Music Monday - Nita Strauss feat. Chris Motionless "Digital Bullets"

Another Nita Strauss banger… this time with Chris from Motionless in White.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #26

As I look outside my window:

Right now I am:

Thinking and pondering:

On my bedside table: Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost; The International House of Dereliction by Jacqueline Davies

On my tv this week: We’ve mainly focused on our currently airing shows.

Listening to: I ended up starting my next Night Huntress book on audio. It was all the library had, so audiobook it is.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Tomato and Basil Grilled Cheese

• Tuesday - Mongolian Beef

• Wednesday - Snack Dinner

• Thursday - Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup

• Friday - Leftovers

• Saturday - Beef Stew

• Sunday - Black Bean Salsa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

On my to do list: Ugh! I still need to make all those appointments.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home Day

• Tuesday - Hitchcock Center Field Trip

• Wednesday - Home Day

• Thursday - Coop; Lit Society

• Friday - Hitchcock Center Nature Walk

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: I finally printed by July and August pics for my Memory Planner.

My simple pleasures: A good book discussion (or four this past week), a normal coop meeting, fun middle grade books

Looking around the house: I need to do an overall pickup of the main floor of the house. Things are decent, just some random piles.

From the camera: Making water filtration systems for coop.

2023 Reading Challenges Update #3

I’m back to employing reading challenges to help direct my reading this year. Let’s check in with my progress of all the challenges I am attempting this year. I am leaving out the Build Your Library Challenge as it’s very strictly Arthur’s challenge and I’m not focused on actually completing it.

• Goodreads 176/200 88%

• Winter TBR 25/25 100%

• Spring TBR 20/25 80%

• Summer TBR 22/25 84%

• Fall TBR (not started yet)

• Unread Shelf 22/50 44%*

• Kid Read Alouds 20/20 100%

• BOTM Cleanout 7/12 58.3%

• 52 Book Club 43/52 80.8%**

• Romanceopoly 30/39 76.9%**

• COYER 8/20 40%*

• Finishing the Series 4/10 40%

Total Challenges 2/12 16.7%

Total Reading Slots 377/503 75%

* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job

Comments: Overall, I’m really doing a decent job at all my reading challenges. I do need to retool my focus to my own shelves. Looking forward to my last season of this year’s reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

September 2023 Life Goals

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

• Read 18 Books ✓

• Kick-Off Our Homeschool Year and Coop ✓

• Knock Out 5 More Items from Our Summer Bucket List ✓

• Limit My Personal Library Check-outs ✓

September Goals:

• Read 18 Books

• Plan the Boys’ Birthday Party

• Finish Out Our Summer Bucket List

• Start Our Fall Bucket List

Next up on the TBR pile:

August 2023 Wrap-up

August TBR Pile (23/23):

1. Bookworms BC: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna ✓

2. Friend BC: Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang ✓

3. Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis ✓

4. Kid Read Aloud: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien ✓

5. Kid Book Club: Wildoak by CC Harrington ✓

6. Nonfiction: Hey, Hun by Emily Lynn Paulson ✓

7. Romance: The Secret Lives of Country Gentleman by KJ Charles ✓

8. Romance: Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian ✓

9. Romance: Playing for Keeps by Jill Shalvis ✓

10. Romance: Wrapped Up in You by Jill Shalvis ✓

11. Romance: A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian ✓

12. Romance: One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost ✓

13. Romance: Happily Never After by Jeaniene Frost (novella, no review) ✓

14. Romance: One for the Money by Jeaniene Frost (novella, no review) ✓

15. Romance: Reckoning by Jeaniene Frost (novella, no review) ✓

16. Horror: The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro ✓

17. Horror: Vampiric Vacation by Kiersten White ✓

18. Horror: Camp Creepy by Kiersten White ✓

19. Horror: Menacing Manor by Kiersten White ✓

20. Horror: The Deep by Nick Cutter ✓

21. Fantasy: The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker ✓

22. Fantasy: The First Bright Thing by JR Dawson ✓

23. Poetry: Break Your Glass Slippers by Amanda Lovelace ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 6833 pages
Pages Remaining: 303,286 pages

Current Read - 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (1)

• BOTM Selection - I snatched up The Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas. We are reading this for October’s Nerdy Bookish Friends selection.

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 339

• Books Read: 1

• Books Acquired: 1

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 339

September TBR Pile: Moving into spooky season and so my TBR pile is going to lean toward horror for the next two months. But I’m not quite sure what I’m planning on reading, so leaving the plan very vague.

1. Bookworms BC: The Mermaid by Christina Henry (probably won’t reread as I just read this)

2. Friend BC: Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen

3. Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: Timeline by Michael Crichton

4. Kid Read Aloud: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

5. Kid Read Aloud: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

6. Kid Book Club: The Last Human by Lee Bacon

Movies Watched

• The Blackening - Well, that was entertaining as hell.

• Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Very good retrospective music documentary. Lots of great highlights.

• Red, White, and Royal Blue - A bit Hallmark-y but a decent young adult romance.

• The Meg 2 - That was utterly ridiculous and I loved it.

TV Shows Watched - Apparently we cycled through a decent amount of television shows this month. More like a lot of these are currently airing and dropping one episode a week… But still, lots of good shows were watched.

• The Witcher S3

• The Righteous Gemstones S3

• Foundation S2

• Below Deck: Down Under S2

• The Bachelorette

• Shiny Happy People

• Get Back

• Agent Elvis S1

• Killing It S2

• The Great S3

• Only Murders in the Building S3

• Andor

Comments - Wow! Look at those totals. I thought that with the start of our homeschooling year and coop, my reading totals and television/movie watching would be very low. Somehow I found more of a balance than I thought I would. Very exciting for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Menacing Manor by Kiersten White

Title: Menacing Manor (The Sinister Summer #4)

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: Delacorte Press 2023

Genre: Middle Grade Horror

Pages: 272

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

After escaping from Edgaren’t and Dr. Jay, the Sinister-Winterbottoms and their friends arrive at Stein Manor Science Camp. They all work together to distract the friendly teenage camp director so they can explore and look for clues about where their parents might be.

Meanwhile, Theo and Alexander settle on a daring plan. They know exactly where Edgaren’t is going to be: coming for them, and the books. This time, they’ll be ready. This time, they’ll get answers. And this time, they won’t trust the adult in charge, which is easy enough when it’s enormous, lurking, unfriendly Mr. Frank. But as they get closer to opening the books and their parents’ histories, an unexpected foe is watching everything they do. . . .

Fake volcanoes! Real sea caves! Strangely modified frogs! Startling betrayal! And a lightning-struck manor! all combine for the electrifying penultimate Sinister Summer adventure.

Oh that was utterly delightful! I loved the ensemble within this volume. We get to see how many of the kids work tougher to solve the mystery of their parents’ disappearances. We get more clues and some perilous situations. The best part was the interplay between Essa and Mr. Frank. I love the twist on the classic horror stories. I cannot wait until January for the last book in the series. I hope that we get a satisfying conclusion.

The Sinister Summer

• #1 Wretched Waterpark

• #2 Vampiric Vacation

• #3 Camp Creepy

• #4 Menacing Manor

Next up on the TBR pile:

One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost

Title: One Grave at a Time (Night Huntress #6)

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon 2011

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages: 358

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Spice Meter: 5 (albeit one with a vampire)

Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more
than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift
from New Orleans' voodoo queen just keeps on giving-leading to a personal favor
that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous
spirit.

Oh I really enjoyed this one! We get to see Cat and Bones at their best teamed up to take down an unusual ghost. I loved their leadership and banter with the other players. The ghost was significantly creepy and a big mystery to be solved. I loved the appearances by Ian and Spade and Denise. My biggest complaint is actually with the B plot featuring Don and the new head of the military unit Madigan. I really disliked how that just seemed to fizz out to nothing by the end of the book. I would have liked more a resolution.

Night Huntress:

• #0.5 Reckoning ✓

• #1 Halfway to 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:

Homeschool W3: A Week Indoors

What We Studied

The temperatures soared past 100 degrees almost every single day this past week. We even had to cancel coop because of the high heat. And so, we ended up spending basically the entire week indoors at home. We did get out for a few hours on Friday morning, but it soon got too hot and we cut it short. Silver lining: We caught up on all our curriculum.

Q’s color books

Q’s Monday History Books

Literature and Poetry

Arthur started reading the Percy Jackson series with The Lightning Thief. We finished the first section and Arthur called Percy’s parentage very early on in the story. Love that he’s starting to really get foreshadowing and clues dropped by authors. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills and starting our writing journey. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root. And finally, we finished reading the coop book club selection.

• The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

• A Child's Introduction to Greek Mythology: Intro through Gods Galore

• Poetry for Young People: American Poetry

• Reading Explorer: Intro

• Wildoak by CC Harrington

Quentin explored all the books of Doreen Cronin this week. He especially liked the books featuring duck and read a majority of them outloud to me. His reading skills are really coming along. He also worked on some basic grammar.

• Sing a Song of Seasons

• Doreen Cronin books

• Bears Sees Colors by Karma Wilson

• The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons by Natascha Biebow

• True Colors: The Story of Crayola by Jesse Burton

• How the Crayons Saved the Unicorn by Monica Sweeney

• Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett

• Every Color of Light by Hiroshi Osada

• Hidden Animal Colors by Jane Park

• Colors in Nature by Magdalena Konecna

• Every Color by Erin Eitter Kono

• Color the Sky by David Elliott

• The Color Monster by Anna Llenas

• Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin

• Color Blocked by Ashley Sorenson

Monday’s ELA, History, and Science books

Q’s Tuesday History Books

Math

Arthur continued his math year with some review packets. We will start his next Singapore book next week or the week after. We’ll see how that goes. We also started our next logic book.

• Orbiting with Logic

Quentin jumped back into Singapore 1B to covering the basics of fractions. I’m still debating if we should take a small review break after finishing 1B and before beginning 2A. I’m still deciding. We also continued our logic book.

• Lollipop Logic Book 3

• Singapore Common Core 1B

Social Studies

Arthur jumped back into BYL 6 and History Quest: US History starting at the beginning of the Civil War. He covered the Battle of Gettysburg this week. We’ll be sprinkling in various historical fiction readers to reinforce the time periods.

• DK American History

• We were There Too! Young People in US History

• Two Miserable Presidents by Steve Sheinkin

• Words that Build a Nation

• The Not So Boring Letters of Private Nobody by Matthew Landis

• What was the Battle of Gettysburg? by Jim O'Connor

• Heart and Soul

• If You were a Kid During the Civil War by Wil Mara

Quentin moved onto the origins of life on earth into the Paleolithic Period. We also listened to a few podcasts about the beginnings of life and evolution. On Thursday, we snuck in a documentary about the ice age. We also covered cave art as a side lesson to our main history lessons.

• History Quest Early Times

• DK When on Earth?

• It Started with a Big Bang by Floor Bar

• How Did I Get Here? By Philip Bunting

• Life by Martin Jenkins and Grahame Baker-Smith

• Continental Drift by Martin Ince

• Grandmother Fish by Jonathan Tweet

• I Used to be a Fish by Tom Sullivan

• Archaeologists Dig for Clues by Kate Duke

• We Dug Up the World by Alexandra Stewart

• DK Archaeology

• Amazing Archaeologists

• Human Wold

• Our Family Tree by Lisa Westberg Peters

• Evolution Revolution

• A Child's Introduction to Natural History by Heather Alexander

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK A Child Through Time

• The Secret Cave by Emily Arnold McCully

• A History of Western Art

• DK Science Year by Year

• Painters of the Caves by Patricia Lauber

Q’s Tuesday ELA and Math

A’s Tuesday History, ELA, and Science books

Science

We covered a small nature science lesson on Monday with a focus on trees and reviewing nocturnal animals. Our visit to the Platte River State Park last Friday for their Nightfall Celebration really highlighted our nature science lessons.

• Nature Connection by Clare Walker Leslie

• Hike by Peter Oswald

• One World: 24 Hours on Planet Earth by Nicola Davies

• Can You Hear the Trees Talking? Discovering the Hidden Life of the Forest by Peter Wohlleben

Arthur is embarking upon RSO Chemistry this year. But before we officially start the curriculum, we are covering some basic Chemistry and Science lessons. Once we start the actual book, we will be doing the experiment portions with a group of coop friends. This week we focused on microscopes and the very small.

• RSO Chemistry

• DK Super Simple Chemistry

• Usborne Internet-linked Complete Book of the Microscope

• Out of Sight: Pictures of Hidden Worlds by Seymour Simon

• Cells Up Close by Maria Nelson

• Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim

Quentin continued RSO Life with a lesson about cells. He will also be engaging in various nature science lessons and explorations throughout the year. We did a fun little experiment looking at a chicken egg and labeling the parts.

• RSO Life

• DK Oversimple Biology

STEAM Coop

Coop was cancelled due to the high heat.

A’s Wednesday books

Q’s Wednesday books

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

Another week that I actually fit in art and music! I am on a roll! We covered the music of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier Saint-George, and the art of Tyree Guyton.

• Swatch by Julia Kenos

• The Science of Song: How and Why We Make Music by Alan Cross, Emme Cross, and Nicole Mortillaro

• A Child's Introduction to the Orchestra by Robert Levine

• DK Music and How it Works

• Before There was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome

• DK The Arts

• Why is Art Full of Naked People by Susie Hodge

• 13 Art Movements Chldren Should Know

• Women in Art by Rachel Ignotogsky

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• 13 Women Artists Children Should Know

• 13 Artists Children Should Know

• Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

Q’s Wednesday History Books

Q’s Thursday ELA Books

Field Trip

No field trips this week due to the heat

High

On Friday, we had finished all of our curriculum, so we had a board game afternoon. We played a variety of games and sneakily worked on our math skills and strategy. I need to keep this one tap for random afternoons.

Art and Music Books, A’s ELA Books

Low

The heat made everyone a bit tired and cranky.

Next Week

• Continuing Percy Jackson

• Starting a big chapter book for Q

• Getting close to finishing Singapore 1B (Q)

• Starting Singapore 5A (A)

• Moving into the last stages of the Civil War

• Covering the Neolithic Period

• Admiring colorful art

• Listening to ???

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Nita Strauss feat. Dorothy "Victorious"

A Guitar master and a rock goddess together for a great song!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #25

As I look outside my window: Another sunny and bright day, but thankfully a lot cooler than this past week.

Right now I am: Taking a few minutes out of my morning to read. An hour of reading of Sunday morning with a cup of coffee had been my routine, but I got off track lately. Loving the quiet time before family gets going.

On my bedside table: Jeaniene Frost’s Night Prince series; Estranged and The Changeling King graphic novels; 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

On my tv this week: So much media this week! We watched a ton of currently airing shows and finally started Andor. Plus, we managed to watch some movies.

Listening to: I managed to listen to my currently airing podcasts this week along with some very old Hello from the Magic Tavern and 99PI episodes.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Leftovers (I’m gone at book club)

• Tuesday - Leftovers (might make Pesto, Asparagus, and Sun-dried Tomatoes Pasta Salad)

• Wednesday - Crab Coconut Curry

• Thursday - Grill Night

• Friday - Sausage and Potatoes

• Saturday - Honey and Lime Jalapeño Chicken

• Sunday - Balsamic Pork Roast

On my to do list: I need to make all the appointments this week

Happening this week:

• Monday - Dentist appt; Book Club

• Tuesday - Mouse Trap Car Meeting; Book Club

• Wednesday - 4H Meeting

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Nature Hike

• Saturday - Coop Book Club

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Nothing really. Working on my Memory Planner pages gets getting pushed to the bottom of the list.

My simple pleasures: Raspberry filled shortbread cookies, cooler temperatures, board games

Looking around the house: I need to do a sweep of the kitchen floor and counters, but otherwise things look decent.

From the camera: We played board games on Friday afternoon and I introduced the boys to Life.

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Title: Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel #1)

Author: Connie Willis

Publisher: Spectra 1992

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 592

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

For Kivrin, preparing to travel back in time to study one of the deadliest eras in humanity’s history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.

But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin—barely of age herself—finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history’s darkest hours.

Another decent, but not my favorite book that we’ve read for the Nerdy Bookish Friends book club. I had heard of this book mentioned in sci-fi circles as an example of time travel fiction. I really wanted to love this book but ended up only enjoying it. The book starts out strong with a plot to travel back to the Middle Ages to explore. But, we know that something is going to go wrong. And it quickly goes wrong. I didn’t quite realize that this was going to be a pandemic novel. Those parts didn’t bother me. What did mother me was the parts that seemed to be unclear on what actually happened and the loose ends by the end of the story. I know that it’s the start of a series, but it really flew like Willis didn’t really know where she was going with the story. I found multiple logical inconsistencies that I just couldn’t love.

Oxford Time Travel

• #0.5 Fire Watch

• #1 Doomsday Book

• #2 To Say Nothing of the Dog

• #3 Blackout

• #4 All Clear

Next up on the TBR pile:

Camp Creepy by Kiersten White

Title: Camp Creepy (The Sinister Summer #3)

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: Delacorte Press 2023

Genre: Middle Grade Horror

Pages: 288

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

After leaving the Sanguine Spa in pursuit of Edgaren't, the kids find themselves at a mysterious summer camp, Camp Creek. There are lake games and happy counselors, and there's even a tie-dye cabin. It's all very . . . normal.

But if Theo and Alexander know one thing, it's that normal doesn't always mean good. When everyone around her starts acting strange, Theo wonders if maybe the fumes from the tie-dye cabin are seeping into their brains, and she resolves to investigate what's really going on at Camp Creek.   

The third book in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White's Sinister Summer series continues the adventures of the Sinister-Winterbottoms and their aunt, who never saw a discount vacation destination she didn’t love.

If you are looking for a series that dupes A Series of Unfortunate Events is some clever ways, pick this one up! I absolutely adore this creepy mystery series. In this volume, we finally get to visit the summer camp full of strangely perky children and teens. And we get more insight into the larger mystery alongside hooking back up with some favorite characters. I adored seeing Wil being much more open and present with Theo and Alexander. A super fun adventure! I can’t believe that I didn’t catch the twist, but thoroughly enjoyed the reveal. On to the fourth book!

The Sinister Summer

• #1 Wretched Waterpark

• #2 Vampiric Vacation

• #3 Camp Creepy

• #4 Menacing Manor

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian

Title: A Duke in Disguise (Regency Imposters #2)

Author: Cat Sebastian

Publisher: Avon Impulse 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 304

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Spice Rating: 5

One reluctant heir

If anyone else had asked for his help publishing a naughty novel, Ash would have had the sense to say no. But he’s never been able to deny Verity Plum. Now he has his hands full illustrating a book and trying his damnedest not to fall in love with his best friend. The last thing he needs is to discover he’s a duke’s lost heir. Without a family or a proper education, he’s had to fight for his place in the world, and the idea of it—and Verity—being taken away from him chills him to the bone.

One radical bookseller

All Verity wants is to keep her brother out of prison, her business afloat, and her hands off Ash. Lately it seems she’s not getting anything she wants. She knows from bitter experience that she isn’t cut out for romance, but the more time she spends with Ash, the more she wonders if maybe she’s been wrong about herself. 

One disaster waiting to happen

Ash has a month before his identity is exposed, and he plans to spend it with Verity. As they explore their long-buried passion, it becomes harder for Ash to face the music. Can Verity accept who Ash must become or will he turn away the only woman he’s ever loved?

I picked up the series on the recommendation of a ton of internet friends. And while I didn’t absolutely love the first book (didn’t quite buy the romantic connection), thankfully this book more than made up for the shortcomings. I really fell for Ash and Verity. We get to see two people that have created a found family from struggle and are desperate to maintain that family. Usually I am not a huge fan of the friends to lovers trope, but this one worked. It felt authentic to me. At the same time, we get to see two character struggle with their own issues. The biggest point that I really loved was the fact that they communicated with one another! Loved it so much! Now I’m excited to read the conclusion to this trilogy of romances.

Regency Imposters

• #1 Unmasked by the Marquess

• #2 A Duke in Disguise

• #3 A Delicate Deception

Next up on the TBR pile:

The First Bright Thing by JR Dawson

Title: The First Bright Thing

Author: JR Dawson

Publisher: Tor Books 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Author with Same Name Town as You

Ringmaster — Rin, to those who know her best — can jump to different moments in time as easily as her wife, Odette, soars from bar to bar on the trapeze. And the circus they lead is a rare home and safe haven for magical misfits and outcasts, known as Sparks.

With the world still reeling from World War I, Rin and her troupe — the Circus of the Fantasticals — travel the midwest, offering a single night of enchantment and respite to all who step into their Big Top.

But threats come at Rin from all sides. The future holds an impending war that the Sparks can see barrelling toward their show and everyone in it. And Rin's past creeps closer every day, a malevolent shadow she can’t fully escape.

It takes the form of another circus, with tents as black as midnight and a ringmaster who rules over his troupe with a dangerous power. Rin's circus has something he wants, and he won't stop until it's his.

A friend at the bookish retreat recommended this new novel from an Omaha author. I finally got it from the library and dove straight in. I adored the world created in this fantasy novel. Apparently, I really enjoy fantasy novels set in circuses… This one was populated by an interesting array of circus inhabitants. We get to see how they have all created a family in the midst of a strange and changing world. I loved the idea of the Sparks and their various abilities. We get to see how some have used their powers for good while others have used their powers to hurt others. I loved connecting all the dots between timelines and characters. I wasn’t surprised by the big twist, but felt that it was an earned reveal. The last few chapters are really nonstop action. Thankfully we get a satisfying conclusion to the storyline. Such a great debut! I will have to see what the author writes next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #16

Reading: I’m continuing with Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series. I hope to finish it soon-ish. Maybe by October.

Watching: I finally watch the movie adaptation of Red, White, and Royal Blue. I had heard such mixed feelings on this one. After schooling my expectations, I actually found that I enjoyed it. Not as much as the book, but still enjoyed it.

Listening: I’m still binging Hello from the Magic Tavern podcast episodes. Only a few episodes at a time, but still absolutely loving it.

Making: Quentin has requested banana bread. Guess I should make it for him, but definitely need to do it in the morning before the temps get super high.

Feeling: Speaking of, it’s so incredibly hot. I’m beyond hot and irritable this week.

Planning: I need to review our schedule for next week’s activities. Not quite sure what we are going to do.

Loving: With the ridiculous temperatures, I am so thankful and loving of air conditioning. And the fact that we have a basement to hide in when the upstairs get stuffy.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W2: Another Over Scheduled Week

What We Studied

Our second week and I, once again, over scheduled our curriculum. It’s going to take me a few weeks to settle into a good sustainable routine, but we will get there! We did fit in multiple outings and nature walks this week. And we tried to school outside a few times, once at the Gene Leahy Mall and once at the zoo. It went okay. Unfortunately, it started raining at the Gene Leahy Mall, so that cut our school work short that day. We did manage to fit in a bit of school work. I want to try to do this every few weeks, especially as the weather changes. I don’t want to be a house hermit this winter.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished reading Mrs. Frisby. It was a good first book to start discussing The Hero’s Journey. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills and starting our writing journey. He also started his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root. And finally, we continued reading the coop book club selection.

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

• Poetry for Young People: American Poetry

• Reading Explorer: Intro

• Wildoak by CC Harrington

Quentin explored all the books of Mo Willems this week. We all really love his books so much. I read the Piggie sections and Q read the Gerald sections in the Elephant and Piggy collection. We didn’t get to all the theme week books on color, but covered a few throughout the week. (Guess we’ll be continuing that theme into next week.) He also worked on some basic grammar.

• Sing a Song of Seasons

• Silver Seeds by Paul Paolilli and Dan Brewer

• Vivid: Poems and Notes About Color by Julie Paschkis

• Color Me a Rhyme by Jane Yolen

• All the Mo Willems books

• Harold and Hog Pretend for Real! by Dan Santat

• My World of Science: Color by Angela Royston

• Colors by Shelley Rotner and Anne Woodhull

• Summer Color! by Diana Murray

• I Spy Colors in Art by Lucy Micklethwait

Math

Arthur continued his math year with some review packets. We will start his next Singapore book next week or the week after. We’ll see how that goes. We also started our next logic book.

• Orbiting with Logic

A’s Monday books

Q’s Monday books

Q’s Monday Mo Willems books

Quentin jumped back into Singapore 1B to tackle multiplication and then division before we move on. Based on his work this week, we might take a small review break after finishing 1B and before beginning 2A. I’m still deciding. We also continued our logic book. While at the zoo, Q and I played a Pirate Place Value game.

• Lollipop Logic Book 3

• Singapore Common Core 1B

A and Q’s Tuesday books

A and Q’s Wednesday books

A’s science books

Social Studies

Arthur jumped back into BYL 6 and History Quest: US History starting at the beginning of the Civil War. We’ll be sprinkling in various historical fiction readers to reinforce the time periods.

• DK American History

• We were There Too! Young People in US History

• Two Miserable Presidents by Steve Sheinkin

• Abraham Lincoln: Lawyer, President, Emancipator by Pamela Hill Nettleton

• Abe Lincoln's Dream by Lane Smith

• The Not So Boring Letters of Private Nobody by Matthew Landis

We started Quentin’s formal history curriculum with a basic discussion of the beginnings of the universe and speeding through up to the point that life starts to populate the Earth.

• History Quest Introduction

• DK When on Earth?

• Annabelle and Aiden: Worlds Within Us by JR Becker

• Older Than the Stars by Karen C. Fox

• Annabelle and Aiden: The Story of Life by JR Becker

• Annabelle and Aiden: Sapiens Our Human Evolution by JR Becker

Science

We managed to sneak in a joint nature science lesson while at the zoo on Tuesday. We talked about living and nonliving entities and used the zoo as our plot study.

• Nature Connection by Clare Walker Leslie

• Backyard by Donald Silver

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

• Nature is an Artist by Jennifer Lavallee

• A Year with Mama Earth by Rebecca Grabill

• The Prairie That Nature Built by Marybeth Lorkiecki

Arthur is embarking upon RSO Chemistry this year. But before we officially start the curriculum, we are covering some basic Chemistry and Science lessons. Once we start the actual book, we will be doing the experiment portions with a group of coop friends. This week we focused on the idea of the very small to set up our chemistry study.

• RSO Chemistry

• DK Super Simple Chemistry

• Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim

• Nano: The Spectacular Science of the Very (Very) Small by Dr. Jess Wade

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

Quentin started RSO Life with a basic lesson defining life and thinking about science in a larger sense. He will also be engaging in various nature science lessons and explorations throughout the year.

• RSO Life

• DK Oversimple Biology

Art books

STEAM Coop

Arthur’s class covered more foraging and plant identification. They focused on poisonous plants this week. Q’s class explored leaves and trees and explored the different types. They also made a cute leaf rubbing wreath. I ended up helping Q’s group as a floater.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

Another week that I actually fit in art and music! I am on a roll! We covered the music of Ali Farka Toure and the art of Frida Kahlo.

• The Science of Song: How and Why We Make Music by Alan Cross, Emme Cross, and Nicole Mortillaro

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

• Why is Art Full of Naked People by Susie Hodge

• 13 Art Movements Chldren Should Know

• The Two Fridas: Memories Written by Frida Kahlo

• Women in Art by Rachel Ignotogsky

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• 13 Women Artists Children Should Know

• 13 Artists Children Should Know

• Frida Kahlo: The Artist Who Painted Herself by Margaret Frith

• The Story of Paintings: A History of Art for Children by Mick Manning and Brita Granstorm

• Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos by Monica Brown

• Modern art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

• Portrait of an Artist: Frida Kahlo by Lucy Brownbridge

Field Trip

Beyond our out-school attempts at the Gene Leahy Mall and the zoo on Monday and Tuesday, we did get in a short nature hike on Friday morning. In addition, as a family, we attended a nightfall celebration at the Platte River State Park on Friday night. The kids ate s’mores, learned about fire (the science of), played at the playground, and went on a night hike. The night hike portion was a ton of fun and the boys loved using the small flashlights to spot interesting animals and plants. They even found some glow-in-the-dark moss under the waterfall. We’ll be talking more about this night hike next week during our nature science.

Music books

A and Q’s history books

A and Q’s Thursday books

High

Schooling at the zoo actually went really well. Part of our success was not inviting a ton of friends. We explored part of the zoo and then had two school sessions in sparsely populated areas.

A’s Friday books

Q’s Friday Mo Willems Books

Q’s Friday books

Low

(Just repeating what I said last week) I over scheduled our curriculum for the week. Definitely need to reevaluate my plan of next week…

Next Week

• Continuing our forest skills unit for coop (A) and starting insects (Q)

• Starting a new read aloud for A

• Moving forward with our study of the Civil War

• Starting Singapore 5A?

• Reading a lot Doreen Cronin books

• Covering the basics of fractions

• Admiring Tyree Guyton’s art

• Listening to Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier Saint-Georges’s music

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Billie Eilish "What Was I Made For"

Seriously, I love her voice…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List Update #2

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 (4/5)

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

9. 3 Omaha Zoo Visits ✓

10. Read 50 Books (44/50)

11. August Movie Month - Well, that just didn’t happen. Completely got away from me.

12. September Game Month

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #24

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny and the temperatures are going to be so high today. Hopefully, I can stay cool.

Right now I am: Prepping to leave for The Breakfast Club with some other homeschool parents. I’m finally making it to the meeting! And we will be discussing Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kemmerer.

On my bedside table: One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost; Lore Olympus Vol. 3

On my tv this week: J had me watch Agent Elvis. That show really snuck up on me! Reminds me of Hit-Monkey. We also kept up with some of our currently airing shows and started S2 of Killing It.

Listening to: Mostly just my usual podcasts. Nothing too exciting from this week.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Crab Coconut Curry

• Tuesday - Fancy BLT Grilled Cheese

• Wednesday - Pulled Pork Sandwiches

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Pesto Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Asparagus

• Saturday - Grill Night

• Sunday - Sweet Potato Nachos

On my to do list: I have a list of coop and homeschooling tasks to accomplish this coming week. And I need to make some appointments (doctor, flu shot, eye, etc).

Happening this week: It’s going to be terribly hot this week, so we are going to basically hibernate in our house. Unfortunately, the pools are all closed. We might venture out too a splash pad that’s still open.

• Monday - Home day

• Tuesday - Home day

• Wednesday - Home day

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Nature Explorers (if it’s not too hot…)

• Saturday - Home day

• Sunday - Nerdy Bookish Friends Book Club

What I am creating: I finally printed my June photos for my Memory Planner. Now I just need to sit down and finish the pages.

My simple pleasures: Popcorn, ice water, fun MG horror books, conversation with other homeschool parents

Looking around the house: J finished cleaning the carpets on the main floor. Now I just have to wait until the floor is dry so we can move everything back. And maybe I can use my living room again by Monday.

From the camera: Hanging at the playground at Platte River State Park.

The Deep by Nick Cutter

Title: The Deep

Author: Nick Cutter

Publisher: Gallery Books 2015

Genre: Horror

Pages: 394

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

A strange plague called the ‘Gets is decimating humanity on a global scale. It causes people to forget—small things at first, like where they left their keys, then the not-so-small things, like how to drive or the letters of the alphabet. Their bodies forget how to function involuntarily. There is no cure.

But now, far below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, deep in the Mariana Trench, a heretofore-unknown substance hailed as “ambrosia”—a universal healer, from initial reports—has been discovered. It may just be the key to eradicating the ‘Gets.

In order to study this phenomenon, a special research lab, the Trieste, has been built eight miles under the sea’s surface. But when the station goes incommunicado, a brave few descend through the lightless fathoms in hopes of unraveling the mysteries lurking at those crushing depths…and perhaps to encounter an evil blacker than anything one could possibly imagine.

Absolutely horrifying! This was a masterpiece is laying out suspense and dread over the course of the entire book while still giving us some extremely creepy moments throughout. This is not the book if you are squeamish at all and/or do not like body horror. We all know that something is seriously wrong on the research station even before Al and Lucas begin their descent. And it just keeps getting worse. The book reminded me a lot of Event Horizon or even Sphere. We have to parse out what is real and what is imagined. But in the end, does it really matter? I absolutely was creeped out by this book (which does not happen very often at all). Definitely going to be having a few nightmares from this one.

Next up on the TBR pile: