I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Title: I Capture the Castle

Author: Dodie Smith

Publisher: 1948

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Pages: 408

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR; Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf RC - August (Chosen By Friends)

I Capture the Castle tells the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Here she strives, over six turbulent months, to hone her writing skills. She fills three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries. Her journals candidly chronicle the great changes that take place within the castle's walls, and her own first descent into love. By the time she pens her final entry, she has "captured the castle"-- and the heart of the reader-- in one of literature's most enchanting entertainments.

I was gifted this book during a Christmas exchange as the person who gave it told me that it was her favorite book. Somehow I had never actually read this one. After finishing, I feel very meh about this one. I found Cassandra to be at times so very naive and at other times too old for her age. I was intrigued by the book in the first half, but then the neighbors show up and Cassandra becomes a completely different person. I was not a fan of the personality switch. She become such a whiny girl and treated her family so badly. I got to the end of the book and felt very meh about this one. After thinking about it a bit more, I might have loved this book at aged 15, but as a 40 year old woman, I’m not quite a huge fan.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Title: Parable of the Sower (Earthed #1)

Author: Octavia E. Butler

Publisher: 1993

Genre: Scifi

Pages: 345

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR; Unread Shelf Project; Read Shelf RC - September (A Book that Represents the Reader You Want to Be)

Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Behind the walls of their defended enclave, Lauren’s father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extraordinarily sensitive to the pain of others.

When fire destroys their compound, Lauren’s family is killed and she is forced out into a world that is fraught with danger. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind.

We choose this book for my sci-fi and fantasy bookclub after a few difficult books. Ooops! Looks like we picked another difficult book. I had previous read Kindred and was really interested to read other Butler works. I completely understand why she wrote that book. I am more confused about why she wrote this book. Right away we are hit with a very depressing story featuring a young woman who survives and creates a religion. And somehow we have to contend with a very detached style of writing. We never really see Laura truly get horrified by the events in the story. On the other side, I did definitely have visceral and a dramatic reaction to the events. I even took a break after the big events right in the middle of the book. I picked it back up and finally finished the story and immediately just sat back and took a minute. It was a rough story full of graphic events. After thinking, I was impressed with Butler’s skill at creating an entire world that feels so prescient to today’s world. I see the importance of this book. But ultimately, I have a huge issue with the religion piece of this book. I’m still struggling with Laura’s push to create a new religion. The presumption that religion is a good thing stopped me and almost made me stop reading this book. I will be attending an online book discussion on Sunday. Really looking forward to hearing what everyone thought about the book.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Fall Bucket List

My favorite season of the year. We’re diving into the spooky season and planning on soaking up all the fall fun.

Visit Vala’s 5x - We have season passes, so we are definitely going to be living there this season.
Celebrate Friendsgiving
Read 50 Books
Complete Spooky Movie Month
Execute a Halloween Party for Coop
Have an Art/Craft Day
Two State Park Visists
Two Zoo Visits
Pick Out and Carve Pumpkins
Go Trick-or-Treating
Jump in a Pile of Leaves
Go Through a Corn Maze
Make 5 Fall Recipes
Make Leaf Art
Go Pick Apples
Go on a Fall Forest Hike
Make 3 Pumpkin Recipes
Go Bowling

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List Finish

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 - In progress. The boys went with J to Medieval Putt while I was gone at the end of June.
Redo the Playroom ✓
Bird Watching Hike
Pam Nelson Farm
Lauritzen Gardens ✓ - We went with coop for a field trip.
5 Splash Pad Visits ✓
3 Movies at the Theater - 2 done
3 Omaha Zoo Visits ✓
Craft/Art Day ✓
Read 50 Books ✓
July Movie Month! ✓ - We made the instead a September music documentary and movie month. So far, it’s going great.
Clear Out My Library Cart ✓ - I returned basically all my library holds and focused on my own books for September.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

Title: Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

Author: Ruth Reichl

Publisher: Penguin 2006

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 364

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf RC - Food/Cooking

GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES is Ruth Reichl's riotous account of the many disguises she employs to dine anonymously. There is her stint as Molly Hollis, a frumpy blond with manicured nails and an off-beige Armani suit that Ruth takes on when reviewing Le Cirque. The result: her famous double review of the restaurant: first she ate there as Molly; and then as she was coddled and pampered on her visit there as Ruth, New York Times food critic.

What is even more remarkable about Reichl's spy games is that as she takes on these various disguises, she finds herself changed not just superficially, but in character as well. She gives a remarkable account of how one's outer appearance can very much influence one's inner character, expectations, and appetites.

One of my book club selections for September and a book that has languished on my shelf for years. Unfortunately, I think it probably should have stayed there. I really enjoyed Reichl’s Save Me the Plums and hoped I would encounter the same fun and relatable woman in this earlier work about her job as a food critic. Instead, I feel like we get a very out-of-touch upper class woman intent on showing the common people the joy of food who actually shows us just how snobby many people (herself included) are when it comes to food. I am no stranger to good food and really enjoy tasting new flavors and expertly crafted dishes. But I realize that that’s not an everyday reality for most people (even me). Sometimes you just have to eat. Not everyone can be catered to and pay for a $100+ meal for one person. After about the fourth chapter, the book got really repetitively. I just ended dreading having to come back to this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jackaby by William Ritter

Title: Jackaby (Jackaby #1)

Author: William Ritter

Publisher: Algonquin Books 2014

Genre: YA Historical Fiction; Horror

Pages: 299

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain the foul deeds are the work of the kind of creature whose very existence the local authorities--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--seem adamant to deny.

I bookish friend recommended this to me a few weeks back and I grabbed it for something a little lighter than my other current reads. This was absolutely the delightful romp that I needed this week. We are thrown into a new city with Abigail and fall into employment and potentially life-calling passion with Jackaby. I immediately fell for every single one of the characters and couldn’t wait to see where this story went. Donald was a particular favorite of mine. He must appear in every single book in this series. Back to the plot, we get a string of mysteries Jack the Ripper style murders that may or may not be supernatural in nature. We meet a wide range of characters that may or may not be supernatural. And through it all, we see a friendship forming between Abigail and Jackaby with witty banter and silly asides. I sped through this book not wanting it to end. Delightful! I can’t wait to pick up the next in the series. A word of caution: the murders in this book are very gruesome and terrifying. Be warned.

Jackaby

#1 Jackaby
#1.5 The Map
#2 Beastly Bones
#3 Ghostly Echoes
#4 The Dire King

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #17

Reading: I finally started The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George from my giant Unread Shelf. After multiple dark and depressing books, this might be just what I need this week.

Watching: As part of our music documentary month, we started watching Sonics Highways and I am very into the stories

Listening: After binging S3 of Unobscured about the Whitechapel murders, I quickly moved into S4 about Rasputin. I’m really enjoying this deep dive.

Making: I’m deep into birthday party planning mode. I’ve got some games and crafts that I need to finish before the actual day,

Feeling: We got our COVID boosters (J and I) on Sunday and feel like I had no ill-effects. J was done for almost 24 hours feeling terrible, but I’m totally fine. Very surprising.

Planning: Thursday we have our fall semester parent meeting and I’m finishing out my agenda. So many things to discuss.

Loving: I made coconut rum cake this past weekend and it was absolutely delightful. Will be making again and again.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Eva Under Fire "Misery"

I keep catching snippets of this song on the radio and I’m really liking it. So, I’m going to put the entire song in here.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #27

As I look outside my window: It’s a bit dreary out after last night’s storms.

Right now I am: Prepping to marinate the chicken for tonight’s Jamaican night: jerk chicken, coconut beans and rice, and banana punch.

Thinking and pondering: Why does my side hurt so much? Seriously it hurts to breathe sometimes. I think I pulled a muscle, but my goodness, it is painful.

On my bedside table: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith; The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill

On my tv this week: We’ve been continuing on with our music documentaries. I’m really digging Sonic Highways, made by Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters.

Listening to: I finally finished listening to Unobscured Season 3 all about the Whitechapel murders. It really went in depth about the area, the people, and the context for the murders. I think my favorite season so far is Season 2 about American Spiritualism, but this one was very interesting. Season 4 is all about Rasputin.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Broccoli Beef
Tuesday - Ajiaco (Chicken and Corn Soup)
Wednesday - Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Chili
Saturday - BBQ Chicken
Sunday - Sloppy Joes

On my to do list: We are getting our flu shots today (and bivalent COVID boosters for J and me) to prep for the fall/winter. Beyond that, I need to put away all the clothes, finished prepping my planner, clean the kitchen, write out the parent meeting agenda and my thoughts, and work on the birthday party. I ordered a ton of supplies, but now I need to really write out the quest details. Busy busy busy today!

Happening this week:

Monday - Home Day
Tuesday - Home Day
Wednesday - Dentist (for me); Science with friends
Thursday - Coop; Coop Parent Meeting
Friday - Platte River State Park Hike (although the weather is looking very chilly and rainy for this day; chilly is fun, rain will cause a lot of muddy paths); Arthur Outschool Class
Saturday - Home day
Sunday - Nerdy Bookish Friends Zoom Discussion of Parable of the Sower

What I am creating: I’m working on laying out the birthday party quest and all the challenges. I always like to have a script for our birthday parties as there is so much happening.

My simple pleasures: Fun board games with friends (The Wood and Chuck Inn was particular genius on my part), hot coffee, a quiet moment to collect my thoughts.

Looking around the house: I already mentioned that I need to clean the kitchen. I’m also mentally decorating the house for the birthday party to understand where I need to move things.

From the camera: Pork Cubano, brown rice, and baked plantains for last night’s Cuba dinner. I also made a very yummy coconut rum cake for desert.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Title:Through the Woods

Author: Emily Carroll

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books 2014

Genre: Comics; Horror

Pages: 208

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Journey through the woods in this sinister, compellingly spooky collection that features four brand-new stories and one phenomenally popular tale in print for the first time. These are fairy tales gone seriously wrong, where you can travel to “Our Neighbor’s House”—though coming back might be a problem. Or find yourself a young bride in a house that holds a terrible secret in “A Lady’s Hands Are Cold.” You might try to figure out what is haunting “My Friend Janna,” or discover that your brother’s fiancée may not be what she seems in “The Nesting Place.” And of course you must revisit the horror of “His Face All Red,” the breakout webcomic hit that has been gorgeously translated to the printed page.

Already revered for her work online, award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll’s stunning visual style and impeccable pacing is on grand display in this entrancing anthology, her print debut.

This volume caught my eye on the library shelf and I checked it out immediately. This short collection of horror stories hit the spot for me. I wanted something a little fun, a little terrifying, with lots of twists and turns. Just the art gives the reader a tremendous sense of dread. I was completely terrified, especially with the last story. A lovely creepy collection that I am glad that I found randomly.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Title: Daisy Darker

Author: Alice Fenney

Publisher: Flatiron Books 2022

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Daisy Darker was born with a broken heart. Now after years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in her crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. When the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

But at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide goes out and all is revealed. As seen on the TODAY show and picked by Book of the Month, Daisy Darker's family secrets and Alice Feeney's trademark shocking twists will keep readers riveted.

Another book that I somehow skipped right up to the top of the holds lists and snagged in ebook form. I dove in just knowing that some of my favorite podcast hosts were recommending it. Again, I purposely didn’t read the summary to go into the story blind. We dive into the story and right away know that Nana’s birthday party is not going to go well at all. The murders start and they don’t let up until the end of the book. This book is a sorta retelling of And Then There were None by Agatha Christie. In fact, a character mentions that Christie’s book is her favorite. Even though this is a sorta retelling, it felt fresh and interesting. I sped through the pages just waiting to see who would be revealed as the murderer. The twist came and I was floored for a few minutes. Definitely an entertaining read for a few nights.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Getting back into our regular schedule has reenergized me… thank goodness, I was flagging.
Looking forward to pumpkin patch season.
But first, I need to finish planning the boys’ birthday party.
We’re going a Jamaican food night and a Cuban food night this week to celebrate our geography study. I’m looking forward to the coconut rum cake.
I’ve read three horror books in a row and it’s been glorious I’m leaning into my comfort reads this month.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

Title: Just Like Home

Author: Sarah Gailey

Publisher: Tor Books 2022

Genre: Horror

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

“Come home.” Vera’s mother called and Vera obeyed. In spite of their long estrangement, in spite of the memories — she's come back to the home of a serial killer. Back to face the love she had for her father and the bodies he buried there, beneath the house he'd built for his family.

Coming home is hard enough for Vera, and to make things worse, she and her mother aren’t alone. A parasitic artist has moved into the guest house out back and is slowly stripping Vera’s childhood for spare parts. He insists that he isn’t the one leaving notes around the house in her father’s handwriting… but who else could it possibly be?

There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes.

CW: Body horror, murder, torture

Somehow I snatched up an ebook copy of Sarah Gailey’s newest creation from the library, jumping ahead of almost everyone to read. I purposely did not read the summary to go into the story completely blind. I wanted to just experience the story as it unfolds as Gailey intended it to be. I dove in and was immediately creeped out by the house and the mystery surrounding the family. Vera wasn’t the most sympathetic character and yet I felt that she was oddly compelling to follow. I was immediately interested in the secrets that she was keeping and the ways that those secrets would come out. As the book progressed, I felt like we are getting sucked down into a bottomless hole. I didn’t know where we were going to end up. And by the 80% mark, I was completely scared at how the story was going to end. The story ends up taking a turn into straight horror and specifically body horror. It was the scariest book that I’ve read in quite awhile. I might even have nightmares after this one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W6: Busy as Bees

What We Studied

It was a very busy week for us. We had a field trip, our regular activities, a trip to the airport (drop off for J), and the start of a weekend trip. Being so busy and attempting to stay on top of the house meant that we cut back a bit on schoolwork to accommodate. That’s okay. This week (like starting today) is a flex week where we get to take some time to catch up on units and rearrange things for the next block of weeks.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished reading Word of Mouse as our coop book club selection. We finished in time to take to coop so another family to borrow our book. As for our actual big ELA read aloud, we started reading The Wild Robot and Arthur is very into the story. I loved how the chapter give us little vignettes that connect with Roz’s longer storyline. Loving it! Hopefully we finished next week and then can dive right into the sequel. Arthur officially started his spelling curriculum this year. I hadn’t planned on doing a formal spelling curriculum, but one of my favorite resources, The Moffatt Girls, released a 3rd grade version and offered a discount for the first week. I snapped it up we will continue with spelling for another year.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry
In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton
Word of Mouse by James Patterson

Quentin focused on reading 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
A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister
Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta

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)

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. Turtle Island is my current favorite resource. I love how the chapters are divided. We get a little snapshot of many different cultures and areas. Arthur also continued reading a graphic novel collections of Native American tales as part of his independent work. We also started a history read aloud for our Native American study.

A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
Native Americans: A Visual Exploration by SN Paella
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
Sees Behind Trees by Michael Dorris

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did a study of the United States. We covered Mexico this week with a lot of stories and books.

Nat Geo Beginner’s World Atlas
DK Countries of the World
DK Children Just Like Me
DK Children Just Like Me; A School Like Mine
Mexican Art and Architecture by Anna Carew-Miller
Mexico by Elaine Landau
Living In Mexico by Chloe Perkins
Follow Me Around Mexico by Wiley Blevins
P is for Pinata by Tony Johnston
Let's Explore Mexico by Walt K. Moon
Mexico ABCs
Cinco de Mouse-O! by Judy Cox
Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales
Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
The First Tortilla by Rudolfo Anaya
My Family Celebrates Day of the Dead
Danza! by Duncan Tonatiuh
Holy Mole by Caroline McAllister

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. This week he also had an Outschool class on creative writing. It was a big brainstorming session with tips and tricks to write better stories. Afterward, he dove right into making up some new stories.

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 friction and had fun with some race cars

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. Specially we learned a bit about the American Bison this week. Lots of fun as we have seen bison up close on a number of occasions.

Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas
DK Animal
Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

STEAM Coop

The older class finished their geology unit with a study of volcanoes and earthquakes. After some good discussion, we made lava flows with puffy paint and flower pots. With the conclusion of this week, I am done teaching for the semester. Now I get to just participate and fix problems as they arise. The younger two classes learned about fungi. Quentin learned about yeast and took home some to make bread net week..

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. We also didn’t do much cooking this week due to the busy schedule.

Field Trip

Tuesday we did a guided tour of Lauritzen Gardens with a special emphasis on spotting mushrooms through the gardens. We did some interesting specimens on our walk. Afterward, we went into the classroom to learn a bit more about mushrooms and make our own out of rocks, felt, and yarn. It was a big, busy field trip, but I enjoyed our walk.

Friday was took off on a weekend trip to Des Moines. Specifically we were going to visit the Living History Farms for their homeschool day, but I didn’t want to drive over 4 hours in one day. So, we added two more days and explored the area. After the Living History Farms, we spent the afternoon at a local arcade and stayed for pizza dinner. Saturday it rained all day so we ended up visiting the Science Center of Iowa. We will definitely be back there soon! It was full of interactive exhibits and shows. We snuck in a bookstore browsing session after the Science Center. On Sunday, we traveled northwest to Boone to take a ride on the Fraser Excursion Train. The trip is an 11 mile round trip through the Des Moines River Valley area. We saw some beautiful countryside and even a few eagles. As an added bonus, it was Day Out with Thomas this weekend, so we got to enjoy those exhibits as well.

High

Coop was lots of fun and low pressure this week. I think all the kids are finally settling in and getting comfortable.

Low

A hectic schedule meant that we had to skip art class this week. Oh well, maybe next week.

Next Week

Continuing an ELA read aloud and a History read aloud (A)
Catching up on history (A)
Moving on to Energy for Physics (A)
Reading some animal stories (Q)
Covering Central America and the Caribbean (Q)
Covering telecommunications (A) and maps and geography (Q) for coop
Introducing the art of John Singleton Copley?
Listening to Bach

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - The Warning "Money"

Digging this song lately.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Into the Windwracked Wilds by A. Deborah Baker

Title: Along the Saltwise Sea (The Up and Under #3)

Author: A. Deborah Baker

Publisher: Tordotcom 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 224

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

When the improbable road leaves Avery and Zib in the land of Air and at the mercy of the Queen of Swords, escape without becoming monsters may be impossible. But with the aid of the Queen's son, the unpredictable Jack Daw, they may emerge with enough of their humanity to someday make it home. Their journey is not yet over; the dangers are no less great.

We continue on with Avery and Zib’s journey on the Improbable Road. Or more accurately, their journey after losing the Improbably Road. We finally get more information about Crow Girl’s past and specifically her making. And we get to meet some great new characters. The mosasaur was an intriguing “monster” lurking the sea. The Queen of Swords was suitable mercurial and cruel. But my favorite was Jack Daw. I loved seeing his interaction with the other characters and especially his explanations for the inner workings of The Up and Under. It looks like Jack Daw will continue with our misfit band for at least a little while. I am very excited to continue reading this series.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths

Title: The Stranger Diaries

Author: Elly Griffiths

Publisher: Mariner Books 2019

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 338

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. A high school teacher specializing in the Gothic writer R. M. Holland, she even teaches a course on him. But when one of Clare’s colleagues is found dead, with a line from Holland’s iconic story “The Stranger” left by her body, Clare is horrified to see her life collide with her favorite literature.

The police suspect the killer is someone Clare knows. Unsure whom to trust, she turns to her diary, the only outlet for her suspicions and fears. Then one day she notices something odd. Writing that isn't hers, left on the page of an old diary:

Hallo Clare. You don’t know me.

Clare becomes more certain than ever: “The Stranger” has come to terrifying life. But can the ending be rewritten in time?

I heard about this one from a book recommendation list from my library. They described it as a spooky mystery with lots of atmosphere. There was definitely some atmosphere and a few spooky scenes, but that’s really it. The book just didn’t live up to what I was expecting it to me. I wanted to be very creeped out by the book. I wanted the potential haunted school and study to be more of a thing. I wanted something more to be made of the old ghost stories. In the end, this was a very boilerplate murder mystery involving a stalker. I wasn’t that excited when we get to the end. Clare was an okay narrator to follow. Georgie tended to be very annoying and naive in her narration. Understandable given her age, but still not what I wanted to read. And Harbinder was just so incredibly surly all the time that I didn’t really want to attempt to connect with her. A middle of the road mystery.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

Title: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot #2)

Author: Becky Chambers

Publisher: Tordotcom 2022

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 152

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.

They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.

Becky Chambers's new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?

A lovely continuation of the explorations of Sibling Dex and Mosscap. This time we get to see Mosscap interact with a variety of humans and learn about different settlements. I loved seeing Mosscap get a bit of distance from the forest and move into more settled areas. My favorite section was actually the small chapter set on the coast. We get to learn more about the current state of the world as Dex explains how humans on the coastlines live. I was fascinated. And though it all, they discuss life and identity. I can’t wait until the next volume of their journey to the city.

Monk and Robot

#1 A Psalm for the Wild-Built
#2 A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #16

Reading: I grabbed an ebook of Sarah Gailey’s new book, Just Like Home. it was described as gothic horror, so of course, I needed to read it like now. I’m only about 40 pages in and the mystery has yet to really be revealed. But it definitely has a ton of atmosphere.

Watching: J and I are focusing on music documentaries and movie for September. We started watching Sonic Highways, one of the two docu-series done by the Foo Fighters. I’m loving this look at different music scenes and people around the country.

Listening: I’m finally catching up on my small backlog of Currently Reading podcast episodes.

Making: Working through my August Memory Planner pages. I’m hoping to stay on top of this throughout the end of this year.

Feeling: The boys and I are doing a weekend trip to Des Moines starting on Friday. We all want to go now. Unfortunately, we still have to get through today, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Planning: Slowly planning out the boys’ birthday party in early October. We’re doing a Knights of the Round Table theme.

Loving: Sometimes I want a bit of sweetness in my iced tea, but don’t really want proper sweet tea. So excited that Gold Peak sells Slightly Sweet Tea. So good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W5: Spontaneous Trips are Fun, but Also Tiring

What We Studied

We left the house every single day this week (again). This wee was the Nebraska State Fair and I randomly decided on Saturday to take the kids on Monday. The fair location in Grand Island is about a 2 hour drive from home. So we left the house early on Monday morning to spend the day at the fair. Fun, but my goodness, it was exhausting when you add on a lake trip on Tuesday, science on Wednesday, coop on Thursday, and a Fontenelle Forest trip on Friday. A full week of activities!

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished reading Through the Looking-glass this week. He didn’t like the sequel as much as the first book, but we wanted to cover the two volumes before watching a movie version. 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 our next book club selection, Word of Mouse. Trying to finish this coming 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 covered some interesting books focused on Native American cultures. 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
A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister
Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta
We are Grateful / Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell
A Boy Called Slow: The True Story of Sitting Bull by Jospeh Bruchac
Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

Math

Logic Liftoff (Arthur)
Singapore 4A
Tinkeractive Math Kindergarten
Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

Social Studies

Arthur skipped history this week in favor of science. No problem, we’ll pick up where we left off next week.

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did a study of the United States. To celebrate, we made s’mores.

Nat Geo Beginner’s World Atlas
DK Countries of the World
DK Children Just Like Me
DK Children Just Like Me; A School Like Mine

Arthur Independent Time

Science

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

STEAM Coop

This was our first week post-closing registration. We have 21 families that have joined coop with a total of 38 students participating. We are just about at capacity! But I’m very excited about creating deeper bonds with everyone in coop. The older class continued their geology lessons this week with a focus on weathering and erosion. The younger two classes learned about fungi. Quentin was super excited to paint with mushrooms.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking

For our cooking, Quentin made s’mores. Pretty basic for the U.S., but it was tasty. Next week’s Mexico menu will be better.

Field Trip

Our actual field trip was Friday’s visit to Fontenelle Forest. All the kids were tasked with spotting mushrooms along our hike. We found many different kinds and took tons of pictures. Of course the kids had to play at the playground after our walk and have a picnic before seeing the birds at Raptor Rescue.

High

The State Fair was an experience! The boys are already asking if we can go next year. Only 360 days to wait…

Low

So many activities meant that we are a bit behind on our book work. We’ll catch up (that’s why I build in flex weeks), but I’m not a fan of feeling behind.

Next Week

Starting an ELA read aloud and a History read aloud (A)
Learning about Native American cultures of the West Coast (A)
Moving on to Friction for Physics (A)
Reading some animal stories (Q)
Covering Mexico (Q)
Covering geology (A) and fungi (Q) for coop - last week for geology (and me teaching!)
Introducing the art of John Singleton Copley?
Finishing Word of Mouse for coop book club
Listening to Bach

Next up on the TBR pile: