Alice in Borderland Vol. 1

Title: Alice in Borderland Vol. 1

Author: Haro Aso

Publisher: VIZ Media LLC 2021

Genre: Comics

Pages: 344

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings (replacing Rumplestitlskin)

Where I Got It: Library

Eighteen-year-old Ryohei Arisu is sick of his life. School sucks, his love life is a joke, and his future feels like impending doom. As he struggles to exist in a world that can’t be bothered with him, Ryohei feels like everything would be better if he were anywhere else. When a strange fireworks show transports him and his friends to a parallel world, Ryohei thinks all his wishes have come true. But this new world isn’t an empty paradise, it’s a vicious game. And the only way to survive is to play.

The first game starts with a bang, but Ryohei manages to beat the clock and save his friends. It’s a short-lived victory, however, as they discover that winning only earns them a few days’ grace period. If they want to get home, they’re going to have to start playing a lot harder.

I’ve had this series on my TBR for years now. Funnily enough, it was watching Katee Robert’s instagram stories that brought it back to the top of the pile. Very quickly, we are dumped into Borderland and attempt to start understanding the rules of the game. I was concerned that Ryohei was going to be super annoying throughout, but very quickly attempts to focus on his new reality and the games. Volume 1 includes the introduction plus two games. We get to see some of Borderland’s other players and begin to understand the implications of the games. Plus there are some tantalizing clues as to the ultimate strategies. Cannot wait to read Volume 2.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

Title: Haunting Adeline (Cat and Mouse #1)

Author: H.D. Carlton

Publisher: HD Carlton 2021

Genre: Romance

Pages: 585

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 8

The Manipulator
I can manipulate the emotions of anyone who lets me.
I will make you hurt, make you cry, make you laugh and sigh.
But my words don't affect him. Especially not when I plead for him to leave.
He's always there, watching and waiting.
And I can never look away.
Not when I want him to come closer.

The Shadow
I didn't mean to fall in love.
But now that I have, I can't stay away.
I'm mesmerized by her smile, by her eyes, and the way she moves.
The way she undresses...
I'll keep watching and waiting. Until I can make her mine.
And once she is, I'll never let her go.
Not even when she begs me to.

So Many Content Warnings on This One!!!!! Please look these up before reading.

I knew going into this book that this might be amazing or absolutely terrible. It ended up being something I really enjoyed exploring, but it’s definitely not the book for most people. I want to make it clear that I view this book as fantasy (and it’s not because of the ghost element). Combining the MMC’s crusade and his treatment of Adeline, this is squarely a fantasy novel. I didn’t read this as a realistic romance. I read this as a fantasy novel revolving around a romance. A distinction that made my reading of this book much more enjoyable. In here, Carlton is exploring the theme of consent. While our characters don’t have a clear conversation, there are many instances where they talk about consent. Adeline, whether she is admitting it or not, has a lot of power in their dynamic. It is in her continued baiting and comments that give the MMC consent. I am not saying that this book doesn’t have some problematic areas, but that I really enjoyed this exploration.

Cat and Mouse

• #1 Haunting Adeline

• #2 Hunting Adeline

Next up on the TBR pile:

Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren

Title: Tangled Up in You (Meant to Be #4)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings

Spice Rating: 3

She has a dream. He has a plan. Together they’ll take a leap of faith.

Ren has never held an iPhone, googled the answer to a question, or followed a crush on social media. What she has done: Read a book or two, or three (okay, hundreds). Taught herself to paint. Built a working wind power system from scratch. But for all the books she’s read, Ren has never found one that’s taught a woman raised on a homestead and off the grid for most of her twenty-two years how to live in the real world. So when she finally achieves her lifelong dream of attending Corona College, it feels like her life is finally beginning.

Fitz has the rest of his life mapped out: Graduate from Corona at the top of his class, get his criminal record wiped clean, and pass himself off as the rich, handsome player everyone thinks he is. He’s a few short months from checking off step one of his plans when Ren Gylden, with her cascading blonde hair and encyclopedic brain, crashes into his life, and for the first time Fitz’s plan is in jeopardy.

But a simple assignment in their immunology seminar changes the course of both their lives, and suddenly they’re thrown out of the frying pan and into the fireon a road trip that will lead them in the most unexpected directions. Out on the open road, the world somehow shifts, and the unlikely pair realize that, maybe, the key to the dreams they've both been chasing have been sitting next to them the whole time.

For most of this book, I was fully engaged in the story. I do love the forced proximity trope and the sunshine/grump trope, and this one was a great example of those. The beginning was a bit slow, but once we got on the road, the story really got moving. I loved seeing Ren and Fitz begin to trust each other and find themselves on the road trip. The scene in the biker bar was hilarious and just perfect for their story. I was interested to see how their relationship progressed. But then we get to the last fourth of the book. Everything was way too rushed for my tastes. I wanted to sit with the characters a bit more. I wanted to see the characters interact with others (like Mary!) and let those other characters see how they have changed. I wanted to see the main characters in their next place. The epilogue was a complete throwaway. I just really wanted more with this book.

Meant to Be:

• #1 If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

• #2 By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

• #3 Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova

• #4 Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren

• #5 Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #19

Reading: I finally started reading the November book club selection, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose. I’m really intrigued by the story.

Watching: I finally started No One Wants This and am absolutely loving it!

Listening: I’ll admit that I’m listening to all politics podcasts. This is going to consume my entire week.

Making: The weather turned, so it’s soup time. I’m pulling out all he cold wether recipes to put on our meal plan. This week, I made ham and potato soup.

Feeling: It’s time to snuggle up with a blanket and be cozy.

Planning: Christmas is getting close and it’s time to make definitely holiday travel plans. We will be traveling to Indiana like usual, but the specific days shift around.

Loving: I finally managed to make flu shot appointments and get them taken care of. I also got my COVID booster. (None of the local places have COVID boosters for kids.) I love being able to cross essential tasks off my list.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W11: Celebrating the Last Autumn Fun

What We Studied

We celebrated the last fun bits of autumn before the weather turned. Two last visits to Vala’s, a fun Halloween night, and more outdoor activities. We even managed to cover a ton of schoolwork in between the events.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. We finished our Edgar Allan Poe collection. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.

• The Complete Stories of Edgar Allan Poe

• Poetry for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe

• Poetry for Young People: Carl Sandburg

Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. We continued reading spooky stories and one-off Halloween themed books we have laying around the house.

• Poetry: Spectacular Science

• Poetry: The Alligator's Smile and Other Poems by Jane Yolen

• The Littlest Witch by Brandi Dougherty

• The Littlest Mummy by Brandi Dougherty

• Bonaparte Falls Apart by Margery Cuyler

• Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

• A World Full of Spooky Stories by Angela McAllister

• The Little Old Lady Who was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams

• Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

• In a Dark, Dark Room retold by Alvin Schwartz

• Write Shop B

Math

Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. Arthur focused on a chapter continuing his review of ratios. I do love how the chapter tied ratios to real-life situations. It wasn’t just random problems.

• Math in Focus Court 1 Book A

• EM Financial Literacy G5

Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. He started with the lessons in 2B. I imagine that we will be slowing working through that this semester. Q continued sped through the chapter on data, getting close to finishing the entire textbook.

• Primarily Logic

• Singapore Primary Common Core 2B

• EM Financial Literacy G2

Social Studies

Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We covered the section on East Africa covering Ethiopia and Mutapa and N’dongo.

• Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• Kings and Queens by Fiona Macdonald

Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 supporting. We moved onto a chapter covering Japan.

• History Quest Middle Times

• DK When on Earth?

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• Kingfisher Atlas of the Medieval World

Science

Arthur is using RSO Biology 1 this year has the main science text. Our academic coop will also be using RSO Biology 1 as a basis for the fall semester course, so we will be just supplementing at home. We will also be doing some of Blossom & Root’s Book Seeds and various other small units in between. Arthur covered inheritance during co-op. We supplemented with some extra materials at home. We continued watching the documentary series One Strange Rock. We will continue watching sporadically throughout the fall. I’m counting this as science for kids.

• RSO Biology 1

• Genetics by Chrstine Petersen

• DNA and Heredity by Casey Rand

• The Secret Code Inside You: All About Your DNA by Rajani LaRocca

• The Code of Life: All About Genes, DNA, Genetic Engineering, and Why You are the Way You Are by Carla Hafner

• Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim

Quentin is using RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. Of course, we have a ton of extra science resources laying around the house. And I will be hosting some one-off science exploration days that align with the units. Q covered plate tectonics and changing earth. We watched an episode of One Strange Rock.

• RSO Earth and Environment

• DK First Earth Encyclopedia

• Earth by Quinn M. Arnold

• How Mountains are Made by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

• Fault Lines and Tectonic Plates by Kathleen M. Reilly

Academic Co-op

For math, Arthur did a Halloween project. Really math is all a review of him, but it’s good practice. In biology, they covered inheritance. In civics, we covered voting. And the kids started their election project.

Art and Music

Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies. We didn’t have a Harbor + Sprout module this week.

For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. We got back to music covering Led Zeppelin. The boys really loved them.

• Music Lab: We Rock!

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

Field Trip/Activities

I hosted a rock and fossil exploration day at Schramm. I taught a little lesson about rocks and fossils. The kids then got to uncover gems, sort fossils, and explored at the Geologic Site. I think it was a big success! It is a lot to plan, but thankfully I don’t have another until January.

High

We got two more Vala’s visits in before the month ended. The last one was supposed to be our big campfire night. Unfortunately, the burn ban was still in effect so the campfire had to be canceled. We still met up with a group of homeschool friends and spent many hours having fun. It was tiring, but oh so much fun.

Low

Um… Halloween is over?

Next Week

• Slowing down to regroup

• Starting our new read alouds

• Finishing our next math chapters

• Completing our homework (A) from co-op

• Learning about North America (A) and Khmer Empire (Q) - history

• Listening to Jimi Hendrix, and more for music

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Snow Patrol "All"

How did I miss that Snow Patrol has new music out? I really used to love them.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #26

On my bedside table: The last spooky season reads and the beginnings of the holiday romances.

On my tv this week: We’re close to catching up on all the Dropout shows (well, not all, but many of them). That’s about it.

Listening to: Mostly just all of the random music on my Apple Music

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Ham and Potato Soup

• Tuesday - Buffalo Chicken Nachos

• Wednesday -Tacos and Black Bean Soup

• Thursday - Apple Bacon Sweet Potatoes

• Friday - Leftovers

• Saturday - Peanut Sauce Chicken

• Sunday - BLT Grilled Cheese

On my to do list: I have a list of random little things that I need to do, but my big projects are done for the season.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home Day

• Tuesday - Zoo Day

• Wednesday - Park Day

• Thursday - Academic Co-op

• Friday - Field Trip to Morrill Hall

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Nothing much. I need to make a list of creative projects to tackle.

My simple pleasures: Iced tea, checking off to-dos, a quiet moment

Looking around the house: After a whirlwind clean for book club yesterday, things are looking decent around here. I do need to take my Halloween decor down and leave the autumn decor up.

From the camera: Loving our Halloween season!

The Nighthouse Keeper by Lora Senf

Title: The Nighthouse Keeper (Blight Harbor #2)

Author: Lora Senf

Publisher: Atheneum Books 2023

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season RC

Where I Got It: Library

Evie Von Rathe has been home for only a few weeks from her adventure in the strange world of seven houses when Blight Harbor’s beloved ghosts begin to disappear. Did they leave without saying goodbye, or has something gone horribly wrong? Soon Evie is invited to a mysterious council meeting, where she learns about the Dark Sun Side and a terrible secret.

Yes, the ghosts have gone missing. And that means serious trouble.

Another fun and creepy adventure story featuring the other side and the dead and living residents of Blight Harbor. I loved seeing the addition of a new companion for Evie with Lark. But, the overall adventure wasn’t as creepy as I would have liked. The bit on the train with the ghouls was delicious, but otherwise, I wanted more creepy. Hopefully, The Clackity actually makes an appearance in the third book. I need to have more dealings with an actually interesting villain.

Blight Harbor

• #1 The Clackity

• #2 The Nighthouse Keeper

• #3 The Loneliest Place

Next up on the TBR pile:

November 2024 Life Goals

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

• Read 18 Books ✓

• Launch the Academic Co-op ✓

• Wrap-up Enrichment Co-op (finalize all forms) ✓

• Plan and Execute the Boys’ Birthday Party ✓

• Enjoy Vala’s throughout the Month! ✓

November Goals:

• Read 18 Books

• Take It Easy! The last few months have been a lot. November is going to be about slowing down a bit and focusing on school and house stuff.

Next up o the TBR pile: