May 2020 Wrap-up

May TBR Pile (20/31):

Book of the Month Club: Things in Jars by Jess Kidd ✓
Girly Book Club: Circe by Madeline Miller (reread, no review) ✓
Friend Book Club: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson ✓
Unread Shelf Random (Jan): Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
UnRead Shelf Selection (Feb): Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
UnRead Shelf Random (April): Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
UnRead Shelf Random (May): Asylum by Madeleine Roux
Goodreads To Read Random (Jan): Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
Goodreads To Read Random (May): The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd ✓
TBR Jar Random (April): The Five by Hallie Rubenhold ✓
TBR Jar Random (May): A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer ✓
April Theme Wrap-up: The Oracle Code ✓
April Theme Wrap-up: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
April Theme Wrap-up: Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin ✓
Theme 1: Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Theme 1: Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller ✓
Theme 1: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Theme 2: The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Theme 2: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Theme 2: TBD
Romance: The Secrets of the Courtesan by Nicola Cornick ✓
Romance: The Confessions of a Duchess by Nicola Cornick ✓
Romance: The Scandals of an Innocent by Nicola Cornick ✓
Romance: The Undoing of a Lady by Nicola Cornick ✓
Added: Malice at the Palace by Rhys Bowen ✓
Added: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins ✓
Added: Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey ✓
Added: The Deep by Alma Katsu ✓
Added: All Systems Red by Martha Wells ✓
Kid Read-Aloud: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl ✓
Kid Read-Aloud: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6518 pages
Pages Remaining: 542,121 pages

Current Read - The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte; Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books bought/received (1) - I skipped Book of the Month for May. Nothing really called to me. But I did pick up a copy of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson for book club. I am hoping J will read it this year also.

June TBR Pile:

Book of the Month Club: One Day in December by Josie Silver
BOTM: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
Girly Book Club: Ask Again Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Friend Book Club: The Library of Legends by Janie Chang
Unread Shelf Random (Jan): Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
UnRead Shelf Selection (Feb): Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
UnRead Shelf Random (April): Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
UnRead Shelf Random (May): Asylum by Madeleine Roux
UnRead Shelf Random (June): Craft a Life You Love by Amy Tangerine
Goodreads To Read Random (Jan): Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
Goodreads To Read Random (June): The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe
TBR Jar Random (June): Hollowland by Amanda Hocking
May Theme Wrap-up: Uprooted by Naomi Novik
May Theme Wrap-up: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
May Theme Wrap-up: The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
May Theme Wrap-up: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Theme 1: Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
Theme 1: Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn
Theme 1: Empress of the Seven Hills by Kate Quinn
Theme 2: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Theme 2: Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Theme 2: TBD
Mystery: Cocaine Blues by Kerry Washington
Historical Fiction: Lady of the Eternal City by Kate Quinn
Historical Fiction: The Paris Hours by Alex George
Science Fiction: Sever by Lauren DeStefano
Science Fiction: Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Science Fiction: Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
Science Fiction: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
Science Fiction: Network Effect by Martha Wells
Romance: Whisper of Scandal by Nicola Cornick
Romance: One Wicked Sin by Nicola Cornick
Romance: Mistress of Midnight by Nicola Cornick
Romance: Notorious by Nicola Cornick
Nonfiction: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte
Ebook: The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

UnRead Shelf Plans

For June, the prompt a book from a series. I am hoping to read one of my historical fiction series or a romance series from my stacks.

Movies watched

Frankenstein from the National Theatre - We watched the one with Benedict Cumberbatch as Victor Frankenstein and Jonny Lee Miller as the monster. So good!
1917 - Absolutely gorgeous and horrifying. Amazing!
VHYes - So weird, but strangely entertaining.
Love Wedding Repeat - Enjoyed this romcom.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot - Meh.
20 Feet from Stardom - Pretty decent documentary.
Ford v. Ferrari - Really enjoyed this movie about car racing, who knew?
General Magic - Fascinating look at an almost mythical company.
Jumanji: The Next Level - It had moments of humor. Mostly Kevin Hart being Danny Glover.
The Darkest Minds - Terrible confusing movie (and I’ve read the book).
Mortal Engines - Very cool models and set design, less exciting story and characters.
Alita: Battle Angel - It had promise, I just wanted less teeny-bopper romance and more battle with the Big Bad.
It Stains the Sands Red - Not the worst zombie movie I’ve seen, but the ending really killed it for me.
F/X - Great 80s action movie!
2010 - Except for the voiceovers, I loved this one.
Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss - Quirky and pretty fun.
A Trip to Greece - A fourth trip! I found this one to be more uplifting than the previous ones.
Spaceship Earth - A confused muddle of a documentary.
Color Out of Space - Hate Lovecraft as a person, love Lovecraftian horror. This was terrifying and amazing!
The Lovebirds - That was delightful!
Jupiter Ascending - What a trainwreck of a movie…
Extraction - Pretty good action film
Bad Times at the El Royale - Pretty intriguing
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

TV Shows watched

Last Week Tonight
What We Do in the Shadows S2
Rick and Morty S4
Living With Yourself S1
Below Deck S5

Comments - Another month in quarantine. At least I had a really good media month. Lots of books read. Lots of movies watched. Lots of schoolwork done with Arthur.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreaker #1)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 507

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

I picked this one up on Kindle sale awhile back and let it languish on my iPad for months. Why? I started reading this book and just couldn’t stop. This Beauty and the Beast retelling is right in my wheelhouse. I love a good fairy tale story with wicked evil, not quite perfect heroes, and plucky heroines. This story isn’t quite surprising, but I loved how Kemmerer put her own spin on the classic tale. I loved Harper and all her insecurities and strength. I loved Rhen and his secrets and charm. And Grey was a delightful surprise full of loyalty and surprising tenderness. I was gutted by the last section of this book. And I’m desperately wanting to finish out the series with book #2. Guess I will have to put that on June’s TBR pile.

Cursebreaker Series

#1 A Curse So Dark and Lonely
#2 A Heart So Fierce and Broken

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Undoing of a Lady by Nicola Cornick

Title: The Undoing of a Lady (Brides of Fortune #3)

Author: Nicola Cornick

Publisher: HQN 2009

Genre: Regency Romance

Pages: 384

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

Courting scandal since girlhood, free-spirited Lady Elizabeth Scarlet vows there is just one way to save her childhood friend from a loveless marriage: to kidnap him! But Nathaniel is furious. So angry that he challenges her to take their assignation to its natural conclusion and seduce him.

When her inexperienced attempt flares into intense passion, Lizzie is ruined…and hopelessly, unexpectedly, in love with Nathaniel, the Earl of Waterhouse. Now the wild and willful Lizzie must convince Nat that they are a perfect match—in every way.

I really really wanted to like this one. I thought we would get another fun couple, but instead we get an entirely too obtuse hero and an annoying heroine. I did not like Lizzie and Nat at all. They were a terrible couple. The steamy scenes were kind of awkward and felt voyeuristic in a bad way. I wasn’t excited about how the overall mystery played out. And don’t get me started on Flora and Lowell. Not a great ending to a sometimes enjoyable romance series.

Brides of Fortune

Next up on the TBR pile:

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Title: All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1)

Author: Martha Wells

Publisher: Tor.com 2017

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 155

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.
But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

I picked this up as a free download from Tor.com and absolutely loved it so much! We get a concise novella following a “murderbot” as it navigates it’s latest work assignment that goes wrong. I loved getting into the mind of the SecUnit but especially loved it’s voice. Such fun to listen to it’s stream of consciousness and journey. I sped through this adventure story in just a few hours and can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Murderbot Diaries:

#1 All Systems Red
#2 Artificial Condition
#3 Rogue Protocol
#4 Exit Strategy
#5 Network Effect
#6 Fugitive Telemetry

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

I scored three amazing vintage furniture pieces for only $30 total! Usually I find nothing on Nextdoor that I want, but this weekend I found three great pieces!
The rain can be dreary, but I do love listening to it while reading.
Finished another craft project! One down, 50 million to go….
Thinking I need to send out some more pick-me-up cards.
We’re having a pretty successful May Movie Month. Hoping to finish strong.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Scandals of an Innocent by Nicola Cornick

Title: The Scandals of an Innocent (Brides of Fortune #2)

Author: Nicola Cornick

Publisher: HQN 2009

Genre: Regency Romance

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

Miss Alice Lister feels anything but respectable. Bad enough that she is a maid-turned-heiress. Now the insufferably attractive Lord Miles Vickery is certain he can gain her fortune by blackmailing her into marriage—even though it was his deceitful charm that broke her heart once before. But she's positive the terms of her inheritance will prove an impossible task. After all, what rake could be completely honest for three long months?

For his part, Miles finds his newfound frankness invaluable in entangling Alice in positions deliciously unbecoming of a lady. Of course, he doesn't yet know that he's falling hopelessly in love with this formidable innocent…or that he will soon go to impossible lengths to prove himself hers forever….

Another fun Regency Romance for the week. I enjoyed Miles and Alice much more than I did the previous couples in the series. Alice has so much grit and resolve, it’s hard not to like here. And Miles is a great version of the rake who reforms. I enjoyed their back and forth sparring. I enjoyed their arguments. I enjoyed their romance. As always, I wish that the ending spent a bit more time on the resolution, but that’s a reoccurring complaint of mine.

Brides of Fortune

#0.5 The Secrets of a Courtesan
#1 The Confessions of a Duchess
#2 The Scandals of an Innocent
#3 The Undoing of a Lady

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

Title: The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper

Author: Hallie Rubenhold

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2019

Genre: Nonfiction - History

Pages: 359

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; TBR Random

Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Catherine, and Mary Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden, and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffeehouses, lived on country estates; they breathed ink dust from printing presses and escaped human traffickers.

What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888. The person responsible was never identified, but the character created by the press to fill that gap has become far more famous than any of these five women.

For more than a century, newspapers have been keen to tell us that “the Ripper” preyed on prostitutes. Not only is this untrue, as historian Hallie Rubenhold has discovered, but it has prevented the real stories of these fascinating women from being told. Now, in this devastating narrative of five lives, Rubenhold finally sets the record straight, revealing a world not just of Dickens and Queen Victoria, but of poverty, homelessness, and rampant misogyny. They died because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time—but their greatest misfortune was to be born women.

So much research went into this book! I am amazed at the level of detail Rubenhold discovered to recreate the world of the victims of Jack the Ripper. Overall and overall I marveled at the amount of detective work to uncover the lives of these women. History has certainly painted them in a specific light and one that is not accurate. I really enjoyed getting to know each of them in life. I learned a bit more about England in the 1880s (not my expertise in history) and revealed in the atmosphere Rubenhold creates. This book is very dense, but such a good collection of biographies.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - New Found Glory feat. Hayley Williams "Vicious Love"

How did I completely forget about this song?

The Oracle Code

Title: The Oracle Code

Author: Marieke Nijkamp and Manuel Preitano

Publisher: DC 2020

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 208

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Monthly Theme - April

After a gunshot leaves her paralyzed, Barbara Gordon enters the Arkham Center for Independence, where Gotham's teens undergo physical and mental rehabilitation. Now using a wheelchair, Barbara must adapt to a new normal, but she cannot shake the feeling that something is dangerously amiss. Within these walls, strange sounds escape at night; patients go missing; and Barbara begins to put together pieces of what she believes to be a larger puzzle.

But is this suspicion simply a result of her trauma? Fellow patients try to connect with Barbara, but she pushes them away, and she'd rather spend time with ghost stories than participate in her daily exercises. Even Barbara's own judgment is in question.

In The Oracle Code, universal truths cannot be escaped, and Barbara Gordon must battle the phantoms of her past before they swarm her future.

I’m not usually one for capes or even for DC Comics, but this one peaked my interest. I really enjoyed this origin story for Barbara Gordon. We get a great coming-on-age angle. We get a bit of mystery. We get friendship. And this fits neatly into the larger DC universe. I don’t think I will be picking up more capes comics anytime soon, but this was a good afternoon’s reading material.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #17

As I look outside my window: Bright and sunny after last night’s thunderstorms. We’re going to get another storm system this afternoon, but this morning it’s so pretty outside.

Right now I am: Drinking an iced coffee and relaxing before making brunch.

On my bedside table: The Scandals of an Innocent and The Undoing of a Lady by Nicole Cornick. I’m trying to finish out the Brides of Fortune series before the month ends.

On my tv this week: J and I have continued our May Movie Month. I finally watched 2010. I enjoyed it and would have loved it if the voice-overs were done differently. Very annoying at times. The last season of The 100 started last week. I really need to get watching it…

Listening to: Mostly podcasts, but I did use the Sonos in the craft/library room to enjoy Alt Nation while crafting.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken and Noodles
Tuesday - Honey Garlic Salmon; Tilapia
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Chicken Ranch Tacos
Friday - Calulu
Saturday - Smothered Pork Chops
Sunday - Honey and Lime Jalapeno Chicken

On my to do list: The library is now accepting returns at limited times and limited locations. I need to swing by on my grocery day and start unloading our read books. I also need to do the big grocery run this Tuesday and we need to mail Alex’s textbooks back to the Academy.

Happening this week: For the summer, I have picked a weekly theme for Arthur. He was really getting into structured school time, so we decided to continue it. Plus I really want his math and reading skills to progress. Last week was Art History and he really got into trying different art styles. This week is Farm Week. We are going to learn about how farms operate and various animals throughout the week. Plus we are reading Charlotte’s Web before bedtime.

Also, I missed Ali Edwards doing Week in the Life last month. But I figured this coming week would be as good of a week as any to do it for 2020. A week of social distancing will be interesting to document in detail. I foresee less photos and more journalling this year.

What I am creating: Working on finishing my 2019 Week in the Life Album this weekend. I’m so close! And then I can check off another project from my master list.

My simple pleasures: Listening to the rain at night…

Looking around the house: J and I are contemplating our next house move. We think we’re going to pull down the ceilings in the basement to replace the air ducts in preparation for the new furnace later this summer. Plus open ceilings would allow J to run fiber throughout the house. We need to get a few estimates for air ducts first.

From the camera: Painting this week for Art History.

Spring Bucket List Update #3

A new season has begun! The global pandemic has really put an interesting twist on planning for the spring. We didn’t end up traveling anywhere this month and have loaded up on home activities and schedules. And due to the uncertainty of the near future, I’m shortening the Spring Bucket List to create some manageable goals.

Obviously things have not gone back to anywhere near normal. I imagine that very few of these items will be accomplished, but I’m still going for the ones we can do from home.

Read 50 books (34/50)
Make fun cupcakes -
Create an Easter Egg Hunt ✓
Make a planter for the front porch -
Find two good parks -
Tie Dye Shirts with the boys -
Create a spring Spotify playlist -
Mini golf family night -
Go berry picking -
Sign Arthur up for summer camps - Camps have been canceled.
Go on a hike -
Have a picnic -
Put together the littles’s room - In progress
Monthly Massage -
Go antiquing -

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Deep by Alma Katsu

Title: The Deep

Author: Alma Katsu

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 432

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

Someone, or something, is haunting the ship. Between mysterious disappearances and sudden deaths, the guests of the Titanic have found themselves suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone from the moment they set sail. Several of them, including maid Annie Hebley, guest Mark Fletcher, and millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, are convinced there's something sinister--almost otherwordly--afoot. But before they can locate the source of the danger, as the world knows, disaster strikes.

Years later, Annie, having survived that fateful night, has attempted to put her life back together. Working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, newly refitted as a hospital ship, she happens across an unconscious Mark, now a soldier fighting in World War I. At first, Annie is thrilled and relieved to learn that he too survived the sinking, but soon, Mark's presence awakens deep-buried feelings and secrets, forcing her to reckon with the demons of her past--as they both discover that the terror may not yet be over.

Alma Katsu is also going on my must read author list! I adored The Hunger and The Deep is an amazing follow-up! I have always been fascinated with the sinking of the Titanic. Scratch that, I’ve always been fascinated by shipwrecks, all shipwrecks. Ships being lost as sea has always held my attention. I especially love the ones surrounded by mystery like the Andrea Doria or the Mary Celeste. Seriously, I went down a giant rabbit hole a few years ago learning about ghost ships through history. But back to this book… We get a great story split between the Titanic and Britannic. We all know how the story is going to end, but thankfully Katsu keeps the tension high. We have to know just exactly how we get to the ending. We have to know why Annie acts strangely at times. We have to know the fate of Caroline, Ondine, and Mark. We have to know if Annie will understand why she felt the need to hid herself away. We have to know if the creepy feeling we have is due to real supernatural entities or just the fact that we know the ships will sink. I sped through this one in only a few days. I love how Katsu keeps up the pace throughout her books making the reader keep going. There are no lags in the story even when we get to the quieter moments. We have to find out how it all ends. I absolutely loved this one!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Some New Videos

Yeah! Another fun video!

Adding to my list…

So weird.

Another fun list video

I’m all about the list videos today.

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Title: Upright Women Wanted

Author: Sarah Gailey

Publisher: Tor.com 2020

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 171

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook

“That girl’s got more wrong notions than a barn owl’s got mean looks.”

Esther is a stowaway. She’s hidden herself away in the Librarian’s book wagon in an attempt to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her—a marriage to the man who was previously engaged to her best friend. Her best friend who she was in love with. Her best friend who was just executed for possession of resistance propaganda.

The future American Southwest is full of bandits, fascists, and queer librarian spies on horseback trying to do the right thing.

So Sarah Gailey is most definitely going on my must read author list. I love how they write with fun classic tropes turned on their heads. On the surface, this is a story of a post-apocalypse(ish) world where a resistance faction has risen up with the aid of traveling librarians. Sounds like a typical scifi book. But Gailey really focuses on the relationships of the characters and explores gender and identity in this strange world. They did similar things in River and Teeth and Taste of Marrow and I am totally on board of this! This short novella really packs a punch. I wanted so much to see the the further adventures of Esther and Cye along with the resistance. I wanted to learn more about the world they live in. I wanted to meet more interesting characters. Maybe we will get another book set in this world from Gailey.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #10

Reading: I’m rereading Circe by Madeline Miller for May’s Girly Book Club. I’m also finishing The Deep by Alma Katsu.

Watching: Continuing our May Movie Month. We just did a string of three YA scifi movies: The Darkest Minds (terrible), Mortal Engines (very pretty, but not great), and Alita: Battle Angel (confusing).

Listening: Lots of podcasts like usual, but I always make time for Corona Virus Daily from NPR.

Making: Working on various Project Life pages. I’m still finishing Arthur’s 2018 album, but have started the family 2019 album and the WITL 2019 album.

Feeling: Life with the teenagers has been pretty tense this past week. Not quite sure what’s going on right now, but hoping we can get to the bottom of this conflict soon.

Planning: Arthur is officially done with Kindergarten, but we’re not going to stop learning. As we cannot really visit various places, I’m setting up weekly theme units to get us through the summer. First up is Art History with lots of hands-on projects.

Loving: I picked up some stacks of rhubarb from the grocery and have really enjoyed the strawberry-rhubarb crumble I made from them.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Hayley Williams "Dead Horse"

I’m digging her new sound…

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Title: A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

Author: Bill Bryson

Publisher: Broadway Books 2010

Genre: Nonfiction - Travel Memoir

Pages: 397

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project

Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes—and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings.

For a start there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. Despite Katz's overwhelming desire to find cozy restaurants, he and Bryson eventually settle into their stride, and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious characters. But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods has become a modern classic of travel literature.

Our book club selection for May. We really wanted to get away from historical fiction specifically WWII historical fiction. This definitely delivered on that point. Instead of historical narrative, we get Bryson’s account of his attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail. At times I found Bryson and his various hiking companions to be insufferable but at least he can acknowledge that fact. I kept having flashbacks to reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed and how much I hated that book. I finally pinpointed that one of my issues with Strayed was her philosophy of life. Many times it cam across as “everyone should do this to live a fulfilled life.” I just didn’t get that from Bryson at all. He had more of an attitude of “I got this idea of walking the trail, I attempted it, I had some thoughts about my own life, but you do you.” In the end, I found that I really enjoyed this book and need to add some of his other books to my TBR list.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #16

As I look outside my window: It’s raining… so much rain and so much green.

Right now I am: Enjoying my coffee in the cool morning.

On my bedside table: The Deep by Alma Katsu; Bringing Down the Duke by Eva Dunmore; Circe by Madeline Miller

On my tv this week: We’ve continued our May Movie Month with Jumanji 3, The Darkest Minds, and Mortal Engines. Two were duds, one was good. Can you figure out which is which?

Listening to: Just the usual podcasts. Nothing new or exciting.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup
Tuesday - Chili
Wednesday -Baked Chicken Parmesan
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Baked Potato Soup
Saturday - Takeout Ramen
Sunday - Spaghetti

On my to do list: I’m certain that I have things on my list, but I can’t remember any of them right now. I guess I need to check the big list today.

Happening this week: What day is it? What week is it?

What I am creating: I’ve been working through my Memory Planner and Project Life pages. Getting closer to the present.

My simple pleasures: Listening to the rain, a boba tea, a good book, dark chocolate

Looking around the house: Saturday’s house chore day took care of a lot of cleaning tasks. Now I can focus on some maintenance and possibly hang some things this coming week.

From the camera: Saturday’s sushi and homemade miso soup.

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Title: Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1)

Author: Shelby Mahurin

Publisher: HarperTeen 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 518

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Monthly Theme - April

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

As a huntsman of the Church, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. But when Lou pulls a wicked stunt, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.

Lou, unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, must make a choice. And love makes fools of us all.

I have been looking forward to this book for months. I finally fit it into my reading month and was very disappointed. Lou is a great character and I really loved Ansel and Coco. I think the concept of white and red witches. And that’s where the positives ended for me. The readers are constantly reminded that this isn’t our world, but it sure looks a lot like 18th century France complete with the constant use of French words and phrases and that really looks like the Catholic Church. But apparently it’s not our world. I would have liked this better as an alternate history where witches are real. Instead, I kept having to remind myself that this was supposed to be a fantasy world. Second, I quickly grew tired of the constant misogyny present in all the characters. The author could have established that in the beginning and then just dropped it. Instead, we are constantly reminded of how women in this society are worthless at best and evil to the core at worst. I was so tired of reading it over and over. And having Reid keep reminding us was extra annoying. To that end, I totally didn’t buy his love for Lou in the end. Someone doesn’t completely change their entire perspective on life that quickly. Unrealistic… And finally that sex scene between Lou and Reid was a bit much for a young adult novel. We are supposed to believe that Lou is 18 and Reid is 22. It was a bit creepy to read their graphic sex scene (and this is coming from someone who occasionally reads erotica). We really could have done with that. I don’t think I will be reading the sequel when it is released.

Serpent & Dove

#1 Serpent & Dove
#2 Blood & Honey

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Title: The Song of Achilles

Author: Madeline Miller

Publisher: Ecco 2012

Genre: Historical Fiction / Mythology

Pages: 389

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Monthly Theme - May

A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner, Miller’s monumental debut novel has already earned resounding acclaim from some of contemporary fiction’s brightest lights.

It’s been decades since I last read The Iliad but reading this reimagining of Achilles’s story brought me right back to Classical Studies in college. Overall I really enjoyed Miller’s telling of a very classic story but framing the events from the viewpoint of Patroclus. I loved learning about Achilles not from himself, but from one who loved him. We get an interesting picture of a classical hero. Plus we get to experience the strangeness of encountering gods and goddesses. The horrors of war are particularly affecting coming from an acknowledged poor soldier. We get a proper coming of age story within the pages all the way through the deaths of both of our main characters. Tragic for sure, but with lush writing and storytelling. I enjoyed it very much.

Next up on the TBR pile: