March 2021 Wrap-up

March TBR Pile (19/24):

Book of the Month Club: TBD
Girly Book Club: Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown ✓
Friend Book Club: Dangerous Women by Hope Adams ✓
MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny
MMD RC: I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman ✓
Nonfiction: Walkable City by Jeff Speck
Nonfiction: From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty
Romance: Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓
Romance: Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓
Romance: Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓
Fantasy: A Vow of Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer ✓
Fantasy: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Fantasy: Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire ✓
Thriller: Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger ✓
Science Fiction: Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman ✓
Kid Read Aloud: Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar ✓
Kid Read Aloud: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie ✓
Added: To Sir Phillip With Love by Julia Quinn ✓
Added: When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn ✓
Added: It’s in His Kiss by Julia Quinn ✓
Added: Librarian Tales by William Otten ✓
Added: Once Upon a Moonlit Night by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓
Added: Once Upon a Christmas Eve by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓
Added: Once Upon a Maiden Lane by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5537 pages
Pages Remaining: 484,888 pages

Current Read - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig; Outlawed by Anna North; Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (4)

Using my birthday gift cards, I bought two comic trades:

Lady Mechanika Vol. 5
Lady Mechanika Vol. 6

And I picked up two Book of the Month books:

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

UnRead Shelf Progress

Starting Number: 276
Books Read: 2
Books Acquired: 4
Books Unshelved: 8
Finishing Number: 270

April TBR Pile:

Book of the Month Club: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
BOTM: The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George
Girly Book Club: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Friend Book Club: Outlawed by Anna North
MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny
MMD RC: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
MMD RC: The Switch by Beth O’Leary
Nonfiction: In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick
Fantasy: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Fantasy: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Fantasy: Alice by Christina Henry
Fantasy: All the Tides of Fate by Adalyn Grace
Science Fiction: Robots and Empires by Isaac Asimov
Science Fiction: Sea Change by Nancy Kress
Romance: On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn
Romance: Bridgerton Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn
Kid Read Aloud: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Kid Read Aloud: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid

Movies watched

Raya and the Last Dragon - The settings and backgrounds were absolutely gorgeous. The story wasn’t quite hitting all the emotional notes.
Pixie - Enjoyed this black comedy! We unintentionally watched this for St. Patrick’s Day.

TV Shows watched

Last Week Tonight - Our usual current show
Below Deck Med S5 - Still love Captain Sandy, but man that was a season full of firings!
Superstore S6 - We finished it!
WandaVision S1 - Heartbreaking, but oh so good.
Resident Alien S1 - Delightfully weird show. We watch anything with Alan Tudyk in it!
Falcon and the Winter Solider S1 - We are totally in on this show.
Ted Lasso S1 - This was exactly the show that I needed right now. It’s so incredibly hopeful!
AP Bio S1 - J had me start this one and it is good. It’s the cynical opposite of Ted Lasso.

Comments - A surprisingly great reading month. I read some duds, but I also finished a great (very large) historical romance story and almost finished another one. We also managed to watch some great TV series (seriously Ted Lasso is life!). Looking to April to decrease my library books and read more from my shelves. This should be helped by the fact that both book club books I actually own and am prioritizing.

Next up on the TBR pile:

It's in His Kiss by Julia Quinn

Title: Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgerton #7)

Author: Julia Quinn

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Romance

Pages: 407

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance; UnRead Shelf

Meet Our Hero . . .

Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth’s sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past . . . and the key to his future. The problem is—it’s written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.

Meet Our Heroine . . .

All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She’s fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there’s something about her—something charming and vexing—that grabs him and won’t quite let go . . .

Meet Poor Mr. Mozart . . .

Or don’t. But rest assured, he’s spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual—and annually discordant—Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth’s every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other . . . and that there is nothing as simple—or as complicated—as a single, perfect kiss.

Another enjoyable historical romance. I was hoping that Hyacinth would get a glorious love story and thankfully she gets Gareth. He is who really makes this book so enjoyable. I loved the banter between him and Hyacinth and the banter between him and Lady Danbury. So lovely! I do love a book with witty dialogue. The Romance is good, but those scenes became less important than the connection between the two main characters. The mystery was a nice addition to liven up the book. I’m hoping that the series finishes off strong with Gregory’s story.

Bridgerton

#1 The Duke and I
#2 The Viscount Who Loved Me
#3 An Offer from a Gentleman
#4 Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
#5 To Sir Philip, With Love
#6 When He was Wicked
#7 It’s in His Kiss
#8 On the Way to the Wedding
Happily Ever After (2nd Epilogues and Violet’s Story)

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W27: Diving Back In

**I somehow took a total of three pictures this week. Terrible on my part…

What We Studied

Literature and Poetry

We started reading The One and Only Ivan for our read aloud. I’m enjoying the

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Lucky Tucker by Leslie McGuirk (literature study)
Mouse Loves Spring (Arthur read)
Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Spring Smiles by Kallie George (Arthur read)
Spring is Here by Joan Holub (Arthur read)
The Garden by Gwendolyn Hooks (Arthur read)
Poems Have Roots by Lilian Moore

Math

We covered Unit 6 in Singapore 2B. It was a bit of review for Arthur, but we got back into the hang out it. Arthur also completed another unit in Khan Academy math. I’m hoping we can get through K-2nd grade math before the end of May.

Social Studies

We covered three lessons this week: native groups of the plains, rising tensions in the colonies, and the beginning of the revolution. It felt good to get back into U.S. History for a week. I especially loved going through the run-up to the Revolutionary War. Lots of good resources out there now.

The Pawnee: Farmers and Hunters of the Central Plains by Karen Bush Gibson
Shawnee by Sarah Tieck
Ojibwe by Torren Ramsey
Ladder to the Sky retold by Barbara Juster Esbensen
Young Jim Thorpe Bright Path by Don Brown
Our Colonial Year by Cheryl Harness
Fight for Freedom by Benson Bobrick
George vs George by
Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters
DK American Revolution
The Boston Tea Party by Sarah Gilman
Let It Begin Here! Lexington and Concern First Battles of the American Revolution by Dennis Brindell Fradin
Sybil Ludington’s Midnight Ride by Marsha Amstel

Science

See Unit theme

Art

Nothing formal

Music

This week started our movie composer cycle. We listened to John Williams first. Of course, Arthur immediately recognized a lot of the pieces I pulled. And his favorite was Jurassic Park, no surprise there.

Unit Theme

The theme was all about spring and plants and growing. We’ll be continuing this through the rest of March and into April. We worked through the chapters of our Tinkeractive Books, talking about plant group, and watched a few episodes of Magic School Bus.

The Spring Equinox: Celebrating the Greening of the Earth by Ellen Jackson
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Spring is Here by Will Hillenbrand
Are You Ready for Spring by Sheila Anderson
Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson
Splish, Splash, Spring by Jan Carr
Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson
Mud by Mary Lyn Ray
The Little Red Ant and the Great Big Crumb retold by Shirley Climo
Anywhere Artist by Nikki Slade Robinson
Rain by Linda Ashman

Misc. - Random picture books read

Jack Blasts Off by Mac Barnett
I Want to Take a Nap by Mo Willems
Let’s Play in the Forest While the Wolf is Not Around by Claudia Rueda
Coelophysis by Josh Gregory
Swarm of Bees by Lemony Snicket
There’s a Dragon in Your Book by Tom Fletcher
Huff & Puff by Claudia Rueda
Little Lucy Goes to School by Ilene Cooper
Robo-Sauce by Adam Rubin
Pete the Cat’s Got Class by James Dean

Highs

We jumped back in and I feel so much better!
We say Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: The Musical at the Rose Theater. A lovely socially distant and masked up event!

Lows

We jumped back in and Arthur had to do some adjustment…

Next Week

We’ll be having a very strange week next week. We have a ton of outings (feels so weird to write that after a year in quarantine). Our outings are going to be a mix of educational (farm visit and botanical garden visit), playtime, and necessary errands (dentist appt and groceries). We will end up with three half days and one full day of regular style homeschool.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - The Blue Stones "Spirit"

Winter was all about Emo song selections. Now that we’ve moved into spring, I’m turning back into hard rock and metal. Enjoy!

A new-to-me band that I’m really digging this week.

Life Right Now #9

I hate when I schedule a post and completely forget to write it! Ugh! Well, here we go…

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny after a very gray Saturday. The forecast is looking better for this coming week. Good thing too as we have three different days of outdoor field trips planned.

Right now I am: Attempting to make a meal plan and grocery list before we have brunch and then go see a play (social distancing and masking enforced!).

Thinking and pondering: How should I structure our potential homeschooling coop? I’m meeting some interested families at the park tomorrow to start the discussions. I have my own ideas, but I do want this to be a collaborative effort. We’ll see how it goes.

On my bedside table: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig; Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov

On my tv this week: We finished S1 of Ted Lasso and that was exactly the show I need this month. So funny and hopeful. We also started AP Bio (well J has watched it and wanted me to watch it) and caught up on some other ongoing shows (Superstore, Last Week Tonight, Resident Alien).

Listening to: I’ve been digging the new alternative channel on Apple Music as well as The Emo Project on Sirius XM.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Cheesy Artichoke Pasta
Tuesday - Apple Cheddar Dijon Stuffed Chicken
Wednesday - Caribbean Salmon Quinoa Bowls
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Chicken n Dumplings
Saturday - Spicy Lentil Nachos
Sunday - French Onion Pork Chops

On my to do list: Number one task this week to make eye appointments. I also need to pay a few bills and look into more curriculum resources for the rest of the spring semester.

Happening this week:

Monday - Park playdate with interested homeschooling coop families!
Tuesday - Trip to Gifford Farm with a new friend
Wednesday - Grocery Day; Trip to Lauritzen Gardens for Easter Egg Hunt
Thursday - Dentist Appointment
Friday - Nothing (thank goodness; we will need a normal homeschooling day)
Saturday - Nothing planned
Sunday - Easter Hunt (in our backyard of course)

What I am creating: Plans for homeschooling. Really haven’t gotten to crafting this week. I need to carve out some time soon…

My simple pleasures: Cranberry and Orange Scones; birthday cake; a good cup of coffee

Looking around the house: We are starting a unplanned renovation on the laundry room. Our dryer quit a few weeks back and now our washer is dying on us. We are going to buy a new set, but first we need to get the old dryer out, take down the cabinets, and assess the walls. We decided that if we are taking down the cabinets (what I wanted when we moved in; necessary to stack the new units like I want), we should probably think about painting and other potential projects. I want to blow out the closet and make it an open storage area (a pseudo mudroom). Also I want to investigate whether the soffit above the cabinets is hollow or contains some essential pipes or beams. If hollow, I want to remove it and take the potential new storage all the way up. Right now it really cramps the space. And we want to remove the old home alarm system that’s next to the units and possibly investigate the area under the window (again, is it hollow or holding essential parts of the house). Phew! So much to do before we actually install the new washer dryer set.

From the camera: Totally didn’t take many pictures this week, but we did celebrate J’s birthday last night.

Once Upon a Maiden Lane by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Once Upon a Maiden Lane (Maiden Lane #12.5)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 130

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance

Miss Mary Whitsun is far too intelligent to fall for the rakish charms of a handsome aristocrat. But when the gentleman in question approaches her in a bookshop, mistaking her for his fiancée, Lady Johanna Albright, the flirtatious encounter only raises more questions. Could Mary, a servant raised in a St Giles orphanage, actually be Lady Joanna's long-lost twin sister? If so, Mary has been betrothed since birth---to the rakishly handsome artistocrat himself . . .
Henry Collins, Viscount Blackwell, is far too intrigued by Mary to let her go so easily. He's drawn to her sharp mind, indomitable spirit, and the fiery way in which she dismisses him---ladies simply don't dismiss Lord Blackwell. But as Mary makes her first hesitant steps into society, she can't help but wonder if she truly has a place in Henry's world---or in his heart.

Decent little story featuring Mary Whitsun, but I wasn’t super excited. We didn’t get to know Mary as much as I wanted. Plus, the sex scenes were a bit strange. I think because I was still thinking of Mary as a young teenagers. Kind of strange.

Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

Title: Recipe for a Perfect Wife

Author: Karma Brown

Publisher: Dutton 2019

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

When Alice Hale leaves a career in publicity to become a writer and follows her husband to the New York suburbs, she is unaccustomed to filling her days alone in a big, empty house. But when she finds a vintage cookbook buried in a box in the old home's basement, she becomes captivated by the cookbook’s previous owner—1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she realizes that within the cookbook’s pages Nellie left clues about her life—including a mysterious series of unsent letters penned to her mother.

Soon Alice learns that while baked Alaska and meatloaf five ways may seem harmless, Nellie's secrets may have been anything but. When Alice uncovers a more sinister—even dangerous—side to Nellie’s marriage, and has become increasingly dissatisfied with the mounting pressures in her own relationship, she begins to take control of her life and protect herself with a few secrets of her own.

I finished this novel and absolutely groaned in disgust. I couldn’t believe that I wasted all that time reading the book. But let’s back up. I was concerned in just the first two chapters. I was making predictions as to where the story would go. I was right about Nellie’s story. But I actually liked reading Nellie’s story. I thought it was an interesting look at an abusive relationship in the 1950s. We get to see how she attempts to navigate her world. And I fairly satisfied about the ending of her story. Unfortunately, I absolutely detested Alice’s story. I kept thinking that we were supposed to find parallels between Nellie and Alice and their relationships. However, the two women went about life very differently. While Nellie found herself in an impossible situation, Alice’s bad behavior just escalated over the course of the novel. I really liked Nate and kept rooting for him to see how terrible Alice was and leave her. She was a terrible partner to him but kept stringing him along. By the end, I was completely confused as to the message of the book. Should we show sympathy to Alice as a women “stuck” in a bad marriage (she wasn’t and I didn’t)? Should we see a turning of the tables in terms of gender roles and who was initiated the abuse? If so, that’s a terrible thing to aspire to and obviously this book is a warning. Either way, it wasn’t clear what the author was actually getting at and I ended up really disliking the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Once Upon a Moonlit Night by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Once Upon a Moonlit Night (Maiden Lane #10.5)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 87

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance

Hippolyta Royle is running for her life. Pursued by hounds on a cold rainy night, the heiress flags down a passing carriage and throws herself at the mercy of the coach's occupant. Whoever this handsome traveler may be, he is her only hope to escape a terrible fate. But should he agree to escort her to safety, he's in for much more than he bargained for . . .

At first Matthew Mortimer doesn't believe Hippolyta's story, that she's a fabulously wealthy heiress who's been kidnapped. He assumes she's a beggar, an actress, or worse. But once his new travel companion washes the mud from her surprisingly lovely face, and they share a breathtaking kiss, there is no turning back . . .

A fun little interlude story in the series that follows-up with what happened during Duke of Sin. I wish we would have been able to get more of Hippolyta’s story, but I guess this will have to do. At least we get a bit of a conclusion to the mystery blackmail from the Duke of Montgomery. To be honest, I loved Matthew much more than Hippolyta. Entertaining novella to add to the collection.

Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dangerous Women by Hope Adams

Title: Dangerous Women

Author: Hope Adams

Publisher: Berkley 2021

Genre: Historical Thriller

Pages: 334

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

London, 1841. One hundred eighty Englishwomen file aboard the Rajah, embarking on a three-month voyage to the other side of the world.
They're daughters, sisters, mothers—and convicts.
Transported for petty crimes.
Except one of them has a deadly secret, and will do anything to flee justice.
As the Rajah sails farther from land, the women forge a tenuous kinship. Until, in the middle of the cold and unforgiving sea, a young mother is mortally wounded, and the hunt is on for the assailant before he or she strikes again.
Each woman called in for question has something to fear: Will she be attacked next? Will she be believed? Because far from land, there is nowhere to flee, and how can you prove innocence when you’ve already been found guilty?

What a meh book… Seriously, I was just so incredibly bored. There’s a spark of a great story here in the actual history. After reading the author’s note, I was interested in learning more the real story of the women aboard the Rajah. It’s definitely a part of history that I know very little about. Unfortunately, the actual novel just doesn’t do the history justice. Out of the 200 women on the ship, we only get to know three of them and I didn’t really connect to any of those three women. I was just bored with this book. Definitely not for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Been on a huge romance binge right now and I’m totally okay with it
Finally started watching Ted Lasso and it is just what we need right now
I need to pick a new dessert recipe for this week. Maybe an orange cake?
While I love falling asleep to the rain, I’m very over the rain and need a bit of sunshine this week.
In a weird twist of life, I’m actually pretty excited to go to my dentist appointment next week. It’s a big step to fixing my teeth problems.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Once Upon a Christmas Eve by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Once Upon a Christmas Eve (Maiden Lane #10.7)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 85

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance

Adam Rutledge, Viscount d'Arque, really rather loathes Christmas. The banal cheerfulness. The asinine party games. And, worst of all, the obligatory trip to the countryside. His grandmother, however, loves the holiday---and Adam loves his grandmother, so he'll brave the fiercest snowstorm to please her. But when their carriage wheel snaps, they're forced to seek shelter at the home of the most maddening, infuriating, and utterly beguiling woman he's ever met . . .
Sarah St. John really rather loathes rakes. The self-satisfied smirks. The sly predatory gazes. Oh, and the constant witty banter rife with double meaning. But in the spirit of the season, she'll welcome this admittedly handsome viscount into her home. But as the snowstorm rages, the Yule log crackles, and the tension rises, Sarah and Adam find themselves locked in a fiery, passionate kiss. If love is the true meaning of Christmas, it's the one gift this mismatched pair can't wait to unwrap.

Maiden Lane

#1 Wicked Intentions
#2 Notorious Pleasures
#3 Scandalous Desires
#4 Thief of Shadows
#5 Lord of Darkness
#6 Duke of Midnight
#7 Darling Beast
#8 Dearest Rogue
#9 Sweetest Scoundrel
#10 Duke of Sin
#10.5 Once Upon a Moonlit Night
#10.7 Once Upon a Christmas Eve
#11 Duke of Pleasure
#12 Duke of Desire
#12.5 Once Upon a Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Duke of Desire (Maiden Lane #12)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 308

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance

A Lady of the Light Refined, kind, and intelligent, Lady Iris Jordan finds herself the unlikely target of a diabolical kidnapping. Her captors are the notoriously evil Lords of Chaos. When one of the masked---and nude!---Lords spirits her away to his carriage, she shoots him . . . only to find she may have been a trifle hasty. A Duke in Deepest Darkness Cynical, scarred, and brooding, Raphael de Chartres, the Duke of Dyemore, has made it his personal mission to infiltrate the Lords of Chaos and destroy them. Rescuing Lady Jordan was never in his plans. But now with the Lords out to kill them both, he has but one choice: marry the lady in order to keep her safe. Caught in a Web of Danger . . . And Desire Much to Raphael's irritation, Iris insists on being the sort of duchess who involves herself in his life---and bed. Soon he's drawn both to her quick wit and her fiery passion. But when Iris discovers that Raphael's past may be even more dangerous than the present, she falters. Is their love strong enough to withstand not only the Lords of Chaos but also Raphael's own demons?

CW: Rape, sexual assault, child abuse

A strong showing for the Maiden Lane with Raphael and Iris’s love story. I fell for Raphael after his appearance in the previous book. I desperately wanted to hear his story and find a conclusion to the Lords of Chaos storyline. We get both in this book, but with many many depressing and troubling scenes and stories. It was a bit hard to get through, especially when Raphael tells his story. The book was very dark. I have enjoyed the mysteries and adventures throughout the series, but this one really took it to a new level. Beyond those portions, I did enjoy watching Raphael and Iris fall in love. Their scenes were very steamy. Not my absolute favorite, but I really did enjoy this volume.

Maiden Lane

#1 Wicked Intentions
#2 Notorious Pleasures
#3 Scandalous Desires
#4 Thief of Shadows
#5 Lord of Darkness
#6 Duke of Midnight
#7 Darling Beast
#8 Dearest Rogue
#9 Sweetest Scoundrel
#10 Duke of Sin
#10.5 Once Upon a Moonlit Night
#10.7 Once Upon a Christmas Eve
#11 Duke of Pleasure
#12 Duke of Desire
#12.5 Once Upon a Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Duke of Pleasure (Maiden Lane #11)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 337

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance

IN THE ARMS OF DANGER
Bold. Brave. Brutally handsome. Hugh Fitzroy, the Duke of Kyle, is the king's secret weapon. Sent to defeat the notorious Lords of Chaos, he is ambushed in a London alley-and rescued by an unlikely ally: a masked stranger with the unmistakable curves of a woman.

IN THE HEAT OF DESIRE
Cocky. Clever. Courageously independent. Alf has survived on the perilous streets of St. Giles by disguising her sex. By day she is a boy, dealing in information and secrets. By night she's the notorious Ghost of St. Giles, a masked vigilante. But as she saves Hugh from assassins, she finds herself succumbing to temptation . . .

ONE KISS WILL CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER
When Hugh hires Alf to investigate the Lords of Chaos, her worlds collide. Once Hugh realizes that the boy and the Ghost are the same, will Alf find the courage to become the woman she needs to be-before the Lords of Chaos destroy them both?

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Maiden Lane series, but I just didn’t love this one. I did enjoy the larger mystery of the Lords of Chaos and the intrigues there. But I just didn’t connect to the romance between Alf and Hugh. There was too many questionable interactions involving consent. And then we get the whole High thinking Alf was a boy and then very quickly realizing that she wasn’t and engaging in a sexual relationship. I just couldn’t get behind their relationship Disappointing to me. And this was extra disappointing as it came after Valentine’s story that I absolutely adored. Things are looking up for the next book focused on the Duke of Dyemore.

Maiden Lane

#1 Wicked Intentions
#2 Notorious Pleasures
#3 Scandalous Desires
#4 Thief of Shadows
#5 Lord of Darkness
#6 Duke of Midnight
#7 Darling Beast
#8 Dearest Rogue
#9 Sweetest Scoundrel
#10 Duke of Sin
#10.5 Once Upon a Moonlit Night
#10.7 Once Upon a Christmas Eve
#11 Duke of Pleasure
#12 Duke of Desire
#12.5 Once Upon a Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool: Spring Break Edition

What We Studied

The past two weeks were our spring break. We didn’t leave the house much, but tried to slow our schooling pace and engage in some school field trips. We even met a new friend and hope to have more outdoor playtimes.

Literature and Poetry

We read Peter Pan over break and I forgot how muddled the writing is. I had to do a lot of editing on the fly and even skipped some sections here and there. We won’t be revisiting that one.

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Snowmen at Night by Carolyn Buehner (literature study)
A Crankenstein’s Valentine by Samantha Berger (literature study)
The Popcorn Astronaut by Deborah Ruddell (poems)

Math

We did our daily (or almost daily) math pages, but also engaged in math games and fun projects. We also continued with our Lollipop Logic and a few sessions of Khan Academy.

Double the Ducks by Stuart J. Murphy
3 x 4 by Ivan Burnetti

Social Studies

We sorta celebrated St. Patrick’s day with some books and a few crafts.

The Littlest Leprechaun by Brandi Dougherty
The Leprechaun Who Lost His Rainbow by Sean Callahan
There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover by Lucille Colandro
The Gingerbread Man and the Leprechaun Loose at School by Laura Murray
The Leprechaun Under the Bed by Teresa Bateman

Science

Instead of a formal science study, we got out into nature with some field trips. We got a free library pass to Fontenelle Forest and had a lovely hike through the forest. We will definitely be checking out that pass more often and tracking how the forest changes. On Thursday, we traveled to Lincoln to visit Morrill Hall and the natural history museum. The museum was fun even if parking was a bit of a nightmare. Afterward we had a fun picnic at a park and then stopped at the candy outlet on the way home. We also had a few park days and a trip to the zoo.

Art

Instead of a formal art unit, Arthur completed daily LEGO challenges. We had a mix of challenges and design ideas. I loved the low-key nature of the project and Arthur loved creating all kinds of fun constructions.

Music

As we were skill covering space, we studied Gustav Holst’s The Planets. Arthur liked Mars and Jupiter best. I am partial to Saturn.

Unit Theme

All about space! We continued our study of space. Lots of great library books were read! We also watched a few more NOVA episodes about various subjects including Saturn, the Ice Worlds, and Apollo 8. We did some fun free-form art projects including making a constellation poster. Finally, we had a box of fun space themed crafts

Mars’ First Friends by Susanna Leonard Hill and Elisa Paganelli
A Trip into Space by Lori Haskins Hour
Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket by Sue Fliess
Pluto Gets the Call by Adam Rex
Goodnight Astronaut by Scott Kelly
Moon by Britta Teckentrup
What Miss Michelle Saw by Hayley Barrett
My Rainy Day Rocket Ship by Markelle Sheppard
DK Space
Once Upon a Starry Night by Jacqueline Mitton and Christina Balit
What We See in the Stars by Kelsey Oseid
A is for Astronaut by Clayton Anderson
Professor Astro Cat’s Space Rockets by Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman
The Stellar Story fo Space Travel
Space Visual Catalog
The Complete Guide to Space Exploration by Ben Hubbard
The First Men Who Went to the Moon by Rhonda Gowler Greene
Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon by Suzanne Slade
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing by Dean Robbins
To the Stars by Carmella Van Vleet and Kathy Sullivan
Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed
Space Heroes by Hannah Dolan
You Should Meet Mae Jemison by Laurie Calkhoven
Rockets and Spaceships by Karen Wallace
The 100 Year Starship by Mae Jemison
She Caught the Light: Williamina Stavens Fleming Astronomer by Kathryn Lasky
Mars! Earthlings Welcome by Stacy McAnulty
Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet by Curtis Manley

Misc. - Random picture books read

Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light by Apryl Stott
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Daniel Learns to Ride a Bike
Paw Patrol: Mission Paw
The Magic School Bus Rides Again: Deep-Sea Dive
Porcupine Cupid by Jason June
Spy Guy by Jessica Young
The Owl Who Asks Why by Michelle Garcia Anderson
Meet a Baby Zebra by Lisa Ownings
A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na
A Thousand White Butterflies by Jessica Betancourt-Perez & Karen Lynn Williams
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
Fowl Play by Travis Nichols
Duck & Goose: Honk! Quack! Boo! by Tad Hills
Lego Ninjago Movie: Shark Attack
Can You Tell a Velociraptor from a Deinonychus? by Buffy Silverman
Shy Willow by Cat Min
Rabbids Invasion: Attack of the Zombie Rabbids
Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes by Eva Chen
Let’s All Creep Through Crocodile Creek by Jonny Lambert
When the Wind Blew by Alison Jackson
Road Trip by Steve Light
How Tall was a T Rex? by Alison Limentani

Highs

I figured out the free library pass to Fontenelle Forest so we had a lovely morning in nature without having to pay. Definitely doing that again and hoping to use to pass for Lauritzen Gardens during their Easter Egg hunting weeks.
The Raptor Refuge at Fontenelle was a delightful surprise. We got up close to many birds of prey (including the bald eagle pictured). An employee took the time to chat with us and give us much more information than what’s on the signs. Lots of fun!

Lows

The cold and rainy weather meant less park days than I had wanted.
Quentin had a random sick day the first Monday of break which meant no outside time that day (and it was gorgeous outside).

Next Week

Back to our regularly scheduled homeschool… We’ll be diving into the following topics:

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Singapore Math 2B Unit 6 (reviewing mental addition and subtraction)
Composer John Williams
Spring Equinox
Plants and Growing
Native Groups of the Plains
The Start of the American Revolution (thru Lexington and Concord)
Daily Doodling Journal

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - This Wild Life "Nothing Hurts Like Love"

For the first two months of the year (I’m extending into March), I decided to do Emo Winter! I’m been really loving The Emo Project channel on Sirius XM Radio. I picked all my selections directly from the channel.

A very moody song for today’s choice.

Life Right Now #8

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny outside (and fairly warm), but there is a wind advisory. It wouldn’t be spring in Nebraska without a wind advisory.

Right now I am: Deciding which smoothie to make for our pre-brunch meal. I think I might go with blueberry almond butter…

Thinking and pondering: How much work do I want to do in the laundry room? Our dryer died about two months ago and now our washer is dying. So we are going to get a new pair, but that leaves lots of choices. We decided on stacking them, but then we have to remove the cabinets that are above the units. I hate the cabinets as they aren’t functional at all. I can hardly reach anything in them and I’m not that short. We’re a bit scared to see the state of the walls once we get those off. And then there’s the option of painting, possibly removing the soffit above the cabinets, opening the closet up to a mudroom nook, and putting in some type of shelving unit in the open space. So many choices! I need to plan out some more once we get the cabinets out.

On my bedside table: Dangerous Women by Hope Adams; Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

On my tv this week: We started The Falcon and Winter Soldier this week and I don’t know if I can wait each week to watch this. We also caught up on Superstore and Resident Alien. Plus we threw in some episodes of Star Trek: Voyager. I’m currently in almost at the end of season 2.

Listening to: I binged Nothing More yesterday and had J listen to The Emo Project during lunch. Now that my favorite Bachelor podcast was canceled, I need to find a replacement this week.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Spaghetti and Meatballs
Tuesday - Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
Wednesday - Chicken Shawarma Fries
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Apple Cheddar Stuffed Chicken
Saturday - Crab Coconut Curry
Sunday - Sesame Chicken

On my to do list: I have a lot of little tasks for the week and I hope to make some progress on my TBR pile.

Happening this week: Nothing much. I have two book clubs (still on zoom of course) and we’ll be going to the library. Otherwise, it will be a normal homeschooling week.

What I am creating: Nothing much. I hope to continue working on my December Daily album if I get a chance.

My simple pleasures: Good pizza, a vacuumed house, flavored seltzer water

Looking around the house: The first floor is looking a lot better than it did yesterday. I spent a lot of time cleaning out and reorganizing the playroom. I also got a ton of random crap picked up and put away.

From the camera: We love the aquarium!

Spring TBR

Spring TBR: Trying to lay out another 25 (well 28 actually) books that I want to read this spring. The list is a mix of unread shelf books and random ones from my TBR that I really wanted to get to soon.

Foundation by Isaace Asimov
Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Lady Mechanika series
- Volume 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci
- Volume 6: Sangre
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Experiemntal Film by Gemma Files
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Broken by Jenny Lawson
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Outlawed by Anna North
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Still Life by Louise Penny
Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn
- It’s In His Kiss
- On the Way to the Wedding
- Happily Ever After
Swamplandia by Karen Russell
Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster
The Toll by Neal Shusterman
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence
Will Storr vs The Supernatural by Will Storr
The Nest by Cynthia d’Aprix Sweeney

Winter TBR: Let’s see how I did on my Winter TBR! 14/25 Decent showing for the season. A few were library books that I couldn’t fit in. A few were unread shelf books that I still really want to get to, but I got wrapped up in other series.

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London ✓
Still Life by Louise Penny
Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh ✓
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn ✓
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Asylum Series by Madeleine Roux (Sanctum, Catacomb, Novellas, Escape from Asylum) ✓
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas
The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen ✓
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Exhalation by Ted Chiang ✓
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke ✓
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow ✓
Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓
Underland by Robert Macfarlane ✓
Wellington by Aaron Mahnke ✓
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
Scythe by Neal Shusterman ✓
Lock In by John Scalzi ✓
The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov ✓

Next up on the TBR pile:

Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane #10)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 369

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance

A MAN OF SIN
Devastatingly handsome. Vain. Unscrupulous. Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, is the man London whispers about in boudoirs and back alleys. A notorious rake and blackmailer, Montgomery has returned from exile, intent on seeking revenge on those who have wronged him. But what he finds in his own bedroom may lay waste to all his plans.

A WOMAN OF HONOR
Born a bastard, housekeeper Bridget Crumb is clever, bold, and fiercely loyal. When her aristocratic mother becomes the target of extortion, Bridget joins the Duke of Montgomery's household to search for the incriminating evidence-and uncovers something far more dangerous.

A SECRET THAT THREATENS TO DESTROY THEM BOTH
Astonished by the deceptively prim-and surprisingly witty-domestic spy in his chambers, Montgomery is intrigued. And try as she might, Bridget can't resist the slyly charming duke. Now as the two begin their treacherous game of cat and mouse, they soon realize that they both have secrets-and neither may be as nefarious-or as innocent-as they appear . . .

And the series has returned to the unbelievably steamy fun romp! I was intrigued by Valentine in the previous books and was so glad that he gets his own book! I absolutely fell for Val from the first chapter of this one (really from the last chapters of the previous book). I needed to see where Val’s journey led him and all the secrets of Bridget’s past. I’m so glad that Hoyt didn’t make Valentine a White Knight, but made his growth much more realistic to his original appearance. And Val definitely brought the steam factor. Oh goodness! He was so wicked! I loved very single minute of this book. I’m not sure any of the rest of the book will be able to top this one.

Maiden Lane

#1 Wicked Intentions
#2 Notorious Pleasures
#3 Scandalous Desires
#4 Thief of Shadows
#5 Lord of Darkness
#6 Duke of Midnight
#7 Darling Beast
#8 Dearest Rogue
#9 Sweetest Scoundrel
#10 Duke of Sin
#10.5 Once Upon a Moonlit Night
#10.7 Once Upon a Christmas Eve
#11 Duke of Pleasure
#12 Duke of Desire
#12.5 Once Upon a Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

Librarian Tales by William Ottens

Title: Librarian Tales: Funny, Strange, and Inspiring Dispatches from the Stacks

Author: William Ottens

Publisher: Skyhorse 2020

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 240

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of librarian William Ottens’s experience working behind service desks and in the stacks of public libraries, most recently at the Lawrence Public Library in Kansas. In Librarian Tales, published in cooperation with the American Library Association, readers will learn about strange things librarians have found in book drops, weird and obscure reference questions, the stress of tax season, phrases your local librarians never want to hear, stories unique to children’s librarians, and more.

Ottens uncovers common pet peeves among his colleagues, addresses misguided assumptions and stereotypes, and shares several hilarious stories along the way. This book is must reading for any librarian, or anyone who loves books and libraries, though non-library folks will also laugh and cry (from laughing) while reading this lighthearted analysis of your local community pillar, the library.

I have followed Librarian Problems for years and was really looking forward to a fun look at libraries. I was here for all the fun stories and quirky situations. I was ready for the behind-the-scenes tour. Instead, I got a fairly boring look at how Ottens became a librarian and the various positions he held. It was more of a dry look at the organization structure of libraries than celebrating the weird. I was bored.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Like a Lion Videos

Super fascinating video! Part 2 just came out last week.

I did always love Cruella.

This one looks right up my alley.

How did I miss that they were making a new Mortal Kombat movie? Looks like some silly fun to me.

Most definitely we will be seeing this one.

Looks like this was made just for me!

Oh Britney.