Wasted Words by Staci Hart

Title: Wasted Words (The Austen’s #1)

Author: Staci Hart

Publisher: Staci Hart Novels 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 349

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Finishing the Series

Spice Rating: 5

Falling for my roommate might be the worst idea I never had.

Guys like Tyler Knight don’t go for girls like me.

He’s an ex-tight end with a face so gorgeous, he belongs on a billboard, and I’m a book nerd with glasses and a comic book obsession. I might not know much, since most of my boyfriends exist between the pages of books, but I do know when I’m out of my league.

So instead of obsessing over Tyler, I put all my energy into playing Cupid, using the book bar, Wasted Words, as my playground.

When he kisses me? Welp, there’s no hiding the truth.

But the last time I trusted someone with my heart, it shattered, and the pieces never quite fit together again. With Tyler’s high profile job and the subsequent barrage of women, there doesn’t seem to be room for me. And so my heart breaks over and over until it finally falls apart again.

And this time, I don’t know if I can pick up the pieces.

*A romantic comedy inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma*

A random pick from my extensive Kindle library. And I really enjoyed this one. We get a contemporary retelling of Austen’s Emma (in my top half of Austen novels) with a few tweaks here and there. I enjoyed seeing a modern Emma deal with modern matchmaking obstacles. Thankfully our heroine, Cam, is not a wilting wallflower or a sheltered damsel. She’s an independent woman with baggage, but manages to work through most of that baggage inside these pages. We get to see her actually grow and change independent of the romance aspects. Focusing on the romance, I really loved Tyler’s point of view the best. He was a great modern Knightly. He had his own backstory to work through. I loved seeing the two of them together as a relationship unfolded. We didn’t have to wait until the end to get our main characters together. Thank goodness! After finding this one, I am definitely reading the rest of Hart’s Austen inspired modern romances.

The Austens

• #1 Wasted Words

• #2 A Thousand Words

• #3 Love, Hannah

• #4 Love Notes

• #5 Pride and Papercuts

Next up on the TBR pile:

Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Eternal Kiss of Darkness(Night Huntress World #3)

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon 2010

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages: 361

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR; Unread Shelf, Finishing the Series

Spice Meter: 5 (albeit with a vampire)

An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness . . .

And now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears—this fearless, beautiful . . . human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

Oh this one was a wild ride. Mencheres has always been an intriguing character in the regular Night Huntress series and I was so glad he got his own stand alone book. We get to learn his entire history and put to rest an ancient rivalry, all while finding his match in a private investigator. Kira was the right amount of smart and feisty heroine for our master vampire. I loved seeing their interactions and the ways in which Mencheres is forced to open up to Kira. Of course, I always love drop in appearances from Bones and Cat, but I especially love appearances from Vlad. He may be my favorite character in this entire world. This book has the right amount of action and romance to keep me flipping through the pages until the very end.

Night Huntress World:

• #1 First Drop of Crimson

• #2 Eternal Kiss of Darkness

Next up on the TBR pile:

Pathogenesis by Jonathan Kennedy

Title: Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues

Author: Jonathan Kennedy

Publisher: Crown 2023

Genre: Nonfiction - History, Pandemics

Pages: 304

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

According to the accepted narrative of progress, humans have thrived thanks to their brains and brawn, collectively bending the arc of history. But in this revelatory book, Professor Jonathan Kennedy argues that the myth of human exceptionalism overstates the role that we play in social and political change. Instead, it is the humble microbe that wins wars and topples empires.

Drawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics, Pathogenesis takes us through sixty thousand years of history, exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that have made the modern world. Bacteria and viruses were protagonists in the demise of the Neanderthals, the growth of Islam, the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the devastation wrought by European colonialism, and the evolution of the United States from an imperial backwater to a global superpower. Even Christianity rose to prominence in the wake of a series of deadly pandemics that swept through the Roman Empire in the second and third centuries: Caring for the sick turned what was a tiny sect into one of the world’s major religions.

By placing disease at the center of his wide-ranging history of humankind, Kennedy challenges some of the most fundamental assumptions about our collective past—and urges us to view this moment as another disease-driven inflection point that will change the course of history. Provocative and brimming with insight, Pathogenesistransforms our understanding of the human story.

A fascinating look at how pandemics have shaped the history of humanity. While I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to a lot of readers interested in the topic, I couldn’t give it 5 stars. Mostly, I felt like I was reviewing a ton of material that I had already learned. This is the problem with reading a ton of history books and epidemiology books. I probably know way to much to accurately judge a book like this. I did appreciated how Kennedy lays out some basic context for each of the time periods he discusses before showing the reader how a pandemic changed the situation. My favorite chapters were about the Paleolithic and Neolithic plagues. Probably because those were the two chapters that I learned the most from. Our collective understanding of those two time periods has greatly increased over the last 15 years. I am here for all the new information we have gleaned from skeletons and artifacts. Loved it! The rest of the book was a bit review for me, but I did enjoyed the refresher course.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #14

Reading: I think summer is the perfect time to read Silent Came the Monster by Amy Hill Hearth. It’s a fictionalized account of the shark attack off of New Jersey a century ago.

Watching: The Righteous Gemstones S3 dropped a few weeks ago and we finally started it. So good!

Listening: My current favorite podcast, Maintenance Phase, dropped another great episode this past week. Seriously, they are always so good!

Making: I filled my meal plan with lots of crockpot meals to lessen the cooking and heat in the kitchen.

Feeling: This week’s temperatures are looking brutal. It’s supposed to be over 100 degrees most of the days. I’m just always hot and sticky right now…

Planning: Working on solidifying our homeschool lessons and plans. Getting close to our August 7th start date.

Loving: With the temperatures, I am so grateful for air conditioning.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Walk the Moon "Giants"

Sometimes I need some pop in my life. This really hit the spot.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #21

On my bedside table: Anatomy and Immortality by Dana Schwartz

On my tv this week: We finished Human Target and continued with our currently airing episodes.

Listening to: Just my usual podcasts for this week.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Me Out

• Tuesday - Me Out

• Wednesday - Broccoli Beef with Rice

• Thursday - BLT Pasta Salad

• Friday - Fiesta Chicken and Rice Bowls

• Saturday - Cookout

• Sunday - Sloppy Joes

On my to do list: I did a giant brain dump yesterday, so now I’ve got a long list of tasks to accomplish this week.

Happening this week: The temperatures are going to be over 100 degrees most of the week. We’re opting for water play and indoor activities.

• Monday - Zoo Day (I't’s Member Appreciation Week); Book Club

• Tuesday - Miller Park Splash Pad; Book Club (yep, it’s a two book club week)

• Wednesday - Home Day

• Thursday - Home Day (peak temps)

• Friday - Heron Haven Nature Walk; Bounce U Open Bounce

• Saturday - Coop Kickoff Cookout

• Sunday - The Breakfast Club

What I am creating: I would like to get started with my June Memory Planner pages.

My simple pleasures: A good bottle of wine, air conditioning, jigsaw puzzles

Looking around the house: Whirlwind cleaning yesterday has helped to settle my brain bees. We picked up and vacuum the downstairs. Today I want to focus on the kitchen. I want to clean off all the counters and sweep and stiffer the floors.

From the camera: Check out that little nugget! He is now almost 5 months old! I seriously just want to smuggle him home with me.

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Title: Cinderella is Dead

Author: Kalynn Bayron

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 389

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

It's 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl's display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all--and in the process, they learn that there's more to Cinderella's story than they ever knew . . .

This was a recommendation from some of my friends at the retreat. I randomly picked it up as there was no wait at the library. And it was a lovely retelling of the Cinderella story. We get a plucky heroine that sets out on a dangerous path to find the truth. I liked that the author made Sophia queer, but the “romance” with her childhood best friend and then Constance just fell a little flat for me. It was more like that first crush. The overall romance aspect of the book didn’t land with me, but that might be because I am not a young adult. I did enjoy the twisting of the fairy tale story and the overall mystery of the kingdom. Those parts were really fun to read even if I did predict most of the big reveals. A fun retelling that’s a little different from the norm.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Bees by Laline Paull

Title: The Bees

Author: Laline Paull

Publisher: Ecco 2014

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 340

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR; COYER

The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games in this brilliantly imagined debut set in an ancient culture where only the queen may breed and deformity means death.

Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive where work and sacrifice are the highest virtues and worship of the beloved Queen the only religion. But Flora is not like other bees. With circumstances threatening the hive’s survival, her curiosity is regarded as a dangerous flaw but her courage and strength are an asset. She is allowed to feed the newborns in the royal nursery and then to become a forager, flying alone and free to collect pollen. She also finds her way into the Queen’s inner sanctum, where she discovers mysteries about the hive that are both profound and ominous.

But when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all—daring to challenge the Queen’s fertility—enemies abound, from the fearsome fertility police who enforce the strict social hierarchy to the high priestesses jealously wedded to power. Her deepest instincts to serve and sacrifice are now overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will bring her into conflict with her conscience, her heart, her society—and lead her to unthinkable deeds.

A strange novel with an interesting premise that didn’t quite land for me. I was intrigued by a novel written from the perspective of a bee. We get to glimpse the inner workings of the hive. Once we get into the actual story, I was less committed to the entire novel. The characters didn’t quite come alive for me. I was confused as many turns by the motivations and the overall purpose of the characters. It was hard to connect with the story as written and ultimately I was left wanting more.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Camp Red Moon by R.L. Stine

Title: Camp Red Moon

Author: R.L. Stine

Publisher: 2019

Genre: MG Horror

Pages:

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

Camp nights or camp frights? 

Every sleepaway camp promises memories that last a lifetime. But the memories from Camp Red Moon might give you nightmares! 

• The campfire appears to dim when the moon turns blood red and strange creatures prowl the forest. 

• Do you find a total lookalike at camp? Is it coincidence or is he a shapeshifter trying to take over your life? 

• Why don't your competitors at the robotics competition seem exactly...human? 

• And why do campers do anything to avoid Cabin 6? 

The master of the scary story, R.L. Stine, has handpicked a staff of storytelling counselors - Dan Poblocki, Ellen Oh, and Justin Reynolds - to help him tell the creepy campfire stories that swirl around Camp Red Moon. 

No matter how bright the campfire, get ready for some CHILLS! 

Random audiobook for my week. I was hoping for some classic spooky RL Stine chills. These stories are really uneven. I like the first story about the werewolf and the last story about Cabin 6, but the other two were not good at all. Very silly as opposed to scary. Oh well. Sometimes my choices are winners.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List Update #1

I missed making this post last week as I was in the middle of a medical issue. But I’m back and feeling a bit better, so let’s see what we have on our summer bucket list this year…

1. Complete the Library Reading Program ✓

2. Ice Cream Tour of Omaha (in progress)

3. Louisville, Two Rivers, and Fremont SRAs

4. Trip to Indiana and Ohio ✓

5. Cookout with Friends

6. Lincoln Day

7. 5 Splash Pad Visits (2/5)

8. 3 Movies at the Theater (1/3)

9. 3 Omaha Zoo Visits (2/3)

10. Read 50 Books

11. August Movie Month

12. September Game Month

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Back home and our schedule is really off right now. But we’re getting back on track.

• Jigsaw puzzles really calm me down.

• I just saw the temperatures for next week. Over 100 degrees! I am not looking forward to any of that.

• Sometimes all I need is a good baked cookie.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder

Title: Sister, Maiden, Monster

Author: Lucy A. Snyder

Publisher: Tor Nightfire 2023

Genre: Horror

Pages: 265

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR; UnRead Shelf

A virus tears across the globe, transforming its victims in nightmarish ways. As the world collapses, dark forces pull a small group of women together.

Erin, once quiet and closeted, acquires an appetite for a woman and her brain. Why does forbidden fruit taste so good?

Savannah, a professional BDSM switch, discovers a new turn-on: committing brutal murders for her eldritch masters.

Mareva, plagued with chronic tumors, is too horrified to acknowledge her divine role in the coming apocalypse, and as her growths multiply, so too does her desperation.

I’m not quite sure exactly what I just read, but I think I like it? This starts out as a pandemic novel and then becomes something a lot more apocalyptic. We get three seemingly different characters and storylines that coalesce into a story of change and purpose. We get shades of Lovecraftian horror as Snyder explores a changing world. Be forewarned that this novel is very adult and very very graphic and gory. The ending is a wild ride and I’m still not sure what to make of it. But overall, I was very intrigued by this story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Title: Jurassic Park

Author: Michael Crichton

Publisher: Ballantine Books 1990

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 416

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR; COYER

An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now humankind’s most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all the world can visit them—for a price.
 
Until something goes wrong. . .

I read this novel way back in sometime in the 1990s. I had hoped that the book would hold up to my memories. Thankfully it really does. The story is nonstop action from the moment Chapter 1 starts. We get to meet all the intriguing characters and set up the island. Of course, we all know that things are going to go sideways very soon. Once all the different parts of the system start to fail, everything kicks into high gear. While the book is better than the movie in almost every aspect, I did forget just how much I dislike Lex as a character. She is just terrible. The movie changed the dynamic and definitely improved the characters. Otherwise, I forgot just how much I did like Ian Malcolm. Overall, I love this book so much.

Next up on the TBR pile:

We're Homeschooling - Year 4! Our Curriculum First Grade

We’re ready for another year of homeschooling! In fact, it’s our fourth year of homeschooling and we’ve found our groove. We’re continuing with most of the curriculum choices from last year, just changing the level. This year Arthur will be in 4th grade and Quentin will be in 1st grade. My big challenge this year is to make less work for me while giving each child individual time.

As a reminder, we are a pretty eclectic household with a strong literature base. My criteria when looking for curriculum:

• secular

• rigorous

• wide world perspective

• not necessarily all-in-one

• at least some physical items, not all online

• cheap (not necessarily the cheapest, but not expensive)

Let’s take a look at what I have for curriculum for next year!

Primarily Quentin will be using Blossom & Root’s Grade 1 Language Arts curriculum and Build Your Library Level 1. BYL 1 is a dive into Ancient History. Hopefully by combining these two curriculums, we will get to the amount of reading the we accomplish normally.

Language Arts

Blossom and Root and Build Your Library has some basic language lessons and activities, but my kids both seem to love workbook style for grammar lessons and such. We use these as supplemental material. I create little weekly packets that I help the kids work through. Quentin is not good at working independently yet, but we will get there.

• Highlights First Grade Activity Book

• Summer Bridge 1-2

• Summer Fit 1-2

• BrainQuest Grade 1

• Second Grade

• Sylvan Jumbo Language Arts Success G1

• Spelling and Writing Grade 1

• Mad Libs Grade 1 Reading

More language arts books and some fun activity books.

• Highlights Amazing Mazes

• Highlight Amazing Mazes

• How to Draw Cars and Trucks

• Big stack of Highlights mgazaines

• Tinkeractive English Grade 1

• Scholastic Writing G2

• Cricket: Click magazine

• The Big Book of Reading Comprehension Activities Grade 1

• Evan Moor Daily Higher Order Thinking Grade 1

• Evan Moor Smart Start Read and Write G1

• Beginning Phonics G1-2

• Phonics G1-2

• Phonics for First Grade

Literature

Quentin will have a variety of picture books and chapter books plus poetry of course!

• A World Full of Spooky Stories by Angela McAllister

• The Littlest Mummy by Brandi Dougherty

• The Littlest Witch by Brandi Dougherty

• Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O’Connell

• Nat Geo Kids Halloween

• Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak (actually the whole series)

• Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

• The Little Old Lady Who was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams

• Bonaparte Falls Apart by Margery Cuyler

• Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

• A Child’s Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll

• The Random House Book of Poetry

• Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

• How to Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace

• The Littlest Easter Bunny by Brandi Dougherty

• The Littlest Leprechaun by Brandi Dougherty

• The Littlest Valentine by Brandi Dougherty

This will be Quentin’s first year where we are going to try to read longer chapter books. I curated this collection from the Build Your Library and Blossom & Root curriculums and oTalur own bookshelves.

• Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel

• Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

• Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel

• Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel

• The Tale of Troy by Roger Lancelyn Green

• Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

• Grimms’ Fairy Tales

• The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

• Matilda by Roald Dahl

• Homer Price by Robert McCloskey

• Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case by Donald Sobol

• Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green

• Half Magic by Edward Eager

• Tales from the Odyssey Part 1 by Mary Pope Osborne

• Tales from the Odyssey Part 2 by Mary Pope Osborne

• Sideways Stores from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

This picture includes more of our literature this year. These are some of the picture book style choices for the year.

• Dragons Live Tacos 2 by Adam Rubin

• Dragons Live Tacos by Adam Rubin

• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

• Aesop’s Fables

• Fairy Tales

• The Random House Book of Fairy Tales

• Ralph’s Secret Weapon by Steven Kellogg

• Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg

Social Studies

Social studies is coming straight from the Build Your Library Level 1 curriculum. As such, we will be exploring the ancient world. We will be using History Quest has our main spine, but we have a variety of other reference texts to add.

• DK When on Earth?

• DK A Child Through Time

• Human World

• DK Children Just Like Me: Celebrations

• Kingfisher History Encyclopedia

• DK Explorers

• DK Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

• A Journey Through Art by Aaron Rosen

• Map Skills for Today Grade 2

Science

Primarily we will be using RSO Life as our spine, but we have a variety of animal related references to add.

• DK Where on Earth? Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet The Animal Book

• Nat Geo Kids Wild Vet Adventures by Gabby Wild

• The World’s Most Dangerous Animals Sticker Book

• Stack of Nat Geo Kids magazines

• Nat Geo Kids Ferocious Animals Sticker Book

• Target Animals of the World workbook

And we have a ton of nature science related books for supplements.

• DK Ocean Encyclopedia

• Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

• DK Trees, Leaves, Flowers, and Seeds

• Nat Geo Kids On Safari

• Many Biomes, One Earth by Sneed B. Collard

• Ocean Anatomy by Julia Rothman

• Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak (actually the whole series)

• Over and Under the Rainforest by Kate Messner

• Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne

• We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow

• The Magic School Bus: On the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole

• Cricket: Click magazines

Even more nature related reference books and human anatomy books.

• DK Human Body

• Let’s Investigate with Nate: The Life Cycle by Nate Bell

• Ant Cities by Arthur Dorros

• Cricket: Click magazines

• Human Body Activity Book

• Food Anatomy by Amber K. Stott

• Julia Rothman Collection: Farm Anatomy, Food Anatomy, and Nature Anatomy

• Tinkeractive Science Grade 1

• On the Nature Trail

• Nature Anatomy by Kristine Brown

• Exploring Nature by Kim Andrews

• DK First Earth Encyclopedia

• The Nature Connection by Clare Walker Leslie

• One Small Square: Woods by Donald Silver

• One Small Square: Backyard by Donald Silver

Math

Math is definitely an issue in this house as both boys are at least one grade advanced in math. I am always trying to scramble to find the best choices for them. Quentin is going to be finishing the Grade 1 books before moving on to Grade 2. We will also be adding in some math board games.

• Tinkeractive Math Grade 2

• Evan Moor Daily Word Problems Grade 1

• Singapore Common Core 2A and 2B

• Money and Time Workbook

• The School of Numbers by Emily Hawkins

• Growing Patterns by Sarah C. Campbell

• Evan Moor Financial Literacy Grade 1

• Time, Money and Fractions Grade 1-2

• Sylvan Basic Math Success Grade 1

• Lollipop Logic Book 3

• Tinkeractive Math Grade 1

• Singapore Math 1B (not pictured)

Art

This is actually all the art books for Quentin and Arthur. I took just one picture. Each one of their Build Your Library levels has a related art book to dip in and out of. We are just going to pick a variety of composers and artists to study over the course of the year.

• Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge

• Great American Artists for Kids by MaryAnn F. Kohl

• The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning

• 13 Art Movements Children Should Know

• 13 Art Techniques Children Should Know

• The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola

• Frida Kahlo: The Artist Painted Herself by Margaret Frith

• DK The Arts

• 13 Art Materials Children Should Know

• 13 Artists Children Should Know

We're Homeschooling - Year 4! Our Curriculum 4th Grade

We’re ready for another year of homeschooling! In fact, it’s our fourth year of homeschooling and we’ve found our groove. We’re continuing with most of the curriculum choices from last year, just changing the level. This year Arthur will be in 4th grade and Quentin will be in 1st grade. My big challenge this year is to make less work for me while giving each child individual time.

As a reminder, we are a pretty eclectic household with a strong literature base. My criteria when looking for curriculum:

• secular

• rigorous

• wide world perspective

• not necessarily all-in-one

• at least some physical items, not all online

• cheap (not necessarily the cheapest, but not expensive)

Let’s take a look at what I have for curriculum for next year!

Math

We will be continuing with Singapore Math Common Core Edition as our base curriculum. Arthur will be starting with 5A and push through 5B. Beyond the basic text, we will be supplementing with lots of math games, random workbooks, and packets. New this year, we’re continuing with some Financial Literacy using the Evan Moor workbooks and a money management workbook. We will also be continuing with our logic puzzles.

• Evan Moor Financial Literacy Grade 4

• Orbiting with Logic

• Singapore 5A and 5B

• Math Skills Grade 5

• Scholastic Math Tests Grade 5

• Managing My Money

• Bedtime Math: The Truth Comes Out

Language Arts

This is Arthur’s grammar workbook selections for this year. We don’t do every page and question, but bounce around between some of them. We’re going to try and focus on writing this year.

• BrainQuest Grade 4

• Grade 4 Workbook

• 21st Century Communication

• Reading Comprehension Grade 3 (from Five Below)

• Evan Moor Grammar and Punctuation Grade 4

• Sylvan Super Reading Success Grade 4 (similar title)

• Writing Skills Grade 4

• Evan Moor Daily Fundamentals Grade 4

• Evan Moor Poetry Patterns

• The Highlights Book of Things to Write

• Writing Down the Days by Lorraine Dahlstrom

• Evan Moor Read World Writing

• Pathways

Arthur’s readers will be a mix of Blossom and Root’s Grade 4 Language Arts, Build Your Library 6, and our home library selections.

• Tales from Shakespeare by Marcia Williams

• More Tales from Shakespeare by Marcia Williams

• A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories by Angela McAllister

• Coming Home from the Life of Langston Hughes by Floyd Cooper

• Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes

• Poetry for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe (not pictured)

• Redwall by Brian Jacques

• Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

• Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

• The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

• Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien

• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

• The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith

• From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

• Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston

Social Studies

As our history base, Arthur is using Build Your Library Level 6 (U.S. History) combined with History Quest’s new U.S. History release. We are actually covering the second half of US History starting at the Civil War.

• DK American History

• DK History

• DK Timeline of Everything

• We Were There Too by Phillip Hoose

• Two Miserable Presidents by Steve Sheinkin

• Which Way to the Wild West by Steve Sheinkin

• A Different Mirror for Young People by Ronald Takaki

• The First Ladies

• Words that Build a Nation by Marilyn Miller

• Cricket: Cobblestone magazine

We always have a bit of geography going for each level of history.

• The 50 States by Gabrielle Balkin

• The 50 States Workbook by Gabrielle Balkin

• License Plates Across the America

• My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States

• Nat Geo Kids U.S. Road Trip Atlas

• Target US Workbook

• The Geography Book by Caroline Arnold

• Nat Geo Kids United States Atlas

• Evan Moor Geography Skill Sharpeners Grade 5

• Scholastic Map Skills for Today Grade 4

• Scholastic Map Skills for Today Grade 5

Our history curriculum has a ton of extra readers. I’m very excited to get to all of these.

• A is for Abigail by Lynne Cheney

• Remember the Ladies by Cheryl Harness

• National Parks of the USA Activity Book by Kate Siber

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• Don’t Know Much About the Presidents by Kenneth Davis

• US President Workbook

• Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman

• Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson

• A Kid’s Guide to African American History by Nancy I. Sanders

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

• Bomb by Steve Sheinkin

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

Science

Our science is going to be a combination of Build Your Library Level 8 (history of science), Level 3 (Chemistry), and RSO Chemistry. Lots of interesting combinations. We will actually be doing the chemistry experiments with some of the other families in coop.

• Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia

• DK Science Year by Year

• DK Elements

• The Story of Science Volume 2 by Joy Hakim

• Cricket: Muse magazine

• Notable Notebooks by Jessica Fries-Gaither

• How to Think Like a Scientist by Stephen P. Kramer

• The Book of Ingeniously Daring Chemistry by Sean Connolly

• Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman

• Hidden Figures: Young Readers’ Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly

• Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab by Steve Hockensmith

• What’s Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew? by Robert E. Wells

Here’s just a smattering of our random science texts that we pull little items from:

• In Space

• Map Your Way

• Science Art + Drawing Games for Kids by Karyn Tripp

• Math Art + Drawing Games for Kids by Karyn Tripp

• Geek Dad by Ken Denmead

• Geek Dad: Mad Scientists by Ken Denmead

• Awesome Science Experiments for Kids

• Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids

• Awesome Physics Experiments for Kids

And even more random science resources…

• United Tastes of America

• Cooking Class: Global Feast

• Measure and Cook Workbook

• America’s Test Kitchen: The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs

• Eat Your Way Around the World by Jamie Aramini

• STEMQuest Atonishing Atoms and Matter Mayhem

• STEMQuest Fantastic Forces and Incredible Machines

• STEMQuest Fabulous Figures and Cool Calculators

• STEMQuest Tools, Robotics, and Gadgets Galore

Art

This is actually all the art books for Quentin and Arthur. I took just one picture. Each one of their Build Your Library levels has a related art book to dip in and out of. We are just going to pick a variety of composers and artists to study over the course of the year.

• Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge

• Great American Artists for Kids by MaryAnn F. Kohl

• The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning

• 13 Art Movements Children Should Know

• 13 Art Techniques Children Should Know

• The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola

• Frida Kahlo: The Artist Painted Herself by Margaret Frith

• DK The Arts

• 13 Art Materials Children Should Know

• 13 Artists Children Should Know

Music Monday - Queens of the Stone Age "Emotion Sickness"

Very reminiscent of their older stuff, but with a new edge. Digging it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #20

On my bedside table: Anatomy by Dana Schwartz (reread for book club); Pathogenesis by Jonathan Kennedy

On my tv this week: Nothing really. My mom and I watched Below Deck and The Bachelorette before the kids and I left on our road trip. That’s it. That’s all I watched in the last week.

Listening to: During our drive home, I finished Jurassic Park and followed up with A Grown-Up’s Guide to Dinosaurs. Right now, I’m working my way through Camp Red Moon by R.L. Stine before turning back to my usual podcasts.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Tacos and Black Bean Soup

• Tuesday - Teriyaki Chicken and Rice

• Wednesday - Texas Cheese Fries and Salad

• Thursday - Hawaiian Pulled Pork Nachos

• Friday - Garlic Shrimp Pasta

• Saturday - Honey, Peach, and Cheddar Grilled Cheese

• Sunday - Bourbon Marinaded Steak, Sweet Potatoes, Broccolini

On my to do list: Everything needs to be put away and all the lists need to be made. I’ve got piles of stuff that needs to be placed in its homes while I do laundry and dishes. And then, I need to make all the lists (grocery, coop, TBR, etc). From there, I ned to time block my free time to tackle coop prep, homeschool prep, and home tasks. I should probably do a brain dump first…

Happening this week:

• Monday - Errand day: grocery, library, Target, etc

• Tuesday - Zoo Day

• Wednesday - Fremont Lakes

• Thursday - National Homestead Monument? (I may change this to something that we missed while I was sick)

• Friday - Crafting at the Park

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Nerdy Bookish Friends Book Club Meeting

What I am creating: All the lists! And hopefully more Memory Planner pages.

My simple pleasures: Being home. Seriously, it was so nice to wake up in my own bed. Reaffirms that I really am a homebody at my core.

Looking around the house: After the last month of nonsense, things are just everywhere in this house. Not really dirty, but very cluttered right now. I suspect that this week I’ll be purging a bunch of stuff.

From the camera: UFO-like prototype at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton.

Adult Assembly Required by Abbi Waxman

Title: Adult Assembly Required

Author: Abbi Waxman

Publisher: Berkley 2022

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 374

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

When Laura Costello moves to Los Angeles, trying to escape an overprotective family and the haunting memories of a terrible accident, she doesn’t expect to be homeless after a week. (She’s pretty sure she didn’t start that fire — right?) She also doesn't expect to find herself adopted by a rogue bookseller, installed in a lovely but completely illegal boardinghouse, or challenged to save a losing trivia team from ignominy…but that’s what happens. Add a regretful landlady, a gorgeous housemate and an ex-boyfriend determined to put himself back in the running and you’ll see why Laura isn’t really sure she’s cut out for this adulting thing. Luckily for her, her new friends Nina, Polly and Impossibly Handsome Bob aren't sure either, but maybe if they put their heads (and hearts) together they’ll be able to make it work.

This sorta sequel to The Bookish Life of Nina Hill fell a bit flat for me. There’s something about the frantic/manic writing style of Waxman that started to annoy me at the pages went on. I tired so much after so many abrupt transitions and quirky writing. And then we get to the characters and I just wasn’t connect with any of those at all. It felt like we were trying to create stereotypical or even cartoon characters instead of real people. It just wasn’t believable as a group of real friends. In the end everything came together with a neat little bow and I just didn’t buy it at all…

Next up on the TBR pile:

This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Title: This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress #5)

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon 2011

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages: 357

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Finishing the Series

Spice Meter: 5 (albeit one with a vampire)

Danger waits on both sides of the grave.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . .

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"—the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

Hmm… I sped through this volume, but wasn’t super excited about the big mystery. It wasn’t super intriguing and I didn’t think the villain was scary enough. In the fact, I thought that Marie was a much scarier antagonist than the actual stated villain. I wanted to see more scenes with Marie and Cat bantering and sparring. That would have increased my enjoyment of this book. My other favorite part were the scenes involving Vlad. He is always a great addition to the story. I will keep reading this series, if nothing else than to complete books from my Unread Shelf. But, I must say that I’m not super into this series at this point.

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:

Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Love, Theoretically

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher: Berkley 2023

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 389

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Enemies to Lovers

Spice Rating: 5

The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
 
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he’s the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job.
 
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?

I absolutely adored The Love Hypothesis and hoped that this one would be another winner. But, I apparently am a bit over Hazelwood’s romances. I was very annoyed with Elsie throughout most of the book. She was so oblivious to her issues that I wanted to shake her. I just really wanted to see more growth and acknowledgment throughout the book. The romance with Jack felt very one-sided. I loved Jack, but his feelings and issues were completely pushed to the back because of Elsie. I wanted more of a partnership in the romance. And I’m coming to realize that I don’t like Hazelwood’s sex scenes. They are very graphic, but not really well written and steamy enough for me. I keep reading her books and coming away with wanting more.

Next up on the TBR pile: