I find myself singing along every time it pops up on Alt Nation.
Life Right Now #28
As I look outside my window: The birds are very excited this morning. Lots of singing and fighting.
Right now I am: Doing the last load of laundry so I can pack my clothes for the road trip.
Thinking and pondering: What am I forgetting to take on the road trip There’s always something. I’m hoping that whatever I forget is easy to replace.
On my bedside table: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren and Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay - two rereads for book club and a buddy read
On my tv this week: We finished S4 of AP Bio (love that show) and caught up with Rock and Morty, Lower Decks, and Archer.
Listening to: I’m been listening to the random favorites playlist on Apple Music this past week.
On the menu for this week: We’re heading out on our road trip, so no meal plan this week.
On my to do list: I need to make a few phones calls during the road trip. I hope I can sort out the health insurance and the issues with the school district’s food service department.
Happening this week: Road trip!
What I am creating: Nothing special. Although I do have a few lists for the bookish retreat started. I need to work on the book recommendations during the road trip.
My simple pleasures: A good historical romance, a cold shower, good conversations with new friends
Looking around the house: I am hoping to finish cleaning part of the house today so we can return to a clean house net week.
From the camera: Two happy kids running on an empty soccer field.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Title: A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1)
Author: Becky Chambers
Publisher: Tordotcom 2021
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 160
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Darcy; Seasonal TBR
It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.
One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered.
But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.
They're going to need to ask it a lot.
Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?
A philosophy text masquerading as a science fiction novella. Right away we are dumped into a world that doesn’t quite look like our own. We meet Sibling Dex and follow them as they explore the country and life. I loved the world building and descriptions. I really felt connected to the world of a tea monk and learning more about these settlements. And then we meet a robot. Oh how I loved Mosscap! From that point on, we get into the philosophy section of the book. We explore the meaning the life and identity through the eyes of two very different creatures. I am so in love with this book. I definitely need to reread this at some point. I feel like it will be one of the books that I get different lessons from each time I read it.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Injection Vol. 1
Title: Injection Vol. 1
Author: Warren Ellis, Jordie Bellaire, Declan Shalvey
Publisher: Image 2015
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 120
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges:
Once upon a time, there were five crazy people, and they poisoned the 21st Century. Now they have to deal with the corrosion to try and save us all from a world becoming too weird to support human life.
Injection is the new series of graphic novels created by the acclaimed creative team of Moon Knight: From The Dead, about how loud and strange the world is getting, about the wild future and the haunted past all crashing into the present day at once, and about five eccentric geniuses dealing with the paranormal and numinous as well as the growing weight of what they did to the planet with the Injection. Beginning with Maria Kilbride, the troubled troubleshooter for the research wing of mysterious multinational FPI, dragged from hospital to investigate a case of a possessed laboratory and a disappearance that, impossibly, has the hallmarks of ancient folklore.
I randomly picked this series up from the library. It’s strange and convoluted and has some gruesome scenes Right up my alley. I am not quite sure what was happening in some of the scenes, but eventually I figured out what caused the world to go all weird. I will definitely be continuing to read this series.
Lumberjanes Vol. 19
Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 19:
Author: Shannon Watters; Kat Leyh
Publisher: BOOM! 2021
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 112
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges:
THE END OF SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE! With the end of summer coming up soon, Jo, Mal, Molly, April and Ripley decide to go on one last adventure each, finishing up their summer to-do list with a bang! For April, that’s getting her very last Lumberjanes’ badge for the perfect, most completed sash the world has ever known. Jo and Ripley head into a vortex and over to the Land of Lost Things for one last farewell with Ripley’s dinosaur bestie, Jonesy. And Mal and Molly? Well, they mostly want to spend just a little bit more time together. But no one’s ready for the shocking secret force that’s heading straight for the ‘Janes!
It’s the penultimate trade for the series. Things are so close to ending for the Janes and I am so sad that they are going away soon. I loved the April storyline featuring her quest to attain the last patch on her sash. The other storylines were lacking a bit. I wanted more for Mal and Jo, but maybe they were get more in the last few issues.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Title: Foundation (Foundation #1)
Author: Isaac Asimov
Publisher:
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 255
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Scifi
For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.
Overall I really enjoyed seeing what has happened to the Empire and the two Foundations after the fall. We are moving forward in time and things are beginning to be muddled and forgotten from the time of Hari Seldon. I appreciate how Asimov tries to create through lines to demonstrate how a widespread society can slowly stagnate and eventually fall apart. I’m still very much in this series. I did knock off a star for the uneven pacing. This book contains basically four stories. The first one was pretty slow and boring. Asimov did a lot of reminding the reader what has happened. Understandable if you were reading this series as it was published. Reading them all in a row made it very slow and boring. The second story was middling, but really turned up with the last 5 pages or so. And then the third and fourth parts were very interesting and fast-paced. I feel like this is going to be a thing going forward in the Foundation series. Still reading. Still hoping to finish before the television show airs.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Roar by Cecelia Ahern
Title: Roar
Author: Cecelia Ahern
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing 2019
Genre: Short Story Collection
Pages: 289
Rating: 2/5 stars
Reading Challenges:
In this singular and imaginative story collection, Cecelia Ahern explores the endless ways in which women blaze through adversity with wit, resourcefulness, and compassion. Ahern takes the familiar aspects of women's lives—the routines, the embarrassments, the desires—and elevates these moments to the outlandish and hilarious with her astute blend of magical realism and social insight.
One woman is tortured by sinister bite marks that appear on her skin; another is swallowed up by the floor during a mortifying presentation; yet another resolves to return and exchange her boring husband at the store where she originally acquired him. The women at the center of this curious universe learn that their reality is shaped not only by how others perceive them, but also how they perceive the power within themselves.
By turns sly, whimsical, and affecting, these thirty short stories are a dynamic examination of what it means to be a woman in this very moment. Like women themselves, each story can stand alone; yet together, they have a combined power to shift consciousness, inspire others, and create a multi-voiced Roar that will not be ignored.
My goodness, what a disappointment. This was chosen for a big buddy read that I was participating in. I was hoping for interesting stories that illuminated the various perspectives and experiences of women. Instead, we get very cliched and simplistic magical realism stories that fail to give any insight. I felt like I was reading a Women’s Studies 101 text. If I had read this at 15 before my study of gender studies or experiencing adult life, I think I would have really enjoyed it. As it is, I have a degree in women’s studies and am a woman approaching middle age. This stories were just the tiny tiny tip of the iceberg of various issues. For that, I could have forgiven the book and given it 3 stars (not for me, but not a terrible book). My biggest issue was that every story I read ended with the woman somehow picking herself up and “solving” the problem. For instance, in the story “The Woman Who Found Bite Marks on Her Skin” the woman in question realizes that her guilt of not being able to be all things to everyone in her life and family is manifesting as bite marks. Okay. We are approaching a very real issue of being “President of Everything” and the work/life balance. I myself have often felt that I am letting down someone in my life and/or that I am putting myself in too small of a box identity wise. This is a very complicated problem facing many people, especially women, today. The solution in the story: the woman “lets go of the guilt” and all the bite marks disappear. If only it was that fucking easy. Every “solution” that I read involving the woman in the story fixing everything herself. Not one story that I read addressed the effects of the patriarchy or the various obstacles in our ways. We got no discussions about race and class creating hurdles or complications. Apparently, if we just think we can have a better life, it will come. I call bullshit. And for that I give this one 2 stars.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Homeschool W5: Our Busiest Week Yet!
What We Studied
Oof. This week was a killer. We had something every single day of the week that took out of the house. It was absolutely exhausting. Consequently, we didn’t accomplish as much as I would have liked when it comes to our schoolwork.
Literature and Poetry
We continued reading The Hobbit. The story has really picked up and has gotten really good. Arthur is loving the action sequences. I’m really enjoying the spelling curriculum that I bought from The Moffatt Girls on Teachers Pay Teachers. And Arthur has taken to doing one spelling list spread out over the course of the week.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
In Aunt Giraffe’s Green Garden by Jack Prelutsky
Math
Moving onto the next unit in math.
Singapore Math Common Core Edition 3A
Social Studies
We covered Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire this week.
The Kingfisher Atlas of the Medieval World
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK History
Medieval Tales
The Medieval World by Rebecca Stefoff
Arthur Independent Time
To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history. This week, he focused on some packet work and finished up his Geography of Home project..
Science and STEAM Coop
Photos were taken this week of all our fun. Unfortunately the pictures all had pictures of other people’s kids so I can’t post them on here.
This week was our first week of the mammals theme. And it was the first week that I didn’t have to teach. It was nice to sit back a bit and just jump in and help when help was needed. I hung out with the young group and we did a stuffed animal show and tell, learned about coyotes and badgers, and did some animal races.
DK Did You Know?
A Mammal is an Animal by Lizzy Rockwell
Why Do Mammals Have Fur? by Pat Jacobs
DK Mammals
Whose Tracks are These? A Clue Book of Families Forest Animals by Jim Nail
Art/Music
Our music study was cut this week. We just ran out of time and other things got prioritized.
Quentin
I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. For ELA, we covered the letters A through E. We covered counting and some basic addition for math. Q also demanded to do math on the computer so we completed a few unit in Khan Academy.
ELA
Alpha Boats by Samantha R. Vamos
Corky Cub’s Crazy Caps by Barbara deRubertis
My “c” Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure
Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers
My “d” Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
My “e” Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure
Eddie Elephant’s Exciting Egg-Sitting by Barbara deRubertis
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran
Math
7 Ate 9 by Tara Lazar
Teddy Bear Subtraction by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
Where’s the Baby? by Britta Teckentrup
Other
High Five magazine volume
Follow the Line Around the World by Laura Ljungkvist
Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
Field Trip
We headed to the zoo specifically to see the newly renovated Gorilla Valley. It was great to see these majestic creatures up close again. The kids really enjoyed the interactive exhibits. We had some friends join us and it was a great morning at the zoo. After the gorillas, we stopped at the sea lions and the jungle building.
Documentary Selection
None this week
Misc. - Random picture books read
Unbeatable Beaks by Stephen R. Swinburne
Otto Blotter Bird Spotter by Graham Carter
How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward
Highs
I didn’t love all the appointments, but we did knock a ton of things off our big to do list I am loving the flexibility of homeschooling.
Lows
Between a dentist appointment and a super long eye appointment (Arthur’s getting glasses!), we lost a ton of time this week. This next week will hopefully be less full and busy.
No one showed for board games morning at the park. The boys were disappointed.
Next Week
Continuing The Hobbit
Finishing Unit 3 in math.
Continuing with our mammal theme for coop
Heading to China for history
Next up on the TBR pile:
Music Monday - Starset "Infected"
Loving this song playing on repeat on Octane.
Life Right Now #27
As I look outside my window: It’s very nice outside. A bright and sunny, but not hot morning.
Right now I am: Prepping brunch. We’re having homemade waffles today with bananas and raspberries.
Thinking and pondering: I wonder how many lists I am going to make this week? Seriously I have so many things just rattling around in my brain right now.
On my bedside table: Rest of Asimov’s Foundation series; The Governess Game by Tessa Dare; A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (my first Chambers!)
On my tv this week: We’ve been in a lot of sitcom land this past week.
Listening to: Nothing that exciting this week. I just didn’t have much time for myself.
On the menu for this week:
Monday - Sesame Chicken
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Orecchiette with Broccoli, Sausage, and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Thursday - Ranch Cheddar Chicken
Friday - Maple Bourbon Chicken
Saturday - Spaghetti
Sunday - Leftovers
On my to do list: Prepping for our road trip! We leave in a little more than a week and I have some things to do before then. We need to pack, obviously, and I need to get snacks for the road. Plus, I need to get the house in order for us to leave. Library books need to be paused. Trash needs to be disposed of. Laundry needs to be done.
Happening this week:
Monday - Nothing thankfully
Tuesday - Quentin Dentist Appointment; Board Game Afternoon; Doctor Who Trivia night
Wednesday - Farm Field Trip with Coop
Thursday - Coop; Groceries
Friday - Home Day
Saturday - Home Day
Sunday - Home Day
What I am creating: Besides making piles and lists for our road trip, I’m trying to decide on a few little crafty things for the retreat. I have basically two weeks to work on them… I need to review my options and decide which ones I really like and which ones are feasible in my time constraints.
My simple pleasures: Finishing another Asimov book! Only four more to go (and about 20 days to do it before the tv show drops). Peopling with new friends (and not just random strangers). The boys and I are all loving making new friends through the coop.
Looking around the house: Better than last week, although I shattered our salt shaker last night prepping dinner. We swept, but I should probably do it again this morning and then wet swiffer to catch any stray pieces (and the rest of the crumbs and dirt).
From the camera: Book club out on the patio of the food court was the best this week! Great book talk and amazing food.
A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe
Title: A Woman of Intelligence
Author: Karin Tanabe
Publisher: St. Martins’ Press 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 373
Rating: 2/5 stars
Reading Challenges:
A Fifth Avenue address, parties at the Plaza, two healthy sons, and the ideal husband: what looks like a perfect life for Katharina Edgeworth is anything but. It’s 1954, and the post-war American dream has become a nightmare.
A born and bred New Yorker, Katharina is the daughter of immigrants, Ivy-League-educated, and speaks four languages. As a single girl in 1940s Manhattan, she is a translator at the newly formed United Nations, devoting her days to her work and the promise of world peace—and her nights to cocktails and the promise of a good time.
Now the wife of a beloved pediatric surgeon and heir to a shipping fortune, Katharina is trapped in a gilded cage, desperate to escape the constraints of domesticity. So when she is approached by the FBI and asked to join their ranks as an informant, Katharina seizes the opportunity. A man from her past has become a high-level Soviet spy, but no one has been able to infiltrate his circle. Enter Katharina, the perfect woman for the job.
Navigating the demands of the FBI and the secrets of the KGB, she becomes a courier, carrying stolen government documents from D.C. to Manhattan. But as those closest to her lose their covers, and their lives, Katharina’s secret soon threatens to ruin her.
This was our book retreat selection and I’m very disappointed at how much I really disliked this book. I was hoping for fun Cold War Era spy novel involving a woman coming into her self. Instead, we get a very slow-moving exploration of a woman dissatisfied with life. I thoroughly disliked Rina and downright hated her husband. I get the time period, but it was very depressing. There was just too much meandering. I kept waiting for the plot to have point and get some action. None of that came. I was very disappointed.
Next up on the TBR pile:
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
Title: The Duchess Deal (Girl meets Duke #1)
Author: Tessa Dare
Publisher: Avon 2017
Genre: Romance
Pages: 385
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges:
When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules…
Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.
His terms are simple:
- They will be husband and wife by night only.
- No lights, no kissing.
- No questions about his battle scars.
- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.
But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
- They will have dinner together every evening.
- With conversation.
- And unlimited teasing.
- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love…
After getting about half way through a not great book, I decided to take a break and grab a historical romance. Tessa Dare has been on my list for awhile and I’m so glad I burned through this one. Right away we get a ridiculous premise (but I’m always up for a slightly ridiculous premise), but also some great characters. The banter is really what made this book amazing. I loved every taunt and term of endearment that was volleyed between Emma and Ash. I always love a fallen hero redeemed. This was delightful and was just the break I needed. I will definitely be reading the next one in the series.
Girl Meets Duke
#1 The Duchess Deal
#2 The Governess Game
#3 The Wallflower Wager
#4 The Bride Bet
Next up on the TBR pile:
Odds and Ends
Here's my randomness for the week:
The cooler temperatures this week have been amazing! Going to the zoo and not sweating buckets was great.
Really getting a bit annoyed by people who keep avoiding my messages and un-RSVPing right before events. Blergh!
So incredibly excited about our road trip and then my retreat. September is jam packed!
Need to step up my dessert game this month.
Next up on the TBR pile:
September 2021 Life Goals
Let’s check in on August goals and my progress.
Read 15 books ✓
Kick off our 2nd year of homeschooling ✓
Kick off our STEAM coop ✓
Make 3-4 desserts for our food project - Fail. I keep missing this mark.
Goals: We’re taking it easy as far as goals for September as we have two large events happening.
Read 15 books
Keep Homeschool and Coop Momentum Up
Have a Fun Family Road Trip
Relax at Book Retreat
Next up on the TBR pile: