The Wake-up Call by Beth O'Leary

Title: The Wake-up Call

Author: Beth O’Leary

Publisher: Berkley 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 356

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Spice Rating: 3

It’s the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.

The hotel won't stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel—and their jobs.

As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there's more at stake here than the hotel's future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?

I have enjoyed Beth O’Leary’s previous romance books for their realistic characters with a focus on communication. I definitely had to grab this one as soon as it was released. This one is much more rom-com than romance with lots of romance tropes thrown in. We get the quintessential miscommunication trope, the forced proximity trope, and the potential new relationship threatening the inevitable romance trope. They are all mashed up in there in not an annoying way but probably an ultimately forgettable way. I just don’t think that this book will be on my end-of-year’s best list. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the journey of Lucas and Izzy.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters

Title: Underground Airlines

Author: Ben H. Winters

Publisher: Mulholland Books 2016

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; 52 Book Club

A young black man calling himself Victor has struck a bargain with federal law enforcement, working as a bounty hunter for the US Marshall Service in exchange for his freedom. He's got plenty of work. In this version of America, slavery continues in four states called "the Hard Four." On the trail of a runaway known as Jackdaw, Victor arrives in Indianapolis knowing that something isn't right -- with the case file, with his work, and with the country itself.

As he works to infiltrate the local cell of a abolitionist movement called the Underground Airlines, tracking Jackdaw through the back rooms of churches, empty parking garages, hotels, and medical offices, Victor believes he's hot on the trail. But his strange, increasingly uncanny pursuit is complicated by a boss who won't reveal the extraordinary stakes of Jackdaw's case, as well as by a heartbreaking young woman and her child -- who may be Victor's salvation.

Victor believes himself to be a good man doing bad work, unwilling to give up the freedom he has worked so hard to earn. But in pursuing Jackdaw, Victor discovers secrets at the core of the country's arrangement with the Hard Four, secrets the government will preserve at any cost.

I was intrigued by this alternative history, but ended up really disappointed in the execution. The main issue is that I am uncertain as to the point of this book. Are we supposed to understand that everyone is terrible? Are we supposed to root for any of the characters? Because I truly don’t. It’s a cluster of unlikeable characters, confusing sequences, and an unsatisfying ending. As an extra note, the narration alternates between straight forward descriptions to a strange bit of stream of consciousness. I did not enjoy the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W13: Coop Problems are Taking a toll

What We Studied

We love our coop. I love the creation of a community and the opportunities we have with them. But... there have been a few hiccups lately that have really thrown me. Despite delegating and appointing others to certain roles, balls are being dropped and I have to scramble to pick them up. Hopefully a few conversations this week will fix it. On the flip side, the kids are having a ton of fun learning about a variety of topics. Arthur’s group is creating board games this cycle and I cannot wait to see what they come up with!

Arthur’s ELA, Math, and History

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished Tristan Strong Destroys the World. It’s number two in the series. B&R has the first book in its curriculum for grade 4, but we’ve already read it. So I’m just adapting. I have the third one (last in the trilogy) coming and we might read that over Christmas break. I really want to see how the story ends. 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

• Reading Explorer: Intro

• Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

Quentin got back into the Blossom & Root curriculum with two tales and their variations. I’m really enjoying the format for this year. He also worked on some basic grammar.

• Sing a Song of Seasons

• Pumpkin Butterfly: Poems from the Other Side of Nature by Heidi Mordhorst

• Fairy Tales Collection

• The Other Side of the Story

• The Magic Fish by Freya Littledale

• Luba and the Wren by Patricia Polacco

• The Fisherman and His Wife by Rachel Isadora

• Tortoise Races Home by Jill Atkins and Beccy Blake (Q read)

• Hare and Tortoise by Alison Murray

• The Tortoise and the Hare by Jerry Pinkney

• The Fastest Tortoise in Town by Howard Calvert

• The Great Race by Kevin O'Malley

• When Turtle Grew Feathers by Tim Tangle

• The Hare and the Tortoise by Ranjit Bolt

• The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit by Susan Lowell

Quentin’s ELA and Math

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’ve moved onto new skills dealing with multiplying and dividing fractions. Time for me to relearn some math! We also continued our next logic book.

• Singapore Common Core 5A

• Orbiting with Logic

Quentin finished the Tinkeractive Math Book. We’re all about review right now. I don’t anticipate starting Singapore 2A until January. We also continued our logic book.

• Lollipop Logic Book 3

• Tinkeractive Math Grade 1

Quentin’s Math, ELA, History, and Science

Social Studies

Arthur covered industrialization and more about immigration with an aside about the San Francisco Earthquake. He also finished reading his historical fiction read aloud, Prairie Lotus

• 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

• A Different Mirror for Young People

• This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration

• Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

• I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 by Lauren Tarshis

• What was the San Francisco Earthquake by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler

Quentin learned about the Andes Mountain cultures of the Chavin, Moche, and Nazca. Short chapter, but an important one.

• 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

• DK Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

Arthur’s ELA and Math

Science

Arthur review Periodic Groups this week with an experiment featuring the effects of baking powder. We also caught back up with our Story of Science chapters.

• RSO Chemistry

• DK Super Simple Chemistry

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

• DK The Elements

Quentin covered the last of the invertebrates with crustaceans.

• RSO Life

• DK Oversimple Biology

• Hermit Crabs by Ellen Lawrence

• About Crustaceans by Cathryn Sill

• Crayfish by Deborah Coldiron

• Mantis Shrimp by Josh Plattner

• A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle

STEAM Coop

Arthur continued his exploration of board games. By the end of the six weeks, the kids will have created their own board games. We learned about the various types of games and played some as examples. Quentin’s class started their exploration of Native Americans.

Pirate Putt Time!

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

We got back into it covering two artists (Leonardo da Vinci and Jan Vermeer) and one composter (Cecile Chaminade). I’m working these subjects in as we can, but proud of our progress so far. They are always the first on the chopping block if we run out of time during the week.

• 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

• Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo Da Vinci by Gene Barretta

• Steal Back the Mona Lisa by Meghan McCarthy

• If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur by Amy Newbold

• Fly, Kite, Fly: A Story of Leonardo and a Bird Catcher by John Winch

• Jan Vermeer by Mike Venezia

Quentin’s ELA

Field Trip

No field trip this week. The kids had dentist appointments and we did lots of errands.

Nature Walk

High

The boys had an old fashioned playmate on Wednesday morning. Every once in a while, it’s great to have some free play with friends. As an added bonus, I got to talk to my friend for a few hours without kids interrupting us.

Low

Coop problems…

Boys cannot take a serious photo

Next Week

• Starting a new read aloud

• Covering more classic tales

• Reviewing multiplying and dividing fractions (A)

• Lots of math review (Q)

• Move to Mesoamerica for Q’s History

• More about industrialization for A’s History

• Covering specific elements on the Periodic table

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Awake at Last feat. Spencer Charnas "The Change"

Not exactly sure why, but I can’t get this song out my head lately.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian

Title: A Delicate Deception (Regency Imposters #3)

Author: Cat Sebastian

Publisher: Avon 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 275

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Spice Rating: 5

When Amelia Allenby escaped a stifling London ballroom for the quiet solitude of the Derbyshire countryside, the very last thing she wanted was an extremely large, if—she grudgingly admits—passably attractive man disturbing her daily walks. Lecturing the surveyor about property rights doesn’t work and, somehow, he has soon charmed his way into lemon cakes, long walks, and dangerously heady kisses.

The very last place Sydney wished to be was in the shadow of the ruins of Pelham Hall, the inherited property that stole everything from him. But as he awaits his old friend, the Duke of Hereford, he finds himself increasingly captivated by the maddeningly lovely and exceptionally odd Amelia. He quickly finds that keeping his ownership of Pelham Hall a secret is as impossible as keeping himself from falling in love with her.

But when the Duke of Hereford arrives, Sydney’s ruse is revealed and what started out as a delicate deception has become a love too powerful to ignore. Will they let a lifetime of hurt come between them or can these two lost souls find love and peace in each other?

I finally picked up the final volume in the Regency Imposters series. And while I enjoyed Amelia and her the duke, this wasn’t my favorite. I found the story a little too slow to get moving. Couple that with a decided lack of an ending and I a pretty underwhelmed by this one. I did enjoy the idea of these adults finding a family situation that works for them and pursuing their happiness. I wanted Amelia to keep true to her own boundaries and was very excited to see that she did. But Sydney just didn’t captivate me as a FMC. I much preferred Lex and wanted the story to focus more on him. So decent read, but not one that going to go on my forever shelf.

Regency Imposters

• #1 Unmasked by the Marquess

• #2 A Duke in Disguise

• #3 A Delicate Deception

Next up on the TBR pile:

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

Title: The City of Dreaming Books

Author: Walter Moers

Publisher: Overlook 2007

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 464

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Optimus Yarnspinner’s search for an author’s identity takes him to Bookholm―the so-called City of Dreaming Books. On entering its streets, our hero feels as if he has opened the door of a gigantic second-hand bookshop. His nostrils are assailed by clouds of book dust, the stimulating scent of ancient leather, and the tang of printer’s ink.

Soon, though, Yarnspinner falls into the clutches of the city’s evil genius, Pfistomel Smyke, who treacherously maroons him in the labyrinthine catacombs underneath the city, where reading books can be genuinely dangerous . . .

In The City of Dreaming Books, Walter Moers transports us to a magical world where reading is a remarkable adventure. Only those intrepid souls who are prepared to join Yarnspinner on his perilous journey should read this book. We wish the rest of you a long, safe, unutterably dull, and boring life!

I don’t quite know how to explain this book and why I enjoyed it. It’s a weird meandering trip through a strange land that reveres books and authors above all else. We follow Optimus Yarnspinner as he falls into a treacherous situation full of shady and shadowy characters. We stumble around in the dark catacombs under Bookholm and begin to uncover its secrets. This book is very descriptive and meandering in its plot. There are portions where not much happens. But I was still intrigued in following Yarnspinner through the dark hoping he can find his way out again. I literally gasped out loud a few times when the twists were revealed. Utterly delightful. I can’t wait to discuss this with my Nerdy Bookish Friends. One final note: this book is meant to be read with your eyes, Moers includes a variety of illustrations that add to the fantastical nature of the book. Without those illustrations, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much as I have. You must read it on paper or as an ebook.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Wicked All Night by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Wicked All Night (Night Rebel #3)

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon 2021

Genre: Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Spice Rating: 5

A gift from the gods...
Veritas and Ian have finally defeated their worst enemy, but the power it took to pierce through to the netherworld has unexpected consequences. Soon, Veritas is forced to rely on the last person she trusts---a golden deity named Phanes, who seeks far more than a temporary alliance with the beautiful vampire.

Can unleash hell...
But a supernatural escape soon pits Veritas and Ian against beings seeking to rule over mortals once again. Now, they must rally friends and foes alike--if the vampire council doesn't execute Veritas first. Plus, a wedge between Veritas and Ian threatens to destroy their love. Can they stand together against the unearthly powers about to be unleashed? Or does their love--and humanity--not stand a chance?

A fitting conclusion to the Night Rebel series and the to my reading of the Frost’s Night Huntress World. I really enjoyed Ian and Veritas’s story and was excited that they got to find their HEA. As all of Frost’s novels, I enjoyed the plot and the pacing, but the endings always feel so rushed. I wanted to sit just a bit with Ian and Veritas after they defeat their enemies and ride off into the night. I did enjoy seeing a variety of character show up for their final battles and acknowledge their unusual but fitting relationship. Overall, I really enjoyed getting to know Ian more and see his story play out.

Night Rebel

• #1 Shades of Wicked

• #2 Wicked Bite

• #3 Wicked All Night

Next up on the TBR pile:

Unlikeable Female Characters by Anna Bogutskaya

Title: Unlikeable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate

Author: Anna Bogutskaya

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2023

Genre: Nonfiction - Media Criticism

Pages: 340

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

Female characters throughout history have been burdened by the moral trap that is likeability. Any woman who dares to reveal her messy side has been treated as a cautionary tale. Today, unlikeable female characters are everywhere in film, TV, and wider pop culture. For the first time ever, they are being accepted by audiences and even showered with industry awards. We are finally accepting that women are—gasp—fully fledged human beings. How did we get to this point?

Unlikeable Female Characters traces the evolution of highly memorable female characters, examining what exactly makes them popular, how audiences have reacted to them, and the ways in which pop culture is finally allowing us to celebrate the complexities of being a woman. Anna Bogutskaya, film programmer, broadcaster, and co-founder of the horror film collective and podcast The Final Girls, takes us on a journey through popular film, TV, and music, looking at the nuances of womanhood on and off-screen to reveal whether pop culture—and society—is finally ready to embrace complicated women.

A decent breakdown of various female archetypes in movies and television. This is my favorite gender studies book in years. It is entertaining and informative without being too dense or overly reductive. Bogutskaya deftly details the nine archetypes and how they have been represented in a variety of movies and television. I especially love the Mean Girl and the Angry Girl chapters. I’ll admit that this book was completely illuminating for me because of my past studies and general reading, but I did enjoying reading this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #21

Reading: So close to finishing The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers for Nerdy Bookish Friends book club. It’s such a weird book but I am enjoying it.

Watching: We finished Loki S2 and I definitely started tearing up at the end. I’m super sad that this is the end of Loki, but it’s a beautiful ending for the character.

Listening: Still trucking along through old episodes of 99PI. I’m put to the end of 2016. Only about 250 episodes to go.

Making: The kids in coop are working on their board games. I’m helping them create supply lists for their games.

Feeling: Loving the lower temps and cozy vibes. I’m all about sweater weather, but I’m usually way too hot.

Planning: Working on planning my Holiday reads TBR. Lots of good choices for this year.

Loving: The coop gained two new families with week. While they won’t join Thursday meetings until January, they’ve officially joined the group. We hope to see them at an extra event soon.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W12: Not Much Book Work Happened...

What We Studied

Another week full of activities that impeded on our book work. We managed to find two mornings to focus on book work. In looking at the next week, we’re going to have the same thing happen. Oh well. Right now we’re all about the activities.

Quentin’s Math, ELA, and Spider Unit

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is all in with reading Tristan Strong Destroys the World. It’s number two in the series. B&R has the first book in its curriculum for grade 4, but we’ve already read it. So I’m just adapting. We are enjoying this sequel. 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

• Reading Explorer: Intro

• Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

Quentin read books about bats in honor of our coop themes and the time of the year. He also worked on some basic grammar.

• Sing a Song of Seasons

• Fairy Tales Collection

• The Other Side of the Story

• Mr. Bat Wants a Hat by Kitty Black

• Amara and the Bats by Emma Reynolds

• I Am Bat by Morag Hood

• The Bat Book by Charlotte Milner

• Bat Colonies by Karen Latchana Kenney

• Bat Count by Anna Forrester

• Bats Biggest! Littlest! by Sandra Markle

• Bats in the Band by Brian Lies

• Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies

• Bats at the Library by Brian Lies

• Good Night, Bat! Good Morning, Squirrel! by Paul Meisel

• Little Bat in Night School by Brian Lies

• It's Raining Bats and Frogs by Rebecca Colby

Chemistry Class

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. These past weeks, the units were very much a review of decimals and fractions. We also continued our next logic book.

• Singapore Common Core 5A

• Orbiting with Logic

Quentin continued with the Tinkeractive Math Book and worked through about a third of it this week. We’re all about review right now. I don’t anticipate starting Singapore 2A until January. We also continued our logic book.

• Lollipop Logic Book 3

• Tinkeractive Math Grade 1

Social Studies

Arthur covered the beginning of the immigration unit with a discussion of the waves before and right after the Civil War.

• 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

• This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration

• Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

Quentin finished exploring Egypt. We focused on daily life and the myths and stories. Next week, we’ll move on to Mesoamerica. So much to learn and explore!

• 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

• DK Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

• Ancient Worlds by Miranda Smith

• Nat Geo Investigates: Ancient Egypt by Jill Rubalcaba

• Egypt in Spectacular Cross Section

• Ancient Egypt by Jinny Johnson

• DK Eyewitness Ancient Egypt

• Hieroglyphs by Joyce Milton

• What Did the Ancient Egyptians Do for Me? by Patrick Catel

• Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green

Science

Arthur learned about Periodic Groups this week. We did an experiment about the difference Sodium and Potassium.

• RSO Chemistry

• DK Super Simple Chemistry

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

• DK The Elements

Quentin got back into RSO Life with a unit on Arthropods and specifically arachnids. Q really got into spiders!

• RSO Life

• DK Oversimple Biology

• Are You a Spider by Judy Allen

• Frank the Seven-Legged Spider by Michaele Razi

• The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howl

• Spiders! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle

• The Eeensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out by Troy Cummings

Board Games at a Coffeehouse

STEAM Coop

Arthur continued his exploration of board games. By the end of the six weeks, the kids will have created their own board games. We learned about the elements of games and created a rough and dirty race-to-the-end game as an example. Quentin’s class finished their theme on government.

STEM Day

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

None this week. Maybe next week…

• 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

We had a field trip planned for Tuesday, but it completely fell apart at the last minute. The boys and I pivoted and went to one of the new parks. We played for a few hours before continuing with our planned day.

On Wednesday, we got to participate in DoSpace’s STEM Day. The kids cycled through four different topics and projects through the morning. They learned about hydroponics, rockets, robots, and DNA. The logistics were a little messy, but we had a good time.

Making a board game at coop

High

We had a successful meeting with a new coop family coupled with the boys playing a few board games with their friend. We followed that up with a board game meet-up with some coop friends.

Quentin’s Math and Bats Unit

Low

A friend started a Pokemon group. We went, but it was so draining for me. I know the boys had fun, but my goodness, I was so tired afterward. Hopefully this will get better as the kids really learned to play.

Quentin’s Egypt

Arthur’s ELA and Math

Next Week

• Finishing Tristan Strong?

• Covering more classic tales

• Reviewing multiplying and dividing fractions (A)

• Lots of math review (Q)

• Move to Meosamerica for Q’s History

• Moving into industrialization for A’s History

• Covering more of the Periodic Table

Pokemon Club

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Bad Omens "The Death of Peace of Mind"

I keep going back to Bad Omens… Guess I’m really digging their sound.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #33

As I look outside my window: After weeks where our backyard tree stayed green with just a tinge of red on one side. In two days, all of the leaves dropped. I didn’t get my beautiful red tree this year. Feeling a bit sad…

Right now I am: Pulling out my book for my normal Sunday morning reading time. I haven’t been able to do it for a few weeks and I miss it!

Thinking and pondering: Should we get donuts this morning? The eternal Sunday question…

On my bedside table: So many books! I have a stack of spicy romances to preread for Dirty Book Month, a few book club books, and a stack of Christmas romances. Not sure what I’m going to pick up next. First I need to actually finish my very strange but enjoyable book.

On my tv this week: We had to watch the S2 finale of Loki; it had me close to tears. And we have watched a few more Nicolas Cage movies to continue our retrospective.

Listening to: I managed to listen to multiple podcast episodes in the last few days. Nearing the end of S1 of Hello from the Magic Tavern, nearing the end of 2016 for 99PI, and continuing with a few of my currently airing podcasts like If Books Could Kill.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Pork and Green Chile Stew

• Tuesday - Spicy Thai Noodles

• Wednesday - Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken, Bacon, and Broccoli

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Apple Bacon Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

• Saturday - Italian Beef Sandwiches

• Sunday - Peanut Sauce Chicken and Broccoli Bowls

On my to do list: Meh. I’m feeling very over my to do list right this second. I’m sure I have a ton of things to do, but I’m going to focus on prepping our curriculum and getting my Chemistry and Coop lessons set aside. Otherwise, I’m just existing this week.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Meeting with a potential coop family; Chemistry Class

• Tuesday - Kids’ Dentist Appointments; Book Club

• Wednesday - Playdate with a friend

• Thursday - Coop; Pirate Putt

• Friday - Nature Explorers at Fontenelle Forest

• Saturday - Kid Birthday Party

• Sunday - Breakfast Club

What I am creating: Nothing beyond piles… seriously I’m just making piles of clothes and things to get rid of. I don’t often do a spring cleanout. I do a before Christmas cleanout.

My simple pleasures: Hot tea, apple cider, Italian soda — apparently I was very thirty this week!

Looking around the house: Beyond the piles, I got a ton of the first floor back under control. I do want to vacuum today and get the laundry done, but otherwise, the house is in decent shape.

From the camera: Got my semiannual hair chop! So much lighter and able to get a bit of volume through the winter months.

Fall Bucket List Update #2

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

1. Visit Vala’s 6x ✓

2. Celebrate Friendsgiving

3. Read 50 Books - in progress

4. Complete Spooky Movie Month ✓

5. Execute a Halloween Party for Coop ✓

6. Have an Art/Craft Day

7. Three State Park Visists ✓

8. Two Zoo Visits

9. Pick Out and Carve Pumpkins ✓

10. Go Trick-or-Treating ✓

11. Jump in a Pile of Leaves

12. Go Through a Corn Maze ✓

13. Make 5 Fall Recipes

14. Make Leaf Art ✓

15. Go Pick Apples ✓

16. Go on a 3 Fall Forest Hikes (2/3)

17. Make 3 Pumpkin Recipes

18. Go Bowling

19. Use our GetOut Pass 2 Times

20. Decorate for Fall ✓

Next up on the TBR pile:

Wicked Bite by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Wicked Bite (Night Rebel #2)

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon 2020

Genre: Romance

Pages: 371

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Spice Rating: 5

Some promises are meant to be broken…

Veritas spent most of her life as a vampire Law Guardian. Now, she’s about to break every rule by secretly hunting down the dark souls that were freed in order to save Ian. But the risks are high. For if she gets caught, she could lose her job. And catching the sinister creatures might cost Veritas her own life.

Some vows are forever…

Ian’s memories might be fragmented, but this master vampire isn’t about to be left behind by the woman who entranced him, bound herself to him, and then disappeared. So what if demons, other Law Guardians, and dangerous, otherworldly forces stand against them? Come hell or high water, Ian intends to remind Veritas of the burning passion between them, because she is the only person seared on his mind—and his soul…

A fun continuation of Ian and Veritas’s story. I liked how we moved beyond the Dagon storyline from the original book. We get to see some more players and learn more about Veritas’s nature. Her love story with Ian continues to evolve while staying true to who both of them are. I would have liked a few more conversations between the two and less miscommunication, but I realize that it’s in both their natures to conceal their true plans from others. I’m excited to finish off their story with the last book in the trilogy.

Night Rebel

• #1 Shades of Wicked

• #2 Wicked Bite

• #3 Wicked All Night

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• This week has been nonstop with activities. I need a break.

• Nic Cage November has been an interesting experiment. Slowly making our way through.

• Planning a very quiet very small reading weekend for February. There’s some cute options within 2 hours of here.

• I still need to clean out the clothes in my dresser. It’s been slow going.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead by Kristen Simmons

Title: Find Him Where You Left Him Dead (Death Games #1)

Author: Kristen Simmons

Publisher: Tor Teen 2023

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 272

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Four years ago, five kids started a game. Not all of them survived.

Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors—Owen, Madeline, Emerson, and Dax—have reunited for one strange and terrible reason: they’ve been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for dead.

Together they return to the place where their friendship ended with one goal: find Ian and bring him home. So they restart the deadly game they never finished—an innocent card-matching challenge called Meido. A game without instructions.

As soon as they begin, they're dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds, more horrifying than even the darkest folktales that Owen's grandmother told him. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains the rules:

They have one night to complete seven challenges or they'll all be stuck in this world forever.

Once inseparable, the survivors now can’t stand each other, but the challenges demand they work together, think quickly, and make sacrifices—blood, clothes, secrets, memories, and worse.

And once again, not everyone will make it out alive.

This was strange and weird and gory. Usually I would love those adjectives when describing a horror book, but ultimately this one wasn’t really for me. We’re thrown right into this story with little set-up. I had a little trouble connecting to the four main characters and getting their backstories straight to understand their current situation. From there, the game starts. I didn’t mind not knowing the rules. What I minded was the fact that I could never really get a sense of the setting and action. The writing was really unclear at times. I never could really see the story in my head. From that, I was annoyed. And the characters themselves. Too whiny, too closed off, not enough growth for anyone over the course of the novel. Plus there was a big subplot about the Empress character that just never went anywhere. Not my cup of tea.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The September House by Carissa Orlando

Title: The September House

Author: Carissa Orlando

Publisher: Barley 2023

Genre: Horror

Pages: 344

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. 

Margaret is not most people. 

Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

Another new random book from the library. I had to sneak in a few more spooky books even if it is November now. This one did not disappoint. I was creeped out by the first chapter. We’re told about this house in snippets and flashbacks injected with Margaret’s very detached narration. The events that she recounts are certainly creepy, but are they real? I was desperate to find to the answer to that question. And the book does not disappoint. We get an answer by the end, and it’s a good one. This is very horror filled and not for the feint of heart.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W11: Back to a Semblance of Normal

Art and Music Books

What We Studied

I think that I’ve accepted that this past week is going to be a new normal. We just don’t have enough hours in a week to shove everything in and I need to make some cuts. Basically, I have slowed down our book work to continue our nature hikes, extra coop activities, and errands. At some point I have to actually go to the grocery store and the library. We made time for all of that this week and I don’t feel like our school work completely disappeared. This year has really been about adjusting expectations with two kids doing full-time work.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is all in with reading Tristan Strong Destroys the World. It’s number two in the series. B&R has the first book in its curriculum for grade 4, but we’ve already read it. So I’m just adapting. We are enjoying this sequel. 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

• Reading Explorer: Intro

• Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

Quentin covered the B&R theme of Tell it in Three with books on the Goldilocks and Three Little Pigs fairy tales. He loved them! We also did a mini unit on pumpkins. He also worked on some basic grammar.

• Sing a Song of Seasons

• Fairy Tales Collection

• The Three Bears by Paul Galdone

• Goldilocks and the Three Knocks by Gregory Barrington

• Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim

• Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

• The Other Side of the Story

• You Choose: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

• The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone

• The Three Little Pigs by Barry Moser

• The Three Little Pigs by James Marshall

• The Three Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas

• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

• Three Three Superpigs by Claire Evans

• The Three Swingin' Pigs by Vicky Rubin

• It's Not the Three Little Pigs by Josh Funk

• The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf by Mark Teague

• The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell

• Let's Celebrate Halloween by J. Patrick Lewis

• The Pumpkin Mystery by Carol Wallace

• Pumpkin. by Jackie Lee

• Ten Little Pumpkins by Rosie Greening

• Pumpkin Heads by Wendell Minor

• When Pumpkins Fly by Margaret Lawrence

• The Bumpy Little Pumpkin by Margery Cuyler

• The Great Zombie Pumpkin Parade by Robert Burleigh

• Flat Stanley and the Missing Pumpkins by Lori Haskins Houran

• Mystery Vine by Cathryn Falwell

• Rocket and the Perfect Pumpkin by Tad Hills

• Oh My, Pumpkin Pie by Charles Ghigna

• Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Perfect Pumpkin by Kallie George

• Pumpkin Day by Candice Ransom

• Mr. Pumpkin's Tea Party by Erin Barker

• A Unicorn Named Sparkles and the Pumpkin Monster by Amy Young

• Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas

• Let's Explore Pumpkins by Jill Colella

• The Great Pumpkin Contest by Angie Rozelaar

• Runaway Pumpkins by Teresa Bateman

• 10 Spooky Pumpkins by Cris Grimly

• The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis

• It's a Pumpkin by Wendy McClure

Ancient Egypt

ELA/Math and Goldliocks Books

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. These past weeks, the units were very much a review of decimals and fractions. We also continued our next logic book.

• Singapore Common Core 5A

• Orbiting with Logic

Quentin started a Tinkeractive Math Book and worked through about half of it this week. We’re all about review right now. I don’t anticipate starting Singapore 2A until January. We also continued our logic book.

• Lollipop Logic Book 3

• Tinkeractive Math Grade 1

Happy Halloween!

The Great Candy Sort of 2023 (complete with math lesson)

Social Studies

Arthur covered cowboys vs. farmers and the end of the west for this week’s history. Our next big unit is all about Industrialization, Immigration, and Urbanization. We’re getting to my favorite time period in U.S. History.

• 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

• Which Way to the Wild West by Steve Sheinkin

• Bill Pickett: Rodeo-Riding' Cowboy by Andrea D. Pinkney

• Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

Quentin continued exploring Egypt. We focused on the famous pharaohs. We have one more week in Egypt before we cross an ocean to Mesoamerica. So much to learn and explore!

• 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

• DK Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

• Ancient Worlds by Miranda Smith

• Tut’s Mummy Lost and Found by Judy Donnelly

• Howard's Mummy: Howard Carter and the Search for King Tut's Tomb by Tracey Fern

• Nat Geo Investigates: Ancient Egypt by Jill Rubalcaba

• Egypt in Spectacular Cross Section

• Ancient Egypt by Jinny Johnson

• DK Eyewitness Ancient Egypt

• Tutankhamun by Demi

• The Pharaoh’s Boat by David Weitzman

• Pharaohs and Dynasties of Ancient Egypt by Kristine Carlson Asselin

• Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself by Catherine M. Andronik

Science

Arthur covered another chapter in our Story of Science. This was our break week from Chemistry class. We’ll get back into the periodic table next week.

• 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 got back into RSO Life with a unit on Arthropods and specifically insects.

• RSO Life

• DK Oversimple Biology

• Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

• Are You a Ladybug by Judy Allen

• Are You a Butterfly by Judy Allen

• Are You a Grasshopper by Judy Allen

• Are You a Dragonfly by Judy Allen

• Are You a Bee by Judy Allen

• Becoming a Butterfly by Karen Wallace

• Nat Geo Kids: Great Migrations Butterflies by Laura Marsh

• Insects by the Numbers by Steven Jenkins

• Wild Kratts: Wild Insects and Spiders! by Martin Kratt and Christ Kratt

• Insects and Spiders by Christine Taylor Butler

• Bug Off! Creepy, Crawly Poems by Jane Yolen

• Insects Biggest! Littles! by Sandra Markle

• My Life as a Monarch Butterfly by John Sazaklis

• Insect Detective by Steve Voake

• B is for Bee y Catherine Ipcizade

• Ants Don't Wear Pants by Kevin McCloskey

• Insects by Seymour Simon

• Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects by Matthew Clark Smith

• Butterflies are Pretty Gross by Rosemary Mosco

• Bugs are Insects by Anne Rockwell

• How to Build an Insect by Roberta Gibson

• One Million Insects by Isabel Thomas

• DK Eyewitness Insect

A’s Math, ELA, and History

STEAM Coop

Arthur started his exploration of board games. By the end of the six weeks, the kids will have created their own board games. I taught this week and focused on “What is a game” and the History of Board Games. The kids got to play some ancient board games. Quentin’s class started their theme on government. They learned about the city council and pretended to vote on some issues.

Q’s Math and Tell It in Three (Three Little Pigs)

Q’s Insect Unit

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

I actually fit in art and music this week! I’m so excited. We actually covered two artists (Amrita Sher-Gill and Oscar Howe) and two musicians (Miles Davis and Camille Saint Saens). The boys really enjoyed heir free art time this week.

• 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

• Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush by Anita Vachharajani

• Birth of the Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound by Kathleen Cornell Berman

• Looking for Bird in the Big City by Robert Burleigh

• Welcome to Jazz: A Swing-along Celebration of America's Music by Carolyn Sloan

• The Carnival of the Animals by Jack Prelutsky

• Carnival of the Animals: Poems Inspired by Saint Saens' Music edited by Judith Chernaik

Q’s Insect Unit (Part 2)

Miss Allyson teaching Q chess

Field Trip

No proper field trip this week, but we did have the Coop Halloween Party on Halloween. The organizers secured an indoor space as it was freezing that day! The kids got to do some crafts and trick-or-treat indoors while hanging out with their friends. That night, I did take the boys trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. We also got in a nature hike on Friday. It was the perfect temperature. We definitely needed a bit of outdoor exercise time.

Playing the Royal Game of Ur

Q’s Math and Pumpkin Unit

High and Low

After coop, I took the boys to the Library Book Sale to use their Summer Reading Programs coupons for a free book. I forgot that the library does not take credit cards so we couldn’t really dig into the shelves (My Low). We took our three books up to the checkout where the ladies told us that each coupon actually gets us three kids books! So we went back and got a few more. Thank you to the library ladies for helping us out and getting more books that we were anticipating. I’m planning on getting some cash from the ATM and going back this week after coop. I saw some brand new workbooks and summer bridge books and hope they will still be there (I’m sure they will be…).

Q’s Pumpkin Unit (Part 2)

Next Week

• Continuing Tristan Strong

• Covering more classic tales

• Reviewing multiplying and diving fractions (A)

• Lots of math review (Q)

• Finishing Egypt for Q’s History

• Moving into industrialization for A’s History

• Covering more of the Periodic Table

• Learning about spiders and bats

• Hitting the Library Book Sale again!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Lacey Sturm feat. Lindsey Stirling "Breathe with Me"

Two powerhouses together! I love it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #32

As I look outside my window: The temperatures have increased and we’re back to the high 50s and low 60s.

Right now I am: Deciding what to make for brunch. I have sausage and eggs, but what else? Maybe cranberry orange muffins? Or lemon poppy seed scones?

On my bedside table: Rest of the Night Rebel series by Jeaniene Frost; The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

On my tv this week: We started our Nic Cage November this week. Multiple movies in and we’re loving it.

Listening to: Nothing much this week. I’ve just been putting my Apple Music on shuffle while in the car.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Pomegranate Chicken

• Tuesday - Leftovers/Snack Dinner

• Wednesday - Lemon Butter Shrimp and Asparagus

• Thursday - Apple-Cheddar Stuffed Chicken

• Friday - Pork and Green Chile Stew

• Saturday - BLT Pasta Salad

• Sunday - Kofta Patties

On my to do list: Hmm… Guess I need to look at my brain dump.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Chemistry Class

• Tuesday - Squirrel House Jail Tour; Coop Happy Hour

• Wednesday - DoSpace STEM Day; Board Games at a Friend’s

• Thursday - Coop; Me Haircut

• Friday - Hasta La Muerte at The Orpheum

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Still working on my September Memory Planner pages.

Looking around the house: I really need to clean up some stuff in preparation for Monday’s chemistry.

From the camera: A neighbor had a fun claw machine for the kids to play on Halloween. The kids got three tries to get something. Quentin managed to grab one of the cauldrons. Arthur didn’t get anything but the guy had extra candy for him.