Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon

Title: Bingsu for Two

Author: Sujin Witherspoon

Publisher: Union Square & Co. 2025

Genre: YA Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Foodie; She Reads Romance - New Adult

Where I Got It: Library

Meet River Langston-Lee. In the past 24 hours, he’s dumped his girlfriend, walked out of his SATs, and quit his job at his parents’ cafe in spectacularly disastrous fashion—even for him.

Somehow, he manages to talk his way into a gig at a failing Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two, which is his lucky break until he meets short, grumpy, and goth: Sarang Cho. She’s his new no-BS co-worker who’s as determined to make River’s life hell as she is to save her family’s cafe.

After River accidentally uploads a video of his chaotic co-workers to his popular fandom account, they strike viral fame. The kicker? Their new fans ship River and Sarang big-time. In order to keep the Internet’s attention—and the cafe’s new paying customers—River and Sarang must pretend that the tension between them is definitely of the romantic variety, not the considering the best way to kill you and hide your body variety.

But when Bingsu for Two’s newfound success catches the attention of River’s ex and his parents’ cafe around the corner, he faces a choice: keep letting others control his life or stand up for the place that’s become home. And a green-haired girl who’s not as heartless as he originally thought . . .

Completely by chance I happened upon this book at the library. And I’m so glad that I actually checked it out and dove in a few days ago. This is a typical angsty teen romance, but it also has a lot of heart and great banter in between ridiculous situations. The book reminded me of Emma Lorde’s Tweet Cute, but even more updated for today. We get two teens trying to find their own identities through the process of saving a family coffee shop. The characters are cute but also very real and relatable. They make mistakes but also grow and change for the better throughout the story. Witherspoon has crafted a cute story with propulsive writing that kept me turning the pages. I’m excited to see what the author writes next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W15-18

What We Studied

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G6 for his language arts this year. While I love H&S, there’s never enough literature in there. Thankfully we have a stack of books just waiting to be picked up and read. Beyond H&S, we are focusing on expanding vocabulary and reading comprehension this year.

• Poetry: Hearth & Story G6

• Poetry: A Child’s Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll

• The Vocabulary Workbook for 6th Grade by Kelly Anne McLellan

Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G3 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 3 and random books that we have around the house. We are also starting the Reading Explorer series to focus on reading comprehension and word choice. We ___________.

• Poetry: National Geography Book of Nature Poetry

• In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton

Math

Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 2. Effectively this is Singapore’s 7th grade math text. We finished up our textbook for this semester and spent time catching up. We will be playing a bit of review and catchup until January. We don’t have formal logic book this year, but are focusing on lots of critical thinking and math puzzles.

• Math in Focus Course 2 Book A

Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 3B and 4A. We finished up our logic book before moving to more complicated puzzles.

• Primarily Logic

• Singapore Primary Common Core 3B

Social Studies

Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Modern History Vol. 1. Unfortunately CC only has volume 1 published so far. This will take us to Christmas break. If they don’t release volume 2 by then, I’m going to have to do it myself.

• Curiosity Chronicles Modern History Vol. 1

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• A Journey Through Art

• DK When on Earth

Quentin is using Build Your Library Level 5 to begin our two year exploration of American History. We covered ________.

• History Quest United States History

• DK When on Earth?

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• DK American History

• We were There Too

• Words that Built a Nation

• King George: What was His Problem? by Steve Sheinkin

Science

Arthur is using RSO Earth and Environment 2 and later RSO Astronomy 2 for science. We kept up with our physics prep for co-op.

• RSO Earth and Environment 2 (August-November; March-May)

• RSO Astronomy 2 (November-March)

• DK Eyewitness Energy

Quentin is using RSO Physics 1.

• RSO Physics 1

• The Story of Science Vol. 1 by Joy Hakim

• Physics: Investigate the Mechanics of Nature by Jane Gardner

• Physics for Curious Kids Introduction

• The Way Things Work Now

Enrichment STEAM Co-op /Academic Co-op

We were off for Thanksgiving week. Last week, ________

Art and Music

We are doing something a little different this year. Instead of trying to do music and art every week, we will be trading off. I realized last year these subjects were always the first to be cut when we had time constraints.

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

• Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge

• The Story of the Incredible Orchestra by Bruce Koscielniak

• DK Art and How it Works

• 13 Art Techniques Children Should Know

• The Story of Paintings

Field Trip/Activities

High

Low

Next Week

• Finishing our read aloud (Q) and starting a new read aloud (A)

• Moving forward with our math chapters - Close to finishing our current textbooks

• Learning about the Consumerism (A) and 1775-1776 (Q) for history

• Covering volcanoes (A) and how planes fly (Q) for science

• Taking a small break for Thanksgiving week

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #33

As I look outside my window: Bright and sunny yet again and not too cold.

Right now I am: Prepping dinner in the crockpot and making brunch. I feel like I’m forever cooking and preparing food for the family. Possibly because I am.

On my bedside table: I just did a huge library return clearing out a ton of books that I have no interest in reading at the moment. I only kept the ones that are really piquing my interest. Mostly it’s some horror and dark romance. We’ll see where that goes for early January.

On my tv this week: Nothing really. A migraine earlier this week meant that I could not use my eyes so no television viewing. I did manage to watch two episodes of My Dearest Nemesis after recovering. Only one more episode to go!

Listening to: I’ve been alternating between Bad Omens and Stray Kids. Very different, but fulfill two different music needs.

On the menu for this week: I was trying to just eat out of the freezer and fridge. Not quite going to happen completely, but I did create some meals around those two areas.

• Monday - Chicken Tikka Masala

• Tuesday - Mississippi Pot Roast

• Wednesday - Hot Dogs and Mac n Cheese (yes, I know it’s Christmas Eve)

• Thursday - Appetizers all day!

• Friday - Ring of Fire Chicken, Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Dinner Rolls, Salad (our Christmas dinner celebration)

• Saturday - Out with Mom

• Sunday - Out with Mom

On my to do list: I need to finish prepping for my mom to come on Christmas. I got the guest room mostly squared away, just need to put the sheets on the bed. I need to finish picking up the downstairs and sweep and vacuum.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home Day (mostly cleaning probably)

• Tuesday - Santa Visit at Cabela’s; Errands and Grocery Shopping

• Wednesday - Home Day

• Thursday - Home Day; Pick up Mom from aiport

• Friday - Home Day

• Saturday - Omaha Tourist Day with Mom, J, and kids

• Sunday - Omaha Tourist Day with Mom

What I am creating: Mostly I’ve just been putting things away and organizing. I put away my craft stuff in favor of working on homeschool plans for the spring semester.

My simple pleasures: Being able to use my eyes (seriously that migraine was terrible), sleep, good stories

Looking around the house: Things are looking up.

From the camera: Sickness meant no pictures of anything

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks

Title: Morbidly Yours (Love in Galway #1)

Author: Ivy Fairbanks

Publisher: Lassen Press 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 328

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Luck of the Irish; She Reads Romance - Contemporary

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 5

Callum Flannelly would rather dive into an open grave than take a stranger to dinner. But he can only inherit the family undertaking business under one condition: He must marry before his 35th birthday. So it’s out of the mortuary and into the dating scene. Lark Thompson came to Galway, Ireland to embrace life, not be reminded of losing her husband by moving in next to a funeral home.

Then the vivacious Texan animator learns of painfully shy Callum’s dilemma and makes it her mission to help him find The One. Although sworn off love herself, she’s certain Callum will find his match. But as the dating project progresses and their friendship grows, their attraction is undeniable. Spending time with serious, sarcastic Callum starts to crack the ice around Lark’s heart, and the more color Lark brings to Callum’s monochrome existence, the less he can imagine life without her.

If they think they can ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.

Pretty disappointed in this one. I liked Callum, but Lark just seemed to be very one-dimensional. Her “quirky” Texan personality just left me wanting more. And her insistence of not telling Callum about the fact that she is a widow really annoyed me. I’m not wanting everyone to tell all their secrets within minutes of meeting someone, but it should have been brought up. I liked Callum and the discussions about his stutter and social anxiety. I just didn’t buy those two together. And don’t get me started on the spicy scenes. Really for not happening until over 50% of the way through the book, the sex scene came off stilted and not very hot. I just didn’t buy the sexual chemistry between the two characters. Unfortunately, this book really fell flat for me.

Love in Galway

• #1 Morbidly Yours

• #2 Heart Strings

• #3 The Autumn Affair

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lore Olympus Vol. 9 by Rachel Smythe

Title: Lore Olympus Volume 9

Author: Rachel Smythe

Publisher: Inklore 2025

Genre: Fantasy Comic

Pages: 432

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

“The Underworld has a queen!”

Persephone and Hades are finally reunited when the banished goddess of spring returns to the Underworld to claim her rightful place as queen. Now that Hades and Persephone have defeated and imprisoned the power-hungry Kronos once more, nothing can keep them apart, and years of being separated have only made their desire for each other grow. But the other Olympians can’t help but meddle, pushing the pair to make things official with a coronation—and a wedding.

Ignoring the others who try to define their relationship, Hades and Persephone choose to take things at their own pace and focus on rebuilding the Underworld. They begin by investigating how Kronos was first able to escape, and they learn the horrifying truth that he has captured a powerful young god whose abilities help Kronos project his thoughts outside of Tartarus—thoughts he uses to plague Hera’s every waking moment. Though Kronos’s physical form is locked away, Olympus will never be free until they can rescue the child from the furious Titan’s grasp.

To save the realms, Persephone must figure out her fertility goddess powers and embrace her role as Queen of the Underworld—even as it takes her further from her mother’s expectations and her former place in the Mortal Realm.

This edition of Smythe’s original Eisner Award–winning webcomic Lore Olympus features a brand-new, exclusive short story from creator Rachel Smythe and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

This volume collects episodes 207–233 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

Still really enjoying this series. I loved seeing Persephone start to come into her power and role as Queen of the Underworld. I loved seeing her take confident steps towards a full relationship with Hades. I loved seeing her stand up to some of the other characters, especially her mother. My biggest complaint is the seemingly confusing timeline. Some of the chapters are definitely not in linear order and it was a jarring transition to follow. I wish they had been labeled better. But I will keep reading this interpretation of the Greek myths. Only one more volume to go!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

Title: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

Author: Ally Carter

Publisher: Avon 2024

Genre: Romance/Mystery

Pages: 293

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - The Book Nook (Bookish Main Character); She Reads Romance - Holiday

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room two days before Christmas.
Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.
She hates his guts.
He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)
But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.
That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.
She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?
As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.
Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

Wow! This was such a disappointment! I was hoping for a great romance mystery with the blurbs likening it to Knives Out. It was no Knives Out. That mystery was smart, intriguing, and complicated but ultimately explainable, even easy enough for the audience to figure it out if they paid attention. This mystery was intriguing but ultimately left unsolved. We get the ultimate letdown by just saying that some mysteries should be left unsolved. NO! The whole point of a mystery book is to solve the case. I was highly annoyed but that part, but what really tanked the book was the romance angle. This was not a romance. This was a jumble of tropes that never really made any logical sense and two characters that I never thought had any chemistry. The FMC was a total grinch most of the time and then did a complete 180 in an instant. Nope. The MMC was creepy and leering constantly needling the FMC but in a stupid childhood playground kind of way. No thank you! And having their first time having sex while the FMC is bleeding from a head wound?!?!?!? No fucking thank you! Ultimate disappoint for the season.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Kami Kehoe "Fade Out"

Found Kami when she was featured in one of my favorite Instagram poster’s videos. She reminds me a lot of Amy Lee. I’m really digging her vibe.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #32

As I look outside my window: It’s bright, but oh so cold! It is currently 11 degrees. Last night when I came home it was 2 degrees. BRRRRR!!!

Right now I am: Deciding how exactly I want my day to go. I have a ton of projects, but also the kitchen is in desperate need of a reorg and clean out.

Thinking and pondering: What should we add to our calendar between now and Christmas?

On my bedside table: I have a stack of library books that I need to preview for a possible Dirty Book Month pick. But… I also have a ton of fan fiction calling my name.

On my tv this week: J and I actually watched a movie the other night! We haven’t done that in awhile. And I kept slowly watching My Dearest Nemesis. Really enjoying that show!

Listening to: SKZ all the time

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Beef and Barley Stew

• Tuesday - Chicken Parmesan

• Wednesday - Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Spicy Shrimp Burrito Bowls

• Saturday - Crab and Asparagus Soup

• Sunday - Cajun Stuffed Chicken

On my to do list: So many things I imagine. But my number one priority come Monday is to make a car appointment. I need an oil change, new filters, and a new serpentine belt.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Co-op Winter Party

• Tuesday - Home Day

• Wednesday - Santa at Cabela’s

• Thursday - Nick leaves

• Friday - Home Day

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Mostly just lists… but last night at Friendsmas I did make four cards! I haven’t make cards in forever! It was very nice.

My simple pleasures: Time with friends, hot tea, snuggly blankets

Looking around the house: I need to make a list before my mom comes on Christmas. I have a few specific areas I want to tidy and clean.

From the camera: What I made at Friendsmas!

The Lodge by Kayla Olson

Title: The Lodge

Author: Kayla Olson

Publisher: Atria Books 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read Around the USA - Vermont; She Reads Romance - Romcom; Cover Lover - Wintery Scene

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 2

Alix Morgan just got her big break as the ghostwriter of a memoir by Sebastian Green, a former member of the boy band True North. And when he offers her a penthouse at a luxurious resort in Vermont, she jumps at the chance to work far away from her noisy, cramped apartment.

Her career as an entertainment journalist has been building toward this dream job—after all, she used to cover True North and was one of the last people to interview former front man Jett Beckett before he disappeared. As she combs through her client’s voice memos, the specter of the missing lead singer remains, and fans are desperate to know the full story.

But Alix also has time for some fun at this glamorous resort, where she begins ski lessons with a handsome instructor named Tyler. As Alix and Tyler fall in love on the slopes, Alix’s work takes a complicated turn—and the mystery of True North’s downfall may be hers to solve.

Completely random holiday romance from the library that actually kept me interested and entertained. I didn’t even realize until the end that this book is essentially a closed door romance. I usually don’t read anything lower than a 5, but this one slipped through. Thankfully Olson has created a compelling story with some vivid characters and enough mystery to keep me picking it back up. I was sucked into the mystery of what happened to Jett and how as Alix going to ghostwrite Sebastian’s memoir. I was with the story until the third act. I was slightly annoyed by how Alix handled (or didn’t handle) her sister and then her sister’s photo leak. I felt like there needed to be a much more serious confrontation. But maybe that was just me. Overall, I enjoyed this snowy romance.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Tender Cruelty by Katee Robert

Title: Tender Cruely (Dark Olympus #9)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Suspense

Spice Rating: 5

The barrier that's protected Olympus for generations has fallen. The enemy's breached the gates and the Thirteen are scrambling to protect themselves, their loved ones, and the city they've sworn to protect. At least they would be if they weren't at each others' throats instead.

Hera has no intention of letting her husband, Zeus, survive the oncoming storm. But despite the white-hot hatred burning between them, when Hera and Zeus are forced to work together, enmity crystalizes into something brighter. Hotter. Too powerful to deny or destroy.

Hera never bartered on falling in love with the man she married―the man she once swore to kill. But now, standing back-to-back in the ruins of Olympus, she may be forced to admit that she's been wrong about Zeus all these years…and there may be something about their marriage worth saving if they can survive long enough to turn sworn enemies into something more.

Finally finally finally we get Hera and Zeus’s story!!!! I have been waiting basically the entire series for this story. After the last two volumes, I was hoping that this one was going to be good one but was leery going into it. Thankfully there is a great blend of larger plot and romance in this one. We get to finally see the inner workings of Callisto and Perseus as they find their way through the cluster fuck of Olympus and their own marriage. There is so much packed into this slim novel, but I loved every page of it. The political dealings have come to a boil and things are changing in the city. Seeing our two main characters attempt to fix their situations was suspenseful. The romance aspect isn’t lovey dovey as appropriate for our characters, but much much more realistic. I loved seeing these two frosty closed-off characters slowly open up and become close. This sets up the last book in the series perfectly. I cannot wait until next summer!

Dark Olympus

• #0.5 Stone Heart

• #1 Neon Gods

• #1.5 Hades and Hades

• #2 Electric Idol

• #2.5 Zeus and Hera

• #3 Wicked Beauty

• #4 Radiant Sun

• #5 Cruel Seduction

• #6 Midnight Ruin

• #7 Dark Restraint

• #8 Sweet Obsession

• #9 Tender Cruelty

• #10 Shattered Gods

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• It’s our last week of Academic Co-op which means I need to transition to heavy planning until January.

• Excited about teaching Wonders of the World next semester for Co-op.

• Hoping that the weather holds out for my mom’s visit later this month.

• Saturday is going to be super busy. Looking forward to it, but also it’s going to be a lot…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - hannah bahng "Misunderstood"

Very different vibe than her brother’s music, but I’ve really come to like Hannah Bahng’s music also.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #31

Right now I am: Sitting surrounded by project stacks. I need to get some house organization stuff done this morning and prepare for tonight’s Co-op meeting.

On my bedside table: I have a giant stack of library books that I checked out to find a book for Dirty Book Month. I really need to start previewing them…

On my tv this week: J and I are about halfway through S4 of Babylon 5. We will finish this season by the end of the month. The last season will probably have to wait until January. I am slowly working my way through My Dearest Nemesis, but not as slowly as when I watched The Nice Guy. Hoping to finish by January. Only 8 episodes to go!

Listening to: Stray Kids of course! They were my top artist on Apple Music for 2025 and by a very very large margin. Just how I like it!

On the menu for this week: I need to meal plan for the second half of the week.

• Monday - Chicken Shawarma Fries

• Tuesday - Cuban Pork Roast

• Wednesday - Peanut Chicken Bowls

• Thursday - ????

• Friday - Friendsmas

• Saturday - ????

• Sunday - ????

On my to do list: I need to organize my stuff for Friendsmas, make a Santa visit appointment, collect the notes for tonight’s Academic Co-op meeting, organize my library books, hopefully read, organize the last week of materials for Academic Co-op, pay the college for Co-op, find a new eye doctor, make a car appointment — so much this week!

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home Day (Laundry)

• Tuesday - Home Day

• Wednesday - Joslyn Art Explorers

• Thursday - Academic Co-op

• Friday - Heron Haven Hike; Curriculum Planning

• Saturday - SKZ Trading Event; Friendsmas

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Still working through my November Memory Planner pages. Hoping to finish those this afternoon before my meeting.

My simple pleasures: SKZ music and videos, book talk with friends, just relaxing before the crazy

Looking around the house: Q dropped a bag of flour in the kitchen yesterday, leading to him and Nick cleaning the floors. So things are looking pretty nice.

From the camera: Went to the Asian Market for ramen and things and found these babies! Unfortunately they only had the four members. I would have bought all eight if they had had them.

The Compound by Aisling Rawle

Title: The Compound

Author: Aisling Rawle

Publisher: Random House 2025

Genre: Thriller??

Pages: 292

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Cover Lover - A sunrise or sunset

Where I Got It: Library

Lily—a bored, beautiful twenty-something—wakes up on a remote desert compound, alongside nineteen other contestants competing on a massively popular reality show. To win, she must outlast her housemates to stay in the Compound the longest, while competing in challenges for luxury rewards like champagne and lipstick, plus communal necessities to outfit their new home, like food, appliances, and a front door.

Cameras are catching all her angles, good and bad, but Lily has no desire to leave: why would she, when the world outside is falling apart? As the competition intensifies, intimacy between the players deepens, and it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between desire and desperation. When the unseen producers raise the stakes, forcing contestants into upsetting, even dangerous situations, the line between playing the game and surviving it begins to blur. If Lily makes it to the end, she’ll receive prizes beyond her wildest dreams—but what will she have to do to win?

Another big disappointment for me. I had picked this up from a recommendation rom a friend. I was thinking it would be a fun thriller with some social commentary. Unfortunately, I found this to be a huge mess. We get a line here or there about the fall of the world outside, but nothing actually comes of it. So why should we care? We are presented with people to explore a character study into motivations and desires, but all of the characters are incredibly unlikable. Plus most of the characters disappear quickly anyway. The pacing is terrible. The first part was pretty interesting, but once we reach the second part, everything slows down and stalls at certain points. I didn’t even want to keep turning the pages at certain parts. And then we get to the end. The book just ends. There’s absolutely no real conclusion and I didn’t even care. Such a miss for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Haunting of H.G. Wells by Robert Masello

Title: The Haunting of H.G. Wells

Author: Robert Masello

Publisher: 47North 2020

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Pages: 393

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Cover Lover - Outdated technology (typewriter, film camera, rotary telephone, etc.)

Where I Got It: Kindle Account

It’s 1914. The Great War grips the world—and from the Western Front a strange story emerges…a story of St. George and a brigade of angels descending from heaven to fight beside the beleaguered British troops. But can there be any truth to it?

H. G. Wells, the most celebrated writer of his day—author of The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man—is dispatched to find out. There, he finds an eerie wasteland inhabited by the living, the dead, and those forever stranded somewhere in between…a no-man’s-land whose unhappy souls trail him home to London, where a deadly plot, one that could turn the tide of war, is rapidly unfolding.

In league with his young love, the reporter and suffragette Rebecca West, Wells must do battle with diabolical forces—secret agents and depraved occultists—to save his sanity, his country, and ultimately the world.

I picked this up thinking that it would be a good spooky read set in a time that I don’t often see. Unfortunately, this just really fell so flat for me. The promised spooky content never really materialized. We got a great spooky prologue, but then it’s revealed later that the prologue was completely made up. Instead the spooky content was vague conspiracies and secret societies. It never really delivered on its promise. But my big problem with the book had to do with the character of H.G. Wells and his relationship with Rebecca West. I am not a fan of surprise Jesus and I am really not a fan of surprise infidelity. They were both pretty terrible characters. I just couldn’t get behind either one. I know that the book was trying to play off of the real people behind the characters, but it was still very off-putting. Such a disappointment.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #20

Reading: In the middle of The Compound by Aisling Rawle. I really don’t know what I feel about this book. Definitely have mixed feelings.

Watching: We’ve made it to S4 of Babylon 5. We are completely flying through the seasons. We might actually finish the series by the end of the year.

Listening: Stray Kids’s new album has been on repeat since it dropped on November 21st. But in particular, I’ve been loving “Divine” so much. It’s my current favorite SKZ song.

Making: Feeling so accomplished that I’m currently working on my November Memory Planner Pages. They are already over halfway completed.

Feeling: Trying to plan a debrief and planning meeting for Academic Co-op and it’s very frustrating to find a date that works for most if not all members. At least point, I don’t think 100% attendance will be possible.

Planning: I’m still working on planning our events this Holiday Season. The calendar is starting to fill up.

Loving: J made a chocolate tart for Thanksgiving. It is just so good! We finished out the tart last night with one last slice. So rich, but so good.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Stray Kids "Divine"

Stray Kids dropped their new album and oh my goodness, I love it so much! “Divine” is hands-on my favorite of the tracks. But really the entire thing is a No-Skip album.

Next up on the TBR pile:

November 2025 Wrap-up

November TBR Pile (11/12):

1. Bookworms BC: None (Lit Society Month)

2. Friend BC: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

3. Nerdy Bookish Friends: Heartless by HG Parry ✓

4. Kid Book Club: Granted by John David Anderson ✓

5. Kid Read Aloud: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill ✓

6. Kid Read Aloud: Brothers Grimm Stories ✓

7. Nonfiction: The Great Mortality by John Kelly ✓

8. Nonfiction: Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane ✓

9. Romance: My Funny Demon Valentine by Aurora Ascher ✓

10. Romance: The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch ✓

11. Scifi: For We are Many by Dennis E. Taylor ✓

12. Horror: This House is Haunted by John Boyne ✓

13. Horror: A Land So Wide by Erin A. Craig ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total: 3612 pages
Pages Remaining: 122,613 pages

Current Read - The Haunting of H.G. Wells by Robert Masello

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (0)

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 303

• Books Read: 0

• Books Acquired: 0

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 303

December TBR Pile: My TBR listed is short, but don’t worry, I have a ton of holiday reads and romances just waiting to see which ones I pick.

1. Bookworms BC: None (Christmas party)

2. Nerdy Bookish Friends: None (Lit Society Month)

3. Kid Book Club: The Star-spun Web by Sinead O’Hart

4. Kid Read Aloud: Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin

5. Kid Read Aloud: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

6. Horror: The Haunting of H.G. Wells by Robert Masello

Movies Watched

TV Shows Watched

• Babylon 5 S2-S3

• Only Murders in the Building S5

• Slow Horses S5

• The Nice Guy S1 — Finally finished! I really enjoyed it, I just don’t have a lot of time for television viewing.

• SKZ Code (2023)

• SKZ Talker (2023)

• SKZ Talker-Go (2023)

Comments - While I read a ton of fan fiction and consumed a lot of new music, my actual book reading was way down… I was also super busy and didn’t do much television or movie viewing this month. All signs of a busy and social November.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

Title: Is a River Alive?

Author: Robert Macfarlane

Publisher: WW Norton & Company 2025

Genre: Nonfiction - Science

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader

Where I Got It: Library

Hailed in the New York Times as “a naturalist who can unfurl a sentence with the breathless ease of a master angler,” Robert Macfarlane brings his glittering style to a profound work of travel writing, reportage, and natural history. Is a River Alive? is a joyful, mind-expanding exploration of an ancient, urgent idea: that rivers are living beings who should be recognized as such in imagination and law.

Macfarlane takes readers on three unforgettable journeys teeming with extraordinary people, stories, and places: to the miraculous cloud-forests and mountain streams of Ecuador, to the wounded creeks and lagoons of India, and to the spectacular wild rivers of Canada―imperiled respectively by mining, pollution, and dams. Braiding these journeys is the life story of the fragile chalk stream a mile from Macfarlane’s house, a stream who flows through his own years and days.

The second Macfarlane book I’ve read, and while it’s not quite as good as Underland, it’s still an engaging piece of nonfiction science writing. This one is about rivers (of course given the title). He visits three river systems to try to understand the importance of rivers and their place in our world. I enjoyed the sections where he dive into the science behind the different rivers. The three chosen are vastly different and it was nice to dive into those differences scientifically. I loved learning about water systems and how they recycle and reuse the material around them. I enjoyed the history of each river system and learning how humans have altered those systems. Where the book started to fall apart were the longer sections at each section’s beginning where he spends more time telling you the history of a specific person. I’m sure they are all lovely people, but I wanted to get to the science and the nature. Overall, it’s a good read connecting humans and nature. I do want to keep picking up books by Macfarlane to sprinkle into my reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• In the middle of a giant note-taking app transition for planning homeschool lessons and it’s going slow and painfully. I may not recover…

• On a brighter note, been loving all the new SKZ content being dropped every single day.

• On the other hand, I cannot keep up with all the content.

• I might need time to stop for like a week so I can catch up…

Next up on the TBR pile: