Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss #2)

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Speak 2012

Genre: YA Romance

Pages: 338

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

My last book of 2020! I loved Anna and the French Kiss and hoped the sequel would be just as good. It was a very good book, but not great. I loved Cricket and the whole boy-next-door trope. It gets me every time. I loved the appearances of Anna and St. Clair. But I wasn’t keen on Lola and Max as her other relationship. I was on the edge of my seat the entire book hoping that Lola wouldn’t make terrible decisions. Turns out that she just made some bad decisions. Part of my problem is that I’m reading this young adult romance as an adult woman with teenagers. It made me so nervous and I completely empathized with Lola’s dads. I imagine that I wouldn’t have been so nervous if I read this as a teenager. Overall a good lighter read to end my year.

Anna and the French Kiss

• #1 Anna and the French Kiss

• #2 Lola and the Boy Next Door

• #3 Isla and the Happily Ever After

Next up on the TBR pile:

Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas

Title: Murder on Cold Street (Lady Sherlock #5)

Author: Sherry Thomas

Publisher: Berkley 2020

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 352

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes’s friend and collaborator, has been found locked in a room with two dead men, both of whom worked with his wife at the great manufacturing enterprise she has recently inherited.

Rumors fly. Had Inspector Treadles killed the men because they had opposed his wife’s initiatives at every turn? Had he killed in a fit of jealous rage, because he suspected Mrs. Treadles of harboring deeper feelings for one of the men? To make matters worse, he refuses to speak on his own behalf, despite the overwhelming evidence against him.

Charlotte finds herself in a case strewn with lies and secrets. But which lies are to cover up small sins, and which secrets would flay open a past better left forgotten? Not to mention, how can she concentrate on these murders, when Lord Ingram, her oldest friend and sometime lover, at last dangles before her the one thing she has always wanted?

Another amazing version of a Sherlock Holmes story. This was slower than the last one, but more in line with a classic Holmes story. We a get a locked door murder mystery combined with a host of larger mysteries and questions. I loved seeing Charlotte, Lord Ingram, and Mrs. Watson (along with Miss Redmayne) work together to solve the mystery. We get to see more of Inspector Treadles and Mrs. Treadles and learn just a bit more about Moriarty’s syndicate. I did want to see more of Olivia, but alas, she was stuck at home. Can’t wait for the next one!

Lady Sherlock

• #1 A Study in Scarlet Women

• #2 A Conspiracy in Belgravia

• #3 The Hollow of Fear

• #4 The Art of Theft

• #5 Murder on Cold Street

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Title: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

Author: Grady Hendrix

Publisher: Quirk Books 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 408

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Monthly Theme - December

Patricia Campbell’s life has never felt smaller. Her husband is a workaholic, her teenage kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she’s always a step behind on her endless to-do list. The only thing keeping her sane is her book club, a close-knit group of Charleston women united by their love of true crime. At these meetings they’re as likely to talk about the Manson family as they are about their own families.

One evening after book club, Patricia is viciously attacked by an elderly neighbor, bringing the neighbor's handsome nephew, James Harris, into her life. James is well traveled and well read, and he makes Patricia feel things she hasn’t felt in years. But when children on the other side of town go missing, their deaths written off by local police, Patricia has reason to believe James Harris is more of a Bundy than a Brad Pitt. The real problem? James is a monster of a different kind—and Patricia has already invited him in.

Little by little, James will insinuate himself into Patricia’s life and try to take everything she took for granted—including the book club—but she won’t surrender without a fight in this blood-soaked tale of neighborly kindness gone wrong.

It seems that I am in the minority when it comes to this book. The one good thing that I can see about the book is that Hendrix is amazing at writing tension. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The book never gets easier and doesn’t slow down. But, the writing cannot save a book filled with terrible characters, white savior complex, misogyny, sexual assault, and overall muddled messages. I hated that none of the men are punished or made to see the error of their ways. I couldn’t stand the fact that all the black characters are victims or ignore nameless faces except for Mrs. Greene, who no one listens to. I just couldn’t get behind any part of this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W18: The End of the Fall Semester!

I somehow managed to not take a single picture of homeschooling this week. I have pictures of our advent activities, just not our regular school stuff. Oh well…

What We Studied

Another week of anatomy, coding, and Greece! We’re taking it easy this month and not pushing the curriculum too far. Plus we have all those fun advent activities to fit in! With the end of this week, we are officially done with the fall semester.

Literature and Poetry

We finished Book 4 and almost Book 5 of Tales from the Odyssey. I’m hoping to finish reading this one before Christmas, but we might be cutting it really close.

• Tales from the Odyssey Part 2 by Mary Pope Osborne

Math

Instead of continuing Singapore Math, we switched over and started learning about computer science. We are slowing working through the second Ruby book. We’ll be continuing this unit into January. (Arthur has also been doing daily math pages to keep up his arithmetic skills.)

• Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding by Linda Liukas

Social Studies

History was all about Greece. We wrapped up our study of Greece with the Macedonians on Friday. Arthur really enjoyed learning about the Greeks. We watched a great NOVA episode about Archimedes.

• How People Lived in Ancient Greece by Colin Hynson

• Eyewitness: Ancient Greece

• Ancients in Their Own Words: Ancient Greece by Michael Kerrigan

• Ancient Greece: Voyages Through Time by Peter Ackroyd

• Great Leaders and Thinkers of Ancient Greece by Megan Cooley Peterson

• Socrates by Jim Whitting

• Gods and Goddesses by Danielle Smith-Llera

• What Did the Greeks Do for Me by Patrick Catel

Science

Science until Christmas is all about anatomy and physiology. This week we covered the cardiovascular system. respiratory system, and nervous system.

• Eyewitness: Human Body

• My Amazing Body Machine by Robert Winston

• The Magic School Bus Has a Heart

• Organs! by Nancy Winslow Parker

• The Brain is Kind of a Big Deal by Nick Seluk

• The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes by Julia Finley Mosca

Art

No formal art lessons this month, but we are doing a variety of projects related to the season and to our other subjects. This week Arthur did

Music

Our composer this week was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. I love all of has ballets so we did a bit of a deeper dive into Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. I found some great picture books based on the ballets and we eventually watched a ballet version of The Nutcracker on Friday night.

• Swan Lake retold by Ji-yeong Lee

• The Nutcracker retold by Bo-geum Cha

• Waltz of the Snowflakes by Elly Mackay

• The Nutcracker Comes to America by Chris Barton

Unit Theme

Our unit theme until Christmas is holidays around the world. We did some random holiday activities this week. Plus, we are doing an advent (see my Christmas Bucket List post) that is all holiday themed. Finally, I wrapped the 24 days of Christmas books again this year to enjoy. The boys love opening a package of two books every night. I got some new ones from the library along with some old favorites (both borrowed and owned).

24 Days of Books

• If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff

• How to Catch an Elf by Adam Wallace

• Sammy Claws by Lucy Rowland and Paula Bowles

• One Wild Christmas by Nicholas Oldland

• The Nutcracker by Grace Maccarone

• It’s Christmas! by Tracey Corderoy

• Jingle Bells by Rosie Greening

• The Twelve Days of Christmas by Kate Toms

• Christmas City by Michael Garland

• Wintercake by Lynne Rae Perkins

• The Christmas Crocodile by Bonny Becker

• Little Bear’s Special Friend by Claire Freedman

• The Littlest Elf by Brandi Dougherty

• The Littlest Reindeer by Brandi Dougherty

Misc. - Random picture books read

• Dragon’s Fat Cat by Dav Pilkey

• There’s a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor by Wade Bradford

• Never Follow a Dinosaur by Alex Latimer

• Thomas the Tank Engine: Thomas and the Beanstalk

• Merry Christmas Peppa

• Chicks by Sandra Horning

• Finding Christmas by Lezlie Evans

• A Christmas Sweater for Nina by Cecilia Heikkila

Highs

• I can’t believe that we have finished a semester of homeschooling. Accomplishments!

• I’m loving the easy pace of this holiday season.

Lows

• We didn’t quite finish Tales of the Odyssey yet. We’ll continue so we can finish, but I wanted a clean break.

Next Week

We are going to continue with our holiday activities and do a bit of literature and math. I hope to finish Tales from the Odyssey before Christmas Day. We’re going to take a few days off after Christmas to be very lazy. But I am making a small New Year’s unit to break up the time. I’m planning to start the spring semester on January 10th.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #43

As I look outside my window: The sun has set and it’s oh so dark out there…

Right now I am: Watching Muppet Christmas Carol with the boys.

Thinking and pondering: What am I missing from the grocery list? There’s always something…

On my bedside table: Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas; Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

On my tv this week: We wrapped up this season of The Mandalorian and S1 of Lovecraft Country. We also kept up with His Dark Materials S2 and watched a few movies/documentaries. I finally started Below Deck: Sailing Yacht S1.

Listening to: All the podcasts and The Emo Project on Sirius XM Radio.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Orechchiette with Sausage, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Broccoli

• Tuesday - Spicy Thai Noodles

• Wednesday - Mosterdsoep (Netherlands): Our last Soups and Stews from Around the World for 2020!

• Thursday - Seafood Feast for Christmas Eve

• Friday - Epic Charcuterie Board for Christmas Day

• Saturday - Ham and Cheese Croissant Sandwiches

• Sunday - Maple Balsamic Pork Chops

On my to do list: Final prep for Christmas! I really just need to put random things away and clear some space. I also need to stage out my kitchen endeavors for the week. And I should do a bit of curriculum planning for January in my down time.

Happening this week: Obviously it’s Christmas week! After Christmas, I hope to get to Target and Michaels for any after-Christmas deals. Plus my mom got me a gift card to Michaels. Hoping they have some gems.

What I am creating: I’m turning my attention to organizing the Christmas crafting supplies to make a December Daily box and put the rest away. I also should start organizing my Project Life supplies so I can do a craft room tour in January.

My simple pleasures: Irish Cream Cold Brew at Starbucks! Oh so good. And all the gingerbread cookies.

Looking around the house: Arthur is sad that we don’t have many Christmas decorations, but we’re usually not here for Christmas. I promised him that I would look for more during the after Christmas sales.

From the camera: Arthur made a bus out of a big box and of course he had to add the Pigeon on the outside!

Christmas Bucket List Update #3

Instead of a separate bucket list, I’m just going to highlight our advent activities for December. I bought the cute countdown kit from Stampin’ Up and using that as my calendar.

Decorate mini tree ✓

Write a letter to Santa ✓

Go See Santa at Cabela’s ✓

Lego Build ✓

Xmas PJs ✓

Go See Werner Park Lights ✓

Coloring Books ✓

Bath bombs ✓

Window Clings ✓

Zorinsky Park Lights - canceled due to bad weather

Decorate Gingerbread Houses ✓

Hot Chocolate Bar ✓

Stamp and Ink to Make Cards ✓ - The boys made some cards to send to Grandma Becky and Grandma Heidi and Papa Bill.

Make Gingerbread Cookies ✓ - I love making fluffy gingerbread molasses cookies. We even delivered some cookies to our neighbors.

Watch The Nutcracker ✓ - After studying Tchaikovsky all week, we then watched the Royal Opera House version of The Nutcracker ballet. The boys actually sat through the entire thing.

Paper wreaths and snowflakes ✓ - Our big picture window is now very decorated.

Puzzle Day ✓ - A 300 piece puzzle was the perfect difficulty level for an afternoon’s worth of puzzling.

Watch 5 Christmas Movies - in Progress

1. Babes in Toyland ✓

2. Elf ✓

3. White Christmas ✓

4. Muppet Christmas Carol

5. The Polar Express

6. The Grinch

Items Left to Do:

• Go for a hike and get pine cones

• Melty Bead Kits

• Cookie Decorating

• Christmas music dance party

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter TBR

Fall TBR: My goal was to read my Book of the Month selections. I did not do very well at all… 1/14

1. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

2. One Day in December by Josie Silver

3. In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick

4. Early Riser by Jasper Fforde

5. The Buried by Peter Hessler

6. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

7. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

8. The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

9. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

10. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

11. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

12. Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

13. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab ✓

14. The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman

Winter TBR: For 2021, I am going to change up how I do my reading challenges. My seasonal TBR’s are going to be expanded and those are the big reading challenges that I am going to focus on. I’ll be back in two weeks with more information as I work out exactly what I want to do.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O'Neill

Title: The Tea Dragon Festival

Author: Katie O’Neill

Publisher: Oni Press 2019

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 136

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep, but Rinn’s real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.

So a prequel, I guess? I was thrown by the the timeline in this one. But ultimately, it’s another beautiful quiet story for children and adults.

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I’ve blown past my reading challenge number. Quarantining has done wonders for my reading in some ways.

• I did three advent activities yesterday (paper snowflakes, gingerbread cookies, Christmas cards). I’m doing something easy today.

• Excited to make Arthur watch a version of The Nutcracker ballet tomorrow night.

• Need to work on my plan and grocery lists for Christmas week and the week after.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill

Title: The Tea Dragon Society

Author: Katie O’Neill

Publisher: Oni Press 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 72

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The Tea Dragon Society is the two-time Eisner Award-winning gentle fantasy that follows the story of a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons.

Oh goodness! This is such a sweet little story! I really wish that I had some little girls to give this book to. My boys are a little too into Minecraft and Dinosaurs to appreciated a story about Tea Dragons. I sped through this one, but loved staring at the art and entire design of the book. Beautiful!

Wrapped Up for Christmas by Katlyn Duncan

Title: Wrapped Up for Christmas

Author: Katlyn Duncan

Publisher: HQ Digital 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 247

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Monthly Theme - December

Having lost her boyfriend, job, and apartment all in the space of a week, Angie has no choice but to leave California and return to her family in New England.

Determined not to let life weigh her down, Angie finds work at the local mall where she worked as a teenager. After an embarrassing run-in with a handsome stranger, Nick, she’s convinced her luck is about to change.

But Nick has secrets of his own… and as the first flakes of snow begin to fall, Angie can’t help but wonder if she’ll ever find love.

Such a sweet little story. I do tend to gravitate toward the sweet romances at Christmas (although more open door books are also enjoyable). I could see exactly where this story was going. Setting up two characters with trust issues is a classic romance trope. There were no surprises here, but I did enjoy reading the story of Nick and Angie.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Christmas Princess by Patricia McLinn

Title: The Christmas Princess (The Wedding Series #5)

Author: Patricia McLinn

Publisher: Craig Place Books 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 274

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Monthly Theme - December

The Christmas season isn’t looking great for April Gareaux. Her job is uninspiring, her engagement is off, and she has nowhere to live. Certainly her family would take her in, especially Leslie and Grady Roberts and their circle of friends who have become her extended family. But it’s time she stops relying on them.
Then comes an extraordinary offer – spend the holidays in Washington, D.C., with King Jozef of Bariavak as his possible long-lost granddaughter. Even more extraordinary is the man behind the offer and the one who will be beside her through the coming weeks, diplomatic security agent Hunter Pierce.
This is the last assignment Hunter would pick. Determination and grit have moved him beyond his past in Bariavak. Yet, here it is standing in front of him again, refusing to be ignored. … Just like his reactions to April. How can he fight what he’s feeling when they’re together all the time.
King Jozef has known tragedy in his life. Now, comes this lovely young woman bringing joy to his holidays. How can he resist dabbling in some royal matchmaking. Wouldn’t it be delightful if he could give April a Christmas gift she will never forget… Her Prince for a Lifetime

I surprised myself by really loving this one and giving it 5 stars! This one just had the right amount of heart and the right amount of romance to keep me intrigued. I loved the story of April and Hunter, but I especially loved learning more about Hunter’s past. I had an inkling that he was somehow involved with the King and was proved correct when all was revealed. I don’t think I will be reading the rest of this series, but this one was great as an almost read-alone (they are some references back to previous books, but it’s not necessary to read all). Perfect for our snowy weekend’s read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W17: Wild Weather Week!

What We Studied

Another week of anatomy, coding, and Greece! We’re taking is easy this month and not pushing the curriculum too far. Plus we have all those fun advent activities to fit in!

Literature and Poetry

We finished Part 1 and have moved into Part 2. Arthur liked the story more when we really get into more of the monsters. He especially liked Scylla.

• Tales from the Odyssey Part 1 by Mary Pope Osborne

• Tales from the Odyssey Part 2 by Mary Pope Osborne

Math

Instead of continuing Singapore Math, we switched over and started learning about computer science. We finished the first book with Ruby and have moved onto the second book. Some of the activities in the back of the book are great to reinfornce certain ideas. This past week we talked about and, or statements, logic gates, and pixels. (Arthur has also been doing daily math pages to keep up his arithmetic skills.)

• Hello Ruby: Journey Inside the Computer by Linda Liukas

• Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding by Linda Liukas

• Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

Social Studies

History was all about Greece (and will be about Greece until Christmas). We wrapped up the Minoans and Mycenaeans and talked about the development of Greece, specifically the rise of the city-states. We focused a bit on Sparta and learned about their way of life. This coming week will feature Athens and then Alexander the Great.

• How People Lived in Ancient Greece by Colin Hynson

• Eyewitness: Ancient Greece

• Ancients in Their Own Words: Ancient Greece by Michael Kerrigan

• Ancient Greece: Voyages Through Time by Peter Ackroyd

• The Wooden Horse of Troy by Cari Meister

• The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War by Emily Little

• Ancient Greece by Mari McGee

• The First Olympics by Lisa M. Bolt Simons

Science

Science until Christmas is all about anatomy and physiology. We studies the muscular and digestive systems. Now Arthur just wants to tell me poop jokes all the time.

• Eyewitness: Human Body

• My Amazing Body Machine by Robert Winston

Art

No formal art lessons this month, but we are doing a variety of projects related to the season and to our other subjects. This week Arthur did a drawing of the Trojan Horse and some free drawing for holiday time.

Music

Our composer this week was Ralph Vaughan Williams. Another composer that I have definitely heard his music, but couldn’t place the name. Arthur was not a fan.

Unit Theme

Our unit theme until Christmas is holidays around the world. We did some random holiday activities this week. Plus, we are doing an advent (see my Christmas Bucket List post) that is all holiday themed. Finally, I wrapped the 24 days of Christmas books again this year to enjoy. The boys love opening a package of two books every night. I got some new ones from the library along with some old favorites (both borrowed and owned).

24 Days of Books

• Auntie Clause for the Holidays by Elisa Primavera

• Maple and Willow’s Christmas Tree by Lori Nichols

• Holiday Heroes Save the Christmas by Adam Wallace

• Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner

• The Perfect Christmas by Eileen Spinelli

• The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas by Laura Murray

• Turkey Claus by Wendi Silvano

• Just Right for Christmas by Birdie Black

• The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Carolyn Conahan

• The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton

• A Christmas Tree for Pyn by Olivier Dunrea

• Was That Christmas? by Hilary McKay

• Dino-Christmas by Lisa Wheeler

• The Knights Before Christmas by Joan Holub

• Henry and Mudge and a Very Merry Christmas by Cynthia Rylant

• Here Comes Santa Cat by Deborah Underwood

Misc. - Random picture books read

• John Cena Elbow Grease: My Monster Truck Family

• Zen Happiness by Jon J Muth

• Goldenlocks and the Three Pirates by April Jones Prince

Highs

• it was 60 degrees on Tuesday and we played at the park!

• And then it was below freezing on Friday and Saturday and the boys played in the snow! They loved both days.

Lows

• Feeling a bit of crunch in terms of getting through everything I planned for this month. Outwardly being very light and relaxed; inwardly a bit wound up.

Next Week

More of the same topics! We will be continuing with the development of Ancient Greece, reading The Odyssey, learning about computers, exploring the human body, choosing a new composer, and doing all the holiday activities!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Royal Blood "Trouble's Coming"

Can I just have this on repeat this week? Kay, thanks!

Christmas Bucket List Update #2

Instead of a separate bucket list, I’m just going to highlight our advent activities for December. I bought the cute countdown kit from Stampin’ Up and using that as my calendar.

Decorate mini tree ✓

Write a letter to Santa ✓

Go See Santa at Cabela’s ✓

Lego Build ✓

Xmas PJs ✓ - Carter’s order to the rescue!

Go See Werner Park Lights ✓ - Given that we can’t really go anywhere this year, this was totally worth the admission fee.

Coloring Books ✓ - I grabbed two from the Target Dollar Spot. The boys have been coloring in them here and there all week.

Bath bombs ✓ - The boys used one already, but we have two more bath bombs for future fun times.

Window Clings ✓ - Another Target cheap find.

Zorinsky Park Lights - canceled due to bad weather

Decorate Gingerbread Houses ✓ - More like deconstructed gingerbread houses, but we did it and the kids loved the activity.

Hot Chocolate Bar ✓ - Arthur’s favorite was the milk chocolate; Quentin’s favorite was the marshmallow; Mom’s favorite was the caramel

Watch 5 Christmas Movies - in Progress

1. Babes in Toyland ✓

2. Elf ✓

3. White Christmas ✓

4. The Polar Express

5. The Grinch

Items Left to Do:

• Stamp and Ink to Make Cards

• Go for a hike and get pine cones

• Watch The Nutcracker

• Melty Bead Kits

• Make Gingerbread Cookies

• Puzzle Day

• Cookie Decorating

• Paper wreaths and snowflakes

• Christmas music dance party

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #42

As I look outside my window: There’s still a layer of snow on the ground, although it’s been all messed up by the kids running around yesterday. The snow should stick around for a bit.

Right now I am: Eating breakfast and looking over my to-do list for the day.

On my bedside table: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampries by Grady Hendrix; Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

On my tv this week: Lovecraft Country, His Dark Materials, Below Deck: Mediterranean

Listening to: The Emo Project on Sirius XM. This channel has given me life this past week.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Pizza Casserole

• Tuesday - Seychelles Fish Curry

• Wednesday - Sloppy Joes

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Baked Potato Soup

• Saturday - Honey Lime Jalapeno Chicken

• Sunday - Maple Bourbon Pecan Chicken

On my to do list: Lots of random little odds and ends. I also need to finish our curriculum for the week.

Happening this week: Quiet week… Other than a library run, we are probably just sticking close to home.

What I am creating: Christmas cards! I need to make about 20 more to be finished for the year. If I get some time today, I can knock out at least 12 of them.

My simple pleasures: Gingerbread, tequila sours, The Emo Project on Sirius XM (seriously, so excited I found this), fun Christmas romances.

Looking around the house: I should probably put away clothes today. And I need to vacuum upstairs.

From the camera: Snow day yesterday! It was the first time this year that the boys got to get out and play in the snow. They stayed out for almost 30 minutes.

Monstress Volume 5

Title: Monstress Volume 5

Author: Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda

Publisher: Image 2020

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 144

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

The long-dreaded war between the Federation and Arcanics is about to explode. Maika must choose her next steps: will she help her friends, or strike out on her own?

Collects MONSTRESS issues #25-30

Another interesting volume in this series. At this point in the story, there are a ton of characters and plot threads. To be a fantastic read, some of those characters and plot threads need to be streamlined. There is just too much at certain points in the series. I did enjoy this volume and can’t wait to see what happens next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Flight Vol. 2

Title: Flight Vol. 2

Author: Kazu Kibuishi

Publisher: Villard 2007

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 432

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The graphic novel anthology that solidified the stature of the FLIGHT series as one of the most thoughtful, beautifully rendered works in the field.

Authors contributing to Flight, Volume Two include: Michel Gagne, Doug TenNapel, Catia Chen, Jake Parker, Sonny Liew, Khang Le, Neil Babra, Don Hertzfeldt, Jen Wang, Kazu Kibuishi, Hope Larsen, Becky Cloonan, Matthew Woodson, Kean Soo, Phil Craven, Rodolphe Guenoden, Doug Holgate, Rad Sechrist, Justin Ridge, Herval, Bannister, Clio Chang, Ryan Sias, Johane Matte, Jeff Smith, Giuseppe Ferrario, Ben Hatke, Amy Kim Ganter, Joana Carneiro, Kness, Richard Pose, and Vera Brosgol.

Another interesting collection of stories. Like all collections, I find some stories much more interesting than others.

The Christmas Contest by Scarlet Wilson

Title: The Christmas Contest

Author: Scarlet Wilson

Publisher: Tule 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 230

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

When Ben Winters and Lara Cottridge hear that a Vermont radio station is hosting a Christmas contest with a $10,000 prize for a charitable project of the winner’s choice, they seize the challenge. Although strangers, they both are obsessed with all things Christmas and each has their own worthy pet project in mind.

News of the contest creates a lot of buzz, but most participants fall at the first hurdle – a timed online quirky Christmas quiz. The second, a stressful on-air quiz whittles the field down to two – Briarhill Falls residents Lara and Ben who are surprised that they have never met.

As the contest heats up with five further Christmas-themed challenges, the town and state become enthralled by the battle of wits and skill. Soon Lara and Ben realize they have far more in common than a love of Christmas. And far more at stake. Will their competition stand in the way of falling in love?

Such a cute little sweet romance story. The entire meet-cute was adorable and I loved seeing how Ben and Lara’s relationship progressed throughout the contest. The ending was incredibly predictably, but it was still entertaining. Lovely and cute. A great little story to read this holiday season.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Once & Future Vol. 2

Title: Once & Future Vol. 2

Author: Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora

Publisher: Boom Studios 2020

Genre: Comics

Pages: 160

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

When an ancient helmet at the British Museum is taken, Bridgette and Duncan are confronted by another hero of yore, one who will lead them to facing off against their most formidable challenge yet...a beast and his mother.

Although Bridgette and Duncan stopped Arthur from retrieving the Grail and separated him from the legendary scabbard of Excalibur, the undead King of the Britons still has his sights on returning to our world and returning to power. By inadvertently changing the story of the famous King, Duncan and Gran have thrown the Otherworld into shambles, allowing for new legends and characters to make their appearance - and bring a world of trouble along with them.

But when an ancient helmet at the British Museum is taken, Bridgette and Duncan are confronted by another hero of yore, one who will lead them to facing off against their most formidable challenge yet...a beast and his mother.

New York Times bestselling writer Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine, Star Wars) and Russ Manning Award-winning artist Dan Mora (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Klaus) deliver the next chapter of the critically-acclaimed series that took the world of comics by storm!

Collects Once & Future #7-12.

Oh I am so incredibly into this comic series. We get appearances from three more story characters and learn more about Merlin and Nimue and Arthur. Lots of action in this volume and lots of gore. Love it! Can’t wait for the next one.

Next up on the TBR pile: