There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

Title: There’s Someone Inside Your House

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton Books 2017

Genre: YA Thriller

Pages: 298

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Random

It's been almost a year since Makani Young came to live with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska, and she's still adjusting to her new life. And still haunted by her past in Hawaii.

Then, one by one, the students of her small town high school begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, Makani will be forced to confront her own dark secrets.

Random book from my TBR pile. I didn’t quite know what to expect but ended up really enjoying this teen slasher book. I loved how Perkins threw the audience right into the action. We start with a murder and don’t stop until the last page. She does a great job of creating realistic teen characters that actually act their age. (Seriously something that is often goes wrong in many young adult books.) There was enough jump scares and mystery to keep me interested in the plot. I really did not see the ending coming. Perkins sowed enough doubt that I was constantly questioning my own predictions. My biggest problem with the book was Makani’s dramatic backstory. It just seemed unnecessarily melodramatic. I think with a few tweaks, this could have been a 5 star book for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #18

Reading: There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins - I just started it and so far, it’s a fun slasher thriller.

Watching: We are so incredibly close to being done with Battlestar Galactica. Only the series finale remains for us to watch. I’m definitely ready to move on to a new-to-me series.

Listening: After the stress of election week, I’m pressing play on all my bookish podcasts like Currently Reading, Reading Glasses, and What Should I Read Next.

Making: In summer we hit a lull in our 52 Soups and Stews Around the World project, but fall has rekindled my motivation. We’re up to 43 recipes done. Might just make it to 52 by the end of December!

Feeling: Our new HVAC system has already made the house much more even and cozier. It’s really made a difference.

Planning: My Ikea storage finally came and has been assembled. I’ve been busy the last few days planning out where things go. Something categories are easy, but others are giving me trouble.

Loving: Life has returned to a slower pace this week and I’m totally here for it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W13: A Week of Half Days

What We Studied

This week was a bit strange with me working on a project for J’s company. As we had so much to do, we ended up doing only half days of school this past week.

Literature and Poetry

We finished reading The Magician’s Nephew this week. I had never read it and I loved the story. It explains so much about the creation of Narnia and where certain things come from.

• The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Math

It was another review week in math. I created some math packets and little projects. One of our favorites was a mystery packet. Arthur had to use various math techniques and skills to solve the case of the missing pumpkins.

• Money Math by David A. Adler

• Me Counting Time by Joan Sweeney

• If You Were an Even Number by Marcie Aboff

• Max’s Math by Kate Banks

• How Much is a Million? by David M. Schwartz

• Peg + Cat: The Pizza Problem by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson

Music

Our composer of the week was Felix Mendelssohn. I didn’t realize how much I loved Mendelssohn’s music. Arthur didn’t love his music, but liked it much better than some of the other composers we studied.

Unit Theme

Our theme was the election of course! We learned the basics of how elections work and the details of this year’s election. There are some great picture books about the election.

• Why are Elections Important? by Jacqueline Laks Gorman

• The President of the Jungle by Andre Rodrigues

• One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote

• Buddy for President by Hans Wilhelm

• Today on Election Day by Catherine Stier

• Monster Needs Your Vote by Paul Czajak

• Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio

• Robin Hill School: Election Day by Margaret McNamara

• What’s the Big Deal About Elections by Ruby Shamir

• If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier

• LaRue for Mayor by Mark Teague

• Vote for Our Future by Margaret McNamara

Misc. - Random picture books read

• Cece Loves Science by Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes

• There was an Old Mummy Who Swallowed a Spider by Jennifer Ward

• Ghost Cat by Kevan Atteberry

• Rocket and the Perfect Pumpkin by Tad Hills

• Never Kick a Ghost by Judy Sierra

• Ollie’s Halloween by Olivier Dunrea

• How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green

• Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins

• Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

• We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger

• Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer and Adam Schaefer

• Leaves! Leaves! Leaves! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

• Peppa Pig and the Library Visit

• Steam Train Dream Train Colors by Sherry Dusky Rinker

• Summer Green to Autumn Gold by Mia Rosada

• Horrible Bear by Are Dyckman

• Thanksgiving for Emily Ann by Teresa Johnston

• Ralph and the Rocket Ship by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

• I am a Leaf by Jean Marzollo

• Be Brave, Little Elephant by Carol Bicak

• To the Beach by Thomas Docherty

• Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum

• Colors by Katie Wilson

• Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur by Judy Sierra

• Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson

Highs

• Our math lessons were lots of fun.

• I loved reading The Magician’s Nephew.

Our tree on Friday

Lows

• So incredibly busy!

Next Week

Back to our regularly scheduled program, hopefully… We are going to study our last four U.S. History lessons for the fall semester. We are also going to finish our formal art history lessons this week. Then we will be focusing on more creative free art. We will be studying weather for our unit theme and finishing up our National Parks research project.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Bring Me the Horizon "Obey"

Digging this song a lot this week.

Life Right Now #37

As I look outside my window: Our big backyard tree finally dropped all it’s leaves. Guess I’ll be raking leaves today…

Right now I am: Finishing my bagel and coffee before I head outside.

On my bedside table: There’s Someone in Your House by Stephanie Perkins; Lumberjanes comics

On my tv this week: We finished the first season of Truth Seekers (delightful and strange). We’re almost finished with Battlestar Galactica. We have only four more episodes to go. Afterward, I think we are going to return to Star Trek (Voyager or DS9).

Listening to: All the politics and book podcasts in my feed. I’ve been alternating between the two categories all week.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Leftovers

• Tuesday -

• Wednesday -

• Thursday -

• Friday -

• Saturday

• Sunday -

On my to do list: A mile long list of things… One of the first things is to mail the extra trash can form and pop into the library tomorrow.

Happening this week: Hopefully back to some semblance of a normal schedule this week. I still have some work to finish up for J’s company, but the bulk is done. Otherwise I need to grocery shop this week.

What I am creating: Nothing this week unless you count blog posts not for personal use.

My simple pleasures: Working HVAC system. The guys came back to finish hooking up the AC unit. so now we have a complete and working HVAC system. Already, we can tell a difference with more equal temperatures throughout the house and better air quality. So excited!

Looking around the house: My Ikea order finally arrived and J put together my craft storage unit yesterday! I’m hoping to get most of my supplies put away this week so I can make tons of Christmas cards this weekend.

From the camera: Before the tree dropped all its leaves, it was this beautiful fire red color!

Magical Blend by Kennedy Layne

Title: Magical Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery #1)

Author: Kennedy Layne

Publisher: Kennedy Layne Publishing, Inc. 2018

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 145

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

An inherited tea shop, a quaint little Connecticut town, and its quirky residents have Raven Marigold believing her luck is about to change for the better. Of course, that was before she and her best friend found a dead body in the back of the charming store. Things go from bad to worse when Raven begins to hear a talking cat spouting on and on about magic and mayhem.

Once Raven accepts that she’s not losing her mind, she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation while discovering her family’s unusual lineage—the Marigolds are bona fide witches!

'Tis the season to be scared and delighted…this wickedly charming tale includes magical tea blends, an enchanting spell book, and an eerie cottage on the edge of town that contains a special surprise you won’t want to miss!

A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery

• #1 Magical Blend

• #2 Bewitching Blend

• #3 Enchanting Blend

• #4 Haunting Blend

• #5 Charming Blend

• #6 Spellbinding Blend

• #7 Cryptic Blend

• #8 Broomstick Blend

• #9 Spirited Blend

• #10 Yuletide Blend

• #11 Baffling Blend

• #12 Phantom Blend

• #13 Batty Blend

• #14 Pumpkin Blend

• #15 Frosty Blend

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Title: Sawkill Girls

Author: Claire Legrand

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books 2018

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 464

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Goodreads Random; Monthly Theme - October

Who are the Sawkill Girls?

Marion: The newbie. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.

Zoey: The pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.

Val: The queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives; a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.

Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires. Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight…until now.

I was super excited to read this one based on the plot description. I loved the mystery of the monster and the Sawkill Rock. But very quickly, the identity of the monster is revealed. Okay, I can roll with that. It was kind of interesting to see the story from the perspective of the monster. And then a character is killed and I was hoping the mystery would continue. Unfortunately things devolved into a melodramatic teen romance. I just couldn’t get over Marion’s weak character. At the end of the book, I was just meh about everything. Not my cup of tea.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Trying to work from home, do homeschooling, and all the usual house stuff (cooking, cleaning, child care)… I don’t have enough hours in a day. This sucks.

• After this project, I’m taking a day to just read.

• Coloring makes me happy

• I need to make some scones or tea bread this weekend.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Last Flight by Julie Clark

Title: The Last Flight

Author: Julie Clark

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2020

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he's not above using his staff to track Claire's every move, making sure she's living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn't know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.

A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets—Claire taking Eva's flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it's no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva's identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.

Borrowed this one from a friend. Thrillers are not usually my genre, but a friend recommended this one. I picked it up and basically couldn’t put it down. It was a ride from start to finish. I was desperate to find out the back stories of Claire and Eva, but especially Eva. Claire’s story felt a bit one note after awhile and it seemed like she was just doing half of the narration to reveal to the audience Eva’s story. I would have liked a bit more of a balanced narration. Beyond that, I felt like that was a too-convenient coincidence towards the end involving a few side characters. That made me roll my eyes. Overall, I did really enjoy reading this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2020 Soups and Stews from Around the World - September and October

Week 33: Chorba Frik from Algeria

Pretty decent, although it definitely needed more frik than the recipe called for.

Recipe used from Cuisine Culinaire

Recipe 34: Calulu from Sao Tome and Principe

A good side dish, but definitely not a great main dish.

Recipe used from Tall’s World Food Journey

Recipe 35: Lubee (Green Bean Stew) from Lebanon

Pretty darn good…

Recipe used from Pear Tree Kitchen

Recipe 36: Mtuzi wa Samaki (Swahili Fish with Coconut Rice) from Kenya

Good, but not amazing. I wasn’t super fan of the mix of flavors.

Recipe used from Pika Chakula

Recipe 37: Curried Coconut and Lime Gourd Soup from Solomon Islands

This was good! I will definitely make this again.

Recipe used from Soups of Our Planet

Recipe 38: Kartoffelsuppe from Germany

Good, although we need to add something to this, maybe paprika?

Recipe used from The View from the Great Island

Recipe 39: Zurek (Rye Soup) from Poland

This was very interesting. I actually took the 5 days to prep the sour liquid and it definitely adds an interesting flavor. We will have to make this one again.

Recipe used from The Polish Housewife

Fall Bucket List Update #2

It’s going to be another strange season still in the midst of the pandemic. And we’re homeschooling. Being at home does allow for some other fun activities, I just need to be more intentional about doing the activities. And we need to lower our expectations this year, just a bit… I few more items crossed off. We’ll see what I get to this month.

1. Visit Vala’s ✓

2. Read 5 Chapter Book Read-alouds

   • Half Magic by Edward Eager

   • Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

   • The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

   • The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

3. Carve Pumpkins ✓

4. Go Apple Picking ✓

5. Read 15 Books from My UnRead Shelf (1/15)

6. Hike at Fontenelle Forest

7. Go on a Hayride ✓

8. Take Pictures of Boys in a Pile of Leaves

9. Bake a Pie

10. Watch 10 Fall/Spooky Movies

    • Labyrinth

    • The Nightmare Before Christmas

    • Hocus Pocus

11. Watch It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

12. Decorate the Front Porch ✓

13. Make a Leaf Craft

14. Buy Halloween Pajamas ✓

15. Read 15 Spooky Kids Books ✓

    • Chicken on a Broom by Adam Lehrhaupt

    • The Ghosts Go Haunting by Helen Ketteman

    • The 13 Days of Halloween by Carol Greene

    • Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee

    • Read, Steady, Ghost by Elizabeth Bauley

    • Black Cat Creeping by Teddy Slater

    • Teeny Tiny Ghost by Rachel Matson

    • The Too-Scary Story by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

    • Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes

    • Black Cat, White Cat by Silvia Borando

    • Frankencrayon by Michael Hall

    • Trick-or -Treat by Debbie Leppanen

    • Halloween Hats by Elizabeth Winthrop

    • Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat by Sue Lowell Gallion

    • T. Rex Trick-or-Treats by Lois G. Grambling

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W12: We Embraced Spooky Season!

What We Studied

I love Halloween! So, we embraced the spooky season with our activities this week.

Literature and Poetry

We started The Magician’s Nephew, the first book of the Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve never actually read this one. We’re halfway through and I’m loving this one! It answers so many questions about Narnia and the White Witch. Excited to finish this one next week! For poetry, we read a collection of spooky nursery rhymes.

• The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

• Mother Ghost by Rachel Kolar

Woke up to this on Monday morning…

Math

We finished the last unit in Singapore Math 1B. The unit was about money. Mostly a review for Arthur. In reviewing our math curriculum so far, I’ve identified a few areas to review and increase fluency. We are going to take a break before starting 2A. We’re going to do a big review filled with puzzles and math games. Plus, I’m thinking of adding a small coding unit to start Arthur on coding lessons.

Social Studies

We covered ancient Persia, the Hebrews, and Phoenicians for world history this week. I had a hard time finding elementary-appropriate info about those groups that didn’t cross the line in a racist approach or a Judeo-Christian centered approach. I ended up doing shorter lessons on these and focused on their accomplishments.

• Ancient Persia by Don Nardo

• Eyewitness: Bible Lands by Jonathan N. Tubb

Science

Our week was a bit of catch-up and getting a start on a new unit. We did a mini lesson on living things, dissected an owl pellet, and did a pumpkin investigation. On Friday, we started out Blossom and Root Book Seed about John Muir. Next week we are going to do a National Parks research project, so today’s lesson was all about doing sone introduction. We also started the first episode of the PBS documentary: National Parks (by Ken Burns). We’ll be sprinkling the documentary in hour segments throughout next week. (It’s perfect viewing for when I’m on the treadmill.)

• John Muir Wrestles a Waterfall by Julie Danneberg

• M is for Majestic by David Domeniconi

• The 12 Most Amazing American Natural Wonders by Rebecca Rowell

Art

We covered two famous artist this week: Hokusai and Claude Monet. I found a great short video from Christie’s on YouTube about how Hokusai created The Great Wave. Arthur loved seeing a modern artist create a woodblock picture. For Monet, we review his paintings and his life and talked about our favorites. Arthur really loved the Haystacks series.

• Hokusai: The Man Who Painted a Mountain by Deborah Kogan Ray

• Hokusai: Genius of the Japanese Ukiyo-e by Seiji Nagata (adult art book; we flipped through to highlight the art)

• Monet Paints a Day by Julie Dannenberg

• Claude Monet Biography by Alix Wood

• If Monet Paints a Monster by Amy Newbold

Music

Our composer was Igor Stravinsky. I like Stravinsky’s unusual sound. Arthur wasn’t the biggest fan.

Nature Play Day

None this week as our friends were sick. And we are probably stopping this as a few circumstances have changed.

Unit Theme

It’s Halloween week! Of course our book stack and activities were all Halloween themed. I love this season so much! We also did a science experiment with dissolving candy corn and tried to build a candy corn tower.

• Seven Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage

• Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies

• The 12 Days of Halloween by Jenna Lettice

• The Bake Shop Ghost by Jacqueline K. Ogburn

• Ghost Cat by Eve Bunting

• The Halloween Tree by Susan Montanari

• Pumpkin Orange, Pumpkin Round by Rosanna Battigelli

• Ready, Steady, Ghost by Elizabeth Baguley

• Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee

• Pumpkin Countdown by Joan Holub

• The 13 Days of Halloween by Carol Greene

• J is for Jack-O-Lantern by Denise Brennan-Nelson

• The Witch with a Twitch by Layn Marlow

• Trick or Treat by Debbie Leppanen

• Black Cat Creeping by Teddy Slater

• Teeny Tiny Ghost by Rachel Matson

• The Too-Scary Story by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

• Lost Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes

• Black Cat, White Cat by Silvia Borando

• Frankencrayon by Michael Hall

• Trick-or-Treat by Debbie Leppanen

• Halloween Hats by Elizabeth Winthrop

• Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat by Sue Lowell Gallion

• T. Rex Trick-or-Treats by Lois G. Grambling

• Turkey Trick or Treat by Wendi Silvano

• Runaway Pumpkins by Teresa Bateman

• Boo Haiku by Deanna Caswell and Bob Shea

• How to Scare a Ghost by Jean Reagan

• I am a Witch’s Cat by Harriet Muncaster

Misc. - Random picture books read - Non as they all related to a subject or Halloween.

Highs

• I love spooky season!

• We got our hands dirty for science and it was fun.

• I loved all our Halloween picture books. We found some great ones to read.

Lows

• Our schedule was very wonky this week with HVAC install, grocery, and various appointments. Too much!

• Sad that we have to discontinue our nature play day with friends.

Next Week

We’re switching back to U.S. History to cover the early English colonies as well as Native groups of the Southeast. We’ll continue our study of the National Parks and our read-aloud.

Next up on the TBR pile:

November 2020 Life Goals

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

• Walk at least 20 miles on the treadmill/outdoors ✓ - I did almost 27 miles this month!

• Read 15 books ✓

• Cross off at least 5 items on my Fall Bucket List - Fail. Although I did get a three things checked out.

• Plan out October and 1/2 of November for Homeschool ✓

• Line up November’s TBR pile ✓

• Starting planning Christmas gifts - Started

• Thanksgiving plans? - Nope

• Plan a Halloween party for the kids ✓

November’s Goals:

• Read 15 Books

• Walk at Least 20 Miles on the Treadmill

• Make Christmas Cards

• Clean out TBR piles, lists, etc.

• Finish out Homeschool planning for the semester

Next up on the TBR list: