Bellamy and the Brute by Alicia Michaels

Title: Bellamy and the Brute (Bellamy and the Brute #1)

Author: Alicia Michaels

Publisher: Clean Teen 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 387

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

When Bellamy McGuire is offered a summer job babysitting for the wealthy Baldwin family, she's reluctant to accept. After all, everyone in town knows about the mysterious happenings at the mansion on the hill—including the sudden disappearance of the Baldwin's eldest son, Tate. The former football star and golden boy of Wellhollow Springs became a hermit at the age of sixteen, and no one has seen or heard from him since. Rumors abound as to why, with whisperings about a strange illness—one that causes deformity and turned him into a real-life monster. Bellamy wants to dismiss these rumors as gossip, but when she's told that if she takes the job, she must promise to never, ever visit the third floor of the mansion, she begins to wonder if there really is some dark truth hidden there.
Tate's condition may not be the only secret being kept at Baldwin House. There are gaps in the family's financial history that don't add up, and surprising connections with unscrupulous characters. At night there are strange noises, unexplained cold drafts, and the electricity cuts out. And then there are the rose petals on the staircase. The rose petals that no one but Bellamy seems to be able to see. The rose petals that form a trail leading right up to the 3 rd floor, past the portrait of a handsome young man, and down a dark hallway where she promised she would never, ever go…
As Bellamy works to unravel the mysteries of Baldwin House and uncover the truth about Tate, she realizes that she is in way over her head… in more ways than one. Can her bravery and determination help to right the wrongs of the past and free the young man whose story has captured her heart?

A disappointing ebook that I randomly picked up months ago. I thought that it might be a fun fairy tale retelling, but it ended up being a fairly predictable romance and murder mystery. The fairy tale aspects were deleted in favor of a basic teen romance, corrupt politicians, and two lackluster ghosts. I ended up reading through this one, but was very meh by the end of it. I was hoping for more fun atmosphere and characters. I did not get that at all.

Bellamy and the Brute

• #1 Bellamy and the Brute

• #2 Bellamy and the Haunting

Next up on the TBR pile:

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

Title: Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

Author: Brené Brown

Publisher: Avery 2012

Genre: Nonfiction - Self-Help

Pages: 290

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading; Seasonal TBR

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”—Theodore Roosevelt

Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable or to dare greatly. Based on twelve years of pioneering research, Brené Brown PhD, LMSW, dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and argues that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage.

Brown explains how vulnerability is both the core of difficult emotions like fear, grief, and disappointment, and the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation, and creativity. She writes: “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.”

So many rave reviews of this one and I was very underwhelmed on this one. Everything fell so incredibly flat for me. I was intrigued by the main concept of vulnerability and wanted to learn more. Instead of good actionable items, we get platitudes and lots of case studies. They just didn’t connect to my person. Beyond those issues, the entire construct that Brown presents ignores a whole host inequality issues and discrimination. The book is too focused on white lady problems. I just couldn’t rave about this book at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• The boys conquered a 3 mile hike on Tuesday and I am so proud of them.

• I three big events tentatively scheduled for fall. Things are happening!

• Eyeglasses are next on my big life list of things to take care of.

• I started reading Broken by Jenny Lawson in bed and realized that was a bag choice. I was laughing so hard, it felt like one of those vibrating beds. Guess that will be my daytime read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

June 2021 Life Goals

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

• Read 15 books, including 5 Unread Shelf reads - Well, I read 19 books, but only 2 of those were from my Unread Shelf. Darn.

• Make Four 52 Dessert Recipes - Fail, but I’ll make up for it soon.

• Weekly Field Trips - Success!

• Create a summer bucket list - Fail, although I have it on our schedule for Friday…

• Finish the Laundry Room - Success! I am so happy with how functional it is now.

• Try two new dinner recipes - Fail

Goals:

I am officially throwing the goals out the window for June. (I also threw out my TBR list) We’re going to take it slow in June and just see where the days go.

Next up on the TBR pile:

May 2021 Wrap-up

May TBR Pile (19/25):

1. Book of the Month Club: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

2. BOTM: The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

3. Girly Book Club: (already caught up)

4. Friend Book Club: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary ✓

5. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny ✓

6. MMD RC: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown in progress

7. Nonfiction: In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick in progress

8. Nonfiction: Buy Yourself the Fucking Lilies by Tara Schuster ✓

9. Fantasy: Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark ✓

10. Fantasy: Red Queen by Christina Henry ✓

11. Fantasy: Cursed edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane ✓

12. Comic: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1 ✓

13. Comic: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 2 ✓

14. Comic: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Vol. 1

15. Science Fiction: The Toll by Neal Shusterman ✓

16. Romance: The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn ✓

17. Romance: The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn ✓

18. Kid Read Aloud: Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr ✓

19. Kid Read Aloud: The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate ✓

20. Kid Read Aloud: Frog and Toad Collection by Arnold Lobel ✓

21. Added: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo ✓

22. Added: The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark ✓

23. Added: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ✓

24. Added: The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James ✓

25. Added: The Book That Made Me edited by Judith Ridge ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5469 pages
Pages Remaining: 474,527 pages

Current Read - Daring Greatly by Brene Brown; In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick; The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov; Bellamy and the Brute by Alicia Michaels

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (1) - My BOTM of the month selection was Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. I can’t wait to dive into this one!

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 280

• Books Read: 2

• Books Acquired: 1

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 279

June TBR Pile: I’m taking a break from the big TBR list and leaving everything open for June. I know there are few books I want to get to (book club selection and library books), but I’m going to let my mood lead my reading this month.

Movies watched

• Mortal Kombat (2021) - Pretty decent action movie.

• Raising Arizona - A rewatch, but it’s been at least 15 years. Still holds up!

• 10 Cloverfield Lane - This was surprisingly good.

• Ghost Rider 2 - How did I miss this ridiculous Nicholas Cage movie? Goodness that was silly.

• Wrath of Man - Back to what Guy Ritchie does best. Oh so good!

• Cruella - I absolutely loved that one!

TV Shows watched 

• The Queen’s Gambit S1 - We sped through this one and it was delightful!

• Calls S1 - So incredibly strange, but I loved it.

• Star Trek: Voyager S3 - Still plugging along, watching all of Trek.

• Below Deck: Sailing Yacht S2 - My silly guilty pleasure show.

• Hustle S1-2 - J wanted me to start this one… decent so far.

Comments - May was a great month for books, movies, TV, and all around fun!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Sullivan King "Venomous"

So excited about this new song featuring Spencer from Ice Nine Kills.

The Book that Made Me edited by Judith Ridge

Title: The Book that Made Me: A Collection of 32 Personal Stories

Edited By: Judith Ridge

Publisher: Candlewick Press 2016

Genre: Nonfiction - About Books

Pages: 241

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

What if you could look inside your favorite authors’ heads and see the book that led them to become who they are today? What was the book that made them fall in love, or made them understand something for the first time? What was the book that made them feel challenged in ways they never knew they could be, emotionally, intellectually, or politically? What book made them readers, or made them writers, or made them laugh, think, or cry? Join thirty-one top children’s and young adult authors as they explore the books, stories, and experiences that changed them as readers — for good.

Like most essay collections, there are some really good ones in here and there are some more boring ones in here. Overall, I was a bit disappointed in the collection. I don’t think the good essays outweighed the less interesting ones. Oh well. Not every book is going to be 5 stars.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Cursed

Title: Cursed

Edited by: Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane

Publisher: Titan Books 2020

Genre: Fantasy Short Stories

Pages: 272

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

It's a prick of blood, the bite of an apple, the evil eye, a wedding ring or a pair of red shoes. Curses come in all shapes and sizes, and they can happen to anyone, not just those of us with unpopular stepparents...

Here you'll find unique twists on curses, from fairy tale classics to brand-new hexes of the modern world - expect new monsters and mythologies as well as twists on well-loved fables. Stories to shock and stories of warning, stories of monsters and stories of magic.

All the dark fairy tales! I am here for this collection of stories. I love how some of the stories are direct descendants of the classic stories, while others are very new and imaginative. Unlike many short stories collections, I enjoyed every story in this one. My favorite may actually be the first actual story in the collection “As Red As Blood, As White As Snow” by Christina Henry. Oh so good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Videos for a Lazy Day

I literally cannot wait!

I am intrigued…

I want to go there and right this one!

J and I went on a weird rabbit hole about water slides around the world. This is fascinating!

We are taking his maker course, but I love this epic maze for squirrels.

The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn

Title: The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (Smythe-Smith #4)

Author: Julia Quinn

Publisher: Avon 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 378

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

Sir Richard Kenworthy has less than a month to find a bride. He knows he can't be too picky, but when he sees Iris Smythe-Smith hiding behind her cello at her family's infamous musicale, he thinks he might have struck gold. She's the type of girl you don't notice until the second—or third—look, but there's something about her, something simmering under the surface, and he knows she's the one.

Iris Smythe–Smith is used to being underestimated. With her pale hair and quiet, sly wit she tends to blend into the background, and she likes it that way. So when Richard Kenworthy demands an introduction, she is suspicious. He flirts, he charms, he gives every impression of a man falling in love, but she can't quite believe it's all true. When his proposal of marriage turns into a compromising position that forces the issue, she can't help thinking that he's hiding something . . . even as her heart tells her to say yes.

I, um, was not impressed by this book. It’s fine as a Regency romance, but I wasn’t super into the characters or the plotline. I really did not like the story once it shifted to Yorkshire. I like some tension and conflict with my main characters, but this book took it to a new level that I did not appreciate. Such a disappointment.

Smythe-Smith Quartet:

• #1 Just Like Heaven

• #2 A Night Like This

• #3 The Sum of All Kisses

• #4 The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn

Title: The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith #3)

Author: Julia Quinn

Publisher: Avon 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 384

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Sarah Pleinsworth can’t forgive Hugh Prentice for the duel he fought three years ago that nearly destroyed her family, sent her cousin fleeing, and left Hugh himself with a badly injured leg. That’s fine with Hugh, who can’t tolerate Sarah’s dramatic ways. But when the two are forced to spend a week together, they find that unexpected kisses, and mutual passion, may have the power to change both of their minds.

Oh Yes! This is exactly what I want out of my historical romance. Two strong-willed and fun characters, a progression from hatred to passion, not much miscommunication, a real relationship explored, and a bit of sexy time on the side. After the previous book, A Night Like This, I really hoped that we would get to see more of Hugh Prentice. Lucky me, this book is all about him! The quick glimpses that we got of him intrigued me. I needed to know more. And we get so much more! As for Sarah, she was annoying in the previous books, but I suspect that’s more because she was contrasted with Honoria and then Anne’s personalities. Sarah is much more straight forward and confident in herself. We get two very strong-willed people that clash and clash and clash before finally realizing that they love each other. Delightful!

Smythe-Smith Quartet:

• #1 Just Like Heaven

• #2 A Night Like This

• #3 The Sum of All Kisses

• #4 The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

Title: The Sun Down Motel

Author: Simone St. James

Publisher: Berkley 2020

Genre: Paranormal Thriller

Pages: 326

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading - Can’t Wait to Give Someone!

Upstate New York, 1982. Viv Delaney wants to move to New York City, and to help pay for it she takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. But something isnʼt right at the motel, something haunting and scary.

Upstate New York, 2017. Carly Kirk has never been able to let go of the story of her aunt Viv, who mysteriously disappeared from the Sun Down before she was born. She decides to move to Fell and visit the motel, where she quickly learns that nothing has changed since 1982. And she soon finds herself ensnared in the same mysteries that claimed her aunt.

I was hesitant coming into this book (I have a horrible track record with thrillers), but this one was deliciously creepy and kept me entertained. I hate when books claim to be creepy, but they are actually just plots with something vaguely suspenseful. This one is completely creepy and I loved every page of it. We get real ghosts! I love it when we get real ghosts in books. I was even hesitant to read this before bed due to the creep factor. Perfect! Beyond that aspect, I didn’t mind the modern storyline in this one. Usually I find that one of the sides of the story isn’t that interesting or boring, but Carly is a decent character in her own right. She’s not just driven to find out what happened to her Aunt Viv, but also exploring her own relationships in this new-to-her town. I really enjoyed this one!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W35: Rays, Whales, and Dolphins, Oh My!

What We Studied

Beyond our studies, we had two park playdates this week along with a grocery store visit and a library stop. Park playdates can be tiring for me, but we’re trying to get out more and meet new friends for our fall STEAM coop. Also, I really dropped the ball on taking pictures this week. Oh well.

Literature and Poetry

We finished reading The One and Only Bob for our read aloud. I liked it a little less than The One and Only Ivan, but still a really good book. There’s a lot of serious danger in this one and lots of talk of death. Be cautious.

• The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

• Rainbow Soup by Brian P. Cleary (poems)

Math

A mishmash of review pages, little projects, and Khan Academy. We covered graphing, fractions, and multiplication with our homemade packets. Plus, we’re almost at the end of Lollipop Logic Book 3. I need to find some harder logic puzzles for both kids.

Social Studies

We finally reached the end of the Revolutionary War. In addition to covering the end, the Articles of Confederation, and the formation of the Constitution, we did biographies on a few African Americans during the war. I loved learning more about Elizabeth Freeman and Phillis Wheatley. I read some of Wheatley’s poetry in college and enjoyed her voice.

• 100 African Americans Who Shaped American History

• Phillis Wheatley: Poet of the Revolutionary Era by Molly Aloian

• Phillis Sings Out Freedom: The Story of George Washington and Phillis Wheatley by Ann Malaspina

• Phillis's Big Test by Catherine Clinton

• America's Black Founders by Nancy Sanders

• Answering the Cry of Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle

• Mumbet's Declaration of Independence by Gretchen Woelfle

• Fight for Freedom by Benson Bobrick

Science

See Unit Theme

Art

Nothing formal, but lots of random drawing.

Music

We covered Pete Seeger on Monday. Arthur loved his songs for kids, but not so much when it came to the adult stuff. From there we did a sampling of music from the 1960s (Joan Baez, The Byrds, Dave Von Ronk, and Janis Ian). Arthur wasn’t really a fan of any of them, but I am. We’ll continue the 1960s next week.

• Stand Up and Sing: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and the Path to Justice by Susanna Reich

Unit Theme

For Oceans, we focused on rays, dolphins, and whales. How did I not know that orcas are genetically dolphins? I love it when I get to learn something new.

• Rays by Valerie Bodden

• Thomas & Friends: Thomas and the Shark (Arthur read)

• Ocean Anatomy by Julia Rothman

• Nat Geo Ocean Animals

• DK Oceans

• DK Whales and Dolphins

• Dolphins! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle

• How Do Dolphins Sleep? by Nancy Furstinger

• Nat Geo Absolute Expert Dolphins by Jennifer Swanson

• Ranger Rick: I Wish I was an Orca by Sandra Markle (Arthur Read)

• Wild Orca: The Oldest, Wisest Whale in the World by Brenda Peterson

• Amazing Whales! by Sarah L. Thomson (Arthur read)

• Whales by Grace Hansen

• 10 Reasons to Love a Whale by Catherine Barr

• Blue Whales by Grace Hansen

• How Long is a Whale? by Alison Limentani

Misc. - Random picture books read

• Shawn Loves Sharks by Curtis Manley

• A Surprise for Mrs. Tortoise by Paula Merlan

• Violet and the Eggplant Painting Problem by Cynthia Wylie and Courtney Carbone

• Also an Octopus by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

• Inky's Great Escape: The Incredible (and Mostly True) Story of an Octopus Escape by Casey Lyall

• This is a Seahorse by Cassandra Federman

• Larry Gets Lost Under the Sea by Eric Ode and John Skewes

• Beach by Elisha Cooper

• Deep Underwater by Irene Luxbacher

• Flip & Fin: Super Sharks to the Rescue! by Timothy Gill

• Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck

• Jurassic World: Danger Dinosaurs

• Dario and the Whale by Cheryl Lawton Malone

• Stories in a Seashell by Alex Nogués Otero

• Dinosaur Tracks by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

Highs

• We got to listen to a few episodes of The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd on our way across the river on Tuesday. All of us really love that show. We’re almost at the end of season six. There are only eight seasons, so we should be done with the series sometime this summer.

Lows

• I’m losing all motivation for school. It’s such a weird month for our family.

Next Week

For the next two weeks, we are on a semi-break. Originally we were going to be traveling to Indiana for family stuff, but that isn’t happening. Instead, we will just be home. But I hope to include more craft projects, art, and games into the next two weeks. We’ll be reading our next selection (Frog and Toad collection by Arnold Lobel), working through various ocean animals, listening to the folk music of the 1960s and 1970s, and doing some basic math review. I might even add a few more outings beyond the already scheduled park playdates.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - The Pretty Reckless "And So It Went"

I’m so addicted to this song right now…

Life Right Now #17

As I look outside my window: The clouds seem to have moved out for the day. Maybe we’ll get some good sunshine. My plants need it!

Right now I am: Being very lazy. I can’t seem to muster much motivation today…

Thinking and pondering: About how much vacation planning I should do now. I love a good project, but the vacation itself is still up in the air due to COVID. It wouldn’t be until late fall (September), but I do love to be prepared just in case.

On my bedside table: The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn; The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn - Getting ready to jump back into Regency romance.

On my tv this week: More Star Trek Voyager and more Hustle. We keep bouncing back and forth between the two.

Listening to: Nothing really

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Tater Tot Casserole

• Tuesday - Leftovers

• Wednesday - Kale and White Bean Soup

• Thursday - Avocado Bruschetta Chicken

• Friday - Brinner (Sausage Crescent Rolls and Eggs)

• Saturday - Steak on grill

• Sunday - Chicken Corden Bleu Dip

On my to do list: Top of my list is to finish fixing the laundry room and put away all the clothes. Beyond that, I guess I should consult my giant brain dump list.

Happening this week: A bit of a lighter week, but still some activities.

• Monday - Dentist appointment for me

• Tuesday - Possible zoo day; Nebraska Outdoor webinar; Girly Book Club (zoom)

• Wednesday - Playdate at Chalco

• Thursday - ?

• Friday - ?

• Saturday - ?

• Sunday - ?

What I am creating: I finally finished by December Daily 2020 album. I’m hoping to work on my 2021 Memory Planner this week. Need to start with January…

My simple pleasures: Getting lost in a book, finding hidden gems while road trip planning

Looking around the house: My craft room is just about cleaned and set. J hung some pictures for me (I’m so bad at getting things level and straight). I finally got rid of the giant pile on the floor. Now I just need to remove the recycling and trash pile and find a spot for my Christmas craft supplies and Project Life stack.

From the camera: Choosing my Top 15 picks from the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide. I already have Broken on my nightstand, so I guess I’ll start there.

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: The Beautiful Ones

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 323

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading - Called to Me at the Library

They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis―neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse―and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.

When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled. A telekinetic like her, he has traveled the world performing his talents for admiring audiences. He sees Nina not as a witch, but ripe with potential to master her power under his tutelage. With Hector’s help, Nina’s talent blossoms, as does her love for him.

But great romances are for fairytales, and Hector is hiding a truth from Nina ― and himself―that threatens to end their courtship before it truly begins.

Oh what a disappointment! After absolutely loving Mexican Gothic and Gods of Jade and Shadow, I thought I would at least enjoy this previous work from Moreno-Garcia. Unfortunately, this is a slow-moving pseudo-fantasy novel filled with insufferable characters. Basically nothing happens for the at least the first half of the book. The characters go round and round rehashing the same arguments and sentiments. They move to a different house, but it’s still the same. I enjoyed Nina, but at a certain point, I really wanted her to run away from all the other characters and pursue her science interests. Maybe find a kind and loving male scientist to marry. But no, she stays with Hector even after Hector’s true feelings for Valérie come out into the open. I just found everyone to be very dislikable. And let me mention that the fantasy element (the telekinesis) is such a minor thing. Why is it even in the book? I have no idea. The one redeeming quality of the book is Moreno-Garcia’s writing style. Her prose just glides over the page. Thank goodness she kept at it and wrote much more intriguing books later.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

Title: The Flatshare

Author: Beth O’Leary

Publisher: Flatiron Books 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Tiffy and Leon share an apartment. Tiffy and Leon have never met.

After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art.

Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He’ll only ever be there when she’s at the office. In fact, they’ll never even have to meet.

Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes – first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more.

But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea…especially if you've never met.

CW: Domestic abuse

My book club has had a string of not great and/or heavy books. We wanted to pick something a little lighter and fun and decided on this one. Overall, I really enjoyed this rom com in the vein of Jill Mansell’s novels or Bridget Jones’s Diary. We get one great in-person meet-cute, fun side character friends, a big conflict, and some sweet romance. I enjoyed Tiffy and the exploration of her life post-emotional abuse. I thought that portion of the story and character was well done. Her new romance with Leon isn’t an instanteous fix to her past trauma. Instead we get to follow along with her as she confronts her past (and present) and attempts to move forward. Yeah! Insta-love this is not. I loved seeing Tiffy turn to her friends for advice and comfort. And ultimately, I loved watching her and Leon develop a friendship and then something more. After reading this one, I’m more interested in reading O’Leary’s two other novels: The Switch and The Road Trip.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I finally finished a craft project yesterday. Only 50 million left to go…

• Is May homeschooling fatigue a thing? I think I’ve got it.

• Started planning our fall road trip (rescheduled from summer 2020) and I’m super excited about the possibilities.

• Need to pick a dessert to make, maybe Andes Mint Cupcakes?

Next up on the TBR pile:

Red Queen by Christina Henry

Title: Red Queen (The Chronicles of Alice #2)

Author: Christina Henry

Publisher: Ace 2016

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 304

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The land outside of the Old City was supposed to be green, lush, hopeful. A place where Alice could finally rest, no longer the plaything of the Rabbit, the pawn of Cheshire, or the prey of the Jabberwocky. But the verdant fields are nothing but ash—and hope is nowhere to be found.

Still, Alice and Hatcher are on a mission to find his daughter, a quest they will not forsake even as it takes them deep into the clutches of the mad White Queen and her goblin or into the realm of the twisted and cruel Black King.

The pieces are set and the game has already begun. Each move brings Alice closer to her destiny. But, to win, she will need to harness her newfound abilities and ally herself with someone even more powerful—the mysterious and vengeful Red Queen...

Overall I really enjoyed this book, but I didn’t love it as much as Alice. The first book really connected the original story to a darker, grittier version of Alice in Wonderland. We get direct characters and action parallels. I was expecting more of the same style, but this book departed from the direct comparisons. Instead, we get more of a dark fairy tale story incorporating different elements (enchanted forest, people turning into wolves, goblins, giants). I loved the beginning with Alice and Hatcher emerging from the tunnel into the burned meadow. I loved the ending when Alice got to connect with the Red Queen and defeat the White Queen. But some of the middle got a bit lost for me and I wanted more connection to Alice in Wonderland. I wanted more Chesire and maybe the duchess or Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Not quite as successful for me as the first book.

The Chronicles of Alice

• #1 Alice

• #2 Red Queen

• Looking Glass

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #3

Reading: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. Book club needed something a little more light and fluffy.

Watching: J got me started watching Hustle. I know he had me watch the first episode years ago and then we moved to something else and never continued. It’s entertaining in a light way. Con of the week style episodes. We’ve been alternating between Hustle and S3 of Star Trek: Voyager this past week.

Listening: Not much music this week, but I have been catching up on Bookend Homeschoolers podcast. Not every episode is super useful to me, but many of them have great nuggets of advice.

Making: I’m finally getting back to my December Daily album for 2020. Here’s hoping I finish before the end of the month.

Feeling: So very tired. Q has been getting up at 6:30am usually by screaming or crying. It’s taking a toll on my sleep to be woken up so abruptly.

Planning: To travel or not? I’m thinking about the summer months but also our road trip. We might be able to do the road trip in fall (like late September) and I need to start planning it.

Loving: I’ve been making fruit smoothies for breakfast on and off for the past two months. Big hit over here! I now have a stack of like 20 different recipes that we cycle through.

Next up on the TBR pile: