.)  

What are you reading these days?