The Thorns Remain by JJA Harwood

Title: The Thorns Remain

Author: JJA Harwood

Publisher: Magpie 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 416

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

1919. In a Highland village forgotten by the world, the young people who remain after war and flu will soon head south to make something of themselves.

Moira Jean and her friends venture to the forest for a last night
of laughter before parting ways. Moira Jean is being left behind. She too planned to leave once – but her lover died in France and, with him, her future. The friends light a fire and dance. But, with every twirl about the flames, strange new dancers thread between them, music streaming from the trees.

The Fae have joined the dance.

Suddenly Moira Jean finds herself all alone, her friends spirited away.

For the Fae feel left behind and forgotten too. Led by the darkly handsome Lord of the Fae, they are out to make themselves known once more. Moira Jean must enter into a bargain with the Lord to save her friends – and fast, for the longer they spend with the Fae, the less like themselves they will be upon return. If Moira Jean cannot save her friends before Beltane, they will be lost forever…

I grabbed this off the library shelf mostly due to the beautiful cover. I was hoping for a great fae novel full of atmosphere and high stakes. Instead, we get a book that just seems to plod along with a main character that never seems to grow and has to rely on others to save herself and others. The only parts that I enjoyed were ones that directly featured the fae. Otherwise, I was pretty bored throughout this one. Sad that this fae retelling of Tam Lin just didn’t land for me at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Prince and the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell

Title: The Prince and the Apocalypse

Author: Kara McDowell

Publisher: Wednesday Books 2023

Genre: YA Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Beau Boulevard (Read a young adult book of your choice)

Spice Rating: 3

Wren Wheeler has flown five thousand miles across the ocean to discover she’s the worst kind of traveler: the kind who just wants to go home. Her senior-year trip to London was supposed to be life-changing, but by the last day, Wren’s perfectly-planned itinerary is in tatters. There's only one item left to check off: breakfast at The World’s End restaurant. The one thing she can still get right.

The restaurant is closed for renovations—of course—but there's a boy there, too. A very cute boy with a posh British accent who looks remarkably like the errant Prince Theo, on the run from the palace and his controlling mother. When Wren helps him escape a pack of tourists, the Prince scribbles down his number and offers her one favor in return. She doesn’t plan to take him up on it—until she gets to the airport and sees cancelled flights and chaos. A comet is approaching Earth, and the world is ending in eight days. Suddenly, that favor could be her only chance to get home to her family before the end of the world.

Wren strikes a bargain with the runaway prince: if she’ll be his bodyguard from London to his family’s compound in Santorini, he can charter her a private jet home in time to say goodbye. Traveling through Europe by boat, train, and accidentally stolen automobile, Wren finds herself drawn to the dryly sarcastic, surprisingly vulnerable Theo. But the Prince has his own agenda, one that could derail both their plans. When life as they know it will be over in days, is it possible to find a happy ending?

I don’t remember where I saw this recommended, but I do love an apocalypse story so I grabbed it from the library. This was very cute with a great meet-cute and fast-paced storyline. This is YA, but more like New Adult with protagonists that have graduated from high school. I was more okay with that given that the characters were still young adults, but not super whiny. As for the storyline, I enjoyed following Wren and Theo through Europe. It moves quickly without many lulls. This isn’t a deep book, but fun for the week.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

I am exhausted! I don’t know what it is about this week, but I am so incredibly tired. Good thing we don’t have anything scheduled for this weekend.
We had our 8th visit to Vala’s yesterday! I think we got our money’s worth for those season passes.
I took advantage of Old Navy’s 50% everything online sale this week. Very excited to get a few new tops and pants along with Christmas pjs and fleece jackets for the kids.
Sad that spooky movie month is almost over. But that means it’s almost…
Nic Cage November! We are planning on doing a retrospective of his movies. J and I each get one veto, but otherwise, we are going to dive in.

Next up on the TBR pile:

White Cat by Holly Black

Title: White Cat (Curse Workers #1)

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books 2010

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 310

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

The first in a trilogy, this gritty, fast-paced fantasy is rife with the unexpected. Cassel comes from a shady, magical family of con artists and grifters. He doesn’t fit in at home or at school, so he’s used to feeling like an outsider. He’s also used to feeling guilty—he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago.

But when Cassel begins to have strange dreams about a white cat, and people around him are losing their memories, he starts to wonder what really happened to Lila. In his search for answers, he discovers a wicked plot for power that seems certain to succeed. But Cassel has other ideas— and a plan to con the conmen.

After two amazing reads, I was really hoping that this one would land as well. But it didn’t. In fact, I finished this one and really wanted to through it against the wall. Considering that I listened to it on my phone, I restrained myself. What did I like about this book? Nothing really. We get terrible characters, a slow-moving plot, and lots of problematic scenes. Cassel is a total piece of cardboard. I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to be around this guy. He’s not anti-hero, he’s just super boring. The plot took way too long to actually get going and by that time, I didn’t care at all. Everything was super obvious and boring. I will definitely not be reading more into this series.

Curse Workers

#1 White Cat
#2 Red Glove
#3 Black Heart

Next up on the TBR pile:

Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith

Title: Those We Drown

Author: Amy Goldsmith

Publisher: Delacorte Press 2023

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 416

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

It should have been the trip of a lifetime.

When Liv lands an all-expenses-paid opportunity to study aboard the luxury cruise ship The Eosfor a semester, she can’t believe her luck. Especially since it will oﬀer her the chance to spend time with Will, her ex–best friend, who’s barely spoken to her since the night their relationship changed forever.

But as soon as she steps on board, Liv realizes just how out of her depth she is. With Will, with the rest of the Seamester students—including the brittle and beautiful Constantine, who may be hiding his own ties to the Eos—and most of all, with the Sirens, three glamorous and mysterious inﬂuencers who seem to have the run of the ship.

Liv quickly discovers that the only reason she was invited to join the trip is because another girl disappeared shortly after enrolling—and no one seems to know what happened to her. When further disappearances rock the ship and strange creatures begin haunting Liv’s dreams, she wonders: Is the Eos hiding a dark secret within its shadowy decks?

The truth will come at a price . . . only, how much is Liv willing to pay?

Another five star read for spooky month! This one gives us a big mystery with a great setting and lots of references to Greek mythology. I was totally into the mystery as soon as we set foot on the ship. Thankfully, the book doesn’t take long to really get going and give us brief glimpses of horror. Liv wasn’t my favorite character, but I really did feel for her as she tries to navigate the ship and relationships all while wondering if she is completely hallucinating things. I figured out the main mystery of the cruise, but still enjoyed how everything was revealed. The ending is super open-ended, but after reflecting upon it, I really enjoyed it. A fun horror at sea for this month.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Title: Starling House

Author: Alix E. Harrow

Publisher: Tor Books 2023

Genre: Horror

Pages: 320

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: BOTM Cleanout; Unread Shelf

I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen….

Opal is a lot of things—orphan, high school dropout, full-time cynic and part-time cashier—but above all, she's determined to find a better life for her younger brother Jasper. One that gets them out of Eden, Kentucky, a town remarkable for only two things: bad luck and E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth century author of The Underland, who disappeared over a hundred years ago.

All she left behind were dark rumors—and her home. Everyone agrees that it’s best to ignore the uncanny mansion and its misanthropic heir, Arthur. Almost everyone, anyway.

I should be scared, but in the dream I don’t hesitate.

Opal has been obsessed with The Underland since she was a child. When she gets the chance to step inside Starling House—and make some extra cash for her brother's escape fund—she can't resist.

But sinister forces are digging deeper into the buried secrets of Starling House, and Arthur’s own nightmares have become far too real. As Eden itself seems to be drowning in its own ghosts, Opal realizes that she might finally have found a reason to stick around.

In my dream, I’m home.

And now she’ll have to fight.

The absolute perfect book for spooky season! I love a super atmospheric horror tale with an interesting location. This book delivered on all fronts. Right away, we know that there’s something special about Starling House. We get to follow Opal as she is invited into the house and is given a task of sorts. Opal is an extremely rough-around-the-edges character but I found myself rooting for her from page one. I was hoping to see Opal really grow into her own and lower some of her walls for anyone. And so enters Arthur Starling, Warden of Starling House. We only get glimpses of him throughout the first half of the book, but I loved him immediately. As the mystery unfolds, we learn more about the house and the history of the town. We get some super creepy beings and a ton of good spooky scenes. I took my time reading this book, not speeding through it, but really savoring the pages and the beautiful illustrations throughout. This may just go on my Top 10 of the year list.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - K. Flay feat. Vic Fuentes "Irish Goodbye"

Oh, what a collaboration! I’m so digging this song this week.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Preacher Vol. 1

Title: Preacher Vol. 1: Gone to Texas

Author: Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon

Publisher: Vertigo 1996

Genre: Horror

Pages: 336

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

Jesse Custer was just a small-town preacher in Texas... until his congregation was flattened by powers beyond his control and the Preacher became imbued with abilities beyond anyone's understanding.

Now possessed by Genesis—the unholy coupling of an angel and demon—Jesse holds Word of God, an ability to command anyone or anything with a mere utterance. And he’ll use this power to hold the Lord accountable for the people He has forsaken.

From the ashes of a small-town church to the bright lights of New York City to the backwoods of Louisiana, Jesse Custer cuts a righteous path across the soul of America in his quest for the divine—an effort that will be met by every evil that Heaven and Earth can assemble. Joined by his gun-toting girlfriend, Tulip, and the hard-drinking Irish vampire, Cassidy, Jesse will stop at nothing to fulfill his quest to find God.

The creative powerhouse team of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon bring readers on a violent and riotous journey across the country in this award-winning Vertigo series, beginning with Preacher Book One. Collects issues #1-12.

We started watching the television series, so I wanted to go back and read the comic series. The two are very different stories. I can’t quite seem to really love this volume. The stories have a choppy quality that I’m not a huge fan of. The casual racism and misogyny, while probably accurate to the time and place, is very grating. Tulip is kinda a terrible character and I really wish she grows and develops throughout the rest of the series, but I don’t hold out a lot of hope. Truly, my favorite character of the bunch is Cassidy. He’s at least very interesting in both the comic and the television show. I imagine that I will continue reading this series, albeit at a slow pace.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #30

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny and going to be pretty warm today. I would like the fall temps back please.

Right now I am: Staring at a giant pile of clothes that I need to sort. I’m doing the great clothes cleanout in this house, but it’s hard to find a few hours to just focus on my clothes.

On my bedside table: Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark; Thistlefoot by Genna Rose Nethercott

On my tv this week: Spooky Movie Month has been awesome! We watched some great movies along with keeping up with Archer, Loki, Lower Decks, and Ghosts.

Listening to: Mostly just a podcast here and there. I up to episode 68 of Hello from the Magic Tavern (season 1). Slowly slowly.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Roast Pork Cubano
Tuesday - Out for Book Club
Wednesday - Out for Book Club
Thursday - Garlic Ranch Chicken Pizza; Regular Pepperoni Pizza (for kids)
Friday - Chicken Tortilla Soup
Saturday - Maafe
Sunday - Irish Whiskey Short Rib Stew with Brussels Sprout

On my to do list: Along with all those clothes to sort, I do need to take care of some stupid student loan crap today. And I need to finish solidifying our plan for board games theme for coop so I can move on to planning W7-9 for chemistry.

Happening this week:

Monday - Chemistry class
Tuesday - Arbor Day Farm; Book Club
Wednesday - Vala’s (one last time for this year); Book Club
Thursday - Coop
Friday - Nature Hike
Saturday - Home Day
Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: I really want to get back to my Memory Planner, but I think it’s going to have to wait until next weekend. I still need to do September’s pages and pretty soon, October’s pages.

My simple pleasures: Looking at all the fall colored leaves, apple cider, spooky books

Looking around the house: Meh. Things could be better…

From the camera: View from Friday’s nature hike

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

Title: Nothing But Blackened Teeth

Author: Cassandra Khaw

Publisher: Tor Nightfire 2021

Genre: Horror

Pages: 128

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

A Heian-era mansion stands abandoned, its foundations resting on the bones of a bride and its walls packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company. It’s the perfect venue for a group of thrill-seeking friends, brought back together to celebrate a wedding. A night of food, drinks, and games quickly spirals into a nightmare as secrets get dragged out and relationships are tested. But the house has secrets too. Lurking in the shadows is the ghost bride with a black smile and a hungry heart. And she gets lonely down there in the dirt. Effortlessly turning the classic haunted house story on its head, Nothing but Blackened Teeth is a sharp and devastating exploration of grief, the parasitic nature of relationships, and the consequences of our actions.

What the heck did a I just read? That was incredibly short and incredibly weird. I love a good haunted house and was promised some creepy goings-on with this story. That part of the story delivers. It was the characters that I very much disliked. They are terrible and clearly all hate each other. I wanted to root for at least one of them, but found myself rooting for the ghosts and demons. Not the best foundation for a story. And then I was confused in parts as to what exactly I was supposed to be seeing in this house. I loved the premise, but didn’t quite get the execution.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Fall Bucket List Update #1

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

Visit Vala’s 6x ✓
Celebrate Friendsgiving
Read 50 Books
Complete Spooky Movie Month - in progress!
Execute a Halloween Party for Coop
Have an Art/Craft Day
Three State Park Visists (2/3)
Two Zoo Visits
Pick Out and Carve Pumpkins
Go Trick-or-Treating
Jump in a Pile of Leaves
Go Through a Corn Maze ✓
Make 5 Fall Recipes
Make Leaf Art ✓
Go Pick Apples ✓
Go on a 3 Fall Forest Hikes (2/3)
Make 3 Pumpkin Recipes
Go Bowling
Use our GetOut Pass 2 Times
Decorate for Fall

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry

Title: The Ghost Tree

Author: Christina Henry

Publisher: Berkley 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 415

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

When the bodies of two girls are found torn apart in the town of Smiths Hollow, Lauren is surprised, but she also expects that the police won't find the killer. After all, the year before her father's body was found with his heart missing, and since then everyone has moved on. Even her best friend, Miranda, has become more interested in boys than in spending time at the old ghost tree, the way they used to when they were kids.

So when Lauren has a vision of a monster dragging the remains of the girls through the woods, she knows she can't just do nothing. Not like the rest of her town. But as she draws closer to answers, she realizes that the foundation of her seemingly normal town might be rotten at the center. And that if nobody else stands for the missing, she will.

A very fun monster book full of small town secrets, coming of age, and conflict between the insiders and outsiders. I’ve enjoyed other Christina Henry works, and this was a return to the slightly grotesque fast-moving story that I love from her. We dive right in with a very gory murder of two girls and then speed through the book trying to figure out the mystery before anyone else gets killed. Lauren felt like a very typical almost 15 year old with her insecurities and internal identity struggles. I wasn’t annoyed by the whining or immaturity as Henry doesn’t overdo it. We aren’t reminded every page about Lauren’s feeling. Instead, we get a bit of a range of focus on different characters from the town. My favorite were the interactions between David and anyone else. I guessed who the monster had inhabited, but relished the big reveal at the end. I really loved this spooky monster book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Savage Appetites by Rachel Monroe

Title: Savage Appetites: True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession

Author: Rachel Monroe

Publisher: Scribner 2019

Genre: True Crime

Pages: 272

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

In Savage Appetites, Rachel Monroe links four criminal roles—Detective, Victim, Defender, and Killer—to four true stories about women driven by obsession. From a frustrated and brilliant heiress crafting crime-scene dollhouses to a young woman who became part of a Manson victim’s family, from a landscape architect in love with a convicted murderer to a Columbine fangirl who planned her own mass shooting, these women are alternately mesmerizing, horrifying, and sympathetic. A revealing study of women’s complicated relationship with true crime and the fear and desire it can inspire, together these stories provide a window into why many women are drawn to crime narratives—even as they also recoil from them.

Meh. True crime is not my genre so a book exploring the obsession of people with regard to true crime probably wasn’t going to be a hit for me. And it definitely was not a win for me. Bringing down fans of true crime to four prototypes feels very reductive. From there, I got very annoyed about Monroe’s very simplistic feminist arguments. Many times, I became angry about the generalizations Monroe made about women. Seemed to be the opposite of of a clear feminist argument.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

Title: Vampires of El Norte

Author: Isabel Cañas

Publisher: Berkley 2023

Genre: Horror

Pages: 371

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; BOTM Cleanout

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.

Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.

When the United States invades Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.

And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.

I’ve been going back and forth about this book for the last few days. We’re reading this for the Nerdy Bookish Friends selection for October and I am a little disappointed. I was hoping for a very gothic tale of vampires in the wilderness of Mexico. A fight for survival with some super creepy scenes. There are a few of those scattered through the book, but mostly we get a will-they-won’t-they romance as the focus. A big part of the conflict within Nena and Néstor’s relationship is a big case of miscommunication. This is my least favorite romance trope and it really shows in how much I disliked certain parts of this book. Beyond the romance, the vampire scenes are very few and far between. I did enjoy the comparison of the monstrous vampires to the white colonizers and wished we had spent more them on that angle. I’m looking forward to my discussion on Sunday with the Nerdy Bookish Friends. My rating may just drop to a 3, but right now I’m sticking with a 4.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #20

Reading: I started Starling House by Alix E. Harrow. Loving this haunted house story.

Watching: We’re deep into spooky movie month. So many good choices this year.

Listening: After a very short horror audiobook, I started White Cat by Holly Black. I’m not sure that I really like it, but I’m going to give it a few more chapters.

Making: It’s soup season in this house. This coming week, I’m definitely making Chicken Tortilla Soup and Baked Potato Soup.

Feeling: The weather has turned to cool and rainy, but that’s okay. I’m cozy!

Planning: I’ve got a list of house chores for this fall. First up is finishing the clothes cleanout.

Loving: It’s the season for my nightly cup of hot tea. So good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W8-9: Two Busy Weeks Complete with a Birthday Party

What We Studied

We had two weeks full of activities and school coming before and after the boys’ birthday party. Some day we might have a quieter week, but fall is definitely not the season for it. Maybe November… For now, we will continue with our fast speed of study.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished reading Echo Mountain. I really enjoyed that book, and Arthur seemed to also enjoy it. The second week, we focused on Langston Hughes including his poetry and a historical fiction book. 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.

Poetry for Young People: American Poetry
Poetry for Young People: African American Poetry
Reading Explorer: Intro
Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk
Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome
That is My Dream by Langston Hughes and Daniel Miya
Langston’s Train Ride by Robert Burleigh
Visiting Langston by Willie Perdomo
The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes
I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes
Sail Away by Langston Hughes
Coming Home: From the Life of Langston Hughes by Floyd Cooper

Quentin spent the school days reading book tied to his fall themes. We covered apples, fall, leaves, corn, and scarecrows. He also worked on some basic grammar.

Sing a Song of Seasons
Where I Live: Poems About My Home, My Street, and My Town
How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro
Applesauce Day by Lisa J. Amstutz
Bad Apple by Huw Lewis Jones
Apples for Little Fox by Ekaterina Trukhan
The Poisoned Apple by Anne Lambelet
Corn Aplenty by Dana Meachen Rau
A Questzalcoatl Tale of Corn by Marilyn Parke and Sharon Panik
Gimme Cracked Corn and I Will Share by Kevin O’Malley
Popcorn Country by Chris Peterson
From Kernel to Corn by Robin Nelson
The Story of Corn: It Starts with a Seed by Robin Nelson
Of Corn Silk and Black Braids by Vincent L. Johnson
Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington
It's Fall! by Renee Kurilla
The Scarecrow’s Dance by Jane Yolen
Scarecrows by Calvin Harris
The Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown
Samurai Scarecrow b Rubin Pingk
Hopefully the Scarecrow by Michelle Houts
Scarecrow Magic by Ed Masessa
Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant

Math

Arthur continued to dive into Singapore 5A. We are definitely going to slow down our math lessons a bit to make sure that Arthur achieves mastery. We also continued our next logic book.

Singapore Common Core 5A
Orbiting with Logic

Quentin continued working toward the end of Singapore 1B with a unit on math to 120. I’m still debating if we should take a small review break after finishing 1B and before beginning 2A. We also continued our logic book.

Lollipop Logic Book 3
Singapore Common Core 1B

Social Studies

Arthur continued through the passage of time with a few weeks on topics such as the Pony Express, Transcontinental Express, and conflicts with the Native Americans.

DK American History
We were There Too! Young People in US History
Words that Build a Nation
Heart and Soul
Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States
Red Cloud: A Lakota Story of War and Surrender by S.D. Nelson
Which Way to the Wild West by Steve Sheinkin
They're Off: The Story of the Pony Express by Cheryl Harness
In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall III
Coolies by Yin

Quentin continued with Mesopotamia with a focus on stories. And then we did a mini introduction unit to Egypt with a focus on deserts.

History Quest Early Times
DK When on Earth?
Human Wold
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK A Child Through Time
A History of Western Art
DK Science Year by Year
The Genius of the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages by Izzi Howell
Mesopotamia by Sunita Apte
Lugalbanda by Kathy Henderson
Lost Cities
DK Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories
Gilgamesh the King by Ludmila Zeman
Destination Desert by Laura Perdew
Desert Song by Tony Johnston
The Sahara Desert: The Biggest Desert by Aileen Weintroub
Life in a Desert by Carol K. Lindeen
Desert Biome by Grace Hansen
How the Sphinx Got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland

A’s Monday ELA, Math, and Langston Hughes Unit

Science

Arthur explored more of the periodic table and atom basics. We also covered another chapter in our Story of Science all about Galileo.

RSO Chemistry
DK Super Simple Chemistry
Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim
DK The Elements
The Periodic Table of Elements by Jenny Karpelenia

Quentin covered units on Mollusca and echinoderms. I’m loving the slow progress through our main science text.

RSO Life
DK Oversimple Biology
Are You a Snail by Judy Allen
Slimy Snails by Laura Hamilton Waxman
Some of These are Snails by Carter Higgins
Snail Trail by Ruth Brown
How to Party Like a Snail by Naseem Hrab
Snail Crossing Corey R. Tabor
Wake Out, Snail! by Gay Hay and Margaret Tolland
The Rainbow Snail by Karin Akesson
Are You a Snail? by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries
Snails are Just My Speed! by Kevin McCloskey
Big as a Giant Snail by Jess Keating
The Snail with the Right Heart by Maria Popova
Escargot by Pashka Slater
A Book for Escargot by Pashka Slater
Snail Mail by Samantha Berger

STEAM Coop

Arthur continued with his Art Mediums theme with two weeks of working with clay. He really really loved working with clay. Quentin’s class covered nocturnal animals with lots of fun games.

A’s Tuesday ELA, Math, and Langston Hughes Unit

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

And I continued not fitting in these subjects. I just could’t seem to get it to fit in our schedueles. I suspect this will be an issue until November, but hoping we can slide it in at least half of the weeks.

DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw
13 American Artists Children Should Know
A Child's Introduction to Art
Women in Art by Rachel Ignotofsky
We are Artists by Kari Herbert

Field Trip

No field trip this week, but we did go to Vala’s twice. We’re hoping to get in three more Vala’s visits before Halloween.

High

The birthday party was amazing! The Art Party was a huge success and the kids seemed to have fun creating.

Low

I’m definitely going to need another quiet home day soon.

Next Week

Starting our next read alouds
Finishing 1B for Math (Q) and taking the next lessons in 5A slowly (A)
Beginning Egypt for Q’s History
Completing the Transcontinental Railroad for A’s History
Covering more of the Periodic Table
Learning about insects

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Pierce the Veil feat. Chloe Moriondo "12 Fractures"

Oh yes! Loving this new collaboration. Apparently I’m on a bit of an emo kick lately.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #29

Right now I am: Grabbing my sweater to head on out to the coop steering committee meeting. This will be our first one and I’m excited to start chatting about the future of the coop.

On my bedside table: The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry; Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

On my tv this week: We continued our spooky movie month with some great selections including a rewatch of the original Candyman.

Listening to: Mostly just a mix of music, but I did start an audio book. Not sure if I like it yet…

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Salsa Chicken
Tuesday - Baked Potato Soup
Wednesday - Family Night at Vala’s
Thursday - Lemon Ginger Turmeric Chicken and Rice Soup
Friday - Orecchiette with Sausage, Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Saturday - Chicken Tortillas Soup
Sunday - Roast Pork Cubano

On my to do list: I finished cleaning out the boys’ clothes yesterday, so I’m moving on to my clothes. It’s going to be a project, but I will feel so much better when it’s finished!

Happening this week:

Monday - Chemistry Class
Tuesday - Vala’s Day
Wednesday - Playdate with a friend; Vala’s Family Night
Thursday - Coop
Friday - Nature Hike; Friend’s Birthday Party
Saturday - Home Day
Sunday - Nerdy Bookish Friends Zoom

What I am creating: The birthday party and recovery took it out of me. I would love to get to my September and October Memory Planner pages today and throughout this week, but we’ll see if I have time…

My simple pleasures: Raspberry Italian Soda, rainy days, spooky movies, spooky books

Looking around the house: I would like to finish cleaning off the weird hall table today, but otherwise things are in good shape. For the party, I cleaned off part of the kitchen counters and I’m really loving the feel. I’m going to try and keep everything as cleared off as I can.

From the camera: After our nature hike, we went hunting for fossils. Q was super excited to find some.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

Title: Nettle & Bone

Author: T. Kingfisher

Publisher: Tor Books 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 245

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

This isn't the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince.
It's the one where she kills him.

Marra never wanted to be a hero.

As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, she escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for the sake of an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra is done watching her suffer at the hands of a powerful and abusive prince.

Seeking help for her rescue mission, Marra is offered the tools she needs, but only if she can complete three seemingly impossible tasks:
—build a dog of bones
—sew a cloak of nettles
—capture moonlight in a jar

But, as is the way in tales of princes and witches, doing the impossible is only the beginning.

Hero or not—now joined by a disgraced ex-knight, a reluctant fairy godmother, an enigmatic gravewitch and her fowl familiar—Marra might finally have the courage to save her sister, and topple a throne.

Following yesterday’s fairy tale retelling, I had picked up this other fairy tale inspired book by T. Kingfisher. After a very straight forward tale, I loved how this one completely changed the script. Marra isn’t the damsel who is searching for a love but to save her sister. I loved seeing Marra reach out to a motley crew of characters to help her on her quest. The story unfolds as a great quest with glimpses into other worlds and the magical. I really enjoyed this slim novel.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher

Title: The Seventh Bride

Author: T. Kingfisher

Publisher: 47North 2015

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 226

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

Young Rhea is a miller’s daughter of low birth, so she is understandably surprised when a mysterious nobleman, Lord Crevan, shows up on her doorstep and proposes marriage. Since commoners don’t turn down lords—no matter how sinister they may seem—Rhea is forced to agree to the engagement.

Lord Crevan demands that Rhea visit his remote manor before their wedding. Upon arrival, she discovers that not only was her betrothed married six times before, but his previous wives are all imprisoned in his enchanted castle. Determined not to share their same fate, Rhea asserts her desire for freedom. In answer, Lord Crevan gives Rhea a series of magical tasks to complete, with the threat “Come back before dawn, or else I’ll marry you.”

With time running out and each task more dangerous and bizarre than the last, Rhea must use her resourcefulness, compassion, and bravery to rally the other wives and defeat the sorcerer before he binds her to him forever.

I’m slowly working my way through all of T. Kingfisher’s books and I finally grabbed this Bluebeard retelling. I loved how we are just thrown into an unknown land full of unknown dangers. We get to see the entire story unfold from Rhea’s perspective and hers is very limited. She’s never been away from the mill and the small village. And yet, she explores her new prison and learns its secrets in time to save everyone. This is a typical fairy tale set-up and follow-through but with FMC that grows greatly throughout the pages. I really enjoyed this book. Meeting Lord Crevan’s wives was my favorite part. So much fun!

Next up on the TBR pile:

What We Studied

Literature and Poetry

Math

Social Studies

Science

STEAM Coop

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

Field Trip

High

Low

Next Week

Starting our next read alouds