Music Monday - Ghost "Phantom of the Opera"

Absolutely adore this cover the Iron Maiden song. It’s a great nod to the original, but with their own spin on it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Silver People by Margarita Engle

Title: Silver People: Voices from Panama Canal

Author: Margarita Engle

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers 2014

Genre: MG Historical Fiction (Free verse)

Pages: 272

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

One hundred years ago, the world celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, which connected the world’s two largest oceans and signaled America’s emergence as a global superpower. It was a miracle, this path of water where a mountain had stood—and creating a miracle is no easy thing. Thousands lost their lives, and those who survived worked under the harshest conditions for only a few silver coins a day.
     From the young "silver people" whose back-breaking labor built the Canal to the denizens of the endangered rainforest itself, this is the story of one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, as only Newbery Honor-winning author Margarita Engle could tell it.

Another novel that I sped through. I picked this one up because it was on the optional readers list for Arthur’s homeschool curriculum. While I don’t think he will be reading this anytime soon, I devoured it. We get a free verse style retelling of the building of the Panama Canal told from multiple perspectives (including a variety of forest animals). We get to see the terrible trauma of the project and learn about the divides between the workers. We see their struggles as every day the project continues to stall. I really enjoyed this learning about a time period without dry text. I will keep this in mind for later in our homeschool journey.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

Title: Several People are Typing

Author: Calvin Kasulke

Publisher: Doubleday 2021

Genre: Scifi

Pages: 256

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Gerald, a mid-level employee of a New York–based public relations firm has been uploaded into the company’s internal Slack channels—at least his consciousness has. His colleagues assume it’s an elaborate gag to exploit the new work-from home policy, but now that Gerald’s productivity is through the roof, his bosses are only too happy to let him work from ... wherever he says he is.
 
Faced with the looming abyss of a disembodied life online, Gerald enlists his co-worker Pradeep to help him escape, and to find out what happened to his body. But the longer Gerald stays in the void, the more alluring and absurd his reality becomes. Meanwhile, Gerald’s colleagues have PR catastrophes of their own to handle in the real world. Their biggest client, a high-end dog food company, is in the midst of recalling a bad batch of food that’s allegedly poisoning Pomeranians nationwide. And their CEO suspects someone is sabotaging his office furniture. And if Gerald gets to work from home all the time, why can’t everyone? Is true love possible between two people, when one is just a line of text in an app? And what in the hell does the :dusty-stick: emoji mean?

I am still trying to understand just what I read… I had no real idea of what was in this book, but saw it listed amongst “weird scifi books.” Those are usually my jam, so I snapped it up. I started reading this strange novel told entirely over Slack messages and ended up finishing it in one sitting. I could not put it down! This is part comedy, part horror, with a lot to say about modern workplace conventions and relationships. I loved the entire Gerald storyline and the inter-office politics. I was less excited about the stupid office romance angle. But what I really wanted was more about the wolves and the amulet. I am okay with unanswered questions in my books, but these two developments were just hung out to dry by the end. I wanted just a bit more!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

Title: The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (London Highwaymen #1)

Author: Cat Sebastian

Publisher: Avon 2021

Genre: Romance

Pages: 348

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Lovers Lane (Read a male/male romance)

Spice Rating: 6

Kit Webb has left his stand-and-deliver days behind him. But dreary days at his coffee shop have begun to make him pine for the heady rush of thievery. When a handsome yet arrogant aristocrat storms into his shop, Kit quickly realizes he may be unable to deny whatever this highborn man desires.

In order to save himself and a beloved friend, Percy, Lord Holland must go against every gentlemanly behavior he holds dear to gain what he needs most: a book that once belonged to his mother, a book his father never lets out of his sight and could be Percy’s savior. More comfortable in silk-filled ballrooms than coffee shops frequented by criminals, his attempts to hire the roughly hewn highwayman, formerly known as Gladhand Jack, proves equal parts frustrating and electrifying.

Kit refuses to participate in the robbery but agrees to teach Percy how to do the deed. Percy knows he has little choice but to submit and as the lessons in thievery begin, he discovers thievery isn’t the only crime he’s desperate to commit with Kit. 

But when their careful plan goes dangerously wrong and shocking revelations threaten to tear them apart, can these stolen hearts overcome the impediments in their path?

Romance readers have been raving about Cat Sebastian, but I had never picked up their work. I finally did and it was good, nothing mind-blowing, but still a solid MM romance featuring some fun hijinks and action. Kit is not the easiest character to like, but thankfully we get to spend a lot of time with Percy also. Their grump/sunshine dynamic kept me reading and rooting for them. Both men have buried trauma and must learn to trust each other over the course of this novel. We see them slowly start to take chances again and become vulnerable. Of course they are both so stubborn that it takes almost the entire novel to begin a real relationship. I was here for the pairing, but felt that the book was missing a bit of zing in parts. I am intrigued to read the sequel featuring to prominent characters from this volume.

London Highwaymen

• #1 The Queer Principles of Kit Webb

• #2 The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes

Next up on the TBR pile:

Paradise-1 by David Wellington

Title: Paradise-1 (Red Space #1)

Author: David Wellington

Publisher: Orbit 2023

Genre: Scifi Horror

Pages: 688

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Paradise-1. Earth’s first deep space colony. For thousands of people, it was an opportunity for a new life. Until it went dark.

No communication has been received from the colony for months. And it falls to Firewatch inspector Alexandra Petrova and the crew of the Artemis to investigate.

What they find is more horrifying than anything they could have imagined.

I grabbed this from the library and did not quite realize how long it was going to be. I thought I had the large print version, but I did not. This book is a clunker, but also reads very quickly with zippy short chapters and tons of action. Almost too much action after awhile, but it definitely helped me keep reading this behemoth. We are introduced very quickly to our three (four?) main characters and dive into the journey. Things go bad very quickly. There’s very little set up to this book and I appreciated that we got right to the action. From there, we are in a nonstop race to survive in space. I loved figuring out the mystery of the basilisk and encountering its different versions. The summary makes it seem like most of the actions will take place on Paradise-1, but the characters don’t even make it to the surface until the last 20 pages. I guess I didn’t realize that this was the start of a series. Guess I will have to wait until whenever the next one will get published. I am definitely going to put this series on my watch list. If for nothing else, sometimes I need a breezy action/adventure novel.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

Title: The Secret Service of Tea and Treason (Dangerous Damsels #3)

Author: India Holton

Publisher: Berkley Books 2023

Genre: Historical romance Fantasy

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Post Office (Set in a different country)

Spice Rating: 4

Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice’s capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she’s immediately assigned to the case. 

But she’s not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice's greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life— pretending to be Alice’s husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans. 

Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target.

The third in this delightful witty series snuck under the radar for me. I didn’t even realize that there was another in the series until another blogger randomly posted about it. I jumped on adding the book to my library holds. In this volume, we revisit two characters that previously appeared in other volumes. Alice and Daniel were intriguing small side characters in those books and I was excited to see them get their own romance story. The romance itself is very stilted at times, but only because we get to see two very different types of people than th usual romance leads. At many times, I really felt for Alice’s inability to understand the people around her. I loved getting the glimpse into her own thought patterns as we see her wrestle with the case and her complicated feelings toward Agent B. I sped through the volume loving every single page of it. I only wish that we had a bit more spice and maybe some more banter.

Dangerous Damsels

• #1 The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

• #2 The League of Gentlemen Witches

• #3 The Secret Service of Tea and Treason

Next up on the TBR pile:

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

Title: Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

Author: Jonathan Auxier

Publisher: Amulet Books 2011

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Gardener, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is the utterly beguiling tale of a ten-year-old blind orphan who has been schooled in a life of thievery. One fateful afternoon, he steals a box from a mysterious traveling haberdasher—a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes. When he tries the first pair, he is instantly transported to a hidden island where he is presented with a special quest: to travel to the dangerous Vanished Kingdom and rescue a people in need. Along with his loyal sidekick—a knight who has been turned into an unfortunate combination of horse and cat—and the magic eyes, he embarks on an unforgettable, swashbuckling adventure to discover his true destiny.

I picked this book up because of the strength of The Night Gardener and while it’s not that book, I did enjoy this story. We think that we are getting a version of Oliver Twist, but very quickly, things take a very strange turn. I loved the weird twists and turns that takes Peter to knew adventures and friendships. Auxier’s writing style is a strange mix of straight-forward prose and almost a stream of consciousness narrative. There’s a sequel to this story that I may or may not read. But I did enjoy this great middle grade fantasy novel.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W34-35: And We're Done!

What We Studied

As we hit May, our school curriculum plan starts to wind down a bit. We wrapped up a ton of curriculum pieces and transitioned to our summer plans.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur and I finished our last official read aloud for the year. We took it easy, but enjoyed sinking into the story. We also finished our Emily Dickinson collection of poetry and sprinkled in a few more Nature Poetry selections.

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Quentin started and finished our read aloud. He picked up the second in a series on his own and requested that we read it next. Of course, I’m always going to say yes when he requests we read any book. He even found the third one on the sign-up prize shelf for the local library’s reading program. I imagine that he will be requesting the rest of the series soon.

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• Zoey and Sassafras: Monsters and Mold by Asia Citro

• Evan Moor Smart Start Read and Write K

• Evan Moor Spell and Write K

Math

For both boys, we have scheduled math for three days a week. One day is focused on logic, games, puzzles, and special projects. The two other days are focused on covering the main math curriculum (Singapore 4A and 4B for Arthur and Singapore 1A and 1B for Quentin). We finished our financial literacy unit. We’ve been doing a ton of review and leftover lessons this past week.

Social Studies

Arthur continued his large study of United States history using a combination of Build Your Library Level 5 and History Quest United States History. We’ll be taking a history break until August.

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. Quentin wrapped up his study of the world this week with a little review.

Arthur Independent Time

We are working on following a checklist in a planner for weekly independent work. There’s usually some math workbook pages, an ELA packet, weekly writing prompts (1-2 times a week), independent reading time, and a special creative project. There has been many drawing projects lately.

Free books for signing up for the Library Summer Reading Program

Science

Arthur is focusing on Physics this year. We finished our curriculum and have been just enjoying time with friends.

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We’ve done some review of concepts from this year and focused on our science workbook pages.

• On the Same Day in March: A Tour of the World’s Weather by Marilyn Singer

• Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner

STEAM Coop

We are on break until August.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

We’re planning one doing on art project and one cooking project each week as well as picking a composer or musician to listen to and enjoy.

Field Trip

We had an amazing field trip at Gifford Farm focusing on local history. Our guide was a former school teacher and administrator and was absolutely amazing! We led the kids through a variety of activities keeping their attention the entire time. We even made homemade butter to take home. I think this was the best field trip of the year!

High

• We’ve slotted in a few great hikes lately. We’ve even dealt with high temps and bugs. Conquered them all! We’re hoping to keep hiking on Fridays when in town.

Low

• Nothing really. We have transitioned to our fun summer flow.

Next Week

• Heading out on our mini road trip

• Continuing our summer packets

• Starting a few new read alouds for the summer break

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Asking Alexandria "Dark Void"

Oh this one was a banger! Seriously definitely need to put it on heavy rotation.

Next up on the TBR pile:

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

Title: House of Hunger

Author: Alexis Henderson

Publisher: Ace 2022

Genre: Horror

Pages: 304

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Marion Shaw has been raised in the slums, where want and deprivation are all she know. Despite longing to leave the city and its miseries, she has no real hope of escape until the day she spots a peculiar listing in the newspaper seeking a bloodmaid.

Though she knows little about the far north—where wealthy nobles live in luxury and drink the blood of those in their service—Marion applies to the position. In a matter of days, she finds herself the newest bloodmaid at the notorious House of Hunger. There, Marion is swept into a world of dark debauchery. At the center of it all is Countess Lisavet.

The countess, who presides over this hedonistic court, is loved and feared in equal measure. She takes a special interest in Marion. Lisavet is magnetic, and Marion is eager to please her new mistress. But when she discovers that the ancient walls of the House of Hunger hide even older secrets, Marion is thrust into a vicious game of cat and mouse. She’ll need to learn the rules of her new home—and fast—or its halls will soon become her grave.

I needed a fun and fast moving book for this week’s reading and this particular book hit the spot. We are plunged into a world of haves and have nots. We meet a have not who dreams of becoming a have. And then her circumstances seem to change overnight. Of course, the reader knows that things cannot be exactly what they seem to be. Slowly the situation devolves and learn more disturbing things about the House of Hunger. As soon as the full name of the Countess gets revealed, I gasped out loud. Even thought I basically knew where this story was going, I was completely on board for the entire ride. This book is not for the squeamish, but it was a great choice for me!

Next up on the TBR pile:

2023 Reading Challenges Update #2

I’m back to employing reading challenges to help direct my reading this year. Let’s check in with my progress of all the challenges I am attempting this year. I am leaving out the Build Your Library Challenge as it’s very strictly Arthur’s challenge and I’m not focused on actually completing it.

• Goodreads 108/200 54%

• Winter TBR 25/25 100%

• Spring TBR 20/25 80%

• Summer TBR (not started yet)

• Fall TBR (not started yet)

• Unread Shelf 14/50 28% *

• Kid Read Alouds 16/20 80%

• BOTM Cleanout 2/12 16.7%

• 52 Book Club 34/52 65.4% **

• Romanceopoly 25/39 64.1% **

• COYER 4/20 20%

• Finishing the Series 1/10 10% *

Total Challenges 1/12 8.3%

Total Reading Slots 249/503 49.5%

* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job

Comments: My two big personal category challenges (Romanceopoly and 52 Book Club) are actually going very well. I just really need to focus on reading more books from my own shelves. I would like to end the year with an Unread Shelf of less than 300. — I just reposted my comment from the previous update. They are exactly the same.

Next up on the TBR pile:

June 2023 Life Goals

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

• Read 18 Books ✓

• Execute Coop Field Day ✓

• Plan Out July Indiana/Ohio Trip - in progress

• Finalize Retreat Plans and Packing ✓

• Knock Out 5 Items on the Summer Bucket List ✓

June Goals:

• Read 18 Books

• Enjoy the Mini Road Trip with the Boys

• Enjoy the Retreat

• Pause and Reevaluate Library Holds

• Knock Out 5 Items on the Summer Bucket List

Next up on the TBR pile: