Currently #22

Reading: You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky. I’m fully into my holiday romances for the month.

Watching: J has me start watching Leverage Redemption S1. We’ve almost finished this season and we’ll start the newly released one soon.

Listening: The boys and I have been listening to Christmas music while doing our advent activities.

Making: Today’s activity is making Christmas flavored cookies. I’m thinking Ginger Molasses and Cranberry White Chocolate.

Feeling: I had my doctor’s appointment last week and we now have a plan to tackle my persistent pain. I’m feeling a little less anxious now.

Planning: I’m nearing the end of planning our spring curriculum. Just a few sections to finish prepping. My floor is looking cleaner now.

Loving: We got new pots and pans this week and I’m very excited about the tea kettle. It’s so pretty!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W15: Turkey Day and the Start of Christmas

What We Studied

We had a break week for Thanksgiving and a normal week. But with the start of December, our activities increased dramatically. The amount of actual schoolwork that we will get done this month will be small.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur and I started our next read aloud. This will take us toward the end of the year. Even a third of the way in, we are really enjoying this one.

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton

• Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

• The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

• Many Lucious Lollipops by Ruth Heller

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 continued Europe and covered stories from Poland, ___. We also read a ton of random picture books to supplement.

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister

• Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta

• Four Good Friends by Margaret Hillert (Quentin Reads)

• Beatrice Likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke

• How to Catch a Witch by Alice Walstead and Megan Joyce

• How to Catch a Monster by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton

• A Spoonful of Frogs by Casey Lyall

• Sir Ladybug and the Queen Bee by Corey R. Tabor

• Fall Leaves by Loretta Holland

• Babushka Baba Yaga by Patricia Polacco

• Sir Ladybug and the Bookworms by Corey R. Tabor

• Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer

• Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds

• Shape Shift by Joyce Hesselberth

• The Cookie House by Margaret Hillert (Quentin Reads)

• The Glass Mountain: Tales from Poland by David Walser

• The Little, Little House by Jessica Souhami

• Luba and the Wren by Patricia Polacco

• The Cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse

• The Mitten by Jan Brett

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). Arthur started 4B this section. I don’t imagine that it’s going to take us all that long to finish.

• Logic Liftoff (Arthur)

• Singapore 4B

• Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

• Smart Start Math Grade 1

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’ve started the section covering the Revolutionary War. I’m loving one of our read aloud resources.

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

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

• We were There Too by Philip Hoose

• Words that Built a Nation

• History Quest: U.S. History

• A Different Mirror

• DK American History Visual Encyclopedia

• Cobblestone: North American Beaver Fur Trade

• Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars by Betsy Maestro

• King George: What was His Problem? How to Start a Revolution

• Map Skills for Today Grade 3

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We moved onto studying Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, .

• 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

• P is for Poland by Agnieszka Mrówcyzńska & Prodeepta Das

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 took a bit of a break from Physics to explore paper making and print making. The boys even got to make their own homemade paper. After thinking about it, we’re going to recycle (heehee) that idea for coop for spring.

• RSO Physics

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

• The Way Things Work Now

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

STEAM Coop

We are running right up tot he end of the semester Arthur is continuing the genetics unit while Quentin is learning about mental health.

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. This week’s animal was a fox and flamingo together. We actually had our last class until probably January Life is just a little hectic right now.

Field Trip

During Thanksgiving week we joined some coop friends at the zoo. We haven’t been the zoo since August. It was nice to get out and the weather was perfect for our excursion.

High

• We had a small get together to work on our service project. The coop chose to make no-tie fleece blankets for the local animal shelter. I only finished two blankets, but we had a great chat while cutting and tying.

Low

• Not much actual schoolwork was finished this past two weeks. That’s okay, but I had hoped to get a little further in our curriculum.

Next Week

• Continuing our new read aloud (A)

• Learning more about the Revolutionary War for US History (A)

• Moving forward with 4B for Math (A)

• Coming back to physics air and air pressure (A)

• Covering more of Eastern Europe for social studies and science (Q)

• Covering genetics, (A) and mental health (Q) for coop - it’s the last coop meeting of the semester!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Asking Alexandria "See What's on the Inside"

Still just love their sound so much.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #36

As I look outside my window: Bright and sunny, but pretty cold. At least it’s warmer than yesterday.

Right now I am: Going to take a few minutes to read before getting brunch started.

Thinking and pondering: I’m going to host a homeschool seminar for the coop in January. I’m thinking about how I want to structure it.

On my bedside table: You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky; Whiteout

On my tv this week: J and have watched a ton of Leverage: Redemption S1 this week. We’ve almost made it through the entire season.

Listening to: Mostly just the usual podcasts. I also added the Alternative Holiday playlist to my rotation this month.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - BBQ Chicken

• Tuesday - Leftovers

• Wednesday - Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken, Broccoli, and Bacon

• Thursday - Out

• Friday - Italian Beef Sandwiches

• Saturday - Leftovers

• Sunday - Fish and Chips

On my to do list: I’ve got a huge to-do list and am trying to pick off a few things every day. I’m currently working on lots of coop tasks.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Kid Doctor Appointments

• Tuesday - Coop Board Games; Coop Happy Hour

• Wednesday - Mammogram; Santa Visit; Science

• Thursday - Coop; Werner Park Lights

• Friday - CT Scan; Christmas at Arbor Day Lodge

• Saturday - Bookworms Book and Bottle Exchange

• Sunday - Coop Boo Club

What I am creating: I’ve been working on our spring curriculum plan lately. I’ve finished Arthur’s plan and am working on Quentin’s plan.

My simple pleasures: My new tea advent calendar is so exciting. I can’t wait to eventually try all of the flavors.

Looking around the house: Things are a bit all over the place. I need to do a whirlwind clean soon.

From the camera: Yummy cookies! The Andes Mint ones were the clear winner.

The Fourth Suit by Neil Patrick Harris

Title: The Fourth Suit (Magic Misfits 4)

Author: Neil Patrick Harris

Publisher: Little, Brown Books 2020

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Ridley Larsen is everything you want in a friend. She's tough as nails, she's fiercely loyal, and she's smart as a whip. But she can be a harsh critic, which has put her position with the Magic Misfits on the rocks, even as the threat of the group's longtime enemy Kalagan looms large. Ever since his recent appearance in Mineral Wells, the kids know that a showdown with the vicious magician is imminent.
They must first deal with a series of odd instances and random attacks, though, all of which they use to bring themselves closer to discovering where Kalagan may be hiding, and the nature of his true identity. But can Ridley finally master her temper and put her essential magical skills to good use? She'll do anything to protect her friends, and when the time comes, she'll find that the Magic Misfits are strongest when they all work together.
Join the Magic Misfits as they discover adventure, friendship, and more than a few hidden secrets in this finale of the unique and surprising series. Whether you're a long-time expert at illusion or simply a new fan of stage magic, hold on to your top hat!

I finally made it to the conclusion of this series and it was definitely worth the wait. We finally get to unmask Kallagan. But more importantly, all the members of the Misfits finally repair their friendships and find their places. At the end of the series, Carter remained my favorite character, but this book really made me love Ridley. Despite all her prickly bits, she loves fierce. We finally got a glimpse into her family life. We needed that peek behind the curtain to see exactly why she reacts the way she does. I sped through this volume in one day desperate to finish the series. Extra bonus points: Arthur and I both read this series and had a great time discussing it.

The Magic Misfits

• #1 The Magic Misfits

• #2 The Second Story

• #3 The Minor Third

• #4 The Fourth Suit

Next up on the TBR pile:

Snowpiercer Vol. 1

Title: Snowpiercer Vol. 1: The Escape

Author: Jacques Lob, Jean-Marc Rochette

Publisher: Titan Comics 1984

Genre: Comic

Pages: 110

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

In a harsh, uncompromisingly cold future where Earth has succumbed to treacherously low temperatures, the last remaining members of humanity travel on a train while the outside world remains encased in ice.

The surviving community are not without a social hierarchy; those that travel at the front of the train live in relative luxury whilst those unfortunate enough to be at the rear remain clustered like cattle in claustrophobic darkness. Yet, things are about to change aboard the train as passengers become disgruntled...

Okay, so I was very disappointed by the Prequels. The original comic was so much better. We get to actually see the train and the inhabitants. We find out the situation between all of the social classes. And events are set in motion to radically change the status quo. Although after reading this first volume, the prequels make even less sense. There was so much reconning it’s not even funny. Oh well.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Snowpiercer The Prequel Part 2

Title: Snowpiercer The Prequel Part 2: Apocalypse

Author: Matz, Jean-Marc Rochette

Publisher: Titan Comics 2020

Genre: Comic

Pages: 104

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

After the extinction event that caused the new ice age, the train Snowpiercer travels perpetually around the globe, with the last survivors of humanity learning to come to terms with their new reality.

Meh. I wanted to see what happened. I guess I did. I wasn’t so mad at this book, just a little bored by the repetitiveness. I think the prequels could have been condensed down into one book. Not sure why we needed multiple.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Snowpiercer The Prequel Part 1

Title: Snowpiercer The Prequel Part 1: Extinction

Author: Matz, Jean-Marc Rochette

Publisher: Titan Comics 2021

Genre: Comic

Pages: 98

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

The Snowpiercer saga continues with this brand new story by original artist Jean-Marc Rochette and Eisner nominated writer, Matz. Set before the extinction event that caused the new ice age in which the Snowpiercer travels perpetually around the globe, witness the terrifying events that led to the need for and creation of the eponymous train.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot. The pages progressed a little too slow for me. And I had a hard time really diving into any of the characters. They just didn’t seem that interesting. I kind of just wanted to see how the train came together in the end.

Next up on the TBR pile:

December 2022 Life Goals

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

• Read 18 Books

• Read 5 from My Unread Shelf

• Have a Friendsgiving

• Plan the Coop Christmas Party

December Goals:

• Read 18 Books

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List

Another Christmas season is upon us! Time for another bucket list:

1. Read 10 Holiday Romances

2. Coop Christmas Party!

3. Decorate the Mini Tree

4. Letter to Santa

5. Christmas Movies x3

6. Make Paper Snowflakes

7. Go See Santa at Cabela’s

8. Go See Werner Park Lights

9. Hot Chocolate bar

10. Meet the reindeer

11. Go for a winter hike

12. Puzzle Day

13. Make Gingerbread Cookies

14. Visit Lauritzen Gardens

15. Decorate Gingerbread Ninjas

16. Drive around and see the lights

17. Fantasy of Lights

18. Dinner at Coney Island and Visit to Santa Lights

19. Christmas music dance party

20. Watch The Grinch

21. Make Peppermint Bark

22. Christmas Advent Books

23. Find a New Christmas Album

24. Have a Candy Cane Hunt

25. Go Sledding (Here’s hoping the weather cooperates)

26. Send out Christmas cards

27. Take a photo of all four boys together

28. Finish 2021’s December Daily album

29. Try a new holiday drink

Next Up on the TBR Pile:

Fall Bucket List Final

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

1. Visit Vala’s 5x ✓

2. Celebrate Friendsgiving ✓

3. Read 50 Books (47/50) - So very close!

4. Complete Spooky Movie Month ✓

5. Execute a Halloween Party for Coop ✓

6. Have an Art/Craft Day

7. Two State Park Visists

8. Two Zoo Visits (1/2)

9. Pick Out and Carve Pumpkins ✓

10. Go Trick-or-Treating ✓

11. Jump in a Pile of Leaves

12. Go Through a Corn Maze ✓

13. Make 5 Fall Recipes

14. Make Leaf Art

15. Go Pick Apples ✓

16. Go on a Fall Forest Hike ✓

17. Make 3 Pumpkin Recipes

18. Go Bowling

Next up on the TBR pile:

November 2022 Wrap

November TBR Pile (24/29):

1. Bookworms BC: Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gilliam McAllister

2. Bookworms BC: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus ✓

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

4. Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: Fairy Tale by Stephen King ✓

5. Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls ✓

6. Currently Reading Bookish Friends BC: Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne Valente ✓

7. Fantasy: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

8. Mystery: A Curious Beginning by Deanna Rayburn

9. Horror: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher ✓

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

11. Nonfiction: The 1619 Project

12. Kid Read Aloud: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones ✓

13. Kid Read Aloud: The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren ✓

14. Kid Read Aloud: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling ✓

15. Kid Book Club: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill ✓

16. Added: The Lost Vampire Prince by Melody Raven ✓

17. Added: Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab ✓

18. Added: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater ✓

19. Added: Once & Future Vol. 4 ✓

20. Added: The Devil and the Heiress by Harper St. George ✓

21. Reread: Sunshine by Robin McKinley ✓

22. Added: Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab ✓

23. Added: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden ✓

24. Added: The Highlander Who Protected me by Vanessa Kelly ✓

25. Added: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy ✓

26. Added: The Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. George ✓

27. Added: The Low, Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado ✓

28. Added: Eternal Empire Vol. 1 ✓

29. Added: Eternal Empire Vol. 2 ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6552 pages
Pages Remaining: 368,348 pages

Current Read - Snowpiercer Comics, The Fourth Suit by Neil Patrick Harris

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (0)

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 332

• Books Read: 1

• Books Acquired: 0

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 331

December TBR Pile: December is always about Holiday romances. There were will be a few other books read, but that’s my focus as the year winds down.

1. Bookworms BC: Already Read

2. Friend BC: The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

3. Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: Already Read

4. Currently Reading Bookish Friends BC: None

5. Kid Read Aloud: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

6. Kid Book Club: Samantha Spinner and the Super Secret Plans by Russell Ginns

7. Middle Grade: The Fourth Suit by Neil Patrick Harris

8. Comics: Snowpiercer The Prequel Part 1

9. Comics: Snowpiercer The Prequel Part 2

10. Comics: Snowpiercer Vol. 1

11. Holiday Romance: Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison

12. Holiday Romance: Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak

13. Holiday Romance: Christmas Clash by Suzanna Park

14. Holiday Romance: In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae

15. Holiday Romance: It Started with a Dog by Julia London

16. Holiday Romance: Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton

17. Holiday Romance: You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky

Movies watched

• The Predator - I was very attached the Loonies, so congrats I guess.

• Prey - We’ve decided that this one was the best of the Predator movies. So incredibly good!

• See How They Run - Love a screwball comedy.

• Samrat Prithviraj - Over the top Bollywood film. Loved it!

• RRR - Another absolute bonkers Bollywood movie.

• Weird: The Al Yankovic Story - Loved his “totally true” story of Weird Al’s life.

• Red Cliff - Chinese epic that was amazing even if there was some propaganda involved.

• Future Shock - Documentary that really does not age well.

• Rope - A classic Hitchcock starring Jimmy Stewart that I’ve never actually seen. Very good.

• Infinity Baby - What did I just watch? Very strange movie.

• The Sound of 007 - Loved this music doc.

• The Addams Family - Introduced the kids to the 1990s movie. It holds ip fairly well.

• What We Did on Our Holiday - Surprisingly serious.

• Spirited - Delightful!

• Black Adam - Not as bad as Batman vs. Superman, but not great. Too much action.

TV Shows watched 

• Last Week Tonight

• Resident Alien

• Lower Decks

• Mythic Quest S3 - Love the changes!

• Bachelor in Paradise - Ooof what a season.

• Leverage: Redemption S1 - J watched this previously. With S2 dropping, he wanted me to watch. It’s light and breezy.

• Below Deck Med

• Below Deck

Comments -

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Title: The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Author: Kelly Barnhill

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers 2016

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Pages: 388

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge—with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . .

Next up on the TBR pile:

Eternal Empire Vol. 2

Title: Eternal Empire Vol. 2

Author: Sarah Vaughn, Jonathan Luna

Publisher: Image Comics 2018

Genre: Comic

Pages: 136

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

In the concluding arc of this fantasy epic, Tair and Rion use their fire power to try to take down the Empire, while the Eternal Empress plots to use the duo for her own devices. Can the two avoid her clutches, or will they be the weapon the Empress needs to finally control all of Saia?

With the conclusion, we learn more about the daraka and the prophecy of the three. I liked seeing Tair and Rion come to understand each other and their place in the world. I would have liked a bit more about the lore and legends of the daraka, but we speed past most of that to get to the showdown with the Empress. Decent comics for an afternoon’s reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Eternal Empire Vol. 1

Title: Eternal Empire Vol. 1

Author: Sarah Vaughn, Jonathan Luna

Publisher: Image Comics 2017

Genre: Comic

Pages: 128

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

JONATHAN LUNA (ALEX + ADA, THE SWORD, Spider-Woman: Origin) and SARAH VAUGHN (ALEX + ADA, Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love, Ruined) return with ETERNAL EMPIRE, a fantasy epic!

The Eternal Empress has waged war against the countries of Saia for over 100 years, and now her sights are set on the last country standing. But within the brutal Empire’s workforce, a young man and woman discover they share a synergistic power that could change the fate of the entire world. Collects issues 1 through 5.

A fun saving the world comic involving dragons with a limited run? Sign me up! I have enjoyed other comics from Vaughn and Luna and this was no exception. We slowly sink into the world of Saia and the lore of the daraka and the triple suns. We meet two characters somehow connected. The first trade shows them meeting and learning of their purpose. We have to wait until the second trade to see if they succeed.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Low Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado

Title: The Low, Low Woods

Author: Carmen Maria Machado, Dani, Tamra Bonvillain

Publisher: DC Black Label 2020

Genre: Comic

Pages: 168

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

There's something in the woods...

Shudder-to-Think, Pennsylvania, has been on fire for years. The woods are full of rabbits with human eyes, a deer woman who stalks hungry girls, and swaths of skinless men. And the people of Shudder-to-Think? Well, they're not doing so well either.

When El and Octavia wake up in a movie theater with no memory of the last few hours of their lives, the two teenage dirtbags embark on a horrifying journey to uncover the truth about the strange town that they call home.

We get shades of Silent Hill and the creepy atmosphere from the real-life Centralia mixed with magic and transformation. Horrifying yet poignant look at the treatment of women and memory. I was confused for the first issue or so, trying to get my bearings in this very strange town. And then I started to suspect that not all the occurrences were random. The truth slowly unfolds over the issues to reveal decades-long horrors. I loved the interjection of the witch to give council, but it’s the two main characters that have to made the ultimate choice for everyone. I imagine that I will be thinking about this short comic for awhile after reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - The Pretty Reckless "25"

Not a new song, but The Pretty Reckless did just release an album of B-sides and special versions of past songs. I really like this one when it came out, but didn’t feature it for Music Monday. Corrected!

Here’s the acoustic version off the new album:

Next up on the TBR pile:

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Title: I’m Glad My Mom Died

Author: Jennette McCurdy

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 2022

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 304

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

CW: All the warnings! Sexual assault, Disorder eating, Child abuse

This was so tough to read and yet I did laugh at a few parts. McCurdy starts at the beginning to show us what exactly it was like growing up in her family. All the family secrets are laid bare as we struggle to understand how these people could treat a little girl like that. And then things get even worse as she ages. I was absolutely appalled at a few scenes and it was very difficult to read them. But you need to to understand why McCurdy then makes the choices that she does in her late teens and early 20s. Everything makes so much more sense. I was glad to see that she is finally on the road to recovery. But I think I would have like another 5 years or so before she wrote this book. I would have liked to hear a bit more about her recovery before reliving all this trauma.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. George

Title: The Lady Tempts an Heir (The Gilded Age Heiresses #3)

Author: Harper St. George

Publisher: Berkley 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 314

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Tall, dark, and brooding—to say that American Maxwell Crenshaw stood out in the glittering ballrooms of London is an understatement. He vowed never to set foot in England again, but when a summons from his father along with an ultimatum to secure his legacy has him crossing the Atlantic for the last time, reuniting him with the delectable Lady Helena March, he can’t deny the temptation she presents. Or the ideas she inspires…

Lady Helena March is flirting with scandal. Instead of spending her time at teas and balls in search of another husband, as is expected of a young widow, Helena pours her energy into The London Home for Young Women. But Society gives no quarter to unmarried radicals who associate with illegitimate children and fallen women, and Helena’s funding is almost run out. So when the sinfully seductive Crenshaw heir suggests a fake engagement to save them both—him from an unwanted marriage and her from scorn and financial ruin—Helena finds herself too fascinated to refuse the sexy American.

As their arrangement of convenience melts oh so deliciously into nights of passion, their deception starts to become real. But if Max knew the true reason Helena can never remarry, he wouldn’t look at her with such heat in his eyes. Or might the Crenshaw heir be willing to do whatever it takes to win the one woman he’s never been able to forget…

The best book out the series so far! I absolutely loved this story of a fake engagement turned real feelings all wrapped up in the history of Helena and Max’s family’s business dealings. I loved seeing two character actually talk to one another before making ridiculous decisions. I loved the conversations about the plight of single mothers and women in the industrial age. I loved the string characters stand up for their own feelings while also being cognizant of the other’s feelings. This one had so much good communication and lovely romance. So good!

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:

The Midwife's Revolt by Jodi Daynard

Title: The Midwife’s Revolt

Author: Jodi Daynard

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing 2015

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 426

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

On a dark night in 1775, Lizzie Boylston is awakened by the sound of cannons. From a hill south of Boston, she watches as fires burn in Charlestown, in a battle that she soon discovers has claimed her husband’s life.

Alone in a new town, Lizzie grieves privately but takes comfort in her deepening friendship with Abigail Adams. Soon, word spreads of Lizzie’s extraordinary midwifery and healing skills, and she begins to channel her grief into caring for those who need her. But when two traveling patriots are poisoned, Lizzie finds herself with far more complicated matters on her hands—she suspects a political plot intended to harm Abigail and her family. Determined to uncover the truth, Lizzie becomes entangled in a conspiracy that could not only destroy her livelihood—and her chance at finding love again—but also lead to the downfall of a new nation.

This was our selection for November’s book club and I was not initially thrilled by the summary. But I decided to give it a go anyway and dove in. And it was thoroughly boring. I was bored by our main character. I was bored by the plot line. I was bored by the writing. I thought were was going to be a poisoning plot line, but that doesn’t come into the picture until over halfway through the book. And that portion of the book wasn’t that exciting either. I was just really really bored with this one.

Next up on the TBR pile: