Holiday Wishes by Jill Shalvis

Title: Holiday Wishes (Heartbreaker Bay #4.5)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Romance

Pages: 128

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Spice Rating: 5

It’s Christmastime again in Heartbreaker Bay!

When Sean O’Riley shows up at the Hartford Bed & Breakfast for his older brother’s bachelor weekend, he’s just hoping to make it through the weekend. What he’s not expecting is to come face to face with the woman he lost his virginity to a decade ago—a woman he’s never really forgotten.

The last time Lotti Hartford saw Sean, she told him she loved him while he said nothing. Now, ten years later, she’s just looking for a good time. For once, she wants to be the wild and free one, and Sean – the good time guy – is the perfect candidate. 

But as the weekend continues, Sean realizes that after a lifetime of being the hook-up king, he’s ready to find happily-ever-after, and he wants it with Lotti. But will she open her heart to him again? As Christmas sweeps through the little B&B, he can only hope love and magic are in the air. 

Not enough! I was hoping that we would get a full length novel featuring Sean. Instead, we get a very short novella. I wanted to see more of how Sean has grown since the series started. I wanted more conversations between him and Finn and him and Lottie. I wanted to actually see them start a proper relationship. Disappointed in how short and abrupt this one felt.

Heartbreaker Bay

• #1 Sweet Little Lies

• #2 The Trouble with Mistletoe

• #2.5 One Snowy Night

• #3 Accidentally on Purpose

• #4 Chasing Christmas Eve

• #4.5 Holiday Wishes

• #5 About That Kiss

• #6 Hot Winter Nights

• #6.5 Just Say When

• #7 Playing for Keeps

• #8 Wrapped Up in You

• #8.5 Twist of Fate

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #3

Reading: In the middle of Death in the Air by Kate Winkler Dawson. It’s a narrative history weaving together the killer 1952 London smog and a serial killer. Interesting, but the writing structure could use a bit of work.

Watching: While looking at something else, I stumbled across a limited series that adapted Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Of course, we had to start watching. Only two episodes in, but the creators have done an interesting job trying to fill out the world. We’ll keep watching.

Listening: I finally downloaded Paramore’s new album, and it’s been my go-to listen this week.

Making: I’m hosting one of my book club’s this month and need to make some discussion questions. Of course the book I chose does not have premade questions. That’s okay, I can do this, just need to sit down and collect my thoughts.

Feeling: All weekend and into this week I’ve been very tired. Not sure why…

Planning: We’ve cycled back and I’m up for teaching science for the next two weeks. We’re covering electricity - static and circuits.

Loving: Finding the time to sit in silence and read these past few days have been a life-saver.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W22: We Caught Up with Our Week!

What We Studied

We had a Flex Week and a regular week encompassing the last two weeks. Adding Flex Weeks into our yearly schedule has been a game changer! They allow us to take breaks that make sense to us and then use the Flex Weeks to catch up on the units.

Literature and Poetry

For the coop book club, we finished our selection and had a great book club meeting.

• Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

We started and finished our read aloud. Arthur really got into it and we hd some great discussion about homelessness and financial difficulties. It’s a fairly gentle story that really touches on some serious topics. Great pick!

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• One World, Many Religions by Mary Pope Osborne

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

• Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

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 also started a new read aloud. He’s been slow to warm up to it, but I think we’re really going to enjoy this one.

• 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

• Heartwood Hotel: A True Home by Kallie George

• The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (Q reads)

• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

• FriendBots: Blink and Block Make a Wish by Vicky Fang (Q Reads)

Sequence with Arthur does science

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

He made the Big Dipper

Working on lighting his animation project

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 took a week off from history (Flex Week) and then covered Thomas Jefferson’s Presidency minus the Lewis and Clark expedition. That portion will be covered with a larger unit about exploring the west. I also found a great documentary about Monticello (The History of Home: History’s Greatest Homes).

• 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

• Thomas Jefferson and the Mammoth Hunt: The True Story of the Quest for America's Biggest Bones by Carrie Clickard

• Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library by Barb Rosenstock

• Thomas Jefferson: A Day at Monticello by Elizabeth V. Chew

• Jefferson Measures a Moose by Mara Rockliff

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We’re continuing with our Asian country study. We covered more of Asia and moved into the Middle East.

• 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

• Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter

• A Sky-Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman

• The Sky of Afghanistan by Ana Eulate & Sonja Wimmer

• Count Your Way Through Afghanistan by Jim Haskins & Kathleen Benson

• I am Malala Yousafzai by Brad Meltzer

• Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai

• I See the Sun in Turkey by Dedie King

• Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad by James Rumford

• The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter

• Joha Makes a Wish by Eric A. Kimmel

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. Continuing our physic study with lessons on atoms and sensors. We were going to watch a Modern Marvels episode about radar but our copy was very wrong. Instead, I found a Mythbusters episode of them trying to beat a speed radar. Adjacent, but good addition to our science. And we watched a classic episode of Bill Nye: The Science Guy about atoms and molecules.

• 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. We started watching a new documentary series called Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a behind the scenes look at caring for the animals at the park. Each episode is less than 30 minutes, so it’s a perfect length for Q. We also talked a lot about what animals do in winter.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

• Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

STEAM Coop

Arthur’s group is continuing its big stop-motion animation project. They were supposed to finish filming this past week, but coop was cancelled due to weather. We made the decision to shift the next three weeks so the kids could finish out their project. The littles started their unit on stars and astronomy. They are also going to finish next week.

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.

Science - They made a refrigerator

Field Trip

We took a trip to the SAC Museum. The lesson they provided wasn’t that exciting, but we had lots of free exploration time. The museum has updated the kids exploration area adding in lots of new games. All the kids were very excited to design their own jet and then fly it on the flight simulator. They each did it about three times. Lots of fun!

We also got back on our 52 Hike plan with a lovely (and cold) morning at Heron Haven. Glad we wore our snow boots as the drifts were about 5 inches deep.

High

• We had our coop Valentine’s Day Party. It was a great time and the kids got lots of time to hang out with their friends.

Low

• A snowstorm put a wrench into our coop plans. Oh well, it happens living in the Midwest.

Next Week

• Starting a new read aloud (A)

• Getting close to finishing Singapore 4B for math (A)

• Covering static electricity for physics

• Moving to Madison and the War of 1812 for US History

• Continuing our current read aloud (Q)

• Watching a few more animal documentaries

• Joining a friend’s new Nature Explorers group on Friday morning.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - All Time Low "Tell Me I'm Alive"

And a new All Time Low song! My 2000s Emo heart is loving this!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #6

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny and going to get fairly warm today. All that snow we got on Thursday is quickly disappearing… I would have liked it to stay around for a just a bit longer.

Right now I am: Deciding what to make for brunch. I think we’re doing canned cinnamon rolls, sausage, and eggs. I don’t really feel like making anything homemade right now.

On my bedside table: I have a stack of library books to get to, but not exactly sure which one to pick up next.

On my tv this week: J and finished watching S2 of Clarkson’s Farm and moved on to some random movies.

Listening to: Mostly just the random podcasts that I listen to on a weekly basis. I should add some more music into my rotation.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chicken and Corn Soup

• Tuesday - Mongolian Beef

• Wednesday - Pulled Pork Sandwiches

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Roasted Lemon Chicken Thighs

• Saturday - Chili Verde

• Sunday - Sausage, Potato and Spinach Soup

On my to do list: So many things probably. I should really check my big brain dump list.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Bowling

• Tuesday - Trivia Night

• Wednesday - Science Class

• Thursday - Coop; OPL Book Bash

• Friday - Nature Explorers

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Nerdy Bookish Friends Zoom

What I am creating: I actually finished with my December Daily album yesterday and started working on my January Memory Planner pages. I printed the pictures, but need to lay them out and get to journaling.

My simple pleasures: All the scones! Seriously, now that I have a new oven, I’m baking scones weekly. So good!

Looking around the house: I cleaned up yesterday for homeschool seminar that was then rescheduled. So, things are looking decent right now.

From the camera: We had a big snow storm that hit overnight on Wednesday. We had to cancel coop, but it was lovely to have a snow day.

Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis

Title: Chasing Christmas Eve (Heartbreaker Bay #4)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Romance

Pages: 366

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Spice Rating: 5

Meet cute...

Run for the hills—temporarily. That’s Colbie Albright’s plan when she flees New York for San Francisco. Wrangling her crazy family by day and writing a bestselling YA fantasy series by night has taken its toll. In short, Colbie’s so over it that she’s under it. She’s also under the waters of a historic San Francisco fountain within an hour of arrival. Fortunately, the guy who fishes Colbie out has her looking forward to Christmas among strangers. But she’s pretty sure Spencer Baldwin won’t be a stranger for long.

Make merry...

Spence’s commitment to hiding from the Ghosts of Relationships Past means he doesn’t have to worry about the powerful—okay, crazy hot—chemistry he’s got with Colbie. Just because she can laugh at anything, especially herself... just because she’s gorgeous and a great listener…just because she “gets” Spence immediately doesn’t mean he won’t be able to let Colbie go. Does it?

…and hope for a miracle.

Now the clock’s ticking for Colbie and Spence: Two weeks to cut loose. Two weeks to fall hard. Two weeks to figure out how to make this Christmas last a lifetime.

Another fun romance novel from this series. Spencer may have the most intriguing of the original group. I really wanted him to find love. We finally get see more of his life and learn about his past relationship troubles. Over the course of the book, I totally fell for Spencer even more. He’s such a great guy. Enter Colbie and her attempt to run away from her responsibilities. I liked Spencer and Colbie together as they find ways to be more true to themselves and connect to each other. The only part that I didn’t love was how Colbie and her family interacted. That part of the story frustrated me. I really wanted to see more growth from her family. Still Spencer and Colbie were great together.

Heartbreaker Bay

• #1 Sweet Little Lies

• #2 The Trouble with Mistletoe

• #2.5 One Snowy Night

• #3 Accidentally on Purpose

• #4 Chasing Christmas Eve

• #4.5 Holiday Wishes

• #5 About That Kiss

• #6 Hot Winter Nights

• #6.5 Just Say When

• #7 Playing for Keeps

• #8 Wrapped Up in You

• #8.5 Twist of Fate

Next up on the TBR pile:

Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis

Title: Accidentally on Purpose (Heartbreaker Bay #3)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Avon 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 353

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Emergency Services (Main characters is a part of emergency services [I’m counting Archer’s job]); Finishing the Series

Spice Rating; 5

There’s no such thing as a little in love . . .

Elle Wheaton’s priorities: friends, career, and kick-ass shoes. Then there’s the muscular wall of stubbornness that’s security expert Archer Hunt—who comes before everything else. No point in telling Mr. “Feels-Free Zone” that, though. Elle will just see other men until she gets over Archer . . . which should only take a lifetime . . . 

There’s no such thing as a little in lust . . .

Archer’s wanted the best for Elle ever since he sacrificed his law-enforcement career to save her. Their chemistry could start the next San Francisco earthquake and he craves her 24/7, but Archer doesn’t want to be responsible for the damage. The alternative? Watch her go out with guys who aren’t him . . .

There is such a thing as . . .

As far as Archer’s concerned, nobody is good enough for Elle. But when he sets out to prove it by sabotaging her dates, she gets mad—and things get hot as hell. Now Archer has a new mission: prove to Elle that her perfect man has been here all along . . .

I absolutely adored Elle and Archer in the previous books and I was so looking forward to following their relationship. They intrigued me. Once we got to their story, I was all in on learning more about them individually as well. Overall, I enjoyed their story. But I wasn’t that into their actual relationship. There was much too much back and forth and repetition of the same conversations and arguments. I wanted to see their relationship really progress, but it seemed really stuck for most of the book. I wanted to see more of them after actually together. Oh well. Here’s hoping the next book is better.

Heartbreaker Bay

• #1 Sweet Little Lies

• #2 The Trouble with Mistletoe

• #2.5 One Snowy Night

• #3 Accidentally on Purpose

• #4 Chasing Christmas Eve

• #4.5 Holiday Wishes

• #5 About That Kiss

• #6 Hot Winter Nights

• #6.5 Just Say When

• #7 Playing for Keeps

• #8 Wrapped Up in You

• #8.5 Twist of Fate

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• We’re supposed to get a winter storm today, but I’m unsure that anything is really going coming down.

• My current book is amazing, but slow going. Still, I am really enjoying it.

• Getting Valentine’s candy on clearance is my favorite.

• I need to set up my science lessons for the next two weeks.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis

Title: Sweet Little Lies (Heartbreaker Bay #1)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Avon 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - The Bar (Main character works at or owns a bar); Finishing the Series

Spice Rating: 5

Choose the one guy you can’t have . . .

As captain of a San Francisco Bay tour boat, Pru can handle rough seas—the hard part is life on dry land. Pru loves her new apartment and her neighbors; problem is, she’s in danger of stumbling into love with Mr. Right for Anybody But Her.

Fall for him—hard . . .

Pub owner Finn O’Riley is six-foot-plus of hard-working hottie who always makes time for his friends. When Pru becomes one of them, she discovers how amazing it feels to be on the receiving end of that deep green gaze. But when a freak accident involving darts (don’t ask) leads to shirtless first aid, things rush way past the friend zone. Fast.

And then tell him the truth.

Pru only wants Finn to be happy; it’s what she wishes for at the historic fountain that’s supposed to grant her heart’s desire. But wanting him for herself is a different story—because Pru’s been keeping a secret that could change everything. . . .

Over Christmas, I read #2 and #2.5 in this series while driving to and from Indiana. I enjoyed them and decided to pick up the rest of the series to read the other romance pairings in the building. Surprisingly, each of these novels has romance but also a much more serious topic to cover. In this book, we get characters who feel a lot of guilt about actions their parents took. I like how Shalvis gives us real people with real issues and problems that they then need to communicate to others and get support. Finn and Pru were a great couple to start off this series. I loved them together and was rooting for their relationship from page one. I just wish the big conflict and reveal at the end was drawn out a bit more with more communication. Still, I really enjoyed this volume in the series.

Heartbreaker Bay

• #1 Sweet Little Lies

• #2 The Trouble with Mistletoe

• #2.5 One Snowy Night

• #3 Accidentally on Purpose

• #4 Chasing Christmas Eve

• #4.5 Holiday Wishes

• #5 About That Kiss

• #6 Hot Winter Nights

• #6.5 Just Say When

• #7 Playing for Keeps

• #8 Wrapped Up in You

• #8.5 Twist of Fate

Next up on the TBR pile:

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Title: Take My Hand

Author: Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Publisher: Berkley 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 359

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

Montgomery, Alabama, 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend intends to make a difference, especially in her African American community. At the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, she hopes to help women shape their destinies, to make their own choices for their lives and bodies.

But when her first week on the job takes her along a dusty country road to a worn-down one-room cabin, Civil is shocked to learn that her new patients, Erica and India, are children—just eleven and thirteen years old. Neither of the Williams sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black, and for those handling the family’s welfare benefits, that’s reason enough to have the girls on birth control. As Civil grapples with her role, she takes India, Erica, and their family into her heart. Until one day she arrives at their door to learn the unthinkable has happened, and nothing will ever be the same for any of them.

Decades later, with her daughter grown and a long career in her wake, Dr. Civil Townsend is ready to retire, to find her peace, and to leave the past behind. But there are people and stories that refuse to be forgotten. That must not be forgotten.

Because history repeats what we don’t remember.

I gave this book three stars on the strength of the actual historical story alone. I just had so many issues with the characters and construction of the plot in this one that I had to struggle to finish it. I definitely would like to read more about the actual story this novel is based on. I know a lot about events like the Tuskegee Syphillis experiments, but little about the forced sterilizations in the 1970s (only the ones previous). The story itself is brought down by clumsy characters and random side plots that seem to have little place in this story. My biggest complaint is the weird dual timeline. Why does Civil keep insisting that the story is so incredibly important and yet never told her daughter until right now? It’s so clunky and not needed. Just set the story in the 1970s and leave it there. We don’t need a “connection” to our modern times. That was just one of my issues. I also had problems with the abortion storyline (why was it hammered into our heads over and over again). weird romance with the girls’ father (just why?), the constant reminder of the socio-economic differences between Civil and the girls, and the insistence of researching the dangers of the birth control shot that was then dropped immediately after the sterilization happened (why focus so much energy just to switch gears so completely?). I was bored and annoyed throughout most of this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - The Fray "Heartless"

A very old cover, but I just rediscovered it. It’s just so good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #5

On my bedside table: Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis; The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

On my tv this week: We’ve been watching some random television shows including Killing it, Clarkson’s Farm, and Doctor Who (we’ve finally caught up). We also finished the follow-up to the Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed. I would have loved more sources from outside of the faith.

Listening to: I caught up on Pod Save America and made headway with Currently Reading.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Smothered Pork Chops

• Tuesday - Prawn and Sweet Potato Curry

• Wednesday - Apple Cheddar Stuffed Chicken

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Cheesy Artichoke Pasta

• Saturday - Firecracker Chicken

• Sunday - Chicken and Corn Soup

On my to do list: I still need to make some appointments…

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home Day

• Tuesday - SAC Museum Field Trip

• Wednesday - Science

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Heron Haven Hike; Lit Society

• Saturday - Homeschool Seminar

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: I still need to finish my December Daily album. Maybe next weekend?

My simple pleasures: Scones that bake properly!

Looking around the house: I should vacuum the first floor today. I also need to sweep the kitchen.

From the camera: Carnage on my island after a whirlwind morning of cooking for the week.

Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath

Title: Never Rescue a Rogue (Merrill Sisters #2)

Author: Virginia Heath

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin 2022

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Featuring an Inheritance; Romanceopoly - Library (Free Choice)

Spice Meter: 4

Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair only tolerate one another for the sake of their nearest and dearest. Everyone believes that the two of them are meant to be together, but Diana and Giles know that their constant pithy barbs come from a shared disdain—not a hidden attraction. Diana loves the freedom of working at the newspaper too much to give it up for marriage, and Giles is happily married to his bachelor lifestyle. But they do have one thing in common—the secrets they can’t risk escaping.

When Giles’ father, the curmudgeonly Duke of Harpenden unexpectedly turns up his toes, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes crawling out of the woodwork who knows the true circumstances of his only son's birth. As the threat of blackmail becomes real, Giles must uncover the truth of his parentage first, or else he and all those who depend upon him will be ruined—and dogged bloodhound Diana is his best hope at sniffing out the truth. As Giles and Diana dive into his family’s past, the attraction that the two of them insisted wasn’t there proves impossible to ignore. Soon, the future of the Sinclair estate isn’t the only thing on the line…

Another slightly disappointing historical romance. I was looking forward to this one as I loved Diana and Giles in the first book. In fact, their scenes were the best parts of the first book. So, I had hoped that this volume would be an improvement. Unfortunately, I was once again disappointed. Until the end, I couldn’t really put a finger on why I didn’t like it. The best explanation that I could come up was that I was bored. Something about Heath’s writing style bores me. I liked the big plot line and the mystery involved. It was a good plot, but I was still bored.

Merriwell Sisters

• #1 Never Fall for Your Fiancée

• #2 Never Rescue a Rogue

Next up on the TBR pile:

Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca

Title: Well Traveled (Well Met #4)

Author: Jen DeLuca

Publisher: Berkley 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Book About Siblings; Romnaceopoly - Contemporary romance with an illustrated cover

Spice Rating: 4

A high-powered attorney from a success-oriented family, Louisa "Lulu" Malone lives to work, and everything seems to be going right, until the day she realizes it’s all wrong. Lulu’s cousin Mitch introduced her to the world of Renaissance Faires, and when she spies one at a time just when she needs an escape, she leaps into the welcoming environment of turkey legs, taverns, and tarot readers. The only drawback? Dex MacLean: a guitarist with a killer smile, the Casanova of the Faire… and her traveling companion for the summer.

Dex has never had to work for much in his life, and why should he? Touring with his brothers as The Dueling Kilts is going great, and he always finds a woman at every Faire. But when Lulu proves indifferent to his many plaid charms and a shake-up threatens the fate of the band, Dex must confront something he never has before: his future.

Forced to spend days and nights together on the road, Lulu’s interest in the kilted bad boy grows as he shows her a side of himself no one else has seen. The stresses of her old lifestyle fade away as she learns to trust her intuition and follow her heart instead of her head. But when her time on the road is over, will Lulu go with her gut, or are she and Dex destined for separate paths?

Another volume in his lovely contemporary romance series set in a Renaissance Faire. I absolutely loved the first and third books, but was not excited by the second one at all. This volume play off the characters from the second book, but they get to operate as side characters. Thank goodness. This one unites the Malone family with the MacLean family with a great pairing. I loved seeing a slightly older woman not necessarily interested in marriage and children finding her place and partner. We get some great will they/won’t they encounters throughout the first half of the book. The second half wasn’t quite as exciting, but I still enjoyed figuring out how Lulu and Dee triumph over their obstacles.

Well Met

• #1 Well Met

• #2 Well Played

• #3 Well Matched

• #4 Well Traveled

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

Title: A Merry Little Meet Cute

Author: Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

Publisher: Avon 2022

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 425

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Body Positive Message; Romanceopoly - Winter

Spice Rating: 7

Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. With a huge following and two supportive moms, Bee couldn’t ask for more. But when Bee’s favorite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he’s making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee’s career is about to take a more family-friendly direction.

Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than childhood crush Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan’s promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he’ll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and mom.

But things heat up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoors account (oh yeah, he’s a member). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel’s execs. Things only get trickier when the reporter who torpedoed Nolan’s singing career comes snooping around—and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee.

And if Bee and Nolan can’t keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor.

Finally! I had this on my holds list since November and it finally became available. Right away, I fell for Bee hard. She’s such a great character. I loved her entire outlook on life and what she enjoys doing. We get a few discussions and moments discussing others’ perspectives and ideas about her body, but unlike a previous Simone book, we don’t dwell on this the book. We’re not reminded of her size or any body insecurity every chapter. I love that she’s such a strong plus-size role model. I loved it! I enjoyed the overall story and romance, but my favorite parts were focused on Bee and some of the side characters. I was slightly less enthused by the relationship between Nolan and Bee. It wasn’t quite the strongest relationship I’ve read, but I did enjoy it. Be advised that the focus on sex starts in Chapter one even if the character don’t actually have sex until part of the way through the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Lush and Seething Hell by John Hornor Jacobs

Title: A Lush and Seething Hell: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror

Author: John Hornor Jacobs

Publisher: Harper Voyager 2019

Genre: Horror

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Survival Story

Bringing together his acclaimed novella The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky and an all-new short novel My Heart Struck Sorrow, John Hornor Jacobs turns his fertile imagination to the evil that breeds within the human soul.

A brilliant mix of the psychological and supernatural, blending the acute insight of Roberto Bolaño and the eerie imagination of H. P. Lovecraft, The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky examines life in a South American dictatorship. Centered on the journal of a poet-in-exile and his failed attempts at translating a maddening text, it is told by a young woman trying to come to grips with a country that nearly devoured itself.

In My Heart Struck Sorrow, a librarian discovers a recording from the Deep South—which may be the musical stylings of the Devil himself.

A mixed bag of two stories. I did not connect with or enjoy the first story, The Sea Dreams It is the Sky. I was intrigued by the characters and their pasts under a brutal dictatorship. What they both witnesses and experienced was horrific, no doubt. It just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I kept waiting for the Lovecraftian horror to descend. It never really got there for me. But then I dove into the second story, My Heart Struck Sorrow, and I was instantly feeling that lingering sense of dread. I couldn’t wait to see what would be revealed in Harlan Parker’s journals. The story unfolds slowly, letting you glimpses little bits of horror along the way, until it culminates in a truly terrifying chapter near the end. I had to take a few minutes after finishing the story to digest everything I had just read. That second story got a 5 star rating, but the first story only got 3 stars. So I averaged those out to give the collection 4 stars.

Next up on the TBR pile:

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: