December 2021 Wrap-up

December TBR Pile - 23 read:

Bookworms BC: (Already Read)
Friend BC: The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams ✓
The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss ✓
The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox ✓
A Winter’s Knight by Elizabeth Cole ✓
A Grosvenor Square Christmas ✓
Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater by Debbie Johnson ✓
Pastels and Jingle Bells by Christine S. Feldman ✓
A Pirate for Christmas by Anna Campbell ✓
Scandalous Lord Dare by Stephanie Laurens ✓
Where the Heart Is by Darcy Burke ✓
We Met in December by Rosie Curtis ✓
Always, in December by Emily Stone ✓
The Princess Plan by Julia London ✓
God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen by Rhys Bowen ✓
Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas ✓
Well Matched by Jen DeLuca ✓
Beautiful Bitch by Christina Lauren ✓
Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren ✓
A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday ✓
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler ✓
A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss ✓
As You Wish by Cary Elwes ✓
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6495 pages
Pages Remaining: 434,304 pages

Current Read - Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez; A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (9) - Seriously I lost track…

UnRead Shelf Progress

Starting Number: 294
Books Read: 0
Books Acquired: 11
Books Unshelved: 0
Finishing Number: 305

January TBR Pile:

BOTM: TBD
Bookworms BC: The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Friend BC: (Already Read)
Currently Reading Buddy Read: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Romance: Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler
Romance: Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler
Romance: Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez
Romance: Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday
Romance: Beautiful Bombshell by Christina Lauren
Comics: Monstress Vol. 6
Comics: Lumberjanes Vol. 20
Comics: Far Sector
Nonfiction: How Zoologists Organize Things by David Bainbridge
Nonfiction: The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
Fantasy: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
Fantasy: House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Fantasy: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Fantasy: Questland by Carrie Vaughn

Movies watched

8 Bit Christmas - Entertaining for this 80s kid.
The Harder They Fall - Absolutely amazing! And the soundtrack is killer.
The Man Who Invented Christmas - Loved the style of this one, really made it a good movie.
Single All the Way - Not a favorite. I didn’t feel the romantic chemistry at all.
Love Hard - Oof. Catfishing should not be rewarded.
A Christmas Wish - So incredibly smaltzy, but fun.
A Muppet Christmas Carol - A family favorite and the best movie version of A Christmas Carol!
Encanto - Watched at the theater. Loved the music. Less of a fan of the storyline. Although Bruno was great!
Spiderman: No Way Home - Another theater movie. This was absolutely amazing!
A Knight Before Christmas - Very silly and forgettable.
Don’t Look Up - This one hit a little too close to the truth of the world to be enjoyable although I see what Adam McKay was doing with this movie.
Christmas at the Castle - Really I watched for Cary Elwes who did not disappoint.
One Royal Holiday - Love Aaron Tveit, the plot was very predictable.

TV Shows watched

Hit Monkey S1 - Super strange and yet I was very into it.
The Bachelorette with Michelle - Kinda disappointed in this season although Michelle was much better than Katie.
Below Deck S9 - Thank goodness for Eddie and Captain Lee!
Cowboy Bebop S1 - We loved it! So sad that Netflix canceled the show.
The Great S1 - Finally started this one and it is delightful.
Doctor Who S13 - I don’t think this season of Doctor Who worked well at all. Too many questions, not enough answers.
Dash and Lily S1 - My mom and I binged this in one day. Very cute little show.
it’s Always Sunny S15 - How is this show still going and still funny?
The Witcher S2 - Just started, but so far, it’s really good.
Ghosts S1 (UK Version) - J binged it over Christmas, so now we are watching together. it’s good.
Letterkenny S10 - So excited that it’s back!
Shadow and Bone S1 - I finally started and it’s been great so far. They made Mal more of a decent human and included my favorite Crows.

Comments - I ended my reading year very strong with 23 reads! Only two of those were 5 stars, but mostly I just wanted something light and fluffy for this month. I also ended up watching a ton of media somehow and loved most of it. Here’s to 2022!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater by Debbie Johnson

Title: Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater

Author: Debbie Johnson

Publisher: One More Chapter 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 222

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

For single mum Maggie, Christmas has always been a family occasion – her daughter Ellen filling the house with her bubbly warmth and mistletoe, her dad Paddy having one too many festive tipples, and the traditional family Christmas tree looking like a drunken elf vomited a rainbow all over it.

But this year, with both Ellen and Paddy away for the holidays, Maggie’s facing a truly blue Christmas – alone with nothing but a bottle of Baileys and an M&S turkey dinner.

Until walking the snowy streets of Oxford, Marco Cavelli quite literally crashes into her life – and, complete with broken leg, becomes her unexpected houseguest. All dreamy brown eyes and 6’5” of gorgeousness, the man is hotter and more delicious than a freshly baked mince pie.

Though Maggie always thought it’s a truth universally acknowledged that you never kiss a man in a Christmas jumper?

Decent little Christmas romance to end my year’s reading. This is just as light and fluffy as I was hoping that it would. I loved Ellen in the very small parts that she appeared in. Seriously, she was a great kid. As for Maggie and Marco, their romance was fairly believable and swoony. And I hear that this was made into a Hallmark movie. I’ll have to look this one up to add to next year’s viewing. I would have liked more steam, as this is clearly leaning into the sweet romance. But it was enjoyable overall.

Next up on the TBR pile:

As You Wish by Cary Elwes

Title: As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride

Author: Cary Elwes

Publisher: Atria 2016

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 272

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

The Princess Bride has been a family favorite for close to three decades. Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 Greatest Love Stories and by the Writers Guild of America as one of the top 100 screenplays of all time, The Princess Bride will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.

Cary Elwes was inspired to share his memories and give fans an unprecedented look into the creation of the film while participating in the twenty-fifth anniversary cast reunion. In As You Wishhe has created an enchanting experience; in addition to never-before seen photos and interviews with his fellow cast mates, there are plenty of set secrets and backstage stories.

On advice from J, I listened to this audiobook driving to Indiana for Christmas. It was a complete delight. We get this amazing behind-the-scenes look at the making of a beloved movie. My favorite bits were all the stories involving Andre the Giant. He was much more interesting than I had known. I loved listening to Cary Elwes telling the stories. You could tell that he really loved making this movie with these people. The audiobook was made even better by the voices of some of the other players involved. This book is definitely for those that love the movie; I don’t think someone who has never seen the movie would get much out of these stories. As it is, I loved the movie and thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler

Title: The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska #1)

Author: Sarah Morgenthaler

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2020

Genre: Romance

Pages: 375

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Curl up with a quirky small-town Alaskan rom-com that'll leave you laughing over:

A grumpy local and the sunny tourist who turns his world upside down
A rogue moose who threatens to steal every scene
A vacation you'll never forget
And a sweet romance that doesn't need to scald the pages to burn its way into your heart

He had a strict "no tourists" policy...until she broke all of his rules.When Graham Barnett named his diner The Tourist Trap, he meant it as a joke. Now he's stuck slinging reindeer dogs to an endless parade of resort visitors who couldn't interest him less. Not even the sweet, enthusiastic tourist in the corner who blushes every time he looks her way...

Two weeks in Alaska isn't just the top item on Zoey Caldwell's bucket list. It's the whole bucket. One look at the mountain town of Moose Springs and she's smitten. But when an act of kindness brings Zoey into Graham's world, she may just find there's more to the grumpy local than meets the eye...and more to love in Moose Springs than just the Alaskan wilderness.

This story of Alaska marries together all the things you didn't realize you needed: a whirlwind vacation, a friendly moose, a grumpy diner owner, a quirky tourist, plenty of restaurant humor, and a happy ending that'll take you away from it all.

A very breezy but sweet romance set in Alaska. I was under the impression that this was a Christmas book but it’s actually set during the summer. Oh well. I still loved the setting of Moose Springs, Alaska. Zoey is a good main character but Graham was clearly the favorite person in the book. I loved his relationships with all the other townspeople. Ulysses was the best random encounter. I can’t wait to revisit the town and find out what happens with the resort.

Moose Springs, Alaska

#1 The Tourist Attraction
#2 Mistletoe and Mr. Right
#3 Enjoy the View

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Grosvenor Square Christmas

Title: A Grosvenor Square Christmas

Author: Anna Campbell, Shana Galen, Vanessa Kelly, Kate Noble

Publisher: 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 171

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Four breathtakingly romantic tales of a Regency Christmas from four bestselling romance authors.

Down through the years, enchantment touches a tall gray house in Grosvenor Square. The legend of Lady Winterson’s Christmas ball promises true love and happiness to one lucky couple. Who will feel the magic this winter?

1803 - The Seduction of a Duchess by Shana Galen

Rowena Harcourt, the Duchess of Valère, never forgot the handsome footman who helped her escape the French Revolution. For fourteen years, Gabriel Lamarque has loved Rowena—now at Lady Winterson’s Christmas ball, has fate finally delivered a chance to win her hand?

1818 - One Kiss for Christmas by Vanessa Kelly

Nigel Dash is London’s most reliable gentleman, a reputation he never minded until he fell in love with beautiful Amelia Easton. Unfortunately, Amelia sees Nigel as a dependable friend, not a dashing suitor. At Lady Winterson’s famous Christmas ball, Nigel vows to change Amelia’s mind—by sweeping her off her feet.

1825 - His Christmas Cinderella by Anna Campbell

At the season’s most glittering ball, a girl who has never dared to dream of forever after discovers a Christmas miracle.

1830 - The Last First Kiss by Kate Noble

Susannah Westforth has always loved Sebastian Beckett – but he’s only ever seen her as a friend. When Sebastian takes his Grand Tour, Susannah transforms herself into a woman he’ll notice. Now Sebastian is back, just in time for Lady Winterson's Christmas ball – but the last thing he expects to see is his little Susie, all grown up...

You’re invited to join the whirling dance at Lady Winterson’s sparkling Christmas ball, where miracles happen and true love shines forever. How can you resist?

These were all decent little stories but I wanted more from them. We get beginnings or middles but nothing like a satisfying story. I wanted a whole lot more for these characters. So another mostly disappointing collection of stories.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss

Title: A Season for Second Chances

Author: Jenny Bayliss

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons 2021

Genre: Romance

Pages: 448

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Annie Sharpe’s spark for life has fizzled out. Her kids are grown up, her restaurant is doing just fine on its own, and her twenty-six-year marriage has come to an unceremonious end. Untethered for the first time in her adult life, she finds a winter guardian position in a historic seaside home and decides to leave her city life behind for a brand-new beginning.

When she arrives in Willow Bay, Annie is enamored by the charming house, the invigorating sea breeze, and the town’s rich seasonal traditions. Not to mention, her neighbors receive her with open arms—that is, all except the surly nephew of the homeowner, whose grand plans for the property are at odds with her residency. As Christmas approaches, tensions and tides rise in Willow Bay, and Annie’s future seems less and less certain. But with a little can-do spirit and holiday magic, the most difficult time of her life will become…a season for second chances.

I enjoyed Bayliss’s previous book, but this one was a miss for me. I was expecting another Christmas romantic comedy. This is not that. Instead we get a very slow moving look at a woman starting again in a new-to-her village. Not enough happened to keep me really interested. I wanted more and something a little lighter. Oh well. Not every book I read is a winner.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas

Title: Miss Moriarty, I Presume? (Lady Sherlock #6)

Author: Sherry Thomas

Publisher: Berkley 2021

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 365

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

A most unexpected client shows up at Charlotte Holmes's doorstep: Moriarty himself. Moriarty fears that tragedy has befallen his daughter and wants Charlotte to find out the truth.

Charlotte and Mrs. Watson travel to a remote community of occult practitioners where Moriarty's daughter was last seen, a place full of lies and liars. Meanwhile, Charlotte’s sister Livia tries to make sense of a mysterious message from her beau Mr. Marbleton. And Charlotte’s longtime friend and ally Lord Ingram at last turns his seductive prowess on Charlotte—or is it the other way around?

But the more secrets Charlotte unravels about Miss Moriarty’s disappearance, the more she wonders why Moriarty has entrusted this delicate matter to her of all people. Is it merely to test Charlotte's skills as an investigator, or has the man of shadows trapped her in a nest of vipers?

And now we come to the end of the series… And what an ending it was! We finally get to meet Moriarty in person and dive into his organization and personal life. Obviously this volume was going to involve Reichenbach Falls and the “death” of Sherlock. It was fun to read how this was going to get twisted and updated for this version of the story. I loved the interactions between Charlotte, Ash, and Mrs. Watson. Those three are the core of this series and it was fitting for the series to end with then. I loved the setting of the Garden and the atmospheric elements of the story. I completely sped through this not wanting to wait for the ending! Now I am a little sad the series is over. I really might have to go back and re-read it soon.

Lady Sherlock

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday

Title: A Princess for Christmas (A Princess for Christmas #1)

Author: Jenny Holiday

Publisher: Avon 2020

Genre: Romance

Pages: 396

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Leo Ricci's already handling all he can, between taking care of his little sister Gabby, driving a cab, and being the super of his apartment building in the Bronx. But when Gabby spots a "princess" in a gown outside of the UN trying to hail a cab, she begs her brother to stop and help. Before he knows it, he's got a real-life damsel in distress in the backseat of his car.

Princess Marie of Eldovia shouldn't be hailing a cab, or even be out and about. But after her mother’s death, her father has plunged into a devastating depression and the fate of her small Alpine country has fallen on Marie’s shoulders. She’s taken aback by the gruff but devastatingly handsome driver who shows her more kindness than she’s seen in a long time.

When Marie asks Leo to be her driver for the rest of her trip, he agrees, thinking he’ll squire a rich miss around for a while and make more money than he has in months. He doesn’t expect to like and start longing for the unpredictable Marie. And when he and Gabby end up in Eldovia for Christmas, he discovers the princess who is all wrong for him is also the woman who is his perfect match.

Perfectly decent little Christmas story, but not my favorite. This one is definitely a Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movie in book form, but with some slightly explicit scenes. Really those scenes annoyed me the most. I was fully onboard with a princess of a made-up country falling for a Bronx guy scenario complete with chaste kisses in the snow and maybe a slightly heated embrace. With this story, we get some random sexual encounters that feel very high school in their tone and description. I wasn’t a fan of the dirty talk aspect as it felt very immature in this case. (If done well, I don’t mind dirty talk at all. See my enjoyment of many eroitca stories.) Something about Leo and Marie’s relationship felt slightly off to me. But I am intrigued by Max and want to read his and Dani’s story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca

Title: Well Matched (Well Met #3)

Author: Jen DeLuca

Publisher: Berkley 2021

Genre: Romance

Pages: 313

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR

Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.

Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire—a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she'll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what's real and what's been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.

As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch's family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch's girlfriend again...and it doesn't feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans—and open her heart—for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.

After a disappointing second book in the series (I just really didn’t love the main characters), we get to Mitch and April’s very good story. I have loved Mitch since seeing him in the first book and always wanted to get to know him better. Thankfully, we get to see him in all his kilted glory for this book. It is true that April annoyed me throughout sections of this book, but I also realize why she struggled opening up to Mitch. Being independent for so long definitely made it hard for her to trust and give in to someone else. Totally understand that even if it annoyed me. I loved that we get to see her continued relationship with her daughter and get some pop ins from the rest of the characters we know. I also liked that this one wasn’t completely centered not he Ren Faire. We get som great scenes toward the end of the book, but a lot is set in April’s house and other locations. It helps to keep the series feeling fresh. And apparently, there’s going to be a fourth book! I’ll definitely have to add that one to my future reading list.

Well Met

#1 Well Met
#2 Well Played
#3 Well Matched

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W17: Last Week of the Semester!

What We Studied

We took it a bit easy for our last week of the fall semester. We wrapped up a few units, had our last coop meeting, and then took Friday off to go to the zoo.

Literature and Poetry

We finished reading The Wind in the Willows. I ended up really enjoying it and reading it out loud is definitely the way to go. We started on our next read aloud selection. It wasn’t on my original list, but we saw it at the library and had to grab it.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
A Snowflake Fell: Poems About Winter by Laura Whipple
Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City by Christian McKay Heidicker
How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky
How Santa Lost His Job by Stephen Krensky

Math

We mostly wrapped up some math packets and did some extra scale reading practice. Plus, there was lots of play with tangrams this week! And Arthur finished his Primarily Logic book.

Primarily Logic

Social Studies

History Quest wrapped up our semester with a chapter about the Hundred Years’ War. We learned all about the conflict and focused on Henry V and Joan of Arc for our biographies.

DK Timelines of Everyone
When on Earth
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
Joan of Arc by Demi

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history. This week, he focused on packet work and some random building projects.

Science and STEAM Coop

We finished our dinosaur unit with more PBS Eons videos. I taught coop this week and we made simple circuits. The kids were very excited to play with the Snap Circuits board I bought. It was a good meeting to end on.

Art/Music

Nothing this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Quentin and I read a lot of books, did some alphabet review, and completed a few math packets. We also played a decent number of dice games and board games.

ELA

Math

Other

Field Trip

We had a park playdate planned for Wednesday but that was canceled when a very dangerous storm blew in. Tornados touched down about 10 miles from our house, but didn’t cause too much damage. To make up for our lost trip, I called school off on Friday and we went to the zoo. I love going in the winter when there are no crowds and you can really linger over the animals. We got to see the penguin feeding. It was a nice morning.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t actually watch anything this week, but made up for it by all the PBS Eons videos for our dinosaur unit.

24 Days of Christmas Books - It’s become a tradition. I wrap packages of holiday books for each day of December until Christmas. We have a great group of books this year!

The Nutcracker's Night Before Christmas by Keith Brockett
Five Busy Elves by Patricia Hegarty
Snow by Roy McKie
The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood
Ten Ways to Heart Snow by Cathy Camper
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
The Littlest Elf by Brandi Dougherty
The Littlest Reindeer by Brandi Dougherty
Merry Christmas, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt
Peppa Pug and the Christmas Party
Russell's Christmas Magic by Rob Scotton
The Great Reindeer Rebellion by Lisa Trumbauer
12 Days of Christmas by Kate Toms
Jingle Bells by Rosie Greening
The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet by Deborah Hautzig
There's an Elf in Your Book by Tom Fletcher
Snow Bunny's Christmas Gift by Rebecca Harry
If Snowflakes Tasted Like Fruitcake by Stacey Previn

High

Taking Friday morning off to go to the zoo was the right call. We wandered around and got to interact with lots of animals without the crowds. The mongoose was being playful and the baby gorilla was so adorable.

Low

Wednesday’s bad weather cancelled all our fun plans! We were supposed to have a park playdate with coop friends and then that evening I was supposed to go to Musicals Bingo with some friends. It was to be my one night out before traveling with the kids. Darn midwest weather!

Next Week

Nothing! It’s Christmas Break! Although we are going to be doing more holiday activities, puzzles, and games. We will officially start the spring semester on January 10th.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #39

As I look outside my window: Bright and sunny although it is cold today.

Right now I am: Getting ready to dive into my next book, Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas. It’s the last book in the Lady Sherlock series and I am desperate to see how everything ends.

On my bedside table: A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss; lots of Kindle holiday romances

On my tv this week: We continued with the current seasons of It’s Always Sunny and Doctor Who. We watched a few more episodes of The Great S1 and started The Wticher S2.

Listening to: Mostly trying to catch up with my podcasts. Only 5 gazillion episodes left to go.

On the menu for this week: I have no idea. We’re leaving on Tuesday, so I don’t really have definitely plans made.

On my to do list: I need to finish packing obviously. I also have a few errands to run later today to prepare for travel. And I should really consult my giant break projects list to make a time blocking plan.

Happening this week:

Monday - Coop Christmas Party
Tuesday - Travel Day!
Wednesday - Visit to the Botanical Gardens and stop to see the lights downtown
Thursday - Fantasy of Lights
Friday - Christmas Eve!
Saturday - Christmas Day!
Sunday - Christmas with other side of the family

What I am creating: Packing lists. I have about 60% of our stuff ready to be loaded into the van. But I still have that other 40% to take care of. Checking my packing lists again to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

My simple pleasures: D&D with friends, a nice cup of cocoa, good night’s rest.

Looking around the house: Whirlwind cleaning yesterday really helped lighten my mood. I like to leave the house for travel in a decent shape so when I come home, I’m not annoyed by the mess. J will still be here, but he’s much less messier than the kids.

From the camera: Thankful that the very scary storm on Wednesday produced some high winds in the area, but not much else. Still, it was a tense few hours spent in the basement just in case.

Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful #2)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 356

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Escaping a cheating ex, finance whiz Sara Dillon's moved to New York City and is looking for excitement without a lot of strings attached. So meeting the irresistible, sexy Brit at a dance club should have meant nothing more than a night's fun. But the manner--and speed--with which he melts her inhibitions turns him from a one-time hookup and into her Beautiful Stranger.

The whole city knows Max Stella loves women, not that he's ever found one he particularly wants to keep around. Despite pulling in plenty with his Wall Street bad boy charm, it's not until Sara--and the wild photos she lets him take of her--that he starts wondering if there's someone for him outside of the bedroom.

Hooking up in places where anybody could catch them, the only thing scarier for Sara than getting caught in public is having Max get too close in private.

Ah this is better! I realized that part of why I gave the first two books in this series 3 stars was because I didn’t absolutely love the main characters. Their constant sniping at each other wasn’t really my thing. The banter between Max and Sara is much more enjoyable and gave this book another star! I would have totally fallen for someone like Max. Once again, we start with a bang, get it, bang? and push ahead full steam for the rest of the book. Very open door, and I loved it. Such fun! Now back to my regularly scheduled holiday romances.

Beautiful Bastard

#1 Beautiful Bastard
#1.5 Beautiful Bitch
#2 Beautiful Stranger
#2.5 Beautiful Bombshell
#3 Beautiful Player
#3.5 Beautiful Beginning
#3.6 Beautiful Beloved
#4 Beautiful Secret
#4.5 Beautiful Boss
#5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Pastels and Jingle Bells by Christine S. Feldman

Title: Pastels and Jingle Bells (Heavenly Bites #1)

Author: Christine S. Feldman

Publisher: 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 103

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Trish Ackerly never expected to cross paths with Ian Rafferty again, but when she spots the former bully of her childhood years through her bakery window, she thinks she may just have been given the best Christmas gift ever: the opportunity to finally give Ian the comeuppance he deserves.

But clearly she does not have a knack for this whole revenge thing, because before she can make good on her plans, Trish gets inadvertently drawn into Ian’s life in an unexpected way that lets her see just how different the man is from the boy he used to be. In fact, much to her astonishment, she actually starts to like the guy.

A lot.

Trouble is, Ian doesn’t know who she really is, and explaining it to him is going to be a little difficult now—which is bad news, because Trish is starting to realize that all she really wants for Christmas this year…is Ian.

Cute little introduction story, but just not enough. This needed to be twice as long so we could actually spend some time with Trish and Ian as a couple. I loved Kelsey and really felt like we need to dig into her more and learn about her life. Plus, where’s her mom? Cute and fun, but not enough for me!

Heavenly Bites

#1 Pastels and Jingle Bells
#2 Love Lessons
#3 Playing Cupid

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Bitch by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Bitch (Beautiful #2)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 161

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Just when Chloe’s career starts to take off, Bennett wishes it would all slow down long enough to spend a wild night alone with his intern-cum-girlfriend. Preferably one in which he can show her he’s still the boss.

After her continued refusals to take time off with him, Bennett can finally no longer take no for an answer. And so the couple find themselves with two plane tickets, one French villa, and a surprising conversation that, predictably, leaves them wrestling under the covers.

Decent little novella and continuation of Chloe and Bennett’s story. I like the story, but didn’t love the construction. We jump back and forth through their timeline following the events of Beautiful Bastard. I would have liked a bit more of a linear progression. And the different fonts for each point of view were unnecessary. We could have had chapters just title “Chloe” or “Bennett” to designate. For some strange reason, I am still into this series (despite the lower rating) and will be continuing.

Beautiful Bastard

#1 Beautiful Bastard
#1.5 Beautiful Bitch
#2 Beautiful Stranger
#2.5 Beautiful Bombshell
#3 Beautiful Player
#3.5 Beautiful Beginning
#3.6 Beautiful Beloved
#4 Beautiful Secret
#4.5 Beautiful Boss
#5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

A scary storm rolled through yesterday. There was a tornado that touched down about 10 miles from here, but it was pretty incomplete and didn’t do any major damage.
Our last coop meeting is this morning. We’re going to miss our friends over the Christmas break.
Squeezing in a few more holiday activities before Christmas.
Packing for our travel next week… So many things to remember and I need to make a master list.
Tried some whiskey cheddar cheese from Aldi’s and it was terrible. Oh well, at least it was cheap. We try some and we lose some, but it’s always an adventure with picks from Aldi’s.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Update

Instead of a separate bucket list, I’m just going to highlight our advent activities for December.

Decorate Mini Tree ✓ (This pic was pre-decoration, but they got it down and started their advent calendars.)

Letter to Santa ✓

Christmas Movies x3

8 Bit Christmas - Lovely 80s nostalgia for the parents. Heartwarming for the kids.
Dr. Sesuss’ The Grinch - Marcus Theaters was having $5 retro Christmas movies.

Make Paper Snowflakes ✓ - Arthur ripped a few, but we managed to make about 6 for the breakfast nook window.

Get New Christmas PJs and Socks ✓

Go See Santa at Cabela’s ✓ - We always have to check out the taxidermy animals and see the aquarium while there. And this year the boys got me to buy them those giant stuffed reindeer. We also ended up visiting Santa at The Durham Museum.

Go See Werner Park Lights ✓

Hot Chocolate bar ✓ - We tried Mint, French Vanilla, and Amaretto. Arthur and Quentin loved the Amaretto best and I really enjoyed the French Vanilla.

Meet the reindeer

Go for a hike and get pine cones

Puzzle Day ✓ - This year’s selection was Christmas cats!

Make Gingerbread Cookies ✓ - Quentin was a big helper coating the cookies with sugar.

Visit Lauritzen Gardens

Coop Christmas Party

Decorate Gingerbread Houses ✓ - Always a disaster, but we love it.

Drive around and see the lights

Fantasy of Lights

Botanical Gardens Christmas Display

Cookie Decorating

Dinner at Coney Island and Visit to Santa Lights

Christmas music dance party

Watch The Grinch

24 Days of Christmas Books

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
Gingerbread Christmas by Jan Brett
Catch that Cookie by Hallie Durand
Five Little Monkeys by Eileen Christelow
The Wheels on the Bus at Christmas
The Library Gingerbread Man by Dotti Enderle
Who Will Pull Santa's Sleigh by Russ Willms
The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup
Dream Snow by Eric Carle
Snow Globe Wishes by Erin Dealey
The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke
Olive, the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold
Santa in the City by Tiffany D. Jackson
Santa's Secrets Revealed by James Solheim
Comet, the Unstoppable Reindeer by Jim Benton
A Polar Story in the Snow by Mac Barnett
Snow by Sam Usher
The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett
Snow is Fun by Steve Henry
Little Fox in the Snow by Jonathan London
Good Night, Reindeer by Denise Brennan-Nelson
How Santa Really Works by Alan Snow
Snow Friends by Margery Cuyler
A Chick n Pug Christmas by Jennifer Sattler
Mouse's Night Before Christmas by Tracey Corderoy
The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst
The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Last Stop on the Reindeer Express by Maudie Powell-Tuck
The Christmas Eve Tree by Delia Huddy
Martin MacGregor's Snowman by Lisa Broadie Cook
What the Dinosaurs Did the Night Before Christmas by Refe and Susan Tuma
Hurry, Santa! by Tomie dePaola
One Wild Christmas by Nicholas Oldland
Vegetables in Holiday Underwear by Jared Chapman
T. rex at Swan Lake by Lisa Carrier and Lenore Hart
The Nutcracker's Night Before Christmas by Keith Brockett
Five Busy Elves by Patricia Hegarty
Snow by Roy McKie
The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood
Ten Ways to Heart Snow by Cathy Camper
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

Other Holiday Movies Watched

The Man Who Invented Christmas
A Christmas Wish
Single All the Way
Love Hard
Encanto - We went to the movie theater for this one!

Next up on the TBR pile:

God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen by Rhys Bowen

Title: God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen (Royal Spyness #15)

Author: Rhys Bowen

Publisher: Berkley 2021

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 302

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Georgie is excited for her first Christmas as a married woman in her lovely new home. She suggests to her dashing husband, Darcy, that they have a little house party, but when Darcy receives a letter from his aunt Ermintrude, there is an abrupt change in plans. She has moved to a house on the edge of the Sandringham estate, near the royal family, and wants to invite Darcy and his new bride for Christmas. Aunt Ermintrude hints that the queen would like Georgie nearby. Georgie had not known that Aunt Ermintrude was a former lady-in-waiting and close confidante of her royal highness. The letter is therefore almost a royal request, so Georgie, Darcy, and their Christmas guests: Mummy, Grandad, Fig, and Binky all head to Sandringham.

Georgie soon learns that the notorious Mrs. Simpson, mistress to the Prince of Wales, will also be in attendance. It is now crystal clear to Georgie that the Queen expects her to do a bit of spying. There is tension in the air from the get-go, and when Georgie pays a visit to the queen, she learns that there is more to her request than just some simple eavesdropping. There have been a couple of strange accidents at the estate recently. Two gentlemen of the royal household have died in mysterious circumstances and another has been shot by mistake during a hunt. Georgie begins to suspect that a member of the royal family is the real target but her investigation will put her new husband and love of her life, Darcy, in the crosshairs of a killer.

Oof. I think I am officially done with this series. Georgie hasn’t really grown much in the past ten books and Darcy still really annoys me. It’s the side characters that really make these books entertaining. But even now, I’m not convinced they are enough to continue. I just feel like the series is rehashing the same things over and over again with nothing new introduced. Plus the mysteries have really been lackluster. Sorry Georgie, but I just can’t do it anymore.

Her Royal Spyness:

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Princess Plan by Julia London

Title: The Princess Plan (Royal Wedding #1)

Author: Julia London

Publisher: HQN 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 392

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Nothing gets the tongues of London’s high society wagging like a good scandal. And when the personal secretary of the visiting Prince Sebastian of Alucia is found murdered, it’s all anyone can talk about, including Eliza Tricklebank. Her unapologetic gossip gazette has benefited from an anonymous tip about the crime, prompting Sebastian to take an interest in playing detective—and an even greater interest in Eliza.

With a trade deal on the line and mounting pressure to secure a noble bride, there’s nothing more salacious than a prince dallying with a commoner. Sebastian finds Eliza’s contrary manner as frustrating as it is seductive, but they’ll have to work together if they’re going to catch the culprit. And when things heat up behind closed doors, it’s the prince who’ll have to decide what comes first—his country or his heart.

I grabbed the third book in this series as it’s set at Christmas. But I am not an animal, and I always try to read series in order. Therefore, I had to head back to the library and get books one and two to read first. This series starter was a fun delightful romance and murder mystery intrigue. We are thrown into political intrigue and dangerous factions with Eliza as she navigates an accidental friendship with a foreign prince. But of course we are also going to get some romance thrown in there. I loved Eliza’s ability to be herself in the face of societal pressures. She was a delight to follow throughout the storyline. And Sebastian was a lovely lead male character. I wanted a bit more about them once he declared his love, but that’s a usual complaint. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and will be continuing to read the trilogy.

Royal Wedding

#1 The Princess Plan
#2 A Royal Kiss and Tell
#3 A Princess by Christmas

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W16: All the Holiday Fun and Field Trips!

What We Studied

Another week of lots of holiday fun and changes to our schedule. But it’s okay. I love December and want to soak in all the fun while we still can!

Literature and Poetry

We kept at reading The Wind in the Willows. I’m not sure Arthur really loves it, but I’m enjoying his writing style. It sounds lovely when read out loud. We’ve only got one chapter left to read (reading today) and then we’re on to our next selection.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
A Snowflake Fell: Poems About Winter by Laura Whipple
Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet (Picture Book Study)
The Secret History of Hot Chocolate by Stephen Krensky

Math

More review, puzzles, and wrap-up. I decided to hold off starting 3B until January. Until then, we are continuing our logic puzzle book and lots of math games.

Singapore Math Common Core Edition 3A
Primarily Logic

Social Studies

This week was all about Medieval Plague and Cathedrals! I do love infectious diseases, but we kept it light for Arthur.

DK Timelines of Everyone
When on Earth
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
The Plague by Lawrence Andrews
History Smashers: Plagues and Pandemics by Kate Messner
Chanticleer and the Fox by Barbara Cooney
The Canterbury Tales adapted by Barbara Cohen

Arthur Independent Time

Science and STEAM Coop

Continuing with our Dinosaur unit from Blossom and Root! We ended up watching a lot of Eons to cover most of the Cenozoic.

The Story of Life: Evolution by Katie Scott
Life: The First Four Billion Years by Martin Jenkins
When the Whales Walked and Other Incredibly Evolutionary Journeys by Dougal Dixon
DK Dinsoaur
DK Where on Earth? Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures
Prehistoric by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Dinosaurium by Chris Wormell and Lily Murray

For Coop, we had our Robots and Engineering second week. The big kids finished their hydraulic crane builds and Arthur got to take one home! The little kids made scribble bots and played around with some other robots Ms. Heather had. Next week, is our last coop meeting of the semester and I’m teaching circuits to the little kids. We did a bit of wrap-up Robots packet at home to end the week.

Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beaty
Robots, Robots, Everywhere! by Sue Fliess
Nat Geo Kids: Robots by Melissa Stewart - Read and Packet

Art/Music

Nothing this week

Quentin

ELA

Math

Other

Field Trip

On Wednesday, I randomly grabbed the library pass for The Durham Museum to check out the exhibits. We also got see Santa while we were there and did a scavenger hunt to find all the elves hidden in the museum.

Friday was our official coop field trip at DoSpace. We got a great tour of the facility and then the kids explored two different robots. Our tour guide and teacher was great with the kids and really engaged them throughout. Now that we have a membership card, we definitely need to go back and check out some of the games and programs. Maybe January we can put some class on our calendar.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We actually did watch a NOVA episode about the great cathedrals of Europe. I learned a lot about various engineering obstacles and our modern exploration of them. Really fascinating episode. We also watched some more PBS Eons videos about the Cenozoic.

24 Days of Christmas Books - It’s become a tradition. I wrap packages of holiday books for each day of December until Christmas. We have a great group of books this year!

Comet, the Unstoppable Reindeer by Jim Benton
A Polar Story in the Snow by Mac Barnett
Snow by Sam Usher
The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett
Snow is Fun by Steve Henry
Little Fox in the Snow by Jonathan London
Good Night, Reindeer by Denise Brennan-Nelson
How Santa Really Works by Alan Snow
Snow Friends by Margery Cuyler
A Chick n Pug Christmas by Jennifer Sattler
Mouse's Night Before Christmas by Tracey Corderoy
The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst
The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Last Stop on the Reindeer Express by Maudie Powell-Tuck
The Christmas Eve Tree by Delia Huddy
Martin MacGregor's Snowman by Lisa Broadie Cook
What the Dinosaurs Did the Night Before Christmas by Refe and Susan Tuma
Hurry, Santa! by Tomie dePaola
One Wild Christmas by Nicholas Oldland
Vegetables in Holiday Underwear by Jared Chapman
T. rex at Swan Lake by Lisa Carrier and Lenore Hart

High

On Tuesday, we hosted three coop families for a board game day. The kids split into groups and played a variety of board games for about an hour before abandoning them for free play. it was a lovely morning.
We also went to see the Werner Park Lights on Wednesday night. It was lovely!

Low

Nothing really. We had a good week!

Next Week

Finishing The Wind in the Willows and Starting Scary Stories for Young Foxes: In the City
Covering the Hundred Years’ War for history
Reviewing our math concepts
Finishing our Dinosaur videos
Covering circuits for coop
Having a park playdate, going to see a movie, and potentially going on a small hike through the bare woods

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #38

As I look outside my window: Most of the snow from Friday night has melted, at least on the concrete. The boys wanted to build a snowman, but it’s too sparse and wet for that now. They were a bit disappointed.

Right now I am: Planning my experiments for circuits theme for coop on Thursday. We are going to make graphite circuits and a lemon battery.

Thinking and pondering: What all do I need to get done before traveling this Christmas? I swear my to-do is so scattered right now.

On my bedside table: Well Matched by Jen DeLuca; lots more holiday romances

On my tv this week: We watched a few movies and documentaries this week, plus we finally started The Great. Hilarious!

Listening to: Holly on Sirius XM all the time now! It’s officially Christmas music time.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Italian Beef Sandwiches
Tuesday - Apple Bacon Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Wednesday - Pomegranate Chicken
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Mongolian Beef
Saturday - Avocado, Bruschetta Chicken
Sunday - Shrimp Scampi Pasta

On my to do list: Oh so many little things! But most of all, I need to clean off my desk and put away my Christmas card supplies.

Happening this week:

Monday - Regular School Day
Tuesday - Movie Afternoon (We’re going to see Encanto)
Wednesday - Park Playdate Morning; Musicals Bingo
Thursday - Coop
Friday - Regular School Day
Saturday - House Cleaning; D&D
Sunday - More House Cleaning and Packing

What I am creating: I want to make about 4 more Christmas cards to have on hand for neighbors and such. Once that’s done (maybe this afternoon), I need to clean off my desk and get prepping for homeschool next semester. Or I might take a look at my memory planner first…

My simple pleasures: Good gatherings with friends. We had our book club book and bottle exchange last night and it was so lovely to hang out with people again. And I got a book that has been on my TBR list, so yeah me!

Looking around the house: Things are okay, but I do need to get the kitchen in order today and clear off the counter to prep for the coop holiday party on the 20th.

From the camera: I chopped my hair off this week! Feels so much better and it curls much easier now.