Currently #11

Reading: I finally started reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. So far this has been slow-going, but I’m in it until at least the end.

Watching: We started Loot starring Maya Rudolph and it is delightful. I’m totally here for this show.

Listening: While driving to and from the retreat, I enjoyed listening to multiple episodes of 99PI. I really need to listen to that podcast more often. I always enjoy the series.

Making: Currently I’m working on a puzzle that might be worth $1 million. It’s probably a $1 puzzle, but there’s always the chance. The puzzle is a giant QR code and was labeled as medium difficulty, but it’s proving to be harder than I thought it would be.

Feeling: Rested. I really needed those few days off.

Planning: Now that the retreat is done, I’m deep into planning for our July Indiana trip.

Loving: Thinking back to the bookish retreat and loving all the great memories.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Milky Chance "Synchronize"

The kids always make me stop channel surfing if this song is one. We all love it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Title: Klara and the Sun

Author: Kazuo Ishiguro

Publisher: Knopf 2021

Genre: Scfi

Pages: 303

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

It’s the second Ishiguro that I’ve tried and he is definitely not for me. Overall, my big thought is that Ishiguro is just retreading sci-fi tropes and ideas but without adding anything new or interesting. I never found any part of this book to be new or fresh. I found no real message about humanity or identity. I definitely did not connect with any of the characters. Klara has the mindset of a 5-year-old and never really changes. Josie is a brat throughout the entire book. Ishiguro never really explains much of anything about the larger world or being “lifted.” The reader is left in the dark for most of this story and I just didn’t appreciate it. Is this supposed to be our future? If yes, then I need a actually discussion of how we are going wrong and how we can avoid it. We don’t get any of that. It’s just a superficial story. And don’t get me started on Klara’s insistence that the sun will bestow some blessing on Josie. Just ugh!

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Title: Where the Crawdads Sing

Author: Delia Owens

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 370

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.

Very Meh on this book. There was so much hype and I was hesitant to read it before now. I finally picked it up because so many book club friends loved it and they want to go see the movie in July. I started and right away knew that this probably wasn’t going to be the book for me. I disliked reading about Kya’s birth family life and all the romance bits. It was hard for the sake of hard instead of a good emotional story of overcoming obstacles. I really wanted to just push all the men (and many of the women) off the fire tower right along with Chase. I was not invested in the mystery of the murder at all. I figured Kya had done it all along. I did really enjoying the sections detailing Kya’s life in the marsh. The nature writing was beautiful and I could just paint the pictures in my mind. But all those parts could not make up for everything this book lacked for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Brief History of Earth by Andrew H. Knoll

Title: A Brief History of Earth: Four Billions Years in Eight Chapters

Author: Andrew H. Knoll

Publisher: Custom House 2021

Genre: Nonfiction - Geology

Pages: 272

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer Reading Challenge

How well do you know the ground beneath your feet?

Odds are, where you’re standing was once cooking under a roiling sea of lava, crushed by a towering sheet of ice, rocked by a nearby meteor strike, or perhaps choked by poison gases, drowned beneath ocean, perched atop a mountain range, or roamed by fearsome monsters. Probably most or even all of the above.

The story of our home planet and the organisms spread across its surface is far more spectacular than any Hollywood blockbuster, filled with enough plot twists to rival a bestselling thriller. But only recently have we begun to piece together the whole mystery into a coherent narrative. Drawing on his decades of field research and up-to-the-minute understanding of the latest science, renowned geologist Andrew H. Knoll delivers a rigorous yet accessible biography of Earth, charting our home planet's epic 4.6 billion-year story. Placing twenty first-century climate change in deep context, A Brief History of Earth is an indispensable look at where we’ve been and where we’re going.

I grabbed this slim nonfiction book on a whim while creating the geology unit for coop. I love a good natural sciences book and this one seemed right up my alley. We get to start at the beginning and follow the development of the earth through time all the way until today. Each chapter is organized around a stage of development. Much of the information included was already know to me, but I did find myself very attentive to the complete story. Knoll occasionally swerves into very hard science, but overall this is a very readable text. I only wish that the pictures had been in color. Black and white is so hard especially when it comes to looking at rocks.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

I’m away on retreat right now! Four glorious days where I only need to take care of myself. Tonight, we are all going to relax, but tomorrow we are going to a few bookstores and have cocktail hour. Very excited for all the bookish fun.
Speaking of books, I’ve had a run of not amazing books this week. Really hoping to pull up my star ratings with my retreat selections.
Took the kids to two splash pads, two libraries, and one movie this week to tire them out. I may have overdone it a bit.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Title: Anya’s Ghost

Author: Vera Brosgol

Publisher: First Second 2011

Genre: Graphic Novel Fantasy

Pages: 224

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn't kidding about the "Forever" part . . .

Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who's been dead for a century.

Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend―even a ghost―is just what she needs.

Or so she thinks.

Interesting… I had no idea what this graphic novel was actually about until after I started reading it. I was pleasantly surprised by this strange story involving a girl and a ghost she found in a hole. We follow Anya as she navigates balancing life at home and at school as she attempts to create her own identity; And then things start to change, and not really for the better. I sped through this one and really fell for Anya’s struggles. She finds her fitting in the end, but it is a journey.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List

Another season, another summer bucket list. In our town, it’s been feeling like summer for weeks now. I sat down with the kids the other day and they helped me come up with a list of activities for this season.

Complete the Library Reading Program
Tour of Midwest Zoos
Ice Cream Tour of Omaha
Louisville SRA
Durham Dinosaur Exhibit
Trip to Indiana, Iowa, Illinois
Cookout with Friends
Lincoln Day
Medieval, Pirate, and Prehistoric Putt
Redo the Playroom
Bird Watching Hike
Pam Nelson Farm
Lauritzen Gardens
5 Splash Pad Visits
3 Movies at the Theater
3 Omaha Zoo Visits
Craft/Art Day
Read 50 Books
July Movie Month!
Clear Out My Library Cart

Spring Bucket List Finish Line

After taking a bit of a break from bucket lists in 2021 (seriously, that year was a trash fire), I’m back this year. We have a variety of projects that we want to accomplish this coming year and I want to make some intentions for each season. For spring:

Check off 150 hours of our 1000 hours outside project ✓ - We’re currently sitting at 154 hours for the year.
Two Lincoln Excursion Days - We only made it to Lincoln once so far. But we will definitely schedule another day for laster this summer.
Three State park Visits - We hit Schramm a few weeks back.
Read 50 books ✓
Day trip to Des Moines
At least 6 zoo visits (4/6)
Design board for future kitchen renovation
Monthly bingo/trivia nights ✓
Do a donation drop
Take the kids bowling or mini golfing
Log 50 miles on the treadmill
Make homemade cinnamon rolls
Plan out curriculum for next year ✓
Plan out the Bookish Retreat! ✓
Plan an Indiana trip for summer complete with Indianapolis mini trip ✓
Weekend trip to Kansas ✓
Plan a redo for our homeschool space / playroom - in progress
Do a Closet Cleanout for Me
Do a Closet Cleanup for the Kids
Work on a Craft Project ✓

Up Next on the TBR:

Music Monday - Rufus Du Soul "On My Knees"

A new find from Alt Nation. I’m loving this song.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Title: The Cartographers

Author: Peng Shepherd

Publisher: William Morrow 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 392

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Unread Shelf Reading Challenge - Most recently acquired

Nell Young’s whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field and Nell’s personal hero. But she hasn’t seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map.

But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can’t resist investigating. To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable and exceedingly rare. In fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence . . . because a mysterious collector has been hunting down and destroying every last one—along with anyone who gets in the way.

But why?

To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret and discovers the true power that lies in maps . . .

On to our book retreat club discussion. Because the votes were split, we are technically going to discuss one romance book (Neon Gods) and one fantasy book (this one) at retreat. I had been so excited to get this one from Book of the Month, but then let it just sit on my shelf. It took about 50 pages for me to really get into the story. I never really loved Nell, but was very intrigued by the mystery once it was set in motion. I connected more with the other Cartographers and their backstories than Nell’s current life. I was not a fan of her and Felix’s pseudo-relationship, but did enjoy seeing her interact with Swann. Once the mystery kicked into gear, I was flipping the pages waiting to see where it went next. Putting the pieces together was my favorite part of this book. Unfortunately, the ending became a bit rushed and muddled and I did not love Nell’s choices. In the end, I didn’t adore this book, but it was a solid fantasy mystery. I’ll have to wait until next week to hear what everyone else thought about the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

High Spirits by Camille Gomera-Tavarez

Title: High Spirits

Author: Camille Gomera-Tavarez

Publisher: Levine Querido 2022

Genre: YA Short Stories

Pages: 224

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

High Spirits is a collection of eleven interconnected short stories from the Dominican diaspora, from debut author Camille Gomera-Tavarez.

It is a book centered on one extended family – the Beléns – across multiple generations.

It is set in the fictional small town of Hidalpa – and Santo Domingo and Paterson and San Juan and Washington Heights too.

It is told in a style both utterly real and distinctly magical – and its stories explore machismo, mental health, family, and identity.

Surprise surprise, I ended up giving a short story collection 3 stars. This seems to be very much a given rating for me. I just don’t really enjoy short story collections. I much prefer to immerse myself completely into a book and really dive in. This collection’s premise of interconnected stories focused on on Dominican family though generations intrigued me. I had also heard a plug for this one on my favorite reading podcast, so I grabbed it from the library. Unfortunately, the collection didn’t completely draw me in. We get snippets or vignettes of lives throughout the Belen family, but enough enough of any of them. I wanted to read an big family saga and instead I only get to catch glimpses of these characters. And so many of the stories ended so incredibly abruptly that I was very much not wanted to keep reading. This may be a good collection for someone else, but I did not love it at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

It's Way Too Hot, So Videos?

On this Thursday, I think we all need to remember that this happened. So good!

Hands down my favorite of Jane Austen’s novel and yet I’m also so hesitant about movie adaptations.

I’m kinda intrigued by this movie. Might be a fun ride.

Sloth therapy anyone?

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

Title: Gallant

Author: V.E. Schwab

Publisher: Greenwillow Books 2022

Genre: YA Fantasy/Horror

Pages: 334

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for Girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home; it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile, or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.

Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.

Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?

Perfect creepy house story for the week. I love a good atmospheric haunted house story imbued with a constant state of dread. This one did not disappoint. We are sucked in within the first chapter to the mystery of Olivia, her mother’s journal, and all those ghosts she sees. And then we arrive at her mother’s birth house and things get really creepy. This story isn’t super gory, but has all the creepy elements that I really enjoy in a haunted house book. We get mysterious statues and portraits, a family secret, silent ghosts appearing everywhere, and a creepy man beyond the wall. I sped through this book shivering the entire time. Schwab has created a masterful book that I wish I had read in October (well, only a little bit, I loved reading it in June also).

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - The Maine "Loved You a Little"

Digging this new song. I saw them at Warped Tour in 2018. So good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W35: 14 Hours Outside Before It Gets Too Hot

What We Studied

We took advantage of the decent temps this week and spent 14 hours outside exploring. June is my month to enjoy the outdoors before I retreat back into the air conditioning. Unfortunately, next week we are getting a heat wave. At least we spent this week soaking up the sun.

Literature and Poetry

We finally finished reading through the entirety of The Chronicles of Narnia. I am glad to have read it, but man does Lewis get very heavy-handed toward the end of the series. Also, I’m still a bit confused as to the finer points of his theology.

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Math

Another week of math games, puzzles, and review. Arthur finished his logic book last week and I didn’t want to start the next one until August. So it’s review and games for the summer.

Social Studies

Arthur’s slowing working through an introduction to economics packet I saved. it’s very light and breezy taking about 5 minutes a day to complete.

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.

Science and STEAM Coop

No formal science, but our activities have all been about exploring nature this week so I’m counting it.

Art/Music

None this week

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.

ELA

The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry
Rocket and the Perfect Pumpkin by Tad Hills (Q reads)
Drop It, Rocket by Tad Hills (Q reads)
Corduroy by Don Freeman
A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman
Corduroy Lost and Found by Don Freeman
Corduroy Takes a Bow by Don Freeman
A Christmas Wish for Corduroy by Don Freeman

Math

Other

Field Trip

We started the week off with a field trip to pick strawberries with all our coop friends. This activity was definitely better with friends and cooler temps than usual. We picked over 4 pounds of strawberries to take home and make into goodies!

Wednesday we spent 6 1/2 hours at the zoo. We walked around the entire outside portion, visited the desert dome, rode the train, splashed in the splash pad, and played at the playground. We got to see one of the baby elephants outside and visits Arthur the baby giraffe inside the barn. It was a good zoo day.

Thursday was park playdate morning. We didn’t spend a really long time at the park, but a bit of running around was needed.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

We think baby elephant Sonny (could have been Eugenia)

Misc. Picture Books Read

Just Right Cat by Lori Haskins Houran
Storybots: The Best Christmas Gift

High

Berry picking! I look forward to it every year, but struggle through the heat. This year it was much cooler and we had all our friends to chat and play with. The boys loved getting away from me and picking near their friends instead. Such a good day!

Low

Friday we all hit a wall and needed to take a bit of quiet time individually.

Next Week

Arthur is taking three camp class through Metro Community College. He will be learning about LEGO creations, roller coasters and robots, and food around the world.
Quentin and I will be spending some time together doing errands and going to the park before the temps hit 100 degrees.
Starting and finishing our next read aloud (it’s a short one)

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #19

As I look outside my window: It’s very hazy out right now. Hot and humid means that I’m not going to be reading outside this morning.

Right now I am: In between reading my book and getting back to lesson planning for August.

On my bedside table: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens; Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

On my tv this week: J and I have been watching Obi-Wan Kenobi as well as Haley Moley (our silly show). I am almost finished with S1 of Love Life and slowly working my way through S1 of Sex Education.

Listening to: Big shuffle of my Apple Music. Really I just love the random right now.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken and Broccoli Rice Casserole
Tuesday - Spicy Thai Noodles
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Sweet Potato, Black Bean, Quinoa, Shrimp Bowls
Friday - Grilled Cheese with Tomato and Basil
Saturday - Chicken Tortilla Soup
Sunday - Mediterranean Orzo Salad

On my to do list: Today I need to to take care of the all the laundry as well as finishing up some retreat tasks. My big to-do is wrapping up most of the geology unit for August. It’s a big production to create a unit directly from scratch.

Happening this week: Arthur has camp at Metro every morning from 9-noon, so we need to drop him off and pick him up each day.

Monday - Grocery
Tuesday - Splash pad visit morning; Library Choose Your Own Adventure game
Wednesday - Library
Thursday - Splash pad visit afternoon
Friday - Home day; Lit Society
Saturday - Home day
Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: I’m putting the finishing touches on the retreat itinerary and games.

My simple pleasures: Strong coffee, finishing a particularly hard puzzle

Looking around the house: Meh. I’m very ambivalent about the state of the house right now. I’m putting together a plan to redo the playroom to make it more of a homeschool space, so right now there’s stuff everywhere. Hopefully I can get that all done before leaving for Indiana in mid-July.

From the camera: Putting together our summer bucket list

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

Title: The League of Gentlewomen Witches(Dangerous Damsels #2)

Author: India Holton

Publisher: Berkley Books 2022

Genre: Historical romance Fantasy

Pages: 352

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said—witchcraft. The League of Gentlewomen Witches strives to improve the world in small ways. Using magic, they tidy, correct, and manipulate according to their notions of what is proper, entirely unlike those reprobates in the Wisteria Society.

When the long lost amulet of Black Beryl is discovered, it is up to Charlotte, as the future leader of the League, to make sure the powerful talisman does not fall into the wrong hands. Therefore, it is most unfortunate when she crosses paths with Alex O’Riley, a pirate who is no Mr. Darcy. With all the world scrambling after the amulet, Alex and Charlotte join forces to steal it together. If only they could keep their pickpocketing hands to themselves! If Alex’s not careful, he might just steal something else—such as Charlotte’s heart.

Charlotte is not the easiest person to love and yet I totally fell for her in this novel. I loved the prickly not-witch and her adventures with dreamy pirate Alex. As soon as Alex showed up in the first book, I knew I wanted to read more of his story. Thankfully Holton took my desire seriously and made a whole other book featuring Alex. The swaggering pirate and the buttoned up not-witch make a perfect pairing in this chase adventure across England. I loved all the references to Austen’s (and Bronte’s) works as Charlotte attempts to understand just what situation she got herself into and how exactly it’s going to play out. I laughed out loud so many times at the witty one-liners and rejoinders. I swooned every time Alex stared and smirked at Charlotte. I hoped that we would get a HEA but only if the two actually came to an intellectual agreement. This may be my perfect light and fun romance book.

Dangerous Damsels

#1 The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
#2 The League of Gentlemen Witches

Next up on the TBR pile:

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Title: Book Lovers

Author: Emily Henry

Publisher: Berkley 2022

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 377

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming...

Nora Stephens' life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

I didn’t think that I could love a new Emily Henry book any more than her last two. I was wrong! This one is her best yet. I absolutely fell for the relationship between Nora and Charlie. Their banter was absolutely on point. The steamy scenes were very steamy. And the connections two the side characters were great. But what makes me absolute love Henry’s books is the emotionally connection. I felt completely drawn into this story and these two main characters. I was desperate that they work everything out and get a HEA. I would even read a sequel to this story as Nora and Charlie continue their lives after the events in this one. I would have loved to stay with this couple longer. We don’t but I still absolutely adored this one so much!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

I got a bit of sunburn yesterday. I really need to get in the habit of always sunscreening…
Guess I need to get a move on with my summer bucket list soon. Time is almost upon us.
Two books that have made me laugh out loud in a row has been great for my mood.
Making book recommendations may be my favorite thing right now.

Next up on the TBR pile: