Once Upon a Curse: 17 Dark Faerie Tales

Title: Once Upon a Curse: 17 Dark Faerie Tales (Once Upon #1)

Author:

Publisher: Fiddlehead Press 2016

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 360

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Seventeen magical stories from NY Times and USA Today bestsellers and award-winning authors that will entice you to the darker side of faerie tales. More Grimm than Disney, in this collection you’ll find twists on Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin, The Snow Queen, Cinderella, The Pied Piper, Alice in Wonderland, and Red Riding Hood, plus new tales paying homage to the old traditions. Shadows cannot exist without light, however, and you’ll find enough happily-ever-afters to lift your spirits in this anthology full of adventure, dark powers, and ultimately the enduring power of true love.

YARROW, STURDY AND BRIGHT by Devon Monk – Sweet music cannot hide a wicked heart…
FAE HORSE by Anthea Sharp – Faerie bargains can grant any desire, but be careful what you wish for.
THE QUEEN OF FROST AND DARKNESS by Christine Pope - Her heart is the only thing colder than a Russian winter….
BONES by Yasmine Galenorn - Sometimes, your most cherished dream can turn out to be a nightmare.
MAGIC AFTER MIDNIGHT by C. Gockel – The Wicked Stepmother is about to meet her match…
DANCE WITH THE DEVIL by Donna Augustine - When the devil makes a deal with a dancer, he gets more than he bargained for.
NO GIFT OF WORDS by Annie Bellet - Never steal from a witch...
THE GRIM BROTHER by Audrey Faye – Not all walks in the wood end well…
BEAST INSIDE BEAUTY by Danielle Monsch - Happily Ever After ain't guaranteed when Once Upon a Time is here.
FAESCORNED by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson - The Morrigan, Celtic goddess of war and strife, must relive a painful memory that reminds her of what she can never have.
DRAWN TO THE BRINK by Tara Maya - Sajiana's job is to hunt down monsters brought alive from paintings. She never expected to meet one so handsome... or to need his help.
THE VARIANCE COURT by Alexia Purdy - Anna, a struggling college student, discovers a mysterious ring that turns her quiet life chaotic when the ring's magic doesn't do what it's told.
THE MORRIGAN by Phaedra Weldon – A young man discovers he has leprechaun blood – and is wanted by dark faerie forces.
ALICE by Julia Crane - A twisted tale of Alice and Wonderland. Facing madness and an ominous prophecy, Alice chooses to follow her heart despite knowing her world is about to change forever.
STILL RED by Sabrina Locke – When the Hunters come, can there be any escape?
THE FINAL STRAW by Jennifer Blackstream - To banish a gold-spinning demon, first you must guess his name...
THE UNICORN HUNTER by Alethea Kontis – Only Snow White knows what really happened in the forest…

I was scrolling through my Kindle app (boy is that a colossal mess!) and stumbled upon this collection I bought a few years back. I wanted something light but spooky and this seemed like the perfect choice. Like with every short story collection, this one is a mixed bag. But overall, I really enjoyed these short snippets and takes on new and old fairy tales. Some definitely fall on the horror side of things while others were more light-hearted and only slightly spooky. Decent collection that I’m sure I got for nearly free during some sale.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Frost and Starlight (ACOTAR #3.5)

Author:Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 272

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

Feyre, Rhysand, and their friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly altered world beyond, recovering from the war that changed everything. But Winter Solstice is finally approaching, and with it, the joy of a hard-earned reprieve.

Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, her concern for those dearest to her deepens. They have more wounds than she anticipated-scars that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of their court.
Bridging the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin with the later books in the series, A Court of Frost and Starlight explores the far-reaching effects of a devastating war and the fierce love between friends.

A short novella to tide us over until the next book. Nothing too big happens but we do get to see the story from multiple perspectives. We get some more information on the dynamics between characters. And we get to see how some have fared since the war with Hybern. It was a good novella but without much action. It’s a very quiet story.

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:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Dealing with the management side of coop is not my favorite at all…

• Temperatures are all over the place once again his week and next. I would like a week of 60-70 degree temps please. That would be magical.

• My patio furniture was moved inside for the party and I think it may live in my living room for the winter. I feel silly putting it back outside, but also the space in the garage has changed since April.

• COVID boosters were just approved for kids! I’m off to make appointments for the boys!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Yoga Store Murder by Dan Morse

Title: The Yoga Store

Author: Dan Morse

Publisher: Berkley 2013

Genre: Nonfiction - True Crime

Pages: 361

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR; Unread Shelf Project

It was a crime that shocked the country. On March 12, 2011, two young saleswomen were found brutally attacked inside a lululemon athletica retail store in Bethesda, Maryland, one of the nation’s wealthiest suburbs.

Thirty-year-old Jayna Murray was dead—slashed, stabbed, and struck more than three hundred times. Investigators found blood spattered on walls, and size fourteen men’s shoe prints leading away from her body.

Twenty-eight-year-old Brittany Norwood was found alive, tied up on the bathroom floor. She had lacerations, a bloody face, and ripped clothing. She told investigators that two masked men had slipped into the Bethesda lululemon store just after closing, presumably planning to rob it. She spoke of the night of terror she and her coworker had experienced. Investigators were sympathetic…but as the case went on, Brittany’s story began to unravel. Why rob a business that dealt mostly in credit cards? Why was Jayna murdered but Brittany left alive? Could the petite, polite Brittany have been involved? Most chilling of all: could she have been the killer?

A thoroughly predictable and yet engaging examination of a real murder case. One of my favorite podcast hosts has talked about this book multiple times, so I finally picked it up. True crime is not usually my genre, but I found this walk-thorough of the case to be very well-written and clear. We follow the police detectives as they examine the evidence and attempt to understand who murder Jayna Murray and why. The summary gives away part of the ending, but I was still interested to understand the why position. Unfortunately, we don’t really get a clear reason why, but I still thought it was a worthwhile story to tell.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

Title: Fledgling

Author: Octavia E. Butler

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing 2007

Genre: Horror

Pages: 310

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

Fledgling, Octavia Butler’s last novel, is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly un-human needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: she is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted—and still wants—to destroy her and those she cares for, and how she can save herself. Fledgling is a captivating novel that tests the limits of "otherness" and questions what it means to be truly human.

I picked this up as an extra buddy read with my Nerdy Bookish Friends group after we had read Parable of the Sower. I was definitely intrigued by the idea of Octavia Butler writing a vampire story. I dove in and was very disappointed by the actual story. The entire conceit is that our main character, a vampire, is suffering from amnesia. We have to learn about the world as she learns about the world. I get the concept, but it ends up resulting in a ton of exposition dumps. And the dialogue is often very clunky. None of the conversations seem natural. Finally we get the real reason that I gave it only 2 stars. Our main character is supposed to be 53 years old, but looks like she is 10 years old. Okay fine, but then she engages in very adult sexual encounters. Nope nope nope.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W8-9: Lots of Pumpkin Patch Time!

What We Studied

Our week 8 ended being a bit abbreviated because of lots of different activities, so I’m combining it with our week 9 for the recap. We ended our week 9 with the boys’ epic Knights of the Round Table Party, so we had another slightly abbreviated week. Still got a lot of school done and time outside, but we will be playing catch-up a bit on our next flex week (after week 10).

Literature and Poetry

As our extra read aloud, we finished A Wolf Called Wander in the middle of the two weeks. For our actual curriculum, we started and almost finished The Wild Robot Escapes. I really loved the entire duology of Roz’s adventures. I loved every part of those books. We’ll be wrapping that book up this week and diving into our next read aloud (and the coop book club selection for October).

• The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton

• Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost

• A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry

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. We stayed in South American for our stories.

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister

• Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta

• Looking for Jaguar and Other Rain Forest Poems by Susan Katz

• Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection by Alma Flor Ada

• Jabuti The Tortoise: A Trickster Tale from the Amazon by Gerald McDermott

• Biblioburro: A True Story from Colombia by Jeanette Winter

• Love and Roast Chicken by Barbara Knutson

• Miro in the Kingdom of the Sun by Jane Kurtz

• One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest by Jean Craighead George

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). Quentin finished his Tinkeractive text so we are ready to move onto Singapore and Smart Start Math.

• 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 wrapped up our exploration of the various groups of Native Americans pre-1492 and dove into the European colonization of the continent. We ended up covering Jamestown and beginnings of what would be Virginia.

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

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

• 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

• History Quest: U.S. History

• DK American History Visual Encyclopedia

• 1607: A New Look at Jamestown

• Blood on the Water by Elisa Carbone

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did a study of South America covering multiple regions. We also had a Sunnie Press maps for Rio de Janeiro and a Atlas Crate box for Brazil.

• 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

• Along the Tapajos by Fernando Vilela

• Living in Brazil by Chloe Perkins

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. There has been many drawing projects lately.

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. We covered more simple machines. and more from our Story of Science.

• RSO Physics

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

• Screws by Sally M. Walker and Roseann Feldmann

• The Math Book

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We talked a lot about the Amazonia rainforest and the animals that live there.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan K. Mitchell

• Rainforest by Julia Groves

• In the Rainforest by Kate Duke

• Anteaters, Bats, and Boas: The Amazon Rainforest from the Forest Floor to the Treetops by Roxie Munro

• Rainforests by Andrea Silen

• Over and Under the Rainforest by Kate Messner

• The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry

• The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest by Heather Lang

• Tree of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives of a Rainforest Tree by Kate Messner

STEAM Coop

The older class continued their telecommunications theme. Arthur got really into making a transmitter tower and a crystal radio. Quentin’s class focused on life skills.

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 music just didn’t happen. But that’s okay. Arthur’s continued with the Outschool drawing class. He has really gotten into the idea of a new animal each week. He drew an elephant and a red panda.

Field Trip

We had a Zoom tour of a radio station to align with our telecommunications unit. It was fun too see a working radio station even if it was virtual. We also had coop school pictures which led to a park playdate practically next-door to the studio. We also went to the pumpkin patch multiple times these past two weeks. Good thing we have season passes.

High

• Quentin’s 6th birthday was right at the end of September. We had a fun day at the pumpkin patch even if I did just about expire afterward.

Low

• My body has been hurting lately. It got much worse these past two weeks. Not a fan at all.

Next Week

• Finishing The Wild Robot Escapes and staring Howl’s Moving Castle (A)

• Moving to the Pilgrims for US History (A)

• Covering levers for Physics (A)

• Reading some animal stories from South America (Q)

• Finishing the South American countries (Q)

• Covering telecommunications (A) and government (Q) for coop

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill

Title: The Girl and the Goddess

Author: Nikita Gill

Publisher: G.P Putnam’s 2020

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR; Unread Shelf Project; Unread Shelf RC - Poetry

Meet Paro. A girl with a strong will, a full heart, and much to learn. Born into a family reeling from the ruptures of Partition in India, we follow her as she crosses the precarious lines between childhood, teenage discovery, and realizing her adult self. In the process, Paro must confront fear, desire and the darkest parts of herself in the search for meaning and, ultimately, empowerment.

Nikita Gill's vivid poetry and beautiful illustrations have captured hearts and imaginations--but in The Girl and the Goddess, she offers us her most personal and deeply felt writing to date: an intimate coming-of-age story told in linked poems that offers a look into the Hindu mythology and rich cultural influences that helped her become the woman she is today.

I grabbed this one after reading another collection of Gill’s poetry based on fairy tale and story characters. I slowly made my way through this collection. We get a bit of a autobiographical take on mythology, folklore, and history. I was definitely interested in how Gill would incorporate all three of those things. I really enjoyed Gill’s voice and her way of weaving fantasy and reality. I will definitely have to pick up Gill’s other collections.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Title: Her Majesty’s Royal Coven

Author: Juno Dawson

Publisher: Penguin 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 448

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR - Buddy Read Discussion

If you look hard enough at old photographs, we’re there in the background: healers in the trenches; Suffragettes; Bletchley Park oracles; land girls and resistance fighters. Why is it we help in times of crisis? We have a gift. We are stronger than Mundanes, plain and simple.

At the dawn of their adolescence, on the eve of the summer solstice, four young girls--Helena, Leonie, Niamh and Elle--took the oath to join Her Majesty's Royal Coven, established by Queen Elizabeth I as a covert government department. Now, decades later, the witch community is still reeling from a civil war and Helena is the reigning High Priestess of the organization. Yet Helena is the only one of her friend group still enmeshed in the stale bureaucracy of HMRC. Elle is trying to pretend she's a normal housewife, and Niamh has become a country vet, using her powers to heal sick animals. In what Helena perceives as the deepest betrayal, Leonie has defected to start her own more inclusive and intersectional coven, Diaspora. And now Helena has a bigger problem. A young warlock of extraordinary capabilities has been captured by authorities and seems to threaten the very existence of HMRC. With conflicting beliefs over the best course of action, the four friends must decide where their loyalties lie: with preserving tradition, or doing what is right.

Oh goodness! We picked this book hoping for a accessible and lighter read after some heavy choices. It was a much easier read, but one that was loaded with a lot of interesting questions and topics. Right away I picked up on the dichotomy between HMRC and Diaspora. We get some great conversations about race and privilege that harken back to many criticism of Third Wave Feminism. I’m looking forward to discussing the topic deeper during our discussion. We also get some great pieces about identity in general. I loved Niamh and Leonie so much as they try to navigate the intersections of their past and their present. I loved seeing how these two women were still supportive of all their coven sisters even when there were disagreements. I was rooting for both of those women to really come into their own throughout this story. The story itself becomes super fast-paced in the last 1/3 of the novel racing to a final confrontation. I did not quite see the ending playing out like it did, but was really enjoying the story. This volume leaves off on a very big cliffhanger, so beware. I will most definitely be picking up the next one once it’s released.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven

• #1 Her Majesty’s Royal Coven

• #2 The Shadow Cabinet

• #3 untitled

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #18

Reading: Somehow I currently have five different books that I’m currently reading (not counting the kid read aloud). I’m reading The Girl and the Goddess, The Yoga Store Murder, The 1619 Project, Fledgling, and her Majesty’s Royal Coven.

Watching: It’s another Spooky Movie Month and we kicked it off with a terrible choice (Morbius) and a rewatch to attempt to finish a series (Underworld).

Listening: I am finally finishing Unobscured S4 about Rasputin. I am learning so much about that man. Fascinating.

Making: I’m finishing up my big birthday party crafts by making sigils for shields. I have a ton to cut by Saturday.

Feeling: I spent all of yesterday at Vala’s and walked I don’t even know how many thousands of steps. I’m a bit sore today.

Planning: I’m deep into birthday party prep. Only a few more days until the big event and I still have some things to finish.

Loving: We had our third visit to Vala’s yesterday. And we have the fourth visit scheduled for tomorrow. I am aiming at going at least five times in October. It really is my happy place.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Gorillaz feat. Thundercat "Cracker Island"

A new song from the Gorillaz! I’ve very excited about this one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #29

As I look outside my window: Clear and bright again this Sunday. I might just go sit on the deck.

Right now I am: attempting to finish my current read before everyone else comes downstairs and bothers me.

Thinking and pondering: what is on my to-do list for today? I know torches and horses, but I feel like I’m forgetting something.

On my bedside table: Fledgling by Octavia Butler, The 1619 Project - both buddy reads with various Currently Reading Bookish Friends

On my tv this week: We finished out our music documentary month and am moving onto spooky movie month.

Listening to: Other than my regular podcasts, I’ve been putting my Apple Music on shuffle a lot lately. My music library is very eclectic. I never know what’s going to come up next.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Apple Bacon Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

• Tuesday - Beef Tips

• Wednesday - Peru and Venezuela Night

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Pizza Night

• Saturday - Birthday Party

• Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list: I have a ton of birthday party crafts to make this week. And all the other prep that I need to do.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Vala’s Day

• Tuesday - Home Day

• Wednesday - Vala’s Day

• Thursday - Coop; Lit Society

• Friday - Home Day; Birthday Party Prep; Arthur Outschool

• Saturday - Birthday Party!

• Sunday - Coop Book Club

What I am creating: All the birthday party prep. I made all the potion vials last night and finished the rest of potions class prep. Guess I’ll be getting started on the jousting supplies.

My simple pleasures: A clean house, a few minutes of peace, a visit to the pumpkin patch.

Looking around the house: I have so much to put away and clean before the birthday party. The only way to do it is systematically.

From the camera: A trio of pie slices at Vala’s: cherry, monster cookie, and salted caramel apple.

October 2022 Life Goals

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

• Read 18 Books ✓

• Have a Fun Weekend in Des Moines ✓

• Complete Music Movies and Documentary Month ✓

• Plan the Boys’ Birthday Party ✓

October Goals:

• Read 18 Books

• Complete Spooky Movie Month

• Go to Vala’s at Least 5x

• Have a Fun Birthday Party for the Boys

Next up on the TBR pile:

September 2022 Wrap

September TBR Pile (21/35):

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. Fantasy: Vicious by VE Schwab ✓

13. Mystery: A Curious Beginning by Deanna Rayburn

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

15. Mystery: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney (library) ✓

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

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

18. Historical Fiction: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith ✓

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

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

21. Horror: Jackaby by William Ritter ✓

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

23. Science Fiction: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

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

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

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

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

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

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

30. Kid Read Aloud: Word of Mouse by James Patterson ✓

31. Kid Read Aloud: Sees Behind Trees by Michael Dorrie ✓

32. Kid Read Aloud: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown ✓

33. Kid Read Aloud: Morning Girl by Michael Dorris ✓

34. Kid Read Aloud: A Wolf Called Wander ✓

35. Comics: Through the Woods by Emily Carroll ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5790 pages
Pages Remaining: 381,457 pages

Current Read - The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill; Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (4)

My BOTM selection this month was Sarah Addison Allen’s newest book Other Birds.

Randomly, I finally ordered The Yoga Store Murder by Dan Morse

While in Des Moines, we stopped at Half Price Books and I grabbed a few titles

• Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

• Scottish Myths by Jake Jackson

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 340

• Books Read: 6

• Books Acquired: 4

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 338

October TBR Pile: It’s spooky book month! I’m trying to focus on the spooky and the horror for this month’s reads (excepting my Friend BC selection). I thought about making a much longer TBR, but only put some top contenders and then will just pick up what I like afterward that.

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

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

3. Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

4. Currently Reading Bookish Friends BC: The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

5. Fantasy: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

6. Mystery: A Curious Beginning by Deanna Rayburn

7. Horror: Reliquary by Douglas Preston

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

9. Nonfiction: The Yoga Store Murder by Dan Morse

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

11. Kid Read Aloud: The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

Movies watched

• The Road to Wellville - Somehow I totally missed this movie when it came out. J had me watch. Very weird and delightful.

• Listening to Kenny G - Surprised (and yet not) about how oblivious he is about so many things.

• The Story of Bohemian Rhapsody - Decent little BBC doc about the making of a song.

• Little Women - Better than I thought it would be, but I’m not convinced that the time cuts were necessary.

• Creem: America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine - I never read Creem, but had hear about it. Loved getting to know the story.

• Thor: Love and Thunder - I enjoyed the humor; not a huge fan of the sad emotional content.

• Moog - Ooof lots of rambling from Moog. Not a good storyline.

• Summer of Soul - Fascinating topic! I loved hearing about all the musical acts.

• The Wrecking Crew - Another fascinating story about behind-the-scenes musicians.

• Vinyl Nation - Loved learning more about the making of vinyl records.

• Gimme Danger - A doc about The Stooges, sign me up! I would have liked a bit more from othe musicians about the legacy of The Stooges.

• Stop Making Sense - This 1984 Talking Heads concert film was like a time capsule. Loved every minute of it.

TV Shows watched 

• Little Demon S1 - Love quirky cartoons

• What We Do in the Shadows S3 - Another great season

• The Orville S3 - I’m very meh about this series now

• Sonic Highways - I really really loved this doc-series focused on one city each episode.

• Lower Decks S3 - Really enjoy this series.

• Rick & Morty S6 - Off to a great start of this season.

• Archer S13 - I can’t believe this show is still running! Love it!

Comments - A very decent showing this month for books and tv shows/movies. I don’t feel like we watched or read much this month, but I was wrong after writing this all out. Looking forward to October’s spooky movie and books month.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Birthday party prep is going well, but I still have so much to do. I’m getting there…

• I overdid it at Vala’s on Monday, but I might go again on Friday. we just won’t be spending 6 1/2 hours there….

• Book club was a treat this week. We spent four hours chatting about books and other things. And we spent the time out on a beautiful patio (last time probably before it gets too cold).

• Looking forward to my October TBR pile.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

Title: Ariadne

Author: Jennifer Saint

Publisher: Flatiron Books 2021

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR; Unread Shelf Project; Unread Shelf Project RC - March (Biography - heehee)

Ariadne, Princess of Crete, grows up greeting the dawn from her beautiful dancing floor and listening to her nursemaid’s stories of gods and heroes. But beneath her golden palace echo the ever-present hoofbeats of her brother, the Minotaur, a monster who demands blood sacrifice.

When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives to vanquish the beast, Ariadne sees in his green eyes not a threat but an escape. Defying the gods, betraying her family and country, and risking everything for love, Ariadne helps Theseus kill the Minotaur. But will Ariadne’s decision ensure her happy ending? And what of Phaedra, the beloved younger sister she leaves behind?

I absolutely had to get this book when it showed up in the Book of the Month selections. But then I let it languish on my shelves for a year. Finally picked it up this week and dove into this retelling of Ariadne and Phaedra’s stories. We start slowly, setting up the world on Crete and the family dynamic. I found the first part of the book to be a little slow. Once Ariadne is left on the island, I sped through the rest of the pages desperate to see how the story ends. Saint does not disappoint in giving us a Greek myth told from a feminist perspective. There’s nothing ground breaking here, but we do get a good story full of interesting characters. The writing isn’t quite as strong as Madeline Miller’s Circe, but I still found it very compelling and clear. I enjoyed my trip back to ancient Crete and Greece even if I always wish for a much happier ending for the female characters.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Title: Vicious (Villains #1)

Author: V.E. Schwab

Publisher: Tor 2013

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

A book club friend insisted that I pick this one up and she was right! I absolutely loved this story of two friends who become extra ordinary and then attempt to navigate their worlds. I immediately fell for the oddball character of Victor. I really wanted him to find his place in the world and get away from the strange pull of Eli. Alas, we know that those two will spend the entire book pulled together, but also at odds with one another. What follows is a cat and mouse game as they each try to get the drop on the other while also dealing with new friends and enemies. I loved how we go back and forth in time to understand exactly what happened between Victor and Eli and how it is affecting the current time. Sydney and Michell were great additions and I was definitely intrigued by Serena and her power. I sped through the book desperate to see how it ended. Of course we get a bit of a cliffhanger, but that just means that I need to go pick up the second book in the series soon.

Villains

• #1 Vicious

• #2 Vengeful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W7: Our First Flex Week!

What We Studied

As part of my planning process, I have inserted Flex Weeks into our regular schedule. In essence, Flex Weeks help me account for random days off and delays in our schedule. (Except for the first section) I schedule 4 weeks of lessons and then insert a Flex Week. If we get behind during those 4 weeks, we can make up our lessons and time during the Flex Week. I originally called them Break Weeks, but that’s not what they are. We don’t have schedule week breaks after every session. Instead, we often take a day off during a random week. Sometimes it’s due to sickness or general attitudes and sometimes it’s due to a fun opportunity to go somewhere or see something special. Homeschool is all about flexibility and this is how I remain flexible.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished The Wild Robot and loved it. We are planning on starting the sequel next week. We must see how Roz’s journey ends. We also started a new poetry book of Robert Frost’s creations. Beyond the selections tied to curriculum, we started reading A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry for a bedtime selection. It took a very serious turn the other night and I am very sad for the characters (who are wolves).

• The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton

• Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost

• A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry

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. We moved into South American tales and stories to round out our reading.

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister

• Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta

• A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead

• Looking for Jaguar and Other Rain Forest Poems by Susan Katz

• Abuelita and Me by Leonarda Carranza

• Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection by Alma Flor Ada

Creations at The Durham Museum

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).

• Logic Liftoff (Arthur)

• Singapore 4A

• Tinkeractive Math Kindergarten

• Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

Another Durham creation

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 wrapped up our exploration of the various groups of Native Americans pre-1492. We also finished two history read alouds. Arthur also took another Outschool class from Kelly Tudor, this time about Indigenous People's’ Day. I really love her classes. I’ll have to check to see if she has any other good upcoming ones.

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

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

• Between Earth and Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places by Jospeh Bruchac and James Bruchac

• The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet 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

• Morning Girl by Michael Dorris

• The Girl Who Helped Thunder retold by James Bruchac and Joseph Bruchac

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did a study of Central America, the Caribbean, and started on South America.

• 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

• Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh

• Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore

• The Golden Flower: A Taino Myth from Puerto Rico by Nina Jaffe

• How Music Came to the World by Hal Ober

• Dalia's Wondrous Hair by Laura Lacamara

• Alfredito Flies Home by Jorge Argueta and Luis Garay

• Rainbow Weaver by Tejedora Del Arcoiris

• Islandborn by Junot Diaz

• South America by Libby Koponen

• South America by Alexis Roumanis

• Introducing South America by Anita Ganeri

• Spotlight on South America by Karen Bush Gibson

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. I finally downloaded Flipaclip for Arthur to work on his drawing skills. A good friend of his has it and was showing him the cool creations. We has been really enjoying the drawing time.

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. The one week, our friends were sick, so we held the experiment for the next week. We did cover work, energy, and planes and wedges.

• 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 Central America and the Caribbean nations. We also threw in a little discussion about the Autumnal Equinox.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

• A is for Anaconda by Anthony Frederick

• We're Roaming in the Rainforest: An Amazon Adventure by Laurie Krebs and Anne Wilson

• Llamas by Mary R. Dunn

• Howler Monkeys by Chadwick Gillenwater

• Poison Dart Frogs by Julie Murray

• Amazon River by Sangma Francis

• Toucans by Julie Murray

• Sloths by Julie Murray

• Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Park

STEAM Coop

The older class started their telecommunications unit. Which means that I get to sit back a bit and just assist the various classes. The younger two classes learned about maps and geography. Quentin really got into make a sample landform map in a Tupperware.

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 music just didn’t happen. But that’s okay. Arthur participated in an Outschool drawing class and really enjoyed it. They drew a falcon. Currently, he is signed up for this weekly class. We might not make it to every week, but it should be a fun class to continue with. Each week they will draw a different animal.

For our cooking projects, we had a Jamaica Night and a Cuba Night. For Jamaica, we made jerk chicken, beans and coconut rice, banana punch, and ting. For Cuba, we made pork Cubano, baked plantains, and coconut rum cake. All so good! Quentin even tried everything and liked some of it.

Jamaican Night

Cuban Night

Field Trip

We went to the Durham with coop for a very interesting look at the founding and Omaha and the International Exposition. I enjoyed our time at the museum.

Family Game Night

Result from Arthur’s first drawing class

High

• Our coop meetings were a blast these past two weeks. I don’t have to teach (yeah!) and can spend some time observing and help all of the students. And the weather held out last Thursday making it a bit chilly but no rain for our meeting time. I really resist moving into houses with the changing weather.

Low

• My body has been hurting lately which makes me less likely to take the kids places. I need to get into a better routine there.

Marshmallow catapults for science

Next Week

• Starting The Wild Robot Escapes (A)

• Finishing A Wolf Called Wander

• Moving past 1492 for US History (A)

• Covering more simple machines for Physics (A)

• Reading some animal stories from South America (Q)

• Covering various South American countries (Q)

• Covering telecommunications (A) and life skills Q) for coop

• Fall Picture Day!

• Quentin’s Birthday and a trip to Vala’s!

Excited about our random Aldi find this week

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Anna of the North and Gus Dapperton "Meteorite"

Hearing this song everywhere and it’s definitely become and ear worm for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

Title: The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George (The Gilded Age Heiresses #1)

Author: Harper St. George

Publisher: Berkley 2021

Genre: Romance

Pages: 316

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR; Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf RC - July (Set in a different country)

American heiress August Crenshaw has aspirations. But unlike her peers, it isn't some stuffy British Lord she wants wrapped around her finger--it's Crenshaw Iron Works, the family business. When it's clear that August's outrageously progressive ways render her unsuitable for a respectable match, her parents offer up her younger sister to the highest entitled bidder instead. This simply will not do. August refuses to leave her sister to the mercy of a loveless marriage.

Evan Sterling, the Duke of Rothschild, has no intention of walking away from the marriage. He's recently inherited the title only to find his coffers empty, and with countless lives depending on him, he can't walk away from the fortune a Crenshaw heiress would bring him. But after meeting her fiery sister, he realizes Violet isn't the heiress he wants. He wants August, and he always gets what he wants.

But August won't go peacefully to her fate. She decides to show Rothschild that she's no typical London wallflower. Little does she realize that every stunt she pulls to make him call off the wedding only makes him like her even more.

We get the classic trope of a man courting/engaged to a sister. In this case, we quickly meet August and follow her as she visits England and encounters a mysterious man in a boxing ring. Of course that man is our male lead. The story then follows the twists and turns of their budding relationship and ends with the classic HEA. This book wasn’t anything surprising or new; I predicted just about everything in the pages. But sometimes, that’s just perfect for my reading. I wanted to pick up a comforting romance without too much angst and this was a great choice. I’m definitely going to be reading further into this series.

The Gilded Age Heiresses

• #1 The Heiress Gets a Duke

• #2 The Devil and the Heiress

• #3 The Lady Tempts an Heir

• #4 The Duchess Takes a Husband

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #28

Right now I am: Making my plan for the day. I have a lot to squeeze in today.

Thinking and pondering: What do I need to put onto my shopping list? I have multiple places to go and things to acquire. Mostly for the birthday party.

On my bedside table: Ariadne by Jennifer Saint; The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill

On my tv this week: We continued watching Sonic Highways and some of our currently airing shows (Archer, Lower Decks, Rick & Morty).

Listening to: The usual podcasts. Nothing too exciting this week.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Q’s Choice Charcuterie Board

• Tuesday - Out for Book Club

• Wednesday - BBQ Chicken

• Thursday - Chicken Parmesan

• Friday - Apple Bacon Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

• Saturday - Argentina Night

• Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list: Lots of birthday party tasks, prepping for school for next week, making a grocery list

Happening this week:

• Monday - Quentin’s Birthday! We’re going to Vala’s for the day.

• Tuesday - Online Radio Station Tour with Coop; Book Club

• Wednesday - Coop Picture Day; Science

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Home Day

• Saturday - D&D

• Sunday - Home Day

From the camera: Arthur was so excited to find Jurassic World Trip cereal at Aldi’s. Definitely not on my list, but we bought it anyway.