Snow, Glass, Apples

Title: Snow, Glass, Apples

Author: Neil Gaiman, Colleen Doran

Publisher: Headline 2019

Genre: Comic

Pages: 64

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

A chilling fantasy retelling of the Snow White fairy tale by New York Times bestselling creators Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran!

A not-so-evil queen is terrified of her monstrous stepdaughter and determined to repel this creature and save her kingdom from a world where happy endings aren't so happily ever after.

Randomly saw this one the library shelf and immediately grabbed it. This is a very dark retailing of the Snow White story. Not for children at all. The story itself is pretty interesting, but it’s the art that really shines in this volume. Doran layers so many pieces into each panel. My eye hardly knew where to look first. After reading the story once, I went back to look at some of my favorite pages again. Such beautiful art!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #2

Reading: Babel by R.F. Kuang - We’re reading this for my Nerdy Bookish Friends buddy read and it’s amazing so far. Definitely speculative fiction mixed with historical fiction with a dash of fantasy. I’m slowly making my way through it, but loving every page.

Watching: We’re finishing our big rewatch of His Dark Materials. The television series is a great adaptation of the books.

Listening: I’m catching up to Currently Reading. Only about three episodes behind.

Making: I keep forgetting about various documentaries we own that would be perfect for our homeschooling. So, I’m making a master list to slot into the places they belong.

Feeling: I’m almost fully recovered from the cold that I caught last week. It was my first true cold since the pandemic started and it was awful. I couldn’t breathe for three days.

Planning: Working on the plans for the bookish retreat and I’m having so much fun. I’ve got some ideas for great treats and surprises as well as a few games.

Loving: Dealing with multiple instances of people not reading the instructions and it’s really been getting to me. I try to be as clear as possible with instructions when it comes to coop, the retreat, and everything else I plan. Just read the instructions people.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W21: And Now I Have a Cold!

What We Studied

Another week with basically no photos. I think I need to set a few reminders.

The start of 2023 has not been going well for us school wise. Between my surgery, the kids getting a cold, and then then giving me their cold, we’ve had more half weeks than I care to think bout. We’re still trying to keep up with our read aloud and our math, but lots of the other subjects have slowed down to accommodate lots of rest for everyone. We’ve also had to cancel a ton of activities. I know that we will make up for it laster this semester, but it’s a bit discouraging to deal with all the delays and setbacks.

Literature and Poetry

For the coop book club, w'e’re continuing our current selection. I’m really really enjoying this book and I know that Arthur is also. We’re also at the end, but it’s been pretty slow going this past week.

• Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

Arthur and I started our next read aloud. Instead of a literature selection from our language arts curriculum, I chose a historical fiction selection from our history curriculum. It’s an intense story, but I thought it would be interesting read about a plague in our country’s history. And it fits nicely with the time period we are studying in U.S. History this month. We finished that read aloud, although Arthur still needs to do some of his wrap-up work for it.

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

• One World, Many Religions by Mary Pope Osborne

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

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

• Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

New haircuts!

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 4B

• Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

• Singapore 1A

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 covered the Presidencies of George Washington and John Adams. We also learned a bit more about the conflicts with the Indigenous peoples west of the Appalachian Mountains.

• 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

• Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• What the Eagle Sees

• Brick by Brick by Charles R. Smith Jr.

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We’re continuing with our Asian country study. This week we covered Southeast Asia. Along with our study of the geography and people, we went to the Asian Market and bought a ton of foods from Asia. We did multiple tasting nights. The boys really enjoyed the steamed custard buns.

• 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

• Mela and the Elephant by Dow Phumiruk

• I See the Sun in Myanmar by Dedie King

• A Different Pond by Bao Phi  B&R 14 (Vietnam)

• My Night in the Planetarium by Innosanto Nagara (Indonesia)

• Nana, Nanek, and Nina by Liza Ferneyhough (Malaysia)

• Wishes by Muon Thi Van

• The Umbrella Queen by Shirin Yim Bridges (Thailand)

• The Floating Field: How a Group pf Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field by Scott Riley (Thailand)

• Peek! by Minfong Ho (Thailand)

• I am a Little Monk by Mi-hwa Joo (Thailand)

• My First Book of Tagalog Words by Liana Romuto (Philippines)

• Judge Rabbit and the Tree Spirit by Lina Mao Wall (Cambodia)

• My First Book of Indonesian Words by Linda Hibbs (Indonesia)

• When Lola Visits by Michelle Sterling (Philippines)

• Hush! by Minfong Ho (Thailand)

• Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore (Philippines)

• Mango Trees by Tae-yeon Kim (Philippines)

• Ten Mice for Tet by Peggy Deitz Shea (Vietnam)

• Grandfather's Dream by Holly Keller

• An Elephant in the Backyard by Richard Sobol

• Fly Free! by Roseanne Thong

• Nine-in-One by Blia Xiong

• Mali Under the Night Sky by YOUME

• Where are You, Sun Bear? by Eun-mi Choi

• Mommy Sayang by Rosana Sullivan

• Brother Rabbit by Minfong Ho & Saphan Ros

Part of our Asian Market haul

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 ended up skipping out shared science lesson (sickness), but did cover another chapter in The Story of Science and watched another episode of the BBC documentary series: How the Earth

• 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

One of our tasting nights

STEAM Coop

Arthur’s group is continuing its big stop-motion animation project. The kids are continuing their planning and prep for actual filming next week. Quentin’s group focused on learning about nutrition. There was a sorting game that he really liked.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

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.

After dinner game of Guess in 10: Dinosaurs

Field Trip

No field trip this week.

High

• . We managed to sneak in a few family game times this week.

Low

• Because of being sick, we had to cancel a board game day and a winter hike.

Next Week

• We’ll be using our Flex Week to catch up on some subjects and start our new read alouds.

Finished this incredible read aloud

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Pierce the Veil "Even When I'm Not with You"

A new song from Pierce the Veil! I’m so excited!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath

Title: Never Fall for Your Fiancée (Merrill Sisters #1)

Author: Virginia Heath

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin 2021

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; Romanceopoly - The Cobbles (Historical romance with a rake)

Spice Rating: 4

The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, ever wants is a wife. Unfortunately for him, his mother is determined to find him one, even from across the other side of the ocean. So Hugh invents a fake fiancée to keep his mother’s matchmaking ways at bay. But when Hugh learns his interfering mother is on a ship bound for England, he realizes his complicated, convoluted but convenient ruse is about to implode. Until he collides with a beautiful woman, who might just be the miracle he needs.

Minerva Merriwell has had to struggle to support herself and her two younger sisters ever since their feckless father abandoned them. Work as a woodcut engraver is few and far between, and the Merriwell sisters are nearly penniless. So when Hugh asks Minerva to pose as his fiancée while his mother is visiting, she knows that while the scheme sounds ludicrous, the offer is too good to pass up.

Once Minerva and her sisters arrive at Hugh's estate, of course nothing goes according to his meticulous plan. As hilarity and miscommunication ensue while everyone tries to keep their tangled stories straight, Hugh and Minerva’s fake engagement starts to turn into a real romance. But can they trust each other when their relationship started with a lie?

A bit of a disappointment. I was hoping for a good historical romp with lots of banter. Instead, I got a book that mostly bored me. The two main characters don’t show enough sparkle or wit early on. (Seriously the best friend and sister steal every scene they are in. Guess I should just read the sequel…) The conversations all the characters had seemed to repeat themselves over and over again. I was just pretty bored overall. The big trope of fake fiancee felt very forced and not fun. I just didn’t really enjoy reading this one.

Merriwell Sisters

• #1 Never Fall for Your Fiancée

• #2 Never Rescue a Rogue

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #4

Right now I am: Taking a moment before brunch and then heading out to the theatre with the family. We are going to see Dragons and Mythical Beasts at the Orpheum. Very excited for the show!

On my bedside table: Babel by R.F. Huang; Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

On my tv this week: We’re continuing our rewatch of His Dark Materials to get to season 3. In fact, we got to season 3 this week and it’s so so good! We should finish this week.

Listening to: Slowly slowly catching up on the Currently Reading podcast. I finally made it into 2023 with their episodes. Hoping to catch up by the end of the week.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Broccoli Beef

• Tuesday - Leftovers

• Wednesday - Buffalo Chicken Dip

• Thursday - Laksa Soup

• Friday - Coffee Rubbed Pork Loin

• Saturday - Apple Cheddar Stuffed Chicken

• Sunday - Firecracker Chicken

On my to do list: Coop tasks, retreat planning, homeschool planning, making all the appointments

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home Day

• Tuesday - Haircut for me!

• Wednesday - Science

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Valentine’s Day Party

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Coop Book Club

What I am creating: Nothing really. I wanted to get to my December Daily album, but all I managed to do was print the photos.

My simple pleasures: A good book, extra tissues, a comfy pillow

Looking around the house: I made the boys do a big pick up yesterday, so it’s looking decent. My next house task is to remove the baker’s rack that’s currently being used as my homeschool supply storage area.

From the camera: We went to the Asian Market this week to try some snacks and ended up buying so many things! It’s probably good that I only go once every 4 months. My freezer and cabinets cannot handle the goodies. Those sesame balls were fresh and still warm when I bought them! So good!

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire

Title: Lost in the Moment and Found (Wayward Children #8)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tordotcom 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages:146

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; 52 Book Club - Under 200 Pages

Welcome to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go.

If you ever lost a sock, you’ll find it here.
If you ever wondered about a favorite toy from childhood... it’s probably sitting on a shelf in the back.
And the headphones that you swore this time you’d keep safe? You guessed it….

Antoinette has lost her father. Metaphorically. He’s not in the Shop, and she’ll never see him again. But when Antsy finds herself lost (literally, this time), she discovers that however many doors open for her, leaving the Shop for good might not be as simple as it sounds.

And stepping through those doors exacts a price.

CW: Grooming, Child Abuse

First, a note about the content warning. No child abuse happens on the page. As the reader, you know that’s where Antsy’s life is heading. But then, she runs aways before anything actually happens. The threat is so big that she runs away from her life pretty spontaneously. From there, the story really gets started.

I absolutely loved this story of lost innocence and the prices we pay in life. This volume felt very personal, almost as if McGuire was letting us glimpse her own life. And therefore, the story felt more real, more important, than some of her other writings. I was rooting for Antsy from page one, hoping she would be able to find her place. We get to visit another interesting world while glimpsing a few others (including an appearance by a certain set of twins). I read this in one sitting and that felt just right. Dazzling volume in this favorite series!

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

• #6 Across the Green Grass Fields

• #7 Where the Drowned Girls Go

• #8 Lost in the Moment and Found

Next up on the TBR pile:

Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Title: Anya and the Nightingale

Author: Sofiya Pasternack

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2020

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 416

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; 52 Book Club - Written in Present Tense

It’s been a year since a violent Viking terrorized the small village of Zmeyreka and Anya and her foolish friend Ivan saved a friendly dragon from being sacrificed for his magic.

But things still aren’t safe in the kingdom of Kievan Rus’. 

After embarking on a journey to bring her papa home from war, Anya discovers a powerful forest creature terrorizing travelers. But she soon learns that he’s not the monster the kingdom should fear. There’s an even greater evil that lurks under the city. 

Can Anya stop the monster, save her papa, and find her way home? Or will the secrets of Kiev leave Anya and her friends trapped beneath the city forever?

Another decent, if not super exciting book for this series. I wanted to love this book more than I actual loved this book. I think this is a case of the book not being written for me. If I was 12 and reading this one, I think I would have given it 5 stars. It just felt a little too juvenile for me. I wanted to Anya to dive a little deeper into the culture and the stories. Instead, we get lots of angst and a very transparent mystery.

Anya

• #1 Anya and the Dragon

• #2 Anya and the Nightingale

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I finally caught the cold that the boys had. It’s terrible. I hate not being able to sleep.

• As such, I will not be going to coop tomorrow, but hoping to drop off Arthur as he’s fully recovered.

• Halfway through our rewatch of His Dark Materials and it’s just as good as I remembered.

• Two dud reads in a row was not fun at all. Thankfully I started a fun romance that’s making me want to read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

February 2023 Life Goals

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

• Read 18 Books ✓ - I blew this out of the water!

• Make All the Appointments! (Medical related)

• Plan Out Curriculum and Coop for Spring

• Execute a Homeschool Seminar ✓

• Clean and Organize My Office!

• Take it Easy after a Minor Surgery ✓

February Goals:

• Read 18 Books

• Get Back into Our School/Social Routine

• Plan Another Homeschool Seminar

• Set Up Coop Events for February through March

• Go on Four Winter Hikes

Next up on the TBR pile:

January 2023 Wrap

January TBR Pile (25/29):

1. Bookworms BC: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt ✓

2. Bookworms BC: Come as You Are by Jess K Hardy

3. Friend BC: Paradise Falls by Keith O’Brien ✓

4. Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon ✓

5. Currently Reading Bookish Friends BC: TBD

6. Kid Read Aloud: Chains by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

7. Kid Read Aloud: My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George ✓

8. Kid Read Aloud: The Year of the Dog by Grave Lin ✓

9. Kid Read Aloud: The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dagliesh ✓

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

11. Kid Book Club: Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

12. Winter Read: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

13. Romance: Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert ✓

14. Romance: The Deal by Elle Kennedy ✓

15. Romance: Misadventures of a Curvy Girl by Sierra Simone ✓

16. Romance: It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey ✓

17. Romance: Priest by Sierra Simone ✓

18. Mystery: Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter ✓

19. Mystery: The Dire King by William Ritter ✓

20. Comics: Ducks by Kate Beaton ✓

21. Comics: The Me You Love in the Dark by Skottie Young and Jorge Corona ✓

22. Comics: Lore, Olympus Vol. 3 by Rachel Smythe ✓

23. Comics: Lady Mechanika Vol. 7 ✓

24. Comics: The Dollhouse Family ✓

25. Short Stories: The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth ✓

26. Paranormal Romance: Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost ✓

27. Paranormal Romance: One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost ✓

28. Paranormal Romance: At Grave’s End by Jeaniene Frost ✓

29. Nonfiction: A Literary Education by Emily Cook ✓

30. MG: Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 7960 pages
Pages Remaining: 352,425 pages

Current Read - Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack; The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Snagu Mandanna

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (3)

• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - I had to grab this one for book club as the library holds were ridiculously long…

• Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo - BOTM pick and second in the Alex Stern series.

• An Endless Fire by Rebecca Ross - BOTM add-on.

UnRead Shelf Progress - In January, I always double check my numbers and get everything organized and cleaned out. My numbers this month will get very strange because of that.

• Starting Number: 347

• Books Read: 5

• Books Acquired: 3

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 335

February TBR Pile:

1. Bookworms BC: Come as You Are by Jess K. Hardy

2. Friend BC: Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

3. Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: Babel by R.F. Kaung

4. Currently Reading Bookish Friends BC:

5. Kid Read Aloud: Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

6. Kid Read Aloud: Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

7. Kid Book Club: Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

8. Winter Read: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

9. Middle Grade: Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

10. Fantasy: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

11. Romance: Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath

12. Romance: Never Fall for Your Fiancé by Virginia Heath

Movies watched - We went on a big murder mystery movie binge and it was delightful.

• Violent Night - Such a fun action movie.

• The Shape of All Things - J’s choice of a very odd movie.

• Crossroads - Surprisingly good older movie.

• Them! - Love the fun scifi monster movies.

• The Limehouse Golem - Really enjoyed this dark murder mystery.

• The Cheap Detective - Except for a few jokes that didn’t age well, this was a lot of fun.

• Deathtrap - So many twists and turns! So good!

• Evil Under the Sun - Enjoyed this Agatha Christie adaptation.

• Gosford Park - Revisited this great murder mystery movie.

• The Batman - Surprisingly good version of the story.

• The Last of Sheila - Another great murder mystery.

TV Shows watched 

• Letterkenny S11

• Leverage Redemption S2

• Mythic Quest S3

• Lego Masters S2

• Avenue 5 S2

• His Dark Materials S1 (Rewatching the entire series in one big viewing)

Comments - Having a minor surgery and being stuck in bed for a few days did wonders for my January reading stats. I ended up reading 9 books just that week. Beyond that, I’m very proud of reading 5 books from my Unread Shelf (even if 20 of my books came from the library).

Next up on the TBR pile:

Priest by Sierra Simone

Title: Priest (Love Story #1)

Author: Sierra Simone

Publisher: No Bird Press 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 378

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Featuring one of the “Seven Deadly Sins”; Romanceopoly - Passion Place

Spice Meter: 8 (for the taboo nature of the pairing)

There are many rules a priest can't break. A priest cannot marry. A priest cannot abandon his flock. A priest cannot forsake his God. I've always been good at following rules. Until she came. Then I learned new rules. My name is Tyler Anselm Bell. I'm twenty-nine years old. Six months ago, I broke my vow of celibacy on the altar of my own church, and God help me, I would do it again. I am a priest and this is my confession.

CW: Suicide, Sexual Abuse

I am so very disappointed in this book. It’s been all over Bookstagram; featured on all the super spicy romance lists. But I came to the end of the book very uncomfortable and not turned on at all. My main issue with this book really centers on the religion piece. All of the characters seem to take their faith very seriously, but also reject all the “rules” that they claim to be so important. I couldn’t wrap my brain around these seemingly contradictory stances. I was very uncomfortable with how the characters try to find the loopholes and edge cases to justify their actions. I would have greatly preferred if they realized that they didn’t actually believe in the religion at all. But it continue claiming to be believers and still not really repenting for their transgressions just felt icky to me. I was hoping for a good deep dive into the ways that the Catholic Church has mishandled the abuse scandals and it’s current stance toward sex, but that seemed to be teased at the beginning and then pushed to the side. At the end, it seemed like everything the characters did was justified because they got married. I just couldn’t with this book. I will not be reading the sequels.

Love Story

• #1 Priest

• #1.5 Midnight Mass

• #2 Sinner

• #3 Saint

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W20: Getting Back into Our Routine

What We Studied

Another week with basically no photos.

I’m finally mostly recovered from surgery, so we started to get back into our regular routine this week. We managed to have a bit of school every day along with a few activities and outings. Plus, I managed to squeeze in a dentist appointment and trip to the grocery story.

Literature and Poetry

For the coop book club, w'e’re continuing our current selection. I’m really really enjoying this book and I know that Arthur is also.

• Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

Arthur and I started our next read aloud. Instead of a literature selection from our language arts curriculum, I chose a historical fiction selection from our history curriculum. It’s an intense story, but I thought it would be interesting read about a plague in our country’s history. And it fits nicely with the time period we are studying in U.S. History this month.

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

• One World, Many Religions by Mary Pope Osborne

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

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

• The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dagliesh

• Pig and Pug by Laura Marchesani (Quentin Reads)

• I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! by Dr. Seuss (Quentin Reads)

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 4B

• Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

• Singapore 1A

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 covered the Articles of Confederation era as well as the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

• 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

• Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

• Shhh! We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We’re continuing with our Asian country study. This week we covered the rest of East Asia then hopped on over to the Indian subcontinent.

• 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

• Follow Me Around Japan by Wiley Blevins

• Living in South Korea by Chloe Perkins

• Follow Me Around South Korea by Wiley Blevins

• The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo

• The Discovery of Ramen by Phil Amara and Oliver Chin

• Grass Sandals: The Travels of Basho by Dawnine Spivak

• One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Davidson Mannis

• The Origami Master by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer

• I, Doko by Ed Young

• Chibi Samurai Wants a Pet by Sanae Ishida

• Ba-chan The Ninja Grandma by Sanae Ishida

• A Pair of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno

• Gigi and Ojiji: What's in a Name? by Melissa Iwai

• Living In India by Chloe Perkins

• Leila in Saffron by Rukhsanna Guidroz

• Mama's Saris by Pooja Makhijani

• I See the Sun in India by Dedie King

• I See the Sun in Nepal by Dedie King

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. This week was all about magnets! We did some simple magnet experiments. Next week, we will play some games with magnets and make a compass.

• 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

• A Little Round Panda on the Big Blue Earth by Troy Christie

STEAM Coop

Arthur’s group is continuing its big stop-motion animation project. The kids are planning and storyboarding before they get to actually film the movies. Quentin’s group focused on learning about nutrition. There was lots of sorting different foods and even trying a few.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

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.

Field Trip

No field trip this week.

High

• Another great winter walk this week! We joined some friends at the OPPD Arboretum and tromped through the snow and the woods.

Low

• The cold temperatures kept us inside more than I would have liked this week.

Next Week

• Continuing our historical fiction read aloud

• Keeping on with our math curriculum

• Covering Southeast Asia for SS (Q)

• Learning about our first two presidents (A)

• Playing with magnets for physics

• Going on another winter hike

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Dorothy "Black Sheep"

Her voice is just so amazing!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Bucket List Update #1

Entering into another winter bucket list.

1. Go Sledding ✓ - Backyard, but we still did it!

2. Read 45 Books (25/45)

3. Bake Some Bread ✓ - I’ve actually made multiple loaves so far this year.

4. Make Winter Crafts

5. Movie Month February

6. Make Valentines

7. Go on 5 Winter Hikes (3/5)

8. Have an Indoor Picnic

9. Make a Snow Globe

10. Complete 3 Puzzles

11. Buy Some New Cozy Pajamas

12. Check Off 50 Hours Outside

13. Have a Birthday Day Out

14. Visit the Zoo 3 Times (1/3)

15. Monthly Bingo/Trivia Nights (1/3)

16. Take the Kids Bowling

17. Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

18. Make a New Dessert

19. Make a Bird Feeder

20. Have an Ice Cream Sundae Night

Next Up on the TBR Pile:

Life Right Now #3

As I look outside my window: It looks pretty out there, but I know that it’s very very cold this weekend.

Right now I am: Sneaking in a few pages of my book before I need to make brunch.

On my bedside table: Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire; The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

On my tv this week: J and I started a rewatch of His Dark Materials S1 and S2 in anticipation of watching S3. I forgot just how much happens in every episode, but it’s just so incredibly good.

Listening to: Not much this week. I’ve been getting back into the swing of things, but that meant more doing and less listening. I did catch up with Love to See It, Pod Save America, and If Books Could Kill.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Apple Bacon Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

• Tuesday - Chicken Pad Thai Nachoes

• Wednesday - Crab and Asparagus Soup

• Thursday - Broccoli Beef with Rice

• Friday - Pizza Night

• Saturday - Italian Noodle Soup

• Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list: I want to organize some things, read, and do a bit of crafting today. But first, I need to finish making a meal plan and grocery list. I should also review our science plans for the week.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home Day

• Tuesday - Coop Board Games Meeting

• Wednesday - Science

• Thursday - Coop; Lit Society

• Friday - Winter Hike at Fontenelle Forest

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Dragons and Mythical Beasts at The Orpheum

What I am creating: I finally really started my 2022 December Daily album. I need more photo paper to print images, but I got about 80% of them printed and ready to go. I also picked my paper and base color palette. I’ll be just using my stash instead of buying a new kit. I’ve finished three simple pages, only ~500 to go (exaggeration, but it really feels like that many).

My simple pleasures: A good night’s sleep, being back at coop, fresh homemade bread

Looking around the house: I really should vacuum today. And I need to do laundry and put away the clothes…

From the camera: Winter hike at the OPPD Arboretum with some coop friends. I really enjoy taking walks in the winter, who would have guessed?

The Dire King by William Ritter

Title: The Dire King (Jackaby #4)

Author: William Ritter

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers 2017

Genre: YA Historical Fiction; Horror

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series; 52 Book Club - Final Book in the Series

The fate of the world is in the hands of detective of the supernatural R. F. Jackaby and his intrepid assistant, Abigail Rook. An evil king is turning ancient tensions into modern strife, using a blend of magic and technology to push the earth and the otherworld into a mortal competition. Jackaby and Abigail are caught in the middle as they continue to solve mysteries in New Fiddleham, New England—like who’s created the rend between the worlds, how to close it, and why the undead are appearing around town.

At the same time, the romance between Abigail and the shape-shifting police detective Charlie Cane deepens, and Jackaby’s resistance to his feelings for the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, Jenny Cavanaugh, begins to give way. But before the four can think about their own futures, they will have to defeat an evil that wants to destroy the future altogether.

And we that, the story of Abigail Rook and Jackaby has ended. And it was quite an ending. We knew things were going to get very serious after the third book, but I wasn’t quite prepared exactly how serious until we get to the halfway point of this book. I was very much on the edge of my seat for the entire second half. I was totally unprepared for the final battle against the Dire King and his allies. I knocked off one star in that I did think that the final confrontation was too drawn out without enough conclusion/reconnection of the characters. I would have liked to see the pacing at the end reworked a bit. But I did love the ending of Abigail’s story. Overall, this has been such a great mystery series.

Jackaby

• #1 Jackaby

• #1.5 The Map

• #2 Beastly Bones

• #3 Ghostly Echoes

• #4 The Dire King

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Dollhouse Family

Title: The Dollhouse Family

Author: M.R. Carey, Peter Gross, Vince Locke, Chris Peter

Publisher: DC Black Label

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 144

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

On Alice's sixth birthday, her dying great-aunt sent her the birthday gift she never knew she always wanted: a big, beautiful 19th-century dollhouse, complete with a family of antique dolls. In no time at all, the dollhouse isn't just Alice's favorite toy...it's her whole world. And soon, young Alice learns she can enter the house to visit a new group of friends, straight out of a heartwarming children's novel: the Dollhouse family.
But while the Dollhouse family welcomes her with open arms, in the real world, her family life is becoming much more complicated...and deep within the Dollhouse's twisting halls, the Black Room waits, with an offer to Alice. The house can fix all this, the Black Room says. All she has to do is say the words...
From there unfolds a twisty, surreal, multigenerational horror tale that echoes into centuries past, into Alice's tormented future, and into the beating heart of the madness that makes up our world...literally. Collects The Dollhouse Family #1-6.

Horrific story! Just what I want in my horror comics. We travel with Alice throughout her life getting some glimpses of the past history of the family. When things really ramp up, I was riveted to the page. The action comes fast and heavy with very graphic panels. But such a great story of tragedy and sacrifice.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lady Mechanika Vol. 7

Title: Lady Mechanika Vol. 7

Author: Joe Benitez, Beth Sotelo

Publisher: Benitez Productions 2022

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 106

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; UnRead Shelf

In a Victorian asylum full of grotesque inmates, sadistic guards, and a fanatical doctor, a young lady wakes to find her arms and legs have been replaced with mechanical limbs. But who among this gruesome menagerie is the true Monster of the Ministry of Hell? The origins of the notorious adventuress known as Lady Mechanika!

Collects LADY MECHANIKA: THE MONSTER OF THE MINISTRY OF HELL #1-4

Oooff This was such a hard trade. We finally get to see part of Lady Mechanika’s past; the trauma that she endured as a child. There were a few panels where I literally gasped out loud at the events depicted. So tough! And yet, it was get to explore her background to inform her current life and outlook. Plus we get some important information about a big bad in the universe. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost

Title: At Grave’s End (Night Huntress #3)

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon 2008

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages: 342

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Finishing the Series

Spice Meter: 5 (albeit one with a vampire)

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield's life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she's successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat's worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover's finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.

As if that wasn't enough, a woman from Bones's past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat's about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she's learned as a special agent won't help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.

Another very enjoyable Night Huntress novel. I loved the growth of the relationship between Cat and Bones. I loved the central mystery of the unknown threat. A few of the twists and turns were well executed. I did knock off one star as the first 1/3 of the book seemed to really drag.

Night Huntress:

• #0.5 Reckoning

• #1 Halfway to the Grave

• #1.2 The Other Half of the Grave

• #1.5 Happily Never After

• #2 One Foot in the Grave

• #3 At Grave’s End

• #3.5 Devil to Pay

• #4 Destined for an Early Grave

• #4.5 One for the Money

• #5 This Side of the Grave

• #6 One Grave at a Time

• #6.5 Home for the Holidays

• #7 Up from the Grave

• #7.5 Outtakes from the Grave

• #7.6 A Grave Girls’ Getaway

• #8 Both Feet in the Grave

Next up on the TBR pile: