October 2024 Wrap-up

October TBR Pile (26/27):

Bookworms BC: Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maeherer ✓
Friend BC: The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young ✓
Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Kid Book Club: No One Leaves the Castle by Christopher Healy ✓
Kid Read Aloud: Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein ✓
Kid Read Aloud: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown ✓
Kid Read Aloud: The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie ✓
Kid Read Aloud: Coraline by Neil Gaiman ✓
Kid Read Aloud: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graeme ✓
Romance: That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming ✓
Romance: A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley ✓
Romance: By the Book by Jasmine Guillory ✓
Romance: The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling ✓
Romance: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming ✓
Romance: Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca ✓
Fantasy: Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs ✓
Fantasy: Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher ✓
Fantasy: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry ✓
Horror: Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates ✓
Horror: The Clackity by Lora Senf ✓
Horror: We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman ✓
Mystery: The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel ✓
Comics: Year Zero Vol. 0 ✓
Comics: Year Zero Vol. 1 ✓
Comics: Year Zero Vol. 2 ✓
Comics: Lore Olympus Vol. 7 ✓
Nonfiction: Behind the Horror by Lee Mellors ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 7871 pages
Pages Remaining: 202,963 pages

Current Read - The Nighthouse Keeper by Lora Senf

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (2) - I restrained myself and only bought two books from Book of the Month even thought I wanted all five.

The Wild Huntress Emily Lloyd-Jones
The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle

UnRead Shelf Progress

Starting Number: 308
Books Read: 4
Books Acquired: 2
Books Unshelved: 0
Finishing Number: 306

November TBR Pile:

Bookworms BC: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Friend BC: Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: Dark Eden by Chris Beckett
Kid Book Club: A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga
Kid Read Aloud: The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum
Kid Read Aloud: The Goblin’s Puzzle by Andrew Chilton
Romance: Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
Horror: The Nighthouse Keeper by Lora Senf
Horror: The Loneliest Place by Lora Senf

Movies Watched

Deadpool vs. Wolverine
Evolution
Beetlegeuse Beetlegeuse
Wolfs

TV Shows Watched

Cafe Minamdang
Slow Horses S4
Star Trek: Discovery
All the Dropout shows
Dimension 20 S1
The Great British Bake-off S15
Below Deck: Sailing Yacht S5
What We Do in the Shadows S6
Lower Decks S5

Comments - A huge reading month for me! I absolutely adore Spooky Reading season, and I definitely leaned into that in October. We also got back into some our television shows and even watched a few movies.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

Title: Haunted Ever After (Boneyard Key #1)

Author: Jen DeLuca

Publisher: Berkley 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 326

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 5 (although not really until the end)

Small Florida coastal towns often find themselves scrambling for the tourism dollars that the Orlando theme parks leave behind. And within the town limits of Boneyard Key, the residents decided long ago to lean into its ghostliness. Nick Royer, owner of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop, embraces the ghost tourism that keeps the local economy afloat, as well as his spectral roommate. At least he doesn’t have to run air-conditioning.

Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though there’s something unusual with her new home (her laptop won’t charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didn’t read “WRONG” and “MY HOUSE” when she put them up), she’s charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she's catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.

As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don't get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie's worried she’s in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thing…and Nick's afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good.

I was excited to see a new book from Jen DeLuca. I mostly loved her Well Met series and was hoping for some more swoony romance. This series is a bit different. We get a spooky setting of the haunted Florida town of Boneyard Key and the mystery of a potentially harmful ghost. Intertwined we get the story of Cassie’s attempt to find a home and Nick’s attempt to find happiness. I enjoyed their story, but at times, it felt like not enough. I wanted more emotion, more spookiness, more mystery, and definitely more steamy scenes. I will read the next book (maybe about Theo and Sophie?), but won’t be holding my breath for this one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

Title: The Essex Serpent

Author: Sarah Perry

Publisher: Mariner Books 2016

Genre: Magical Realism

Pages: 422

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: ????

An exquisitely talented young British author makes her American debut with this rapturously acclaimed historical novel, set in late nineteenth-century England, about an intellectually minded young widow, a pious vicar, and a rumored mythical serpent that explores questions about science and religion, skepticism, and faith, independence and love.

When Cora Seaborne’s brilliant, domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one. Wed at nineteen, this woman of exceptional intelligence and curiosity was ill-suited for the role of society wife. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space in the wake of the funeral, Cora leaves London for a visit to coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive eleven-year old son, Francis, and the boy’s nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend.

While admiring the sites, Cora learns of an intriguing rumor that has arisen further up the estuary, of a fearsome creature said to roam the marshes claiming human lives. After nearly 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to have returned, taking the life of a young man on New Year’s Eve. A keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, Cora is immediately enthralled, and certain that what the local people think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to local vicar William Ransome. Will, too, is suspicious of the rumors. But unlike Cora, this man of faith is convinced the rumors are caused by moral panic, a flight from true belief.

These seeming opposites who agree on nothing soon find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart—an intense relationship that will change both of their lives in ways entirely unexpected.

I finished the book and spent a lot of time thinking about how the summary of the story doesn’t really track with the story inside. I was expecting a tense story full of magical doings and some romantic tension. Instead, I got a very quiet character study of a cast of Victorian characters. Everyone acts in line with the time and place they live in giving this a much more melancholy feel instead of suspense or tension. Cora is at times a strong heroine to root for and a privileged oblivious woman bumbling around in other people’s lives. She could be very frustrating at times. On the other side, William Ransome is also extremely frustrating and yet, very much how I think a vicar in England at the time would think and act. For a page or two, I wanted them to find happiness in each other, but also realized that they were terrible for each other. The book quietly moves along with multiple subplots and character storylines. Coming to the abrupt ending, I was a bit frustrated. But in the end, I really enjoyed this quiet meandering story.

star-rating-remains-the-most-important-part-of-a-review-cad0047.cad0047.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lore Olympus Vol. 7 by Rachel Smythe

Title: Lore Olympus Volume 7

Author: Rachel Smythe

Publisher: Inklore 2024

Genre: Fantasy Comic

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Where I Got It: Library

“Blood of mine or not, if you proceed with this trial, I hope you are prepared to live with the consequences.”

The rifts between realms grow ever wider as the temporary shelter Persephone had found in the Underworld is destroyed. Apollo has captured Demeter, turning the fugitive goddess over to Zeus in an attempt to win the king’s favor. Persephone and her mother must now stand trial for concealing Persephone’s unsanctioned act of wrath—though the goddess of spring feels secure with Hades on her side.

But safety is not guaranteed in the world of the gods.

As the trial brings to light truths and betrayals that threaten to upset everything—even Hades and Persephone’s relationship—the other gods face perils of their own.

Eros uncovers Ampelus’s secret during a fight in the Mortal Realm. Thanatos and Daphne’s budding relationship is threatened by a vengeful Apollo. Minthe is trapped in her cursed form until Persephone gains full control over her powers. And Hera is haunted by the specter of Kronos, whose influence in Olympus seems to be growing . . .

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 153-179 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

I got my hands on this volume pretty quickly after its release date. And we finally get some movement in the story. It’s less about the will they, won’t they, and more about the how. I loved seeing Persephone become more confident and seek help when needed. I loved seeing some of the secrets start to be revealed. I feel like we need to coming towards the end of this series. I really want to see Persephone become Queen of the Dead!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W9-10: Too Busy to Make a Weekly Post!

What We Studied

I had to combine two homeschooling weeks into one post. We were just too busy for me to get around to documenting. Fairly last minute, I actually planned the boys’ joint birthday party and that took up a lot of time. In between tasks and now after, we did get some school done. But this month has really been all about the activities and enjoying the fall season.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. We finished Coraline last week. In fact, we are attended a stage production of the story on Friday at our local children’s theater. Love that we can get discounted student tickets as a homeschool group. We then moved onto one of my favorite authors, Edgar Allan Poe. We’re sitting with his stories through this week. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Complete Stories of Edgar Allan Poe
Poetry for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe
Poetry for Young People: Carl Sandburg

Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. We finished our current read aloud and changed gears slightly. Instead of a big novel, we’ve been reading spooky stories and one-off Halloween themed books we have laying around the house.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graeme
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
Flat Stanley and the Haunted House
Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O’Connell
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
Monster School: First Day Frights by Dave Keane
A World Full of Spooky Stories by Angela McAllister
Poetry: Spectacular Science
Write Shop B

Math

Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. Arthur focused on a chapter continuing his review of ratios. I do love how the chapter tied ratios to real-life situations. It wasn’t just random problems.

Math in Focus Court 1 Book A
EM Financial Literacy G5

Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. He started with the lessons in 2B. I imagine that we will be slowing working through that this semester. Q continued the chapter on Money and moved onto Fractions and Time.

Primarily Logic
Singapore Primary Common Core 2B
EM Financial Literacy G2

Social Studies

Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We covered a section on the Rise and Fall of Empires featuring the Thirty Years’ War and the Manchi Empire in China. We also moved onto the Question of Kings featuring the English Civil Wars and France’s Sun King. It was a jam packed two weeks of history.

Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Kings and Queens by Fiona Macdonald

Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 supporting. We moved onto a chapter covering Ancestral Puebloans and Cahokia and one covering the Mongol Empire. Somehow we’re fitting in history every week still. I call that I huge win!

History Quest Middle Times
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Kingfisher Atlas of the Medieval World
Genghis Khan by Demi

Science

Arthur is using RSO Biology 1 this year has the main science text. Our academic coop will also be using RSO Biology 1 as a basis for the fall semester course, so we will be just supplementing at home. He covered two weeks of biology focusing on animals cells and DNA. We will also be doing some of Blossom & Root’s Book Seeds and various other small units in between. We continued watching the documentary series One Strange Rock. We will continue watching sporadically throughout the fall. I’m counting this as science for kids.

RSO Biology 1
Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim

Quentin is using RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. Of course, we have a ton of extra science resources laying around the house. And I will be hosting some one-off science exploration days that align with the units. We skipped book science these two weeks as we adjusted to our new schedules. We watched an episode of One Strange Rock.

RSO Earth and Environment
DK First Earth Encyclopedia

Academic Co-op

Two more weeks of academic co-op completed! We have really begun to work out the kinks and settle into a routine. For math, Arthur did a road trip project and reviewed grocery store math. Really math is all a review of him, but it’s good practice. In biology, they covered animal cells and structure and moved onto DNA and chromosomes. In civics, we covered the responsibilities of citizens one wee and the rights of citizens the other week. The kids really responded to the rights week with lots of good questions and answers.

Art and Music

Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies. We didn’t have a Harbor + Sprout module these two weeks.

For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. Music just didn’t happen these two weeks. I’m sure that we’re catch up soon. Time just got away from us.

Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts

Field Trip/Activities

We had our monthly Joslyn Art Explorers trip. This month, we talked about light and shadow and focused on Baroque art in the European galleries. We then compared the Baroque art to Renaissance art from before and Neo-classical art from after. Arthur decided to take one of his characters and create a tableau featuring elements from other paintings we saw.

Last week, we finally made it to a sketchbook hang. Arthur had been wanting to go, but the timing just wasn’t right for us. We made it work and spent a few hours at the coffee shop with friends drawing and socializing.

And this past Friday we traveled downtown to see a production of Coraline and then went south to the Co-op Halloween party. Such a busy day! So busy in fact that I didn’t take a single picture all day.

High

It was time for our bi-annual Arbor Day Farm excursion. We love exploring all the nature play areas and treehouses, but hate doing it with 90 degrees temperatures. Planning a trip in early spring and late fall is the perfect plan. Ourselves and many many homeschool friends all met up for an entire day of play. It was such a lovely visit.

Low

We haven’t managed to get a ton of book work done these two weeks. I knew we go through cycles, but this one is wearing on me. Thankfully November is looking much slower and less full of activities. I’m going to try and keep it that way.

Next Week

Continuing our read alouds
Finishing our next math chapters
Completing our homework (A) from co-op
Learning about East Africa (A) and Japan (Q) - history
Listening to Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and more for music
Heading to Vala’s two more times for the season!
Exploring rocks, minerals, and fossils

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Wage War "Magnetic"

I keep coming back to this song lately…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #25

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny but chilly. Perfect fall day!

Right now I am: Relaxing before brunch. My body decided to absolutely breakdown this week. After the birthday party last weekend, I could hardly move. And it struck again on Friday. All day yesterday I could hardly move and the room was spinning. It was terrible. I feel better now, but still very weak and unstable feeling. I definitely need to take it easy.

Thinking and pondering: Do I want to go to Vala’s tomorrow morning? We are going on Tuesday, but I also had us scheduled for tomorrow. That may be too much for me to handle…

On my bedside table: All the leftover spooky season books… I’m keeping it going in November before I switch to all the holiday romances.

On my tv this week: Not a ton. We did start the new seasons of What We Do in the Shadows and Lower Decks. But then the past few nights, I’ve gone to bed fairly early and just read.

Listening to: I finally downloaded the new Dead Poet Society album. Not sure how I missed that one, but have been enjoying the tracks this week.

On the menu for this week: Frankly, I have no idea. This week is going to be very weird. I do know that we are doing dinner at Vala’s on Tuesday, I have dinner out for book club on Wednesday, and Friday is pizza night. But we also have Halloween in there which usually means snack dinner. So no real cooking this week?

On my to do list: So much. My most pressing tasks are to print pages for Thursday’s co-op, go over my lesson notes, and print/create lessons for Friday’s Rock and Fossil Exploration.

Happening this week:

Monday - Vala’s (maybe)
Tuesday -Vala’s Campfire Night
Wednesday - Book Club
Thursday - Co-op; Halloween!
Friday - Rock and Fossil Exploration
Saturday - Co-op Kid Book Club
Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Mostly just lesson plans.

My simple pleasures: Sleep…. that’s it

Looking around the house: Most of the birthday party stuff has been taken down and put away. I have a few random things to get taken care of today.

From the camera: Creepy rabbit at Vala’s. Clearly they redid part of the display, but somehow decided that the rabbit could stay. We always have to go say hi.

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

Title: The Hitchcock Hotel

Author: Stephanie Wrobel

Publisher: Berkley 2024

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Where I Got It: Library

Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner, and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with fifty crows.

To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in sixteen years, not after what happened.

But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it.

After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.

This book is a bit of a slow burn. The murder doesn’t actually happen until very far into the story. Before that, we get a great atmospheric set-up complete with unreliable narrators. We have reason to suspect that every single character is keeping a big secret that could harm another. Slowly the secrets start coming to the light and the tension increases. At a certain point in the story, I was on the edge of my seat just waiting for something terrible to happen. Thankfully it did. And then we get the big unraveling of all the mysteries, at least for the reader. While I liked how this one ended, I felt it was a bit too coincidental. I cannot believe that none of the other characters figured it out. Oh well. I guess people want to see what they want to see. Still, it was a very enjoyable mystery/thriller.

Next up on the TBR pile:

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming

Title: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human (Mead Mishaps #3)

Author: Kimberly Lemming

Publisher: Orbit 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 5

All children are told fairytales. Some are epic adventures with high stakes and exciting twists, while others are tales of pitiful princesses trapped in boring towers pining for their Prince Charmings to come and rescue them. Growing up, Cherry always hated those stories. Why didn’t the princesses just get up and rescue themselves? Little did she know that her own fate would take an ironically similar turn. Because now, here she is. Stuck. In a tower. Turns out, when a dragon holds you hostage, he doesn’t just let you get up and leave.

Who knew?

And just when Cherry thinks she sees hope on the horizon, that hope is smashed to bits by—you guessed it—another damn dragon.

And so we conclude the Mead Mishaps trilogy. I was hoping to see more of Dante and thankfully we get an entire book focused on him. I must say that I wasn’t quite as enamored with Cherry as I was with Cinnamon and Brie. She was just a little more of a one-note character. I would have liked to see more of the interactions between the characters after Cherry returns to Boohail. Instead, the book ends pretty abruptly. I did enjoy the adventure until then. My favorite parts were the conversations between Dante, Fallon, and Felix.

Mead Mishaps

#1 That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon
#1.5 Mistlefoe
#2 That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf
#2.5 A Bump in Boohail
#3 That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human

Next up on the TBR pile:

We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman

Title: We Kept Her in the Cellar

Author: W.R. Gorman

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books 2024

Genre: Horror

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairy Tale Retellings

Where I Got It: Library

Eunice lives her life by three simple rules: One, always refer to Cinderella as family. Two, never let Cinderella gain access to rats or mice. Three, never look upon Cinderella between the hours of twelve and three a.m.

Cinderella has dark and terrifying powers. As her stepsister, Eunice is expected to care for her and keep the family’s secret. For years, Eunice has faithfully done so. Her childhood flew by in a blur of nightmares, tears, and near-misses with the monster living in the cellar. But when she befriends the handsome Prince Credence and secures an invitation to the ball, Eunice is determined to break free.

When her younger sister, Hortense, steps up to care for Cinderella, Eunice grabs her chance to dance the night away—until Cinderella escapes. With her eldritch powers, Cinderella attends the ball and sweeps Prince Credence off his feet, leaving behind a trail of carnage and destruction as well as a single green glass slipper.

With Cinderella unleashed, Eunice must determine how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice in order to stop Cinderella. Unsettling and macabre at every turn, this page-turning horror will bewitch horror fans and leave its readers anxiously checking the locks on their cellar doors.

Oh yes! This was exactly the kind of horror I was hoping to read this season. We get a fairy tale turned on its Lovecraftian head. Everything starts normal, but then as soon as Cinderella arrives. we now that things are just a little off. Very quickly things go from bad to worst. I absolutely reveled in Cinderella’s creepy nature and the ways in which she tried to mess with Eunice. And then the second half of the book really kicked into high gear. I was dreading where the story was going, but in for the ride. This boo is not for those that get squeamish easily. There are some horrifying scenes throughout. I was in it until the very last page.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling

Title: The Kiss Curse (Graves Glen #2)

Author: Erin Sterling

Publisher: Avon 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 309

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

Where I Got It: Library

Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; she’s running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she’s started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there’s only one problem—Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow.

Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallow’s, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns he’s gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.

When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late.

Somehow I read the first book in this series, enjoyed it, and completely forgot about it. I saw that Sterling’s newest book is publishing this month and so I thought I would catch up. I remember being slightly annoyed by the main characters in the first book, but was still intrigued by the side characters to continue. In this one, we get a great larger mystery and some great sexual tension. Gwyn and Wells are such a great opposites attract couple. I loved seeing them spar throughout the first half of the novel. Once we get to the last third, the plot moves into high gear. I loved seeing how Gwyn and Wells worked together to save the town. And now I need to read the last one in this trilogy.

Graves Glen

#1 The Ex Hex
#2 The Kiss Curse
#3 The Wedding Witch

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Archetypes Collide "Becoming What I Hate"

Another find from the radio!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Title: Assistant to the Villain (Assistant and the Villain #1)

Author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Publisher: Entangled 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 342

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Under the Cover, KC June 2024

ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.

I got very excited when a book club member chose this slightly spooky romance that I bought while at the retreat in June. Unfortunately, I am not able to make the meeting. Such a shame, as I absolutely loved this very slow burn romance full of action and adventure. Evie stumbles into a new job working for the evil villain of the forest. Of course, we meet the Villain and realize that there’s more going on than meets the eye. As Evie settles into her job as an assistant, the Villain starts to realize just how important she is to his entire world. I loved the increasing sexual tension in the itneractions between our main characters. Beyond that, I really loved the overall mystery of who the mole is. I’m really finding a mix of romance and mystery to be my jam right now. My only issue with this book is the ending. We are faced with a pretty big cliffhanger! Ugh! I put the next one on hold from the library. I cannot wait to see what happens between Evie and Trystan.

Assistant to the Villain

#1 Assistant to the Villain
#2 Apprentice to the Villain

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

Title: A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon (Glimmer Falls #1)

Author: Sarah Hawley

Publisher: Berkley 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 367

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 5

Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.

Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can't leave Mariel's side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).

But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she's dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she'll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.

Oh another delightful spooky-lite romance featuring a very hot MMC. I do love a bit of a sunshine and grump trope mixed with forced proximity. This fun romp has both of those things. I really enjoyed the wild ride that Mariel is forced to take with Oz as they navigate her accidental summoning of a bargainer demon. We get lots of sexual tension and some fun encounters. I loved seeing these two characters eventually reach an understanding of their own relationship. Plus we get some fun mystery involving the magic in the town. I really really enjoyed this one and cannot wait to read the next one.

Gimmer Falls

#1 A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
#2 A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch
#3 A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Clackity by Lora Senf

Title: The Clackity (Blight Harbor #1)

Author: Lora Senf

Publisher: Atheneum 2022

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 288

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

Evie Von Rathe lives in Blight Harbor—the seventh-most haunted town in America—with her Aunt Desdemona, the local paranormal expert. Des doesn’t have many rules except one: Stay out of the abandoned slaughterhouse at the edge of town. But when her aunt disappears into the building, Evie goes searching for her.

There she meets The Clackity, a creature who lives in the shadows and seams of the slaughterhouse. The Clackity makes a deal with Evie to help get Des back in exchange for the ghost of John Jeffrey Pope, a serial killer who stalked Blight Harbor a hundred years earlier. Evie reluctantly embarks on a journey into a strange otherworld filled with hungry witches, penny-eyed ghosts, and a memory-thief, all while being pursued by a dead man whose only goal is to add Evie to his collection of lost souls. Will she ever find Des, or is The Clackity planning something far more sinister?

I have no idea where I heard about this series, but I’ve found that I really enjoy Middle Grade horror. So I dove into this series and fell in love with it. We get a fascinating setting filled with fascinating characters. I would have been perfectly content to stay in Blight Harbor. But even better, we get to travel to a fantasy world and a journey through a proper horrifying fairy tale. I loved seeing how each house presented Evie with a new challenge and horrifying aspect. I sped through this one hoping to see Evie succeed in her quest. I definitely need to read the next book in the series and read the further adventures of Evie.

Blight Harbor

#1 The Clackity
#2 The Nighthouse Keeper
#3 The Loneliest Place

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

Title: Unbury Carol

Author: Josh Malerman

Publisher: Delacorte Press 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Book of the Month October 2023

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.

It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.

After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’sdecades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’s been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.

I read Young’s previous book, Spells for Forgetting, and enjoyed the atmospheric slightly spooky story. We picked her newest book as our book club selection for October. I immediately fell into the Farrow family lore and wanted to know more about their history. As June’s life becomes unraveled, I really started rooting for her to get her happiness. Once we are transported back in time, the storyline really gets moving and I was desperate to figure out all the secrets. I sped through the book and let out a contented sigh at the end. This was a great slightly magical book about a woman finding her place.

Next up on the TBR pile:

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

Title: By the Book (Meant to Be #2)

Author: Jasmine Guillory

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Romance Author (actually works in book industry) Finds Romance; Fairytale Retelling - Beauty and the Beast

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4

Sometimes to truly know a person, you have to read between the lines.

Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing after college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, still living at home, and one of the few Black employees at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves.

All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a pep talk or three. How hard could it be?

But Izzy quickly finds out she is in over her head. Beau Towers is not some celebrity lightweight writing a tell-all memoir. He is jaded and withdrawn and―it turns out―just as lost as Izzy. But despite his standoffishness, Izzy needs Beau to deliver, and with her encouragement, his story begins to spill onto the page. They soon discover they have more in common than either of them expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn't there before.

Ooof. I think I am not a fan of Jasmine Guillory. I desperately want to like her books, but the two that I have read have just not intrigued me. For this one, the characters seem way too young to be the actual ages they are supposed to be. I found Izzy to be way too naive and grating as a character. I found her to be too much at times. Usually I like the grump and sunshine trope, but this one really fell flat for me. Izzy is too much and Beau gives us nothing. In fact, I was super annoyed the revelation late in the book that Beau had been keeping a secret journal this whole time in which he expressed his love for Izzy very early on. I just could not with that part of the book.

Meant to Be:

#1 If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy
#2 By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
#3 Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova
#4 Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren
#5 Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W8: Big Changes are Happening!

What We Studied

My title sound really scary, but the big changes I am referring are actually great things. We officially started our new Academic Co-op. (More info later in the post.) Otherwise, we had a very normal week.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. We finished a spooky mystery read and then started a spooky read. I really love our current read, so much that I have Funko figurines of both Coraline and the Other Mother in my office. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.

The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Poetry for Young People: Carl Sandburg

Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. We started a new classic for us. Quentin saw a trailer for the new The Wild Robot movie and wanted to bump up the book to read before seeing the movie. I’m always up for that. We ended up finishing that book and starting a new read.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graeme
Poetry: Cricket in the Thicket by Carol Murray
Write Shop B

Math

Math in Focus Court 1 Book A
EM Financial Literacy G5

Primarily Logic
Singapore Primary Common Core 2B
EM Financial Literacy G2

Social Studies

Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We covered an entire section about art and science of the Baroque and Scientific Revolutions periods. This will work perfectly with our Josly Art Explorers this week. We are going to find the Baroque paintings and discuss the use of light and shadow.

Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time

Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 supporting. We stayed in Western Europe and covered the Magna Carta. It was a shorter chapter, but that worked out perfectly for us. We snuck our history in at the end of the week.

History Quest Middle Times
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Kingfisher Atlas of the Medieval World
The Magna Carta: Cornerstone of the Constitution by Roberta Baxter

Science

Arthur is using RSO Biology 1 this year has the main science text. Our coverage will be spotty until October. Our academic coop will also be using RSO Biology 1 as a basis for the fall semester course, so we will be just supplementing at home. This week we started our co-op and Arthur covered the first unit in the biology text during class. He has homework for co-op, but we will be waiting until Monday to tackle that (schedule constraints). We will also be doing some of Blossom & Root’s Book Seeds and various other small units in between. We read two chapters in the Story of Science. We continued watching the documentary series One Strange Rock. We will continue watching sporadically throughout the fall. I’m counting this as science for kids.

RSO Biology 1
Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim

Quentin is using RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. Of course, we have a ton of extra science resources laying around the house. And I will be hosting some one-off science exploration days that align with the units. Q covered rocks and minerals. We actually covered a bit chunk of the unit during academic co-op. We also watched an episode of One Strange Rock.

RSO Earth and Environment
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian
Let's Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans
Rocks and Minerals by Steve Tomecek
Nat Geo Rocks and Minerals by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
All About Minerals by Cody Crane
Cave of Crystals by Martha London

Academic Co-op

We had our first week of Academic Co-op on Thursday. We meet from 10am-2pm (most weeks, a few are shifted by an hour) and cover Math, Biology, and Civics. After a few small hiccups, we settled in for the day and powered through the classes. For math, we did a project focusing on place value that I partially taught. For biology, they covered the concept of biology and what makes something alive. For civics, I taught the kids some basic definitions and the structure of our government. The kids also learned how to use their planners and act in a more formalized class setting. Afterwards, four of the seven families walked across the street for Boba. Not going o get it every week, but it was a nice treat.

Art and Music

For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. We enjoyed listening to Jefferson Airplane (and Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna, and Starship) and The Byrds.

Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts

Field Trip/Activities

No real field trips, but we did visit Vala’s and went on a nature walk at Heron Haven.

High

We started our Academic Co-op! Strangely, I was very very nervous before the start, but we made it through. The kids did amazing! Most of the hiccups came from the adults not being present and ready. The kids only had to be gently reminded to stay on task. I am so proud of them.

Low

We were absolutely knackered after co-op on Thursday. I forgot what it was like to basically teach a full day of classes. Even though I’m only supposed to be teaching civics, I taught half of the math class and worked directly with Quentin during the other times. So tiring…

Next Week

Continuing our read alouds
Finishing our next math chapters
Completing our homework (A) from co-op
Learning about failing empires (A) and Cahokia (Q) - history
Listening to Led Zeppelin
Heading to Vala’s, once with J!
Traveling to Nebraska City for our Arbor Day Farm day (I look forward to this all summer)

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Chrissy Costanza feat. VOILA "7 Minutes in Hell"

Did I just find new artists to follow? Yep, I just did. Loving this song right now.

Next up on the TBR pile: