Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Secret (Beautiful #4)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 385

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

When Ruby Miller’s boss announces he’s sending her on an extended business trip to New York City, she’s shocked. As one of the best and brightest young engineers in London, she knows she’s professionally up to the task. The part that’s throwing her is where she’ll be spending a month up close and personal working alongside—and staying in a hotel with—Niall Stella, her firm’s top urban planning executive and The Hottest Man Alive. Despite her ongoing crush, Ruby is certain Niall barely knows she’s alive…until their flirty overnight flight makes him sit up and take notice.

Not one for letting loose and breaking rules, recently divorced Niall would describe himself as hopeless when it comes to women. But even he knows outgoing California-girl Ruby is a breath of fresh air. Once she makes it her mission to help the sexy Brit loosen his tie, there’s no turning back. Thousands of miles from London, it’s easy for the lovers to play pretend. But when the trip is over, will the relationship they’ve built up fall down?

And we get to know Max’s younger brother Niall in this romance romp. Overall I did really enjoy this book, but there were a few aspects that I wasn’t the biggest fan of. I enjoyed the general romance between Niall and Ruby. I liked their personal relationship as they navigate their feelings for each other. The steamy scenes were definitely steamy. I was very much into this story. But then, we get the big conflict and I was very annoyed. It seems like this entire series has a dynamic of a male character stepping back while a female character handles a terrible situation. Okay I’m very on board with this idea of men stepping back and allowing women to step up for themselves. Again, I am okay with this set-up. What I don’t like is that there is always some other male character acting terrible that suffers no consequences from their behavior. In this book we get a very sexual predator boss who forces Ruby to quit her internship or stop dating Niall (who is not her boss in any matter). And nothing absolutely happens. I am very enraged in these situations through the series. I’m still going to finish the series, but very annoyed by this small part.

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:

The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher

Title: The City of Lead and Gold (Tripods #2)

Author: John Christopher

Publisher: 1967

Genre: Middle Grade Scifi

Pages: 209

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

When Will and his friends arrived at the White Mountains, they thought everything would be okay. They’d found a safe haven where the mechanical monsters called Tripods could not find them. But once there, they wonder about the world around them and how they are faring against the machines.

In order to save everyone else, Will and his friends want to take down the Tripods once and for all. That means journeying to the Tripod capital: the City of Gold and Lead.

Although the journey will be difficult, the real danger comes once Will is inside the city, where Tripods roam freely and humans are even more enslaved than they are on the outside. Without anyone to help him, Will must learn the secrets of the Tripods—and how to take them down—before they figure out that he’s a spy…and he can only pretend to be brainwashed for so long.

Finally, we get to see the aliens in the tripods! Overall this book was a very enjoyable ride. We get to follow Will as he travels into the city of the Masters. The writing becomes very descriptions as we learn more about the aliens and their plans for Earth. Thankfully the books moves quickly keeping the action continuing at a decent pace. I am definitely interested in how this story is going to end.

The Tripods

• #0.5 When the Tripods Came

• #1 The White Mountains

• #2 The City of Gold and Lead

• #3 The Pool of Fire

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W28: The Forest and Some Bees

What We Studied

And it was a very normal week for our school days. We had a few outings, but covered a ton of material.

Literature and Poetry

Finished one read aloud and started another.

• City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

• The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

• I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky

• The Giant Carrot by Jan Peck (Lit Study)

Math

And with that, Arthur has finished Singapore 3B! For the rest of the year, we’ll be reviewing math concepts and playing some math games.

• Logic Countdown

• For Good Measure by Ken Robbins

Social Studies

We covered the Ottoman Empire for history. Arthur enjoyed the art and the science especially.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

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.

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop, covered bees. The kids learned about bee life cycles and then played some games and did some crafts. The kids got to make bee houses for our local mason bees.

We finished our science unit on geology with a mini lesson on volcanoes. Arthur was super excited to learn all about how volcanoes work.

• An Island Grows by Lola M. Schaefer

• Nat Geo Kids Volcanoes

• Volcanoes by Gail Gibbons

• Volcanoes by Elaine Landau

• Geo Detectives: Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Anita Ganeri

• The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top by Joanna Cole

• Fault Lines and Tectonic Plates by Kathleen M. Reilly

• Everything Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Kathy Furgang

• DK Volcano and Earthquake

• Volcanic Eruptions by Ann O. Squire

• How Hot is Lava? And Other Questions About Volcanoes by Kelly Smith

Art/Music

None 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. Q started a Beatrix Potter unit for the month of April. We also did some math and worked on other skills.

ELA

• The Secret Staircase by Jill Barklem

• Sea Story by Jill Barklem

• The High Hills by Jill Barklem

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

• The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter

• High Five January 2020

• High Five March 2020

• A Celebration of Beatrix Potter: Art and Letters

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

• I Spy On the Farm

• Smart Start Beginning Coding Grade 1

Field Trip

We had a lovely few hours at Fontenelle Forest with their STEM backpacks. The coop field trips have been great this semester. We did a scavenger hunt, walked the trails, and played at the nature classroom.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

Misc. Picture Books Read

• No Buddy Like a Book by Allan Wolf

• Serious Farm by Tim Egan

High

• Our two coop events this week were great. We love having regular events with our friends and learning a little something.

Low

• A big dentist appointment on Monday took me out for hours. Oh well. We’ll make it up.

Next Week

• Continuing to read the Chronicles of Narnia

• Reviewing our math concepts

• Focusing on nature for science

• Learning about the scientific revolution and the Reformation

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Mat Kearney feat. Young Summer "The Conversation"

A old song (from 2015) and yet I just discovered it. Really digging this song right now.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #12

As I look outside my window: Finally! We have gotten to proper spring temperatures. It’s currently about 55 degrees.

Right now I am: Prepping to run some errands. I completely spaced Easter, so guess I need to go to Target or something and grab some supplies.

On my bedside table: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel; Beautiful Boss and Beautiful by Christina Lauren; Girly Drinks by Mallory O’Meara

On my tv this week: We completely finished Hustle, all 8 seasons, Once Upon a Time… Happily Never After, and S1 of Severance (that ending!). Guess it’s time to circle back to Star Trek and some other random shows.

Listening to: Nothing too exciting although I went on a weird side track and downloaded all the Jimmy Eat albums that I didn’t have on my phone.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Fish Chowder

• Tuesday - Take out

• Wednesday - Leftovers

• Thursday - Breakfast for Dinner

• Friday - Pizza

• Saturday - Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quinoa Bowls

• Sunday - Cajun Stuffed Chicken

On my to do list: I desperately need to put away all the clothes today. Beyond that, I probably should update all my ongoing projects (Kansas trip, retreat, Indiana trip) and do some coop planning.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Park Playdate

• Tuesday - Regular school day; Take J to airport

• Wednesday - Home day

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Lauritzen Garden Field Trip; Lit Society

• Saturday - Pick up our Rental Chicks!

• Sunday - Easter

What I am creating: Mostly just working on trip plans. I do want to spend an hour today working on my March Memory Planner, but that’s it.

My simple pleasures: Mild temperatures; movie out with friends

Looking around the house: Having coop here last week made sure that I picked things up. Now to maintain…

From the camera: Pony rides at the farm!

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

Title: Dead Silence

Author: S.A. Barnes

Publisher: Tor Nightfire 2022

Genre: Horror

Pages: 343

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed—made obsolete—when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With nothing to lose and no desire to return to Earth, Claire and her team decide to investigate.

What they find is shocking: the Aurora, a famous luxury spaceliner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system more than twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life. But a quick search of the ship reveals something isn’t right.

Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Messages scrawled in blood. Claire must fight to hold on to her sanity and find out what really happened on the Aurora before she and her crew meet the same ghastly fate.

I cannot remember where I heard about this one (maybe Book Pages?), but I was totally in for a space horror story. This does not disappoint. Right away we know that something went horribly wrong onboard the ghost space ship Aurora. We then spend the rest of the book switching back and forth between the story of what the crew found and Claire’s present. Make not mistake, this story is creepy and very gory. If you cannot handle blood and gore, do not read this one. The writing dives right into very atmospheric settings and graphic descriptions. I was on the edge of my seat the entire ride. I would have liked a bit more time encountering the spooky while onboard the Aurora before Claire passes out and her memory mostly goes blank. But otherwise I really enjoyed this one!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The White Mountains by John Christopher

Title: The White Mountains (Tripods #1)

Author: John Christopher

Publisher: 1967

Genre: Middle Grade Scifi

Pages: 223

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Will Parker never dreamed he would be the one to rebel against the Tripods. With the approach of his thirteenth birthday, he expected to attend his Capping ceremony as planned and to become connected to the Tripods—huge three-legged machines—that now control all of Earth. But after an encounter with a strange homeless man called Beanpole, Will sets out for the White Mountains, where people are said to be free from the control of the Tripods.

But even with the help of Beanpole and his friends, the journey is long and hard. And with the Tripods hunting for anyone who tries to break free, Will must reach the White Mountains fast. But the longer he’s away from his home, the more the Tripods look for him…and no one can hide from the monstrous machines forever.

J has been trying to get me to read this series for years now. He read it during childhood and remembered it fondly. I finally started the series and blew through the first book in two days. This is short and middle grade, so not hard to read. There were some great sequences of the boys escaping through the countryside and coming across the ruins of civilization past. I especially loved the sections set in what was Paris. The overall escape adventure was fun to follow. There were passages that were slow and very old-fashioned in terms of style. And the ending was very abrupt and terrible. I really wish for two more chapters to detail their arrival at the White Mountains, but oh well. Maybe the next book will expand that setting.

The Tripods

• #0.5 When the Tripods Came

• #1 The White Mountains

• #2 The City of Gold and Lead

• #3 The Pool of Fire

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lambs, Chicks, and Videos

Oh so delightful

Cannot wait for this one!

Absolutely amazing! You have to watch the entire thing!

Seriously, all of these commercials are gold.

All of these are hilarious!

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Title: Magic for Liars

Author: Sarah Gailey

Publisher: Tor 2019

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR; Unread Shelf

Ivy Gamble was born without magic and never wanted it.
Ivy Gamble is perfectly happy with her life – or at least, she’s perfectly fine.
She doesn't in any way wish she was like Tabitha, her estranged, gifted twin sister.
Ivy Gamble is a liar.

When a gruesome murder is discovered at The Osthorne Academy of Young Mages, where her estranged twin sister teaches Theoretical Magic, reluctant detective Ivy Gamble is pulled into the world of untold power and dangerous secrets. She will have to find a murderer and reclaim her sister—without losing herself.

Our April book club selection and one off my own unread shelves. I was hoping for another great adventure a la Upright Women Wanted. This one didn’t quite live up to the action and adventure. I loved the setting and the overall atmosphere of the novel. Osthorne and all the weird settings really put me in the spooky mood. I was definitely along for the plot itself. I needed to find out what happened to Capley and whodunnit. My biggest issue was with Ivy herself. She just wasn’t a likable character and I completely understand why. She has a past, but some of the desperation was completely self-inflicted. I could only take so much of the desperation before it really started to grate on me. Overall, I enjoyed this novel, but I think it’s going to be farther down he list of favorite Gailey books.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Dragon in the Library by Louie Stowell

Title: The Dragon in the Library

Author: Louie Stowell

Publisher: Nosy Crow 2019

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Pages: 224

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

Kit can't STAND reading. She'd MUCH rather be outside, playing games and getting muddy, than stuck inside with a book. But when she's dragged along to the library one day by her two best friends, she makes an incredible discovery - and soon it's up to Kit and her friends to save the library... and the world.

Meh. I was hoping for another fun literary themed middle grade fantasy (a la The Bookwanderers), but this one did not deliver for me. It was a little too immature. Definitely lower elementary as opposed to proper middle grade. I was slightly annoyed by the repetition in the narration and commentary about the various characters. It just didn’t really keep my attention and I won’t me reading farther into the series.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #6

Reading: After a few complicated and series books and a middle grade series, I started the space horror Dead Silence by SA Barnes.

Watching: After a long wait, Moon Knight S1 finally started airing. I am very intrigued.

Listening: ice Nine Kills just dropped a new song, “Hunting Season,” and I’m really loving it!

Making: Working on next year’s curriculum and that means piles of books everywhere.

Feeling: A big dentist appointment yesterday means that I have a slightly sore mouth today.

Planning: Working on all our travel plans for the rest of the year. I think we’re ready to start booking hotel rooms this week.

Loving: I have not had a good night’s sleep for awhile now. Sleep sounds amazing right now.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W27: Adding to Our Outside Hours!

What We Studied

We combined a “break week” and a regular week for this post. Our break week have turned into a way to catch up on unfinished units, add some special activities, and take a few hours off.

Literature and Poetry

We continued our read aloud and did a few literature studies. A fairly normal week when it came to language.

• City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

• I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky

• Butterfly House by Eve Bunting

• Three Hens and a Peacock by Lester L. Laminack

• Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

• The Happy Lion by Louise Patio

• Mossy by Jan Brett

• John Philip Duck by Patricia Polacco

• Ginger and Petunia by Patricia Polacco

Math

Arthur covered Unit 12: Geometry and even did a special project. He created a Multiplication Grid art project.

• Logic Countdown

• Math Art + Drawing Games

Social Studies

We covered two chapters in History Quest: Middle Times learning about Kievan Russia and Mughal India. We did a mini focus on St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Taj Mahal. (Side note: I think I want to add an architecture unit into next year’s curriculum.) And I threw in a mini unit about the stories of Baba Yaga.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• Follow Me Around: Russia by Wiley Blevins

• Let’s Explore Russia by Walt K. Moon

• Living in Russia by Jesse Burton

• Russia ABCs by Ann Berge

• Matreshka by Becky Hickox Ayres

• The Flying Witch by Jane Yolen

• The Black Geese by Alison Lurie

• Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave by Marianna Mayer

• Grandma Chickenlegs by Geraldine McCaughrean

• Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll by Hiawyn Oram

• Baba Yaga by An Leysen

• Whole Wide World: Kristine Spanier

• Taj Mahal by Cynthia Kennedy Hanzel

• Where is the Taj Mahal? by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler

• Taj Mahal by Elizabeth Mann

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.

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop, we

Beyond coop, we did a mini unit on the Spring Equinox.

• Goodbye Winter Hello Spring by Kenard Pak

• Sorting Through Spring by Lizann Flatt

• My Nature Sticker Activity Book: In the Forest by Olivia Cosneau

And we continued our geology unit focusing on rocks and minerals and plate tectonics and earthquakes. Arthur loved growing his own lava rock crystals.

• Radical Rocks by Rena Korb

• These Rocks Count! by Alison Formento

• Geology: The Study of Rocks by Susan H. Gray

• Nat Geo Rocks and Minerals by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

• Fantastic Forces and Incredible Machines

• Astonishing Atoms and Matter Mayhem

• Dirtmeister's Nitty Gritty Planet Earth by Steve Tomecek

• I'm Trying to Love Rocks by Bethany Barton

• Rocks by Sally M. Walker

• All About Rocks by Alessandra Potenza

• DK Rocks and Minerals

• DK Rocks and Minerals (other edition)

• My Little Book of Rocks, Minerals, and Gems by Claudia Martin

• My Book of Rocks and Minerals

• The Island that Moved: How Shifting Forces Shape Our Earth by Meredith Hooper

• DK Volcano and Earthquake

• Fault Lines and Tectonic Plates by Kathleen M. Reilly

• Everything Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Kathy Furgang Ch. 3

• Geo Detectives: Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Anita Ganeri

• Earthquakes on Shaky Ground by Lesley McFadzean

• Zhang Heng and the Incredible Earthquake Detector by Randel McGee

Art/Music

We discovered Rosa Bonheur and her animal paintings. The kids loved looking at a big collection of her work and learning a little of her life. Afterward, they did some free drawing inspired by Bonheur’s work.

• Rosa's Animals: The Story of Rosa Bonheur and Her Painting Menagerie by Maryann MacDonald

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. Q finished his big general unit on the farm.

ELA

• Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies

• Biscuit by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Biscuit Plays Ball by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Biscuit and the Baby by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Biscuit’s Day at the Farm by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Biscuit Goes Camping by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Spring Story by Jill Barkley

• High Five November 2018

• High Five December 2018

• High Five February 2020

• Flubby will NOT Play with That by JE Morris

• Food from Farms by Nancy Dickmann

• Let’s Visit a Dairy Farm by Alyse Sweeney

• What’s It Like to Live Here? Farm by Katie Marsico

• Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s Farm by

• Farm by Elisha Cooper

• On the Farm by Victoria Taylor

• Let's Go to the Farm! by Caryl Hart

• Seasons on the Farm by Nancy Dickmann

• Mighty Truck on the Farm by Chris Barton

• Big Read Barn by Margeret Wise Brown

• Farm Machines by Kathryn Clay

• Finish Farm Packet

• I Spy on the Farm

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

• I Spy Learn and Go

• I Spy on the Farm

• Smart Start Beginning Coding Grade 1

Field Trip

We had a fun day exploring Arbor Day Farm last Friday. We started with a guided lesson about bees and blossoms and then played on our own. Thankfully I remembered to pack a picnic lunch. We ended up spending 6 hours there making it a 8 hour day away from the house. Still, it was a great 6 hours!

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We watched a NOVA episode about gemstones. I learned a lot about how they are made and what distinguishesd one from another. Not a documentary, but a podcast - We started listening to PBS Eons: Mysteries of Deep Time. The first two episodes cover the only human remains in the La Brea Tar Pits and the Piltdown Man Hoax. Fascinating listens as we traveled this week.

Misc. Picture Books Read

• The Universe and You by Suzanne Slade

• Dear Librarian by Lydia M. Sigwarth

• Poo on the Savanna by Emilie Dufresne

• A Pizza with Everything on It by Kyle Scheele

• Dear Reader by Tiffany Rose

• Ten Thank-You Letters by Daniel Kirk

• Nobody Hugs a Cactus by Carter Goodrich

High

• Arbor Day Farm was incredibly per usual. I wish it was a bit closer to home.

Low

• Thursday’s coop meeting was more hectic and chaotic than usual. We were very sad to have to hold it in doors at the temps were hovering in the 30s.

Next Week

• Wrapping up City of the Plague God

• Starting the last three books in the Chronicles of Narnia

• Covering half of 3B Unit 13 about area and perimeter

• Exploring the Ottoman Empire

• Beginning a Beatrix Potter unit for literature

• Continuing our geology unit for science as well as spring and bees for coop

• Hoping to sneak in a study of Beethoven’s music

• Taking a backpack hike at Fontenelle Forest

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Northlane "Echo Chamber"

A new-to-me group that I’m loving.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #11

On my bedside table: Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher; rest of the Beautiful series by Christina Lauren

On my tv this week: Continuing with Severance S1 with J. I binged Bridgerton S2.

Listening to: All the usual podcasts, including the new on PBS Eons: Mysteries of Deep Time

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Salmon (of some kind)

• Tuesday - Potato Leek Soup

• Wednesday - Apricot, Brie, and Bacon Grilled Cheese

• Thursday - Beef Tips

• Friday - Leftovers

• Saturday - Fish Chowder

• Sunday - Black Bean Soup; Chicken Ranch Tacos

On my to do list: I imagine that I have a few things, but mostly I need to work on coop matters.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Big dentist appointment for me

• Tuesday - Fontenelle Forest Backpack Hike

• Wednesday - Regular School Day

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Regular School Day

• Saturday - Gifford Farm Easter egg hunt

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Nothing much at the moment, but I do plan on working on my March Memory Planner pages this week.

My simple pleasures: Good book discussions; D&D fun; good mysteries

Looking around the house: We’re having coop at our house again this coming week. I should do a good cleaning sweep beforehand. The boys especially need to clean their playroom.

From the camera: D&D got a little strange this week.

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

Title: If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be #1)

Author: Julie Murphy

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue 2021

Genre: Romance

Pages: 304

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR

Cindy loves shoes. A well-placed bow or a chic stacked heel is her form of self-expression. As a fashion-obsessed plus-size woman, she can never find designer clothes that work on her body, but a special pair of shoes always fits just right.

With a shiny new design degree but no job in sight, Cindy moves back in with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, the executive producer of the world’s biggest dating reality show. When a contestant on Before Midnight bows out at the last minute, Cindy is thrust into the spotlight. Showcasing her killer shoe collection on network TV seems like a great way to jump-start her career. And, while she’s at it, why not go on a few lavish dates with an eligible suitor? 

But being the first and only fat contestant on Before Midnight turns her into a viral sensation—and a body-positivity icon—overnight. Even harder to believe? She can actually see herself falling for this Prince Charming. To make it to the end, despite the fans, the haters, and a house full of fellow contestants she’s not sure she can trust, Cindy will have to take a leap of faith and hope her heels— and her heart—don’t break in the process.

Another romcom for my reading month. This one came from a recommendation from the Currently Reading podcast. And it was good. Nothing that I will want to read over and over again, but it was a good romcom book. In general, I think I prefer the spicy romances, but we at least get a good meet-cute and re-meet-cute. My favorite parts of this book were actually the interactions between Cindy and her family. I loved Anna and Drew and the triplets. We get all the elements of good romcom, and I had a good few days reading it, but ultimately this wasn’t amazing.

Meant to Be:

• #1 If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

• #2 By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

• #3 Kiss the Girl

• #4 Tangled Up in You

• #5 Worth Fighting For

Next up on the TBR pile:

March 2022 Wrap

March TBR Pile (23/34):

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC April: The Necromancer’s Lament by David Balog

3. Friend BC April: Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

4. Currently Reading Buddy Read: The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley ✓

5. Jane Austen Rereads: Sense and Sensibility

6. Fantasy: The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg ✓

7. Fantasy: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

8. Fantasy: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

9. Horror: All These Bodies by Kendare Blake ✓

10. Romance: Electric Idol by Katee Robert ✓

11. Romance: If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

12. Romance: To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne ✓

13. Nonfiction: Animal, Vegetable, Junk by Mark Bittman

14. Nonfiction: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

15. Mystery/Thriller: The Hidden by Melanie Golding

16. Science Fiction: The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield ✓

17. Science Fiction: Clean Air by Sarah Blake ✓

18. Science Fiction: Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders

19. Science Fiction: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

20. Poetry: I Hope This Finds You Well by Kate Baer ✓

21. Added: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske ✓

22. Added: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi ✓

23. Added: Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs edited by Ann R. Williams ✓

24. Added: Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gil ✓

25. Added: Wild Swans retold by Xanthe Gresham Knight ✓

26. Added: Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin ✓

27. Added: Hansel & Gretel by Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti ✓

28. Added: The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris ✓

29. Added: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste ✓

30. Added: The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis ✓

31. Added: The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm ✓

32. Added: How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu ✓

33. Added: The Blackbird Girls by Anna Blackman ✓

34. Added: The Bookwanderers by Anna James ✓

35. Added: Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6851 pages
Pages Remaining: 417,648 pages

Current Read - If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy; Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (28) - This is going to be a huge number. March is my birthday month and I always go a bit crazy with books during my birthday month.

Book of the Month order - I grabbed my free book for my birthday month and two others

• The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

• The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

• The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

My stepmom got me a GC to Barnes & Noble, so had to grab a few.

• Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

• Dry by Neal Shusterman

• A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

• Feed by Mira Grant (I’ve already read, would like to have a copy for my shelves.)

During my birthday day out, I stopped at the local used book store and found some picks. This store is a cavern of books loosely organized. I love to place bookish serendipity in that store.

• The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl

• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

• The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland

• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark retold by Alvin Schwartz (childhood favorite that I didn’t have in print)

• Still Life with Crows by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

On my actual birthday, I stopped in at Half Price Books and saw a few I needed.

• The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

• More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark retold by Alvin Schwartz

• Scary Stories 3 More Tales to Chill Your Bones retold by Alvin Schwartz

• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (childhood favorite to add to our kids read aloud selections)

My Book Outlet Order arrived with mostly goodies for homeschooling, but a few things for me!

• Serpentine by Philip Pullman

• The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman

• Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

• The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

• The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White

• To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters

• The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

• The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

• Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

• Ruthless Gods by Emily. A Duncan

• Blessed Monsters by Emily A. Duncan

And I picked up a copy of

• The 1619 Project

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 303

• Books Read: 3

• Books Acquired: 23

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 323

April TBR Pile:

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: The Necromancer’s Lament by David Balog

3. Friend BC: Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

4. Currently Reading Buddy Read: TBD

5. Jane Austen Rereads: Sense and Sensibility

6. Fantasy: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

7. Fantasy: The Lighthouse Witches by

8. Fantasy: A River Enchanted by

9. Horror: Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice and Christopher Rice

10. Horror: Dead Silence by

11. Romance: If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

12. Romance: Beautiful by Christina Lauren

13. Romance: Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren

14. Romance: Beautiful Boss by Christina Lauren

15. Science Fiction: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

16. Middle Grade: The City of Gold and Lead by

17. Middle Grade: The Pool of Fire by

18. Middle Grade: When the Tripods Came by

19. Middle Grade: The White Mountains by

20. Middle Grade: The Library of Ever by

21. Middle Grade: The Dragon in the Library by

Movies watched

• Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time - Interesting documentary diving into the life of Kurt Vonnegut.

• 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot - Surprisingly funny.

• Train to Busan - Finally watched this one and it was amazing! Such a good zombie movie.

• Fisherman’s Friends - Very heartwarming movie based on a true story.

• The Adam Project - Utterly delightful! The kids even loved it.

• Spiderman: No Way Home - I rewatched and J watched for the first time. Still love it!

TV Shows watched 

• Severance S1 - So incredibly weird. We love it!

• The Great S1 - Finally finished this season. Can’t wait to start S2.

• Last Week Tonight - Our constant weekly viewing.

• Our Flag Means Death S1 -

• Bridgerton S2 - While I love Anthony’s story so much more than Daphne’s, I still really wanted more.

• Below Deck Sailing Yacht S3 - Really enjoying this season.

• Moon Knight S1 - We started this last night and I’m hooked.

• Once Upon a Time, Happily Never After S1 - Very strange show that I’m so addicted to!

• Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed - I’m so fascinating by mega churches. I knew a lot, but still very interesting.

Comments - March was a huge month for movies, TV, and books.

Next up on the TBR pile: