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Let It Snow by Erica Ridley

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Title: Let it Snow (Magic and Mayhem #1)

Author: Erica Ridley

Publisher: 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 172

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Adventurer Lance Desmond needs to produce a fortune before his arch-rival collects the bounty on his head. He risks an ancient curse to retrieve treasure hidden within icebound Castle Cavanaugh, only to become trapped inside. Not with the gold he so desperately needs, but with medieval Princess Marigold who's been cooling her heels since... well, medieval times.

The lonely princess refuses to acknowledge the blossoming attraction between them. Not just because she deserves a better future than a penniless rogue. But because at midnight, he'll vanish like all her other would-be heroes. And the evergreen in the parlor will have one more figurine hanging from its boughs..

Apparently this story was re-released under the name Kissed by Magic, but when I got it on Kindle, it was called Let It Snow. The story is less a Christmas story then a Frozen-esque fantasy romance. I was okay with the romance portion. I wasn’t a fan of the weird mix of magic and pirates and curses and our modern conveniences like cell phones and GPS. Too much! The author should have removed a few aspect especially considering that the story was not that long.

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: romance, Erica Ridley, 3 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Thursday 12.10.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud

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Title: North American Lake Monsters

Author: Nathan Ballingrud

Publisher: Small Beer Press 2013

Genre: Short Stories Horror

Pages: 300

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Nathan Ballingrud's Shirley Jackson Award winning debut collection is a shattering and luminous experience not to be missed by those who love to explore the darker parts of the human psyche. Monsters, real and imagined, external and internal, are the subject. They are us and we are them and Ballingrud's intense focus makes these stories incredibly intense and irresistible.

These are love stories. And also monster stories. Sometimes these are monsters in their traditional guises, sometimes they wear the faces of parents, lovers, or ourselves. The often working-class people in these stories are driven to extremes by love. Sometimes, they are ruined; sometimes redeemed. All are faced with the loneliest corners of themselves and strive to find an escape.

This was a bit more psychological than I was hoping for. I wanted some super scary horror stories; not necessarily people-behaving-badly stories. Once I got over my initial setback, I tried to settle in and really read these stories. Unfortunately I couldn’t connect with any of them and most were very problematic. I don’t want to read about racists and sexists. I wanted to see people encountering horrific things. Most of the time, those horrific things were themselves. I’d be hard-pressed to find a single character that I liked. Add on the fact that most of these stories end seemingly mid-thought and I did not enjoy this collection at all. Oh well. One to the next book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: Nathan Ballingrud, short stories, 2 stars, horror
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 12.09.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

A Christmas to Remember by Jenny Hale

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Title: A Christmas to Remember

Author: Jenny Hale

Publisher: Bookouture 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 260

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Monthly Theme - December

Carrie Blake loves her job as a nanny but, while her friends are settling down, all of Carrie’s spare time is spent with other people’s families. Though it breaks her heart, her New Year’s resolution is to embark on a new career and fix her love life.

As Carrie starts her last job, she’s sure she’ll be going out on a high – the house is amazing, the kids are adorable, and she’s in charge of decorating the tree!

The only problem could be her boss… Single dad Adam Fletcher might be both handsome and successful, but he’s always working. Doesn’t he realize he’s missing out on precious moments with his son and daughter?

As Adam’s family arrive for Christmas, including his sensitive sister, Sharon, and his fun-loving, elderly Grandpa, Walter, Carrie realizes that she might just have found the perfect allies in her quest to persuade Adam to loosen up. There’s still time for Carrie to make this the best Christmas ever… After all, Christmas is the time for miracles, isn’t it? Let the festivities begin!

A sweet, Christmas family story. Calling it a romance is a bit of a stretch, but I did enjoy watching Adam find Christmas spirit with help from his new nanny. There are some cliches in this story, but I came away with a warm feeling in my heart. It’s just so darn earnest. And the kids are super adorable and fun. Plus we get some great side characters, especially Walter. Definitely a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: Monthly Theme, Jenny Hale, romance, Christmas, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 12.08.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W16: A Week and a Half in One!

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What We Studied

Before we get to our W16 studies, we did some Thanksgiving activities during our pseudo-break week. There were some fun turkey based games and puzzles. Arthur really got into Captain Underpants, and made lots of comic stories based on the character. Beyond those activities, we read a ton of picture books over the week.

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Picture Books We Read:

  • Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

  • 365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental

  • Presents Through the Window by Taro Gomi

  • I’m Trying to Love Math by Bethany Barton

  • Pirates Aren’t Afraid of the Dark by Maudie Powell-Tuck

  • Hogula, Dread Pig of Night by Jean Gralley

  • Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland

  • Thanksgiving with Me by Margaret Willey

  • Llama Llama Gives Thanks by Anna Dewdney

  • Turkey Tot by George Shannon

  • The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors by Drew Daywalt

  • Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler

  • Boom Snot Twitty: This Way, That Way by Doreen Cronin

  • This is a Book of Shapes by Kenneth Kraegel

  • Bear Out There by Jacob Grant

  • Swing by Michael Hall

  • This is a Book to Read with a Worm by Jodi Wheeler-Toppen

  • I am a Story by Dan Yaccarino

  • Dump Truck’s Colors by Sherri Duskey Rinker

  • Duck and Hippo Give Thanks by Jonathan London

  • Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka

  • The Thanksgiving Bowl by Virginia Kroll

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Literature and Poetry

We started reading the story of the The Odyssey to go along with our history study of Greece. So far, Arthur seems to like it, but still has trouble settling into storytime.

  • Tales from the Odyssey Part 1 by Mary Pop Osborne

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Math

Instead of continuing Singapore Math, we switched over and started learning about computer science. We have a book on Ruby, but I also picked up some other books from the library to supplement. Crash Course has a 40 video series on Computer Science that is great if a bit much for Arthur right now. We did watch three episodes this week: history of computer, early computing, and early computer languages. We also did a bio on Ada Lovelace and talked a lot about how computers work, both the hardware and software. We’ll be getting more into computing languages next week. (Arthur has also been doing daily math pages to keep up his arithmetic skills.)

  • Kids Get Coding: A World of Programming by Heather Lyons

  • Ada Lovelace: Poet of Science by Diane Stanley

  • Ada’s Ideas: The Story of Ada Lovelace, the World’s First Computer Programmer by Fiona Robinson

  • Kids Get Coding: Learn to Program by Heather Lyons

  • Hello Ruby: Journey Inside the Computer by Linda Liukas

  • The Grapes of Math by Greg Tang

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Social Studies

History was all about Greece (and will be about Greece until Christmas). This week we started with the Minoans and Mycenaeans. We learned about their culture, history, and art. We did a big of a deep dive into Akrotiri and the island of Thera. We talked about how environmental factors led to the downfall of the Minoans. Arthur really liked their sea life art. We also watched a NOVA episode about an ancient computer, the Antikythera Mechanism. Fascinating stuff! Arthur was sad that we have to wait until next week to watch another NOVA episode about Greece (I’m trying to space them out a bit). To help reinforce Greek myths, we started listening to National Geographic’s Greeking Out podcast. Each episode tells one of the Greek myths. I’m really enjoying those.

  • Count Your Way Through Greece by Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson

  • Lost Cities by Giles Laroche (Akrotiri)

  • How People Lived in Ancient Greece by Colin Hynson

  • Eyewitness: Ancient Greece

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Science

Science until Christmas is all about anatomy and physiology. Arthur really got into the idea of studying the human body, so I created a huge two month unit. We began at an overall picture of the human body and will start going through each of the major systems. We only got through the skeletal system this week. But we did take a detour to watch two Magic School Bus episodes: one about cells and one about DNA. Good stuff!

  • Me and My Amazing Body by Joan Sweeney

  • Who We Are by Robie H. Harris

  • My Body by Martha Rustad

  • Inside Your Outside by Tish Rabe

  • Eyewitness: Human Body

  • Professor Astro Cat’s Human Body Odyssey

  • My Amazing Body Machine by Robert Winston

  • I Have a Skeleton by Simone T. Ribke

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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 lot of drawing related to history and anatomy. The picture above is his version on parts of the Antikythera Mechanism from history. He also drew some pieces relating to our Magic School Bus episodes.

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Music

Our composer this week was Franz Joseph Haydn. Arthur still insists that nobody can beat Beethoven (fair, fair), but he said Haydn was okay. He really did not like his Trumpet Concerto, but the string quartets were okay.

  • The Farewell Symphony by Anna Harwell Celenza

  • Biography by Carole Greene

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Unit Theme

Our unit theme until Christmas is holidays around the world. This week we learned about Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. Next week, we’ll be adding in more holiday activities. 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).

  • December by K.C. Kelley and Bob Ostrom

  • Kwanzaa by Julie Murray

  • Celebrate Kwanzaa by Carolyn Otto

  • World Holidays by Heather Moehn

  • Celebrate Hanukkah by Deborah Heiligman

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24 Days of Books

  • The Crayons’ Christmas by Drew Daywalt

  • Over the River and Through the Woods by Linda Ashman

  • A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe

  • Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson

  • How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas by Jane Yolen

  • A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

  • Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney

  • The Biggest Smallest Christmas Present by Harriet Muncaster

  • The is Christmas by Tom Booth

  • There’s an Elf in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

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Misc. - Random picture books read

  • Violet and the Woof by Rebecca Grabill

  • The Eeensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out by Troy Cummings

  • Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni

  • Storybots: Triceratops

  • Choo Choo School by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

  • Happy Birthday Thomas

  • Dinosaur Farm by Frann Preston-Gannon

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Highs

  • Going to see Santa at Cabela’s! We didn’t think we could see Santa this year, but the store made it possible with lots of rules and restrictions, but a painless process. We made a reservation for a Thursday at 10am ensuring that the store would be relatively empty. After pictures, we made sure to check out the taxidermy animals and the aquarium. Q really loved the big catfish.

  • Generally, our advent calendar is such a joy. I love Christmas and was bummed that we won’t be traveling this year. I rallied and made sure our advent was stocked with fun little gifts and activities.

  • My attitude change of just letting things go has helped not feel stressed about school. I’m purposely scheduling lighter weeks to enjoy the season.

Lows

  • Sound - seriously the boys can be so loud some days. My ears cannot take it. We need to find a way to enforce a quiet hour.

  • Library woes - The library is quarantining all books for 6 days after they are returned. We aren’t charged late fees, but have to wait extra time. At this point, they are very behind and my books are taking almost 10 days to be checked in after returning them. Couple that with the fact that many people still haven’t returned books from when the library was closed, and I’m a bit frustrated that I cannot get certain books. We’re winding down the semester and my numbers are going back down (want to get to almost 0 on all cards by Dec. 31st), but I need to strategize for next semester.

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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:

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 12.07.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Music Monday - Lee DeWyze "Victims of the Night"

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I find myself singing along to this song every time I run across it on the radio…

tags: Lee DeWyze
categories: Music
Monday 12.07.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Christmas Bucket List Update #1

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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.

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Decorate mini tree ✓ - As we aren’t traveling this year and we don’t have a big tree, I just bought a little tree that the boys could decorate. They love their little tree.

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Write a letter to Santa ✓ - Arthur wants various Lego sets and Quentin wants dinosaurs.

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Go See Santa at Cabela’s ✓ - We had to make reservations, but it was free and there was no one there on a Thursday at 10am. Perfect!

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Lego Build ✓ - We got a mini Santa and Christmas tree kits to build.

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Watch 5 Christmas Movies - in Progress

  1. Babes in Toyland ✓

  2. Elf ✓

  3. The Polar Express

  4. The Grinch

Xmas PJs

Items Left to Do:

  • Stamp and Ink to Make Cards

  • Go See Werner Park Lights

  • Go for a hike and get pine cones

  • Window Clings

  • Zorinsky Park Lights

  • Watch The Nutcracker

  • Melty Bead Kits

  • Gingerbread Cookies Make

  • Decorate Gingerbread Houses

  • Puzzle Day

  • Coloring Books

  • Hot Chocolate bar

  • Bath bombs

  • Cookie Decorating

  • Paper wreaths and snowflakes

  • Christmas music dance party

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: Christmas bucket list
categories: Life
Sunday 12.06.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Life Right Now #41

As I look outside my window: It looks very white out there. The cloud cover is complete, but also just white. Very dreary today.

Right now I am: Eating a bagel and trying to get my to-dos in order.

On my bedside table: Exhalation by Ted Chiang; lots of Christmas romances

On my tv this week: We’ve continued with Lovecraft Country and it’s just oh so good! We also watched a few movies this week.

Listening to: Just podcasts this week.

On the menu for this week:

  • Monday - Cambodian Creamy Pineapple Soup

  • Tuesday - Chili Verde

  • Wednesday - Teriyaki Chicken

  • Thursday - Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken, Bacon, and Broccoli

  • Friday - Leftovers

  • Saturday - Honey and Lime Jalapeno Chicken

  • Sunday - Buffalo Chicken Nachos

On my to do list: I have some housework to do today, but also I need to finish wrapping some presents and complete blog posts.

Happening this week: We’re planning a few Christmas activities this week.

  • Monday - Grocery store

  • Tuesday - Werner Park Lights

  • Wednesday - MUD Inspection, Lots of work time

  • Thursday - Probably more work time; Library Visit; Container Store Pickup

  • Friday - Zorinsky Lights

  • Saturday - Playroom Cleanout

  • Sunday - Lazy Day

What I am creating: Hoping to get some Christmas card crafting time in today. I have almost 40 completed. Most years I make and send or give out almost 100. I’m very behind this year.

My simple pleasures: New clean planner, silly Christmas romance stories, Marble races

Looking around the house: I pulled out our meager Christmas decorations (usually we’re not home for Christmas, so not much in the bin), and did what I could. I’m thinking I need some garland and maybe a few other things just to brighten up the living room. We’re not going to buy a tree, but I can get some other things.

From the camera: After seeing Santa, we visited the aquarium at Cabela’s.

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tags: Life Right Now
categories: Weekly Wrap-up
Sunday 12.06.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Her Christmas Bonus by Rain Danvers

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Title: Her Christmas Bonus

Author: Rain Danvers

Publisher:

Genre: Romance

Pages: 29

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Sage has been working at a high-tech firm in Newport Beach, CA for over two years as the only female director among three men. She is highly valued by her boss and she loves her job, but there's a problem - she's totally attracted to him and the stress is killing her. She's taking three days off for the Christmas holiday and has posted her availability online, hoping to find a job when she returns. Before she can leave, she has to find her cell phone and she doesn't know where she left it.

Terrance is the founder and owner of Templeton Designs and considers Sage so valuable to the company, he can't afford to acknowledge the feelings he has for her. He's stuck at the company this year when normally he would be enjoying the holiday in a warm, tropical location. It may be the year he finds a way to acknowledge the woman who holds his heart captive.

A teeny tiny short story that had some promise, but ultimately fell flat. I liked the run-up to Sage and Terrance’s encounter at her apartment. From there, we get too much, too fast, but not enough (if you know what I mean). And the ending is laughable. Not very good at all. At least it only took me like 15 minutes to read this.

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: romance, Christmas, Rain Danvers, 2 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 12.05.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Gotham Academy Second Semester Vol. 1-2

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Title: Gotham Academy

Author: Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl

Publisher: DC 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 158

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

It’s the second semester at Gotham Academy, and everything is back to normal. Of course, “normal” for Gotham’s top prep school would be considered uncontrollable weirdness anywhere else!

First, a bunch of students start walking out of their extracurricular activities with no explanation and signing up for a strange new society—Witch Club! Then, a stolen map of the Academy puts the students on the trail of ancient symbols and hidden chambers.

There’s plenty for the Detective Club to investigate—but Olive Silverlock is distracted by her new rebel roommate, Amy. Is Maps Mizoguchi right to be suspicious of a bad influence, or just jealous that she’s losing her best friend?

Plus, Detective Club is joined by the World’s Greatest Detective—Batman!

Collects GOTHAM ACADEMY: SECOND SEMESTER #1-3, #5-8.

And we’re back to the actual storyline thankfully. We get an interesting new character and more answers. I loved getting more about Colton and Pom. We get some movement on various relationships. I loved to see where the stories were going.


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Title: Gotham Academy

Author: Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl, Adam Archer

Publisher: DC 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 128

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The second semester at Gotham Academy is wrapping up, but more than just the school year may be coming to an end. Olive Silverlock is possessed by the spirit of her ancestor, Amity Arkham, a ghoulish entity who wants to burn Gotham City to the ground.

As Amity leads Olive on a mission of fire and vengeance, the rest of Detective Club scrambles to find a way to free their friend. When their rescue attempt leads them to an ancient relic hidden inside Wayne Manor, will Damian Wayne be able to help the students without revealing his secret identity as Robin?

And when Amity’s control pits Olive against villains Two-Face and the Penguin, Olive’s friends’ good intentions might just get them killed…

Collects GOTHAM ACADEMY: SECOND SEMESTER issues #9-12 and #4, from the creative team of Brenden Fletcher, Becky Cloonan, and Karl Kerschl, Adam Archer and MSASSYK.

The first issue of this volume was definitely my favorite. We get an interesting carnival themed story featuring Hammerhead and the past of Gotham Academy. Beyond that story, we get a sort of conclusion to the series. I was slightly disappointed that we don’t get more involvement with Batman and Robin, but the glimpses were nice. Overall, I really enjoyed this series.

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: graphic novel, Becky Cloonan, Karl Kerschl, Brenden Fletcher, DC, Derek Fridolfs, Dustin Nguyen, Rafael Albuquerque, Mingjue Helen Chen, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 12.05.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy

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Title: Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy

Author: Chynna Clugston-Flores, Maddi Gonzalez, Whitney Cogar Rosemary Valero-O'Connell

Publisher: BOOM! 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 160

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The Lumberjanes and Gotham Academy kids team up!

DREAM TEAM UP!

When a teacher at Gotham Academy goes missing, it’s up to Olive, Maps, Colton, Pom, and Kyle to figure out what is happening and how to get her back. With only an outdated birthday invitation as the clue, they find themselves in the middle of the woods with no idea of where to start. With the sudden appearance of the Lumberjanes—April, Jo, Mal, Molly, Ripley and Jen—who are on the hunt for their missing Camp Director, all clues point to an abandoned cabin with more secrets than cobwebs.

BOOM! Studios and DC Comics team up to bring together Lumberjanes and Gotham Academy for the ultimate friendship-fueled crossover event. Written by Chynna Clugston Flores (Blue Monday), and illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me) and Maddi Gonzalez, this is a running-for-your-life-from-skeletal-monsters mystery that leads to lifelong friendship!

Oh such fun! I loved this adventure romp featuring both the ladies of Roanoke Cabin and the students from Gotham Academy. The was lighter than the other Gotham Academy volumes and more like a Lumberjanes volume. Thank goodness. I wanted the fun romp through a slightly strange mystery. It was great to see the connections between the two worlds and a few of the characters. Lots of fun for an afternoon’s reading.

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: graphic novel, Kat Leyh, Shannon Watters, 5 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Friday 12.04.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Odds and Ends

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Here's my randomness for the week:

  • Resisting the urge to load up my library holds. I really need to read the books I own.

  • Heading to see Santa today (following all the precautions) and hoping to get a good picture of the boys.

  • I miss having book club in person (hate the over-talking and weird ambient noise on Zoom), but clearly we will be doing this for another 6 months probably.

  • My kitchen attempts have not gone well this past week. Making Italian Beef Sandwiches tonight. I know these work so fingers crossed.

  • Is is strange that I want to read horror this December?

  • I missed a few weird hairs when cutting the boys’ hair. Guess I need to pull out the scissors.

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: Odds and Ends
categories: Life
Thursday 12.03.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Invisible of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab

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Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Author: V.E. Schwab

Publisher: Tor Books 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 448

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

This was a beautiful, haunting, thought-provoking book. I didn’t want the story to end. I was sucked into the basic premise of the book and then grew to really love Addie and Henry and even Luc. I loved the first part of the book as we follow Addie in the, somewhat, present time and in her past. I loved following her along her travels and growth. And then Henry enters the picture. I loved him as an addition to Addie’s life, but wasn’t sure about the narration from his point of view. It took me a bit to settle into his story. When I did, I fell for Henry also. It surprised me that I grew to love Luc so much over the course of the story. Overall, I loved every part of this book. I am definitely keeping it on my shelf. And it’s going on my Top 10 of the year list!

Unread 2020.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: V.E. Schwab, fantasy, 5 stars, Unread Shelf Project, Book of the Month
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 12.02.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Christmas Bucket List

Christmas Bucket List.png

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

  1. Decorate Mini Tree

  2. Letter to Santa

  3. Go See Santa at Cabela’s

  4. Lego Build

  5. Christmas Movie

  6. Xmas PJs

  7. Stamp and Ink to Make Cards

  8. Go See Werner Park Lights

  9. Go for a hike and get pine cones

  10. Window Clings

  11. Zorinsky Park Lights

  12. Watch The Nutcracker

  13. Melty Bead Kits

  14. Gingerbread Cookies Make

  15. Decorate Gingerbread Houses

  16. Puzzle Day

  17. Coloring Books

  18. Hot Chocolate bar

  19. Christmas Movie

  20. Bath bombs

  21. Cookie Decorating

  22. Paper wreaths and snowflakes

  23. Christmas music dance party

  24. Watch The Polar Express

  25. Watch The Grinch

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: Christmas bucket list
categories: Life
Tuesday 12.01.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

December 2020 Life Goals

dec3.jpg

Let’s check in on November’s goals and my progress.

  • Read 15 Books ✓

  • Walk at Least 20 Miles on the Treadmill - Fail. I only logged 12 miles on the treadmill this past month.

  • Make Christmas Cards ✓

  • Clean out TBR Piles, Lists, Etc - Partially completed. I still ned to finish this before January.

  • Finish Out Homeschool Planning for the Semester ✓

December’s Goals:

  • Read 15 Books

  • Plan Out January for Homeschooling

  • Send Out Christmas Cards

  • Walk at Least 20 Miles on the Treadmill

  • Clean Out TBR Piles, Lists, Etc.

Next up on the TBR list:

jujutsu11.jpg liminal.jpg jujutsu12.jpg enchantra.jpg water moon.jpg uzumaki.jpg alley.jpg deserter.jpg black paradox.jpg tombs.jpg gyo.jpg soichi.jpg book of the most.jpg great big.jpg jujutsu13.jpg jujutsu14.jpg jujutsu15.jpg seoulmates.jpg twisted1.jpg lore7.jpg jujutsu16.jpg twisted2.jpg twisted3.jpg twisted4.jpg
tags: Monthly Life Goals
categories: Life
Tuesday 12.01.20
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 
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