Music Monday - Rain City Drive "Blood Runs Cold"

I didn’t realize that I liked this band as much as I do.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Title: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Author: Gabrielle Zevin

Publisher: Algonquin Books 2014

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 260

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over--and see everything anew.

Definitely not my book. I should have known that anything labeled “sweet” was probably not going to appeal to my reading tastes. I was interested with the first two chapters, but then things went downhill immediately. Too many cutesy coincidences. Too many sweet interactions. Too many heartwarming conversations. I was rolling my eyes throughout the entire book. Curmudgeon characters are not my thing. I dislike when terminal diseases are used to pull at the heart-strings. I was not a fan of the weird time jumps. Overall, I very much disliked this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Title: City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1)

Author: Victoria Schwab

Publisher: Scholastic 2018

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 285

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Ever since Cass almost drowned (okay, she did drown, but she doesn't like to think about it), she can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the dead . . . and enter the world of spirits. Her best friend is even a ghost.So things are already pretty strange. But they're about to get much stranger.When Cass's parents start hosting a TV show about the world's most haunted places, the family heads off to Edinburgh, Scotland. Here, graveyards, castles, and secret passageways teem with restless phantoms. And when Cass meets a girl who shares her "gift," she realizes how much she still has to learn about the Veil -- and herself.And she'll have to learn fast. The city of ghosts is more dangerous than she ever imagined.#1 NYT bestselling author Victoria Schwab delivers a thrillingly spooky and action-packed tale of hauntings, history, mystery, and the bond between friends (even if that friend is a ghost . . .).

A lovely blend of spooky and friendship. Right away, we’re dropped into Cassidy’s world of ghosts; We don’t get all the answers in this volume, but we certainly start to uncover the secrets. With Jacob and some new friends, we get a bit more information about living in the world between the living and the dead. I loved the entire setup of Cass’s family right down to the cat Grim. Once we get to Edinburgh the story starts moving quickly and doesn’t let up. I loved the various locales and descriptions. I do so wish to visit Edinburgh at some point in my life. I would love to see the Old Town and the Castle. And maybe I will see some ghosts while there. There are definitely some great spooky scenes involving lots of child ghosts and the Raven. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Cassidy Blake

• #1 City of Ghosts

• #2 Tunnel of Bones

• #3 Bridge of Souls

Next up on the TBR pile:

September 2022 Life Goals

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

• Read 18 Books ✓

• Kick off the Coop for the Fall Semester ✓

• Make 4 Recipes for Our 52 Deserts - I fell a bit short with only two recipes.

• Visit the zoo once ✓

• Visit two state parks ✓

September Goals:

• Read 18 Books

• Have a Fun Weekend in Des Moines

• Complete Music Movies and Documentary Month

• Plan the Boys’ Birthday Party

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Okay, it’s officially September. Let’s cut the 90 degree days please…

• Returning almost all my library books feels really good. I’m trying to dive into my own shelves for the next two months.

• Only one more week of teaching coop for me. I’m almost done with the big geology unit.

• I need to put the final touches on our trip to Des Moines next week. Saturday’s plans are still up in the air.

Next up on the TBR pile:

August 2022 Wrap

August TBR Pile (20/26):

1. BOTM: TBD

2. Bookworms BC: Already read

3. Friend BC: Pachinko by Lee Min-Jin ✓

4. Friend BC: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley ✓

5. Currently Reading Buddy Read: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles ✓

6. Currently Reading Buddy Read: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin ✓

7. Currently Reading Buddy Read: Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

8. Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility

9. Fantasy: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas ✓

10. Fantasy: Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor ✓

11. Fantasy: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake ✓

12. Horror: The Fervor by Alma Katsu

13. Horror: Hide by Kiersten White ✓

14. Romance: Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren ✓

15. Historical Fiction: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

16. Kid Read Aloud: The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall ✓

17. Kid Read Aloud: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Arthur’s selection) ✓

18. Kid Read Aloud: The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-El (Quentin’s selection) ✓

19. Kid Read Aloud: The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliam ✓

20. Poetry: Inheritance by Elizabeth Acevedo ✓

21. Science Fiction: Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots ✓

22. Comics: Lore Olympus Vol. 2 ✓

23. Added: The Mermaid by Christina Henry ✓

24. Added: The Palace Papers by Tina Brown ✓

25. Added: Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak ✓

26. Added: Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 7578 pages
Pages Remaining: 387,247 pages

Current Read -

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (1)

My BOTM selection this month was Small Angels by Lauren Owen. It was described as gothic fiction. Hope it lives up to the name.

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 329

• Books Read: 0

• Books Acquired: 1

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 330

September TBR Pile: I returned all my library books and am going to focus on reading books from my shelfs for this month (and into October). I want to get the number on my unread shelf below 300 by the end of the year. I can do this!

1. Bookworms BC: The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (library)

2. Bookworms BC: The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

3. Friend BC: Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

4. Friend BC: The Midwife’s Revolt by Jodi Daynard

5. Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

6. Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility

7. Fantasy: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

8. Fantasy: Into the Windwracked Winds by A. Deborah Baker

9. Fantasy: Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

10. Fantasy: City of Ghosts by VE Schwab (library)

11. Fantasy: A Prayer for the Crown-shy by Becky Chambers (library)

12. Mystery: A Curious Beginning by Deanna Rayburn

13. Mystery: The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths (library)

14. Romance: The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

15. Romance: Wicked Sexy Liar by Christina Lauren (library)

16. Historical Fiction: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

17. Thriller: Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey (library)

18. Horror: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (library)

19. Science Fiction: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

20. Science Fiction: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

21. Science Fiction: The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson

22. Nonfiction: The 1619 Project edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones

23. Nonfiction: Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X Kendi

24. Nonfiction: Share Your Stuff, I’ll Go First by Laura Tremaine

25. Poetry: The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill

26. Kid Read Aloud: Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll

27. Kid Read Aloud: Word of Mouse by James Patterson

Movies watched

• Ghost in the Shell - J was surprised that I had never seen this one. Interesting anime set-up.

• Day Shift - Our fun movie for the month. All about see Snoop Dogg take on some vampires.

• Persuasion (2022) - Goodness, that was not the book at all. I might have liked it as a separate story, but that was not my Anne Elliott.

TV Shows watched 

• Only Murders in the Building S2 - Still really loving this show.

• The Umbrella Academy S3 - Finally started this season. Klaus and Five are still my favorites.

• The Sandman - Oh goodness, that was absolutely gorgeous. Loved it so much!

• Loot S1 - That was entertaining. Hope it gets a second season.

• What We Do in the Shadows S3 - Love this show so much!

• Below Deck: Down Under S1 - Still watching during the occasional lunch hour.

• The Bachelorette - Blergh. I love Gabby, but this season has done her dirty.

• Little Demon S1 - We love Danny DeVito, so of course we are going to watch this one.

• Lower Decks S3

• The Orville S3

Comments -

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTAR #3)

Author:Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 705

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom not only for Feyre, but for everything―and everyone―she holds dear.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre endeavors to take her place amongst the High Fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers―both magical and political―and her love for her court and family. Amidst these struggles, Feyre and Rhysand must decide whom to trust amongst the cunning and lethal High Lords, and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

Goodness! That was a chunker of a book. There was so much packed in this volume of the series. I almost would have liked to see this book split into two volumes. I kept hurtling along the plot adding in more and more elements of the larger game. Overall, I enjoyed the story and loved seeing how the fight against Hybern ended. I loved the portions about Feyre and Rhys connecting and coming into their partnership as High Lord and High Lady. I was less enthused by Nesta and Elain. A lot of their story seems to move very slowly and be very drawn out in the pages. Some cuts would have been nice. It was loads of fun to see all the people arrive at the final battler (sorta like that whole scene in The Two Tower, so good). I especially loved the inclusion of the Weaver, the Bone Carver, and Bryaxis. Fascinating to see them as they really were. And obviously we have now set up the next book in the series. I enjoyed this volume even if it took me what seemed like years to read it.

A Court of Throns and Roses

• #1 A Court of Thorns and Roses

• #2 A Court of Mist and Fury

• #3 A Court of Wings and Ruin

• #3.5 A Court of Frost and Starlight

• #4 A Court of Silver Flames

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W4: A Week of Daily Activities!

What We Studied

We left the house every single day this week. Exhausting! But we had a great time exploring some places.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur started reading Through the Looking-glass this week. We hope to finish next week so we can watch one (or two) movie versions of Alice. He also has a weekly poetry selection. We continued our Myths and Maps extra curriculum from B&R. We began covering creation stories from around the world. I’m liking these short retellings of myths. Eventually we will add our squares to a world map and see where all the civilizations are. We started our next book club selection, Word of Mouse, and will probably finish late next week.

• Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton

• Word of Mouse by James Patterson

Quentin finished reading The Very Very Far North for his read aloud. We are to going to take a break from a long read aloud book in favor of some picture books for the next few weeks.. We also started sprinkling in animal stories from around the world. I’m trying to line them up with our continents as we move across the world.

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-El

• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister

• Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta

• Biscuit and the Great Fall Day by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• You are a Beautiful Beginning by Nina Laden

Math

For both boys, we have scheduled math for three days a week. One day is focused on logic, games, puzzles, and special projects. The two other days are focused on covering the main math curriculum (Singapore 4A and 4B for Arthur and Singapore 1A and 1B for Quentin). I also found a fun packet of logic puzzles based on Alice in Wonderland. We will be spreading these out over our reading of the text.

• Logic Liftoff (Arthur)

• Singapore 4A

• Alice in Pastaland: A Math Adventure by Alexandra Wright

• Tinkeractive Math Kindergarten

• Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

Social Studies

Arthur continued his large study of United States history using a combination of Build Your Library Level 5 and History Quest United States History. We did a bit more exploration of the various groups of Native Americans. Arthur also continued reading a graphic novel collections of Native American tales as part of his independent work.

• A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

• The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poems of the Land by Joseph Bruchac

• Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger

• What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger

• Trickster: Native American Tales by Matt Dembicki

• History Quest: U.S. History

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did a study of Canada complete with a Canada food night. We had Maple Chicken, Wild Rice, Bannock Bread, and Blueberry Crisp. I had saved a Sunnie Press map featuring Banff, Alberta, Canada that was perfect for the week.

• Nat Geo Beginner’s World Atlas

• DK Countries of the World

• DK First Earth Encyclopedia

• DK Children Just Like Me

• DK Children Just Like Me; A School Like Mine

• Carson Crosses Canada by Linda Bailey Kass Reich

• Canada ABCs by Brenda Haugen

• Follow Me Around Canada by Wiley Blevins

• Canada through Time: Canada Today

Must stop for Ted & Wally’s if downtown anywhere… Cookie Monster, Lemon, and Sour Apple choices.

Arthur Independent Time

We are working on following a checklist in a planner for weekly independent work. There’s usually some math workbook pages, an ELA packet, weekly writing prompts (1-2 times a week), independent reading time, and a special creative project. Beyond the paperwork, Arthur focused on his game he’s been making (Lord of the Book) and some random side creative projects.

Science

Arthur is focusing on Physics this year. We are covering the text and related videos at home and then joining friends for experiments and extra projects. This week the boys learned about Newton’s Second Law of Motion. Their engineering project was to make a solar powered windmill. For our history of science, we read a chapter more about the Greeks and the three “A”s.

• RSO Physics

• The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We talked about animals of North America.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

I promise that they had fun. Just ridiculous facial expressions.

STEAM Coop

Coop continued with a slightly smaller group (thank goodness). We had a great week where the older kids learned about minerals and gems. They got to dig for their own gems. Simple, and yet, loads of fun. The younger groups finished their theme of reptiles and amphibians. Quentin make a frog and frog life cycle.

Dancing to 311 at trivia night.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking

We’re planning one doing on art project and one cooking project each week as well as picking a composer or musician to listen to and enjoy. This week, art and music just didn’t happen. But that’s okay. This is why I have built in flex weeks to catch up on some of the things that get pushed aside during a normal week.

Thursday as a bit of a slog and we didn’t make it to art class. But I put it as a definite for next week.

Field Trip

On Monday, I grabbed a library pass for The Durham Museum so we could check out the dinosaur exhibit before it closes on Sept. 4th. We had to go through that particular section three times before we moved on to the rest of the museum. This visit, the boys really got interested in checking out the 1898 Exposition models.

On Tuesday, we had a coop field trip to Heron Haven to spy animals (specifically reptiles and amphibians). We ended up seeing a heron, lots of ducks, turtles, and some frogs. I loved spying the frogs in the algae on the pond.

High

• Tween Gaming - On Friday, we met some other homeschoolers at a local game shop and played some games. I was impressed by the variety of games they stock (that I’ve never heard of). We ended up buying Pokemon: Battle Academy. The shop has open Pokemon play on Sunday afternoons. We will have to check it out soon.

• Family Trivia Night - Tuesday night, we headed over to the cafe/bar for General Trivia night. We had fun, but ultimately came in second. It was still fun.

Low

• Um… there was a bit of bickering between the boys this week and we had to separate often.

Next Week

• Finishing the sequel to Alice in Wonderland (A)

• Learning about Native American cultures of the West Coast (A)

• Moving on to Newton’s Third Law for Physics (A)

• Reading some animal stories (Q)

• Covering United States and Mexico (Q)

• Covering geology (A) and fungi (Q) for coop

• Introducing the art of John Singleton Copley?

• Finishing Word of Mouse for coop book club

• Listening to Bach

• Going to the Nebraska State Fair!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Sleeping with Sirens feat. Spencer Chamberlain "Crosses"

I rediscovered Sleeping with Sirens and I am totally in love with their new music.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren

Title: Dark Wild Night (Wild Seasons #3)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 358

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS. BUT WHAT DIDN’T HAPPEN IN VEGAS SEEMS TO FOLLOW THEM EVERYWHERE—Book Three in the sexy, fun New York Times bestselling Wild Seasons series that began with Sweet Filthy Boy (the Romantic Times Book of the Year) and Dirty Rowdy Thing.

Lola and Oliver like to congratulate themselves on having the good sense not to consummate their drunken Las Vegas marriage. If they’d doubled-down on that mistake, their Just Friends situation might not be half as great as it is now.

…Or so goes the official line.

In reality, Lola’s wanted Oliver since day one—and over time has only fallen harder for his sexy Aussie accent and easygoing ability to take her as she comes. More at home in her studio than in baring herself to people, Lola’s instinctive comfort around Oliver nearly seems too good to be true. So why ruin a good thing?

Even as geek girls fawn over him, Oliver can’t get his mind off what he didn’t do with Lola when he had the chance. He knows what he wants with her now…and it’s far outside the friend zone. When Lola’s graphic novel starts getting national acclaim—and is then fast-tracked for a major motion picture—Oliver steps up to be there for her whenever she needs him. After all, she’s not the kind of girl who likes all that attention, but maybe she’s the kind who’ll eventually like him.

Sometimes seeing what’s right in front of us takes a great leap of faith. And sometimes a dark wild night in Vegas isn’t just the end of a day, but the beginning of a bright new life…

We finally get to Oliver and Lola’s story and I ended up being a bit disappointed. I had loved Oliver from the first scenes with him in the first book. I wanted to see him get his great romantic story. I loved the first 60% of this book. I understand Lola’s hesitation and Oliver’s need for communication. The steamy scenes were super steamy and thoroughly enjoyable. But then Lola has her freakout and I was so incredibly disappointed in her behavior and actions. I wanted her to be better. By the end of the book, Oliver and Lola get back to together, but I really wanted to see more from their relationship. I even wanted to see more of Lola’s career scenes. It like this book was about 50 pages too short for me.

Wild Seasons

• #1 Sweet Filthy Boy

• #2 Dirty Rowdy Thing

• #3 Dark Wild Night

• #4 Wicked Sexy Liar

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #26

As I look outside my window: It’s pretty windy outside which is different.

Right now I am: About to head out to the deck for my Sunday morning reading and coffee.

Thinking and pondering: What supplies am I forgetting for coop this week? I completely changed the plan and now I’m a bit adrift.

On my bedside table: The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin; Wicked Sexy Liar by Christina Lauren

On my tv this week: We finished this season of Only Murders in the Building S2 and The Outlaws S2. Lower Decks is back and we’re loving it!

Listening to: All my podcasts. I caught up on Maintenance Phase and have almost finished Mother Country Radicals.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Veg Edible Dinner Choice

• Tuesday - Veg Edible Dinner Choice

• Wednesday - Leftovers

• Thursday - Veg Edible Dinner Choice

• Friday - Veg Edible Dinner Choice

• Saturday - Pulled Pork Sandwiches

• Sunday - Seafood Night

On my to do list: I have some planning to do for our Des Moines trip and the boys’ birthday party,

Happening this week:

• Monday - Nebraska State Fair!

• Tuesday - Louisville State Recreation Area for swimming

• Wednesday - Science with Katy

• Thursday - Coop; Art Class

• Friday - Fontenelle Forest Field Trip

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Coop Book Club

What I am creating: I started working on August’s Memory Planner pages yesterday.

My simple pleasures:

Looking around the house:

From the camera: During our gaming session, we played this fun game. It’s kind of like Dominos. We’re going to have to pick this one up soon.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Title: Firekeeper’s Daughter

Author: Angeline Boulley

Publisher: Henry, Holt and Co. 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 496

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.

Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.

Now, as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

I finally got around to reading this one for our book club selection and it was not quite what I was expecting. And yet, I really really loved it! We open with Daunis navigating life between her the two sides of her family. We dive right into Daunis’s life and then start to unravel her identity. I loved how Boulley mixes native words into English to recreate Daunis’s actual speech. I learned so much about Ojibwa culture and life in modern America. Just those portions created a beautiful book. And then, we get the larger mystery revealed in big bursts. I was on pins and needles waiting to see how everything would play out. I ended up speeding through the book in just a few days. It was emotional and hopeful at the same time.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Palace Papers by Tina Brown

Title: The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor - the Truth and the Turmoil

Author: Tina Brown

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group 2022

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 571

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

“Never again” became Queen Elizabeth II’s mantra shortly after Princess Diana’s tragic death. More specif­ically, there could never be “another Diana”—a mem­ber of the family whose global popularity upstaged, outshone, and posed an existential threat to the Brit­ish monarchy.

Picking up where Tina Brown’s masterful The Diana Chronicles left off, The Palace Papers reveals how the royal family reinvented itself after the trau­matic years when Diana’s blazing celebrity ripped through the House of Windsor like a comet.

Brown takes readers on a tour de force journey through the scandals, love affairs, power plays, and betrayals that have buffeted the monarchy over the last twenty-five years. We see the Queen’s stoic re­solve after the passing of Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, and Prince Philip, her partner for seven decades, and how she triumphs in her Jubilee years even as family troubles rage around her. Brown explores Prince Charles’s determination to make Camilla Parker Bowles his wife, the tension between William and Harry on “different paths,” the ascend­ance of Kate Middleton, the downfall of Prince An­drew, and Harry and Meghan’s stunning decision to step back as senior royals. Despite the fragile monar­chy’s best efforts, “never again” seems fast approaching.

Tina Brown has been observing and chronicling the British monarchy for three decades, and her sweeping account is full of powerful revelations, newly reported details, and searing insight gleaned from remarkable access to royal insiders. Stylish, witty, and erudite, The Palace Papers will irrevoca­bly change how the world perceives and under­stands the royal family.

Wow! That was quite a chunker that I didn’t quite realize until after I started reading. Before starting this book, I knew some about the royal family, but definitely would not call myself a royal watcher in any sense. Once diving in, I learned so much about the family. It’s fairly funny that I thought this would either be complete takedown of the family or a glowing portrait of them. It is neither. In fact, we get to see all the ups and downs of the family. In turns, I felt outrage at the obtuseness of the various royals when it came to how their actions hurt others. But I also felt sympathy toward them for the trials they endured, especially the outlandish attacks from the press. I now have a much more complete picture of the various royal family members.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Four weeks into our homeschooling year and need to reassess our schedules. I think I need to tweak a few things to help me to not get overwhelmed.

• Finally watched the new Persuasion and it’s definitely not the book. Decent overall movie, but not the Anne from the book.

• Ordered a meal prep box from a local chef that features vegan and gluten free dishes. The cost is just about what we spend at the grocery store. I’m very excited. I have had some of her desserts and they were most delicious.

• I need some new lightweight pajamas…

• Very glad that the open house period of coop is over. That was exhausting. Now we get to see who else (if anyone) joins before September 1st.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Title: Hidden Pictures

Author: Jason Rekulak

Publisher: Flatiron 2022

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 373

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.

Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.

Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.

I got this recommendation from Meredith at the Currently Reading Podcast. Every once in a while I really want a fluffy spooky thriller. I want something that I can speed through and get involved in a story but not think too much about anything. This book hit just exactly what I needed this week. I immediately got sucked into the spooky drawings and figuring out the mystery of what they mean. We are on a roller coaster of emotions as we speed through the mystery. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the unreliable narrator trope. Couldn’t we have made Mallory a regular person and not a former drug addict? Why dies every protagonist have to have a tragic backstory? Other than that quibble, I enjoyed the rest of the story. I definitely did not guess the ending of the mystery.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #15

Reading: Almost finished with Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley. I started Sunday and have had a hard time putting it down to do house tasks. Can’t wait to discuss this with book club in a few weeks.

Watching: For family movie night, we started watching Ms. Marvel. I am loving the styling!

Listening: I finally started listening to Mother Country Radicals from Crooked Media about the Weather Underground. I knew very little about this group and it has been fascinating so far.

Making: Q is doing a world tour this year and we’re starting our in-depth study with North America. Part of our curriculum involves making a dish from the country. I’ve decided that we’re just going to add this idea as part of our weekly meal plan. First up is our Canada study. We will be making wild rice, maple chicken, bannock breads and blueberry crisp.

Feeling: August has been a lot. Between starting our next school year, kicking off the coop semester, and the high temperatures have left me so tired. Here’s hoping September gives me more energy.

Planning: I’m taking the kids for a long weekend to Des Moines in September. We’re starting at the Living History Farms for homeschool day and then doing a small tour of the area. I’m looking forward to our arcade visit.

Loving: We’re heading to trivia night tonight with the kids and everyone’s excited. Last time we did this as a family was back in May. And we won!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W3: Finding Our Groove

What We Studied

I think we are finding our groove this month. I cut back on some subjects, beefed up some others, and made sure to balance our weekly activities. It was such a good week that I apparently did not take very many photos. So enjoy all our adventures at the zoo!

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll for his ELA read aloud. After finishing, we were going to watch a movie version, but my favorites all include parts of the sequel. So I changed up our schedule a bit (the one I see not the one Arthur sees) and we are going to start reading Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Saw There next week. He also has a weekly poetry selection. We continued our Myths and Maps extra curriculum from B&R. We began covering creation stories from around the world. I’m liking these short retellings of myths. Eventually we will add our squares to a world map and see where all the civilizations are. We continued reading The Beast of Buckingham Palace for our next coop book club selection. Only ~40 pages more to go!

• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton

• The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliam

Quentin continued reading The Very Very Far North for his read aloud. He finally settled in and started thinking about the book more. We also started sprinkling in animal stories from around the world. I’m trying to line them up with our continents as we move across the world.

• High Five Intro Issue

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-El

• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister

Math

For both boys, we have scheduled math for three days a week. One day is focused on logic, games, puzzles, and special projects. The two other days are focused on covering the main math curriculum (Singapore 4A and 4B for Arthur and Singapore 1A and 1B for Quentin). I also found a fun packet of logic puzzles based on Alice in Wonderland. We will be spreading these out over our reading of the text.

• Logic Liftoff (Arthur)

• Singapore 4A

• Tinkeractive Math Kindergarten

• Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

Lionesses taking a nap

Social Studies

Arthur started his large study of United States history using a combination of Build Your Library Level 5 and History Quest United States History. We did a bit more exploration of the various groups of Native Americans. Last minute, I found a great Outschool class called “What are Native Americans?” This is a two week class focusing on introducing students to Native Americans and doing a bit of geography and history. It’s being taught by Kelly Tudor, who is Lipan Apache. (I’ve tagged her other classes for future reference. She has one about Indigenous Peoples’ Day that I hope works out for us time-wise.) Arthur also started reading a graphic novel collections of Native American tales as part of his independent work.

• A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

• The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poems of the Land by Joseph Bruchac

• Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger

• What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger

• Trickster: Native American Tales by Matt Dembicki

• History Quest: U.S. History

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did an overview of the Arctic and general North American overview this week.

• Nat Geo Beginner’s World Atlas

• DK Countries of the World

• DK First Earth Encyclopedia

• DK Children Just Like Me

• DK Children Just Like Me; A School Like Mine

• What We Wear: Dressing Up Around the World by Maja Ajmera

• Kumak's Fish: A Tall Tale from the Far North by Michael Bania

• Arctic Communities Past and Present by Cindy Jenson-Elliott

• Arctic Tundra by Ellen Labrecque

Arthur Independent Time

We are working on following a checklist in a planner for weekly independent work. There’s usually some math workbook pages, an ELA packet, weekly writing prompts (1-2 times a week), independent reading time, and a special creative project. Beyond the paperwork, Arthur focused on his game he’s been making (Lord of the Book) and some random side creative projects.

Science

Arthur is focusing on Physics this year. We are covering the text and related videos at home and then joining friends for experiments and extra projects. This week the boys learned Newton and his First Law of Motion. Their engineering challenge was to build an egg carrier that protected an egg from a fall. Both boys’ designs ended up failing, but we talked about the hows and whys and reviewed the concept of forces. For our history of science, we read a chapter about Ionia and Thales. I found a great clip of Cosmos with Carl Sagan that talked about Thales and the importance of the early Greek scientists.

• RSO Physics

• The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim

• Forces Make Things Move by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

• Let’s Get Moving by Chris Ferrie

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We talked about ecosystems and sorted some animals into their ecosystems.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• My Home on the Ice by J. Patrick Lewis

• Animal Camouflage in the Snow by Martha E.H. Rustad

• The Arctic Fox's Journey by Wendy Pfeffer

• Arctic Fox by Dee Philips

• North: The Amazing Story of Arctic Migration by Nick Dowson

STEAM Coop

Coop continued with a slightly smaller group (thank goodness). We had a great week where the older kids learned about rocks and the rock cycle. The older kids made a sedimentary rock to take home. The younger groups started their theme of reptiles and amphibians. Quentin got to make a snake from a paper plate. He loves to paint at coop!. Afterwards, we had two more families officially join the coop. We are growing, but hopefully not too much more so we can fit in peoples’ houses for winter.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking

We’re planning one doing on art project and one cooking project each week as well as picking a composer or musician to listen to and enjoy. This week, art and music just didn’t happen. But that’s okay. This is why I have built in flex weeks to catch up on some of the things that get pushed aside during a normal week.

Thursday as a bit of a slog and we didn’t make it to art class. But I put it as a definite for next week.

Field Trip

No coop field trip this week, but we did get to the zoo for Tuesday. We had free ride tickets that expired on August 31st, so I definitely wanted to use those. The weather was very rainy and overcast in the morning which made it perfect to keep the crowds away and the animals active for our visit. We stayed five hours. The crowds started to coming after lunch so we only stayed until about 1:30pm. Still it was a good day and we got so many steps in!

High

• The zoo was so lovely! I definitely like it cooler and less busy.

Low

• Kid attitudes meant that we missed art class this week. I was really hoping to work this into our schedule weekly, but now I’m thinking biweekly.

Next Week

• Starting the sequel to Alice in Wonderland (A)

• Figuring out more logic puzzles (A)

• Learning about Native American cultures of the Southeast and Plains (A)

• Moving on to Newton’s Second Law for Physics (A)

• Reading some animal stories (Q)

• Finishing The Very Very Far North (Q)

• Covering Canada and the United States (maybe) (Q)

• Covering geology (A) and amphibians and retiles (Q) for coop

• Introducing the art of John Singleton Copley?

• Finishing The Beast of Buckingham Palace for coop book club

• Listening to Bach

• Going to the Durham, Heron Haven, Trivia Night, and Gaming Afternoon

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - A Day to Remember "Miracle"

How did I miss this????? Love Day to Remember!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List Update #2

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.

1. Complete the Library Reading Program ✓

2. Tour of Midwest Zoos ✓

3. Ice Cream Tour of Omaha

4. Louisville SRA ✓

5. Durham Dinosaur Exhibit - We’re going on Monday.

6. Trip to Indiana, Iowa, Illinois ✓

7. Cookout with Friends ✓ - We had a great cookout with coop friends.

8. Lincoln Day

9. Medieval, Pirate, and Prehistoric Putt - In progress. The boys went with J to Medieval Putt while I was gone at the end of June.

10. Redo the Playroom ✓

11. Bird Watching Hike

12. Pam Nelson Farm

13. Lauritzen Gardens

14. 5 Splash Pad Visits ✓

15. 3 Movies at the Theater - 2 done

16. 3 Omaha Zoo Visits ✓

17. Craft/Art Day ✓ - We went to The Makery for a free crafting day.

18. Read 50 Books

19. July Movie Month!

20. Clear Out My Library Cart - In progress

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #25

As I look outside my window: Bright and sunny again after yesterday’s weirdly overcast day

Right now I am: Prepping a big to-do list for today and making breakfast.

On my bedside table: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (book club selection); Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren

On my tv this week: We caught up with our currently airing shows (Loot, What We Do in the Shadows) and watched two movies this week. We’re formulating a plan for music movies/documentaries September. With the kids we started watching Ms. Marvel. Really digging the style choices.

Listening to: Mostly just podcasts this week. My satellite radio finally updated after our cancellation and so I am still figuring out the local radio channels. The commercials are killing me. Guess I need to queue up music on my phone more often.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Potato Soup with Sausage

• Tuesday - Out for trivia

• Wednesday - Canada Night (Maple Chicken, Wild Rice, Bannock Bread, Blueberry Crisp)

• Thursday - Fiesta Chicken and Rice Bowls

• Friday - Texas Cheese Fries

• Saturday - Steak on grill, sweet potatoes, broccoli, dinner rolls

• Sunday - Lemon Butter scallops, parmesan tilapia, clam dip

On my to do list: Amongst many other things, I do want to make eye appointments and booster appointments for the kids.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Durham Museum Visit

• Tuesday - Heron Haven Visit; Family Trivia Night

• Wednesday - Science

• Thursday - Coop; Art Class

• Friday - Gaming Open House

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - BC Zoom for The Left Hand of Darkness

What I am creating: Mostly just lists of what I need to accomplish in the next two months. We have a weekend trip to Des Moines and the boys’ birthday party to prep for.

My simple pleasures: Good dreams, overcast days, cleaning off my side table

Looking around the house: Meh. I’m okay with everything this weekend. Just want to do a sweep style pickup hour later this afternoon.

From the camera: I didn’t win at Music Bingo this week, but it’s always fun. Only two more weeks of the bar’s Luau Disco Queen theme before they repaint.