Life Right Now #6

As I look outside my window: Bright and clear with just a bit of cool temps.

Right now I am: Going to pick up my current read and enjoy a few pages.

Thinking and pondering: How can I make the retreat meals smoother? Randomly this is what popped into my head this morning.

On my bedside table: The Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland; The Worst Best Man by Lucy Score

On my tv this week: We dove back into Nic Cage Quarterly and covered a few more of his movies. We’ve made it out of the 1990s.

Listening to: After my big audiobook binge, I managed to pivot back to my podcasts. I got through another couple of episodes of Hello from the Magic Tavern.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Out (book club)

• Tuesday - Garlic Shrimp Pasta

• Wednesday - Peanut Butter Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowls

• Thursday - Apple Cheddar Grilled Cheese

• Friday - Pizza Night

• Saturday - Coffee Rubbed Pork Loin

• Sunday - Buffalo Chicken Nachos

On my to do list: I need to finish my questions for Tuesday’s book club meeting that I’m hosting. I also need to post a few reminders in the coop group. And I should try and update my retreat documentation.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Chemistry Class; Book Club

• Tuesday - Errands; Book Club

• Wednesday - Home Day

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Nature Hike

• Saturday - Friend's Baby Shower

• Sunday - Coop Book Club

What I am creating: I want to get my January Memory Planner pages finished soon…

My simple pleasures: Cinnamon spice tea, cooler (but not cold) temperatures, nature walks with friends.

Looking around the house: I need to tidy and vacuum the living room, but the kitchen is looking good right now.

From the camera: We had to stop at the neighborhood photo spot before they change it.

Sellout by Dan Ozzi

Title: Sellout: The Major Label Feeding Frenzy that Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore 1994-2007

Author: Sarah Hollowell

Publisher: Dey Street Books 2021

Genre: Nonfiction - Music

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader

Punk rock found itself at a crossroads in the mid-90’s. After indie favorite Nirvana catapulted into the mainstream with its unexpected phenomenon, Nevermind, rebellion was suddenly en vogue. Looking to replicate the band’s success, major record labels set their sights on the underground, and began courting punk’s rising stars. But the DIY punk scene, which had long prided itself on its trademark authenticity and anti-establishment ethos, wasn’t quite ready to let their homegrown acts go without a fight. The result was a schism: those who accepted the cash flow of the majors, and those who defiantly clung to their indie cred.

In Sellout, seasoned music writer Dan Ozzi chronicles this embattled era in punk. Focusing on eleven prominent bands who made the jump from indie to major, Sellout charts the twists and turns of the last “gold rush” of the music industry, where some groups “sold out” and rose to surprise super stardom, while others buckled under mounting pressures. Sellout is both a gripping history of the music industry’s evolution, and a punk rock lover’s guide to the chaotic darlings of the post-grunge era, featuring original interviews and personal stories from members of modern punk’s most (in)famous bands.

I ran across this book as a recommendation on interesting nonfiction from the last few years. I was intrigued by the topic as I’m a huge fan of punk and emo. This book breaks down the history of eleven bands. Some of the chapters are more engaging than the others. Hands down my favorite chapter was the first one about Green Day. Their story was absolutely fascinating! At times, Ozzi gets a little too in the weeds with the profusion of name drops and technical aspects of the music industry. But overall I enjoyed this journey through music history. As a bonus, it inspired me to download a few key albums from my past.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Midnight Ruin by Katee Robert

Title: Midnight Ruin (Dark Olympus #6)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Spicy

Spice Rating: 8

Eurydice Dimitriou has always been the innocent sister, but she's finally ready to step out of the long shadow cast by her powerful family…and the ex who shattered her heart. Perhaps rough hands on soft skin are exactly what she needs to forget her heartbreak once and for all?

Charon Ariti has been Hades's right-hand man for years. He's given everything to the lower city, but now he's ready to take something for himself. He's only too happy to give Eurydice a special kind of education…but is her heart really free enough to be claimed?

Orpheus Makos will do whatever it takes to make things right. Once the golden boy of the upper city, he's now a shadow of his former self. He'll do anything to get Eurydice back…even if it means she's not coming into his arms alone. Three hearts. Three futures. Countless ways to get it wrong.

But with enemies slipping through Olympus's faltering barrier to lay siege on the lower city, a trio of broken hearts will be the least of these would-be lovers' worries…

Oh this one was intense! We get a very dramatic and yet beautiful romance story wrapped around the larger political and fantastical storyline affecting Olympus. We move our action to the Lower City and find Eurydice attempting to find her new balance after the events in the first book in the series. I was very much into following her journey. At times, she is much too immature for my personal tastes. Enter Charon, the stabilizing force in her life. I have been wanting his story since the very first book. I was so very excited to see how he connected with Eurydice. As a bonus, we get to see how Orpehus fits into Eurydice and Charon’s relationship. And it was very spicy! I was so very into their relationship evolution. Even more, I’m very into the larger storyline featuring all the characters in the Dark Olympus series.

Dark Olympus

• #0.5 Stone Heart

• #1 Neon Gods

• #1.5 Hades and Hades

• #2 Electric Idol

• #2.5 Zeus and Hera

• #3 Wicked Beauty

• #4 Radiant Sun

• #5 Cruel Seduction

• #6 Midnight Ruin

• #7 Dark Restraint

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• My reading has slowed down a bit… probably for the best.

• The fake spring is lulling me into false sense of security.

• Nic Cage Quarterly is moving slowly. We’ve hit a string of very serious movies and just cannot watch them back to back.

• We really need to head to the library and grocery this afternoon.

• I’m doing much better with reading my own books along with the library selections.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

Title: A Fragile Enchantment

Author: Allison Saft

Publisher: Wednesday Books 2024

Genre: YA Romantasy

Pages: 373

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - New Adult Romance; Library Love

Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.

But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous gossip columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible..

I’m not exactly sure why I picked this one up to read. I had previously read another of Saft’s books and was pretty disappointed in it. In fact, my biggest complaint was that “We get a YA fantasy set in a fictional world but with parallels to the religious divides in our own world. All through the book I was confused as to why were were coding the different groups with fictionalized words and practices instead of just making a direct comparison.” This one isn’t about religious divides but instead nationalistic divides. Niamh is clearly from British controlled Ireland with Kit being of the British royal family. Infanta Rosa is clearly from Spain and a rival power to England. Instead of setting this in an alternate Europe, Saft “creates” a fictional magical world. But why? I was very disappointed in the unnecessary complications. Further more, I really disliked the romance. I wasn’t swoon, it was downright cringy. Everyone claims that Kit hates everyone but Niamh, but in my mind, he still really dislikes Niamh. We don’t ever really see a probably softer side of Kit. I wanted more for Niamh, but she is completely enamored with his terrible attitude and behavior. I really need to put Saft on my “no” list.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

Title: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known(Wayward Children #9)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tordotcom 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages:146

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - No People on the Cover; Library Love

Antsy is the latest student to pass through the doors at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children.

When the school’s (literally irresistible) mean girl realizes that Antsy's talent for finding absolutely anything may extend to doors, Antsy is forced to flee in the company of a small group of friends, looking for a way back to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go to be sure that Vineta and Hudson are keeping their promise.

Along the way, they will travel from a world which hides painful memories that cut as sharply as its beauty, to a land that time wasn’t yet old enough to forget―and more than one student's life will change forever.

“People who’ve been hurt often think they have some sort of right tot go around hurting other people,” said Sumi. “They think trauma’s a toy to keep handing down forever. Bu the fact that someone hurt you and tied you up in knots doesn’t give you the right to it to anybody else.” Pg. 94

That quote right there sums up the entire series and literally had me in tears. Beautiful story about a collection of characters struggling to find their places in the world (or multiple worlds). This volume is most definitely directly continues the story in the previous volume. We get a concise story of Antsy finding her way back and helping other characters on the way. I felt something akin to catharsis when I reached the final page. One of the best feelings.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

• #6 Across the Green Grass Fields

• #7 Where the Drowned Girls Go

• #8 Lost in the Moment and Found

• #9 Mislaid in Parts Half-Known

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Green Day "One Eyed Bastard"

So excited that Green Day is back making music. Still love them 30 years after discovering them.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #5

Right now I am: Taking a break from a very busy day.

Thinking and pondering: How do I word a few things? Working on documentation for coop…

On my bedside table: Sellout by Dan Ozzi; Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty

On my tv this week: We’re continuing our Nic Cage Quarterly this month. So far, we’ve watched 8 movies this month getting us to the late 1990s.

Listening to: I finished my audiobook and decided to take a break. I moved back to music especially various punk bands mentioned in Sellout.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Tacos

• Tuesday - Leftovers

• Wednesday - Sloppy Joes

• Thursday - Peanut Sauce Chicken and Broccoli Bowls

• Friday - Coffee Rubbed Pork Loin

• Saturday - Cajun Stuffed Chicken

• Sunday - Maafe

On my to do list: Probably a ton of things, but right now I’m working on a few tasks for coop. Doing a brain dump for big ideas and narrowing down some details.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home Day

• Tuesday - Nature Hike

• Wednesday - Chalco Park Playdate

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Nature Hike

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Nerdy Bookish Friends Meeting

What I am creating: I finished my 2023 December Daily, so I’ve moved onto my 2024 Memory Planner.

My simple pleasures: Chats with my big kids, going to the library, making decisions that give me calm

Looking around the house: Meh. It’s good, not great, but good. Seems to be where I live.

From the camera Finally made it to the Luminarium and I did this fun tracing. We are going to have so much fun exploring that space.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Dawn of the Dreadfuls #1)

Author: Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Publisher: Quirk Books 2009

Genre: Classics; Horror

Pages: 359

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is an audacious retelling of English literature's most enduring novel. This expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem begins when a mysterious plague falls upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. It's the perfect read for literature lovers, zombie fans, and anyone who loves a reanimated Austen.

Technically this is a reread for me, but it was chosen as a Nerdy Bookish Friends selection. After we picked it, we realized that there are two different versions: the original and a reissue with 30% more zombies. Apparently I read the original, but own the new deluxe edition. So this was basically a new read for me. To be clear, this is not high literature. Sure it’s Jane Austen’s writing for 90%. But then we thrown in random zombie phrases and scenes. It create a mishmash of genres. But I enjoyed every page of it. I love Austen and zombies, and this was the perfect read for me. I suspect that this won’t be a favorite amongst my Nerdy Bookish Friends, but I still really loved it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Hunt on Dark Water by Katee Robert

Title: Hunt on Dark Waters (Crimson Sails #1)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Berkley 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Witch Romance; Library Love

Evelyn is a witch with a perfect storm of impulses: terrible taste in bed partners, sticky fingers, and a lust for danger. After she steals from her vampire ex and falls through a portal to another realm, she’s fished out of the waters by a band of seafarers and their telekinetic captain. She’s immediately given a choice—join their ship’s crew or die.

Bowen has no memory of his life before he became one of the Cŵn Annwn. He and his band of pirates are bound by vow to patrol through Threshold, the magical sea in between realms, keeping the portals to other worlds safe. When he rescues Evelyn, he doesn’t expect to be attracted to the unflappably brassy pickpocket. The longer he spends in her presence, the more he begins to question if his heart is the next thing she’ll steal.

But as tension heats up between Bowen and Evelyn, the danger at sea escalates as well. Because Evelyn has no intention of keeping her vows to the Cŵn Annwn, and if she betrays the crew, both she and Bowen will pay the ultimate price....

I finally picked up another one of Katee Robert’s series. And it wasn’t quite as good as the Dark Olympus series, but I did enjoy it. We get a portal jumping witch who finds herself involved in the Wild Hunt. But things are not quite as they seem and she becomes an agent of change as well as finding romance. Bowen and Evelyn aren’t my favorite couple but they grew on me as the book progressed. I was very intrigued by all the other characters and the background storyline. I do enjoy Robert’s storytelling and romance, so I imagine that I will be reading the rest of this series.

Crimson Sails

• #1 Hunt on Dark Waters

• #2 Blood on the Tide

• #3 Pirates

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Butcher's Masquerade by Matt Dinniman

Title: The Butcher’s Masquerade (Dungeon Crawler Carl #5)

Author: Matt Dinniman

Publisher: Dandy House 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 726

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Apostrophe in the Title

Attention. Attention. The gates are down. The hunters are loose.
Run, Run, Run.

A lush jungle teeming with danger. Savage dinosaurs seeking blood. A fallen princess intent on vengeance. A mysterious, end-of-floor celebration for the top crawlers, dubbed “The Butcher’s Masquerade.”

The sixth floor. The Hunting Grounds.

As the remaining crawlers battle for their lives, a new, terrible threat looms. Outside tourists are finally allowed to enter the game, and they are here and ready to hunt. Among them is Vrah, a famed and veteran hunter, intent on collecting the biggest trophy of her career.

But their prey is far from harmless, and this season they are fighting back.

I finally made it through this giant chunker of a book. And holy cow was it a ride! I cannot believe every thing that happened in these pages. Carl and Donut are put in more impossible situations that they then have to concoct ridiculous plans to get out of. I don’t want to spoil the events, but I will say that there are some real emotional moments in this one. I am going to take a short break before diving into the next book. As much as I love Carl and Donut, I need to process this one for awhile.

Dungeon Crawler Carl

• #1 Dungeon Crawler Carl

• #2 Carl’s Doomsday Scenario

• #3 The Dungeon' Anarchist’s Cookbook

• #4 The Gate of the Feral Gods

• #5 The Butcher’s Masquerade

• #6 The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

Next up on the TBR pile:

Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband by Melissa Maybe

Title: Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband (Daughters of the Glen #1)

Author: Melissa Mayhue

Publisher: Pocket Books 2007

Genre: Romance

Pages: 356

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; 52 Books - Hybrid Genre

Scotland, 1272. Connor MacKiernan, a descendant of the Fae Prince, is a warrior who lives only for honor and duty. Though he’s vowed never to marry, that’s exactly what he must do to save his sister. Enter a little Faerie magic, and the search for a bride is on.

Denver, 2007. Caitlyn Coryell is having a really bad day—she just discovered that her fiancé is cheating on her, marrying her only for her family’s money and influence. Imagine her surprise when she puts on an antique pendant and Connor suddenly appears in her bedroom, begging for her help. He offers an outrageous adventure: travel to his time, marry him for a short time, and return home.

But nothing goes as planned. Cate’s trapped in the 13th century, the wedding’s delayed, and someone’s trying to kill her. And in the middle of all this, she realizes that she’s falling in love with a man who can only be her husband for thirty nights. It will take more than the magic of the Fae to help them now. It will require the most powerful magic of all—the magic of true love.

This book has been sitting on my Unread Shelf for years so I finally picked it up. The book should probably have been left on the shelf. This is a poor imitation of Outlander with a weird time travel bent to the romance. I didn’t quite buy the whole time travel and Fey angle to the story. It' seemed a little too hooky. The romance itself was also pretty lackluster. I didn’t love Cate and Connor and didn’t really buy their relationship. My biggest complaint has to do with the gender dynamics. Connor plays the alpha crap and Cate decides that the way tot play the relationship is to use her feminine wiles. It’s cliched and super annoying. Not a fan. I perused the rest of the series and it looks like we are going to get the same types of relationships. I think I will not be continuing to read this series.

Daughters of the Glen

• #1 Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband

• #2 Highland Guardian

• #3 Soul of a Highlander

• #4 A Highlander of Her Own

• #5 A Highlander’s Destiny

• #6 A Highlander’s Homecoming

• #7 Healing the Highlander

• #8 Highlander’s Curse

Next up on the TBR pile:

Malamander by Thomas Taylor

Title: Malamander (Legends of Eerie-on-Sea #1)

Author: Thomas Taylor

Publisher: Walker Books 2019

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; 52 Book Club - Features an Ocean

It’s winter in the town of Eerie-on-Sea, where the mist is thick and the salt spray is rattling the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Inside, young Herbert Lemon, Lost and Founder for the hotel, has an unexpected visitor. It seems that Violet Parma, a fearless girl around his age, lost her parents at the hotel when she was a baby, and she’s sure that the nervous Herbert is the only person who can help her find them. The trouble is, Violet is being pursued at that moment by a strange hook-handed man. And the town legend of the Malamander — a part-fish, part-human monster whose egg is said to make dreams come true — is rearing its scaly head. As various townspeople, some good-hearted, some nefarious, reveal themselves to be monster hunters on the sly, can Herbert and Violet elude them and discover what happened to Violet’s kin? This lighthearted, fantastical mystery, featuring black-and-white spot illustrations, kicks off a trilogy of fantasies set in the seaside town.

Oh this was utterly delightful! I love a good setting and this series set in Eerie-on-the-Sea is perfect. We get some fun spooky town in winter full of wonderfully quirky characters. From there we are flung into a mystery of the Malamander and Violet’s parentage. Herbert is the perfect narrator for the story. We get to see the town through his encounters and rambles. I especially loved Mrs. Fossil and her shop of oddities. Once the action begins, it truly doesn’t stop until the end. It was perfect and so much fun. I will have to read the rest of the series.

Legends of Eerie-on-Sea

• #1 Malamander

• #2 Gargantis

• #3 Shadowghast

• #4 Festergrimm

• #5 Mermedusa

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #3

Reading: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft. I picked up this fantasy Regency-inspired young adult novel. I’m only a few chapters in, but it is entertaining so far.

Watching: We’re back into another month of Nic Cage Quarterly. In fact, we’ve made it to the late 1990s and peak Nic Cage action movies.

Listening: I’m still making my way through the fifth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. So close to finishing this volume… And then I will one more volume that’s been published.

Making: I’m really into baking this week. I’ve made some ham and cheddar scones and blackberry coffee cake. Tomorrow or Thursday I’m going to make some banana bread (maybe chocolate chip or coconut banana bread) and maybe an orange breakfast cake.

Feeling: I have been exhausted all week. Testing negative for COVID. Just completely exhausted I guess.

Planning: We have one big weekend trip on the calendar for late April. It’s in connection with a coop field trip, but of course I added on some activities. I really want to nail down our accommodations, but need to get some more information from other families. A few of us might go in on a larger AirBNB.

Loving: I’ve really been craving quiet time lately.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W20-21: Finding Our Groove Finally!

My example project

What We Studied

We had a great two weeks of easy school and limited activities. I didn’t want to push it too much or over-schedule us. Thankfully coop events were few and far between these few weeks.

A’s ELA, Math, and History

Q’s ELA and Math

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished two read alouds these two weeks. We wrapped a book about censorship and then finished a book mentioned in the previous. Also, we dove into the topic of death. It was a heavy read, but a good one for this age. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills. We continued the first Reading Explorer book which focuses on reading comprehension. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.

• Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

• Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

• My America poem collection

• Reading Explorer 1

Quentin dove into a collection of stories from the Odyssey. We are pushing our Blossom and Root lessons out another week. He also worked on some basic grammar.

• Sing a Song of Seasons

• Tales from the Odyssey Part One and Part Two by Mary Pope Osborne

• Winter, Winter, Cold and Snow by Sharon Gibson Palermo (Quentin read)

• If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur by Linda Bailey & Colin Jack (Quentin read)

• Lettuce Introduce You: Poems About Food by Laura Purdie Salas

Q’s History

Q’s History

Math

Arthur dove into 5B with a unit on Decimals. Most of it was review, but it was a good review for him. We’re flying through the lessons.

• Singapore Common Core 5B

• Orbiting with Logic

Quentin continued Singapore 2A with a big review of numbers to 1000. We also continued our logic book.

• Lollipop Logic Book 3

• Singapore Common Core 2A

A’s History

A’s ELA, Math, and Science

Social Studies

Arthur finished our study of World War I and moved onto the Harlem Renaissance. We even found a way to include a few documentaries.

• 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

• Come On I, America: The United Staes in World War I by Linda Barrett Osborne

• Knit Your Bit by Deborah Hopkinson

• Military Aircraft of WWI by Ole Steen Hansen

• DK Find Out World War I

• Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War I by Ann Bausum

• DK Eyewitness World War I

• Fearless Flyers

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK History

Quentin dove back into the chapters on Ancient Greece. We found a good balance of videos, textbooks, and small readings.

• 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

• Find the Journeys Around the World by David Long

• Blast Back! Ancient Greece by Nancy Ohlin Pg. 1-31

• Ancient Worlds

• Ancient Greece by Sandra Newman

• DK Eyewitness Ancient Greece

• The First Olympics by Lisa M. Bolt Simons

• The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky

Q’s Science

A’s History, Math, ELA, and Science

Science

We were back at Chemistry class this week. They talked and explored states of matter. The kids had fun exploring the changes by making ice cream and root beer floats. Plus we read another chapter in our Story of Science book.

• 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 the RSO Life curriculum moving into the unit on Human Anatomy. We did a big overview and then covered the skeletal and muscular system.

• RSO Life

• DK Oversimple Biology

• DK Human Body

• Know and Glow Human Body

• DK Eyewitness: Human Body

• iDiscover The Body by Carolyn Scrace Pg. 6-7, 14-15

• How to Build a Human Body: Set Up the Skeleton by Kirsty Holmes

• The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers: A Tour of Your Useless Parts, Flaws and Other Weird Bits by Rachel Poliquin Pg. 54-58

Q’s ELA and Math

Q’s Science

STEAM Coop

Arthur covered geometry and art with two lessons featuring tessellation and Islamic geometric art. He got to play with compasses and rulers. Quentin’s class was all about World Cultures. Each week the class covered three different countries with some information, art, and taste testing.

Q’s ELA, Math, and History

A’s ELA and Math

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

We didn’t actually cover any art or music this week. But we did manage to watch a few documentaries. Arthur started and finished a long American Experience episode about Zora Neale Hurston. It was mostly about her travels and anthropology work, but also covered the Harlem Renaissance. Quentin watched two docs on Ancient Greece. One was about the Parthenon featuring the engineering aspects. The second one was all about the antikythera device, an ancient computer.

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

• DK Art and How It Works

• 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

• Iconic Composers by Nicholas Csicsko & Emi Ferguson

• 13 Art Movements Children Should Know

• 13 Artists Children Should Know

• 13 Modern Artists Children Should Know

• The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning & Brita Granström

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

Field Trip

We didn’t have a field trip this week.

Fun at Heron Haven

High

We have started to set up a social gathering for after coop at a variety of locations. The weather was decent so we made two park playdates. It was very lovely to be out and allow the kids to run around. W also had a lovely nature walk at Heron Haven. It was the perfect weather for a little walk in the woods.

Low

I was so tired. This really took a bit of wind out of my sails.

Beautiful day at the pond

Next Week

• Finishing one read aloud and starting a new one

• Moving onto the 1920s for history

• Continuing new our math units

• Exploring some new concepts about the periodic table

• Wrapping up Greece with some myths and stories and Alexander the Great

• Taking a break for science

• Hopefully heading outside for a nature walk

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Bring Me the Horizon feat. Babymetal "Kingslayer"

Another amazing collaboration!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas

Title: The Paleontologist

Author: Luke Dumas

Publisher: Atria Books 2023

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 356

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; 52 Book Club - Grieving Character

Curator of paleontology Dr. Simon Nealy never expected to return to his Pennsylvania hometown, let alone the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History. He was just a boy when his six-year-old sister, Morgan, was abducted from the museum under his watch, and the guilt has haunted Simon ever since. After a recent breakup and the death of the aunt who raised him, Simon feels drawn back to the place where Morgan vanished, in search of the bones they never found.

But from the moment he arrives, things aren’t what he expected. The Hawthorne is a crumbling ruin, still closed amid the ongoing pandemic, and plummeting toward financial catastrophe. Worse, Simon begins seeing and hearing things he can’t explain. Strange animal sounds. Bloody footprints that no living creature could have left. A prehistoric killer looming in the shadows of the museum. Terrified he’s losing his grasp on reality, Simon turns to the handwritten research diaries of his predecessor and uncovers a blood-soaked mystery 150 million years in the making that could be the answer to everything.

A complete impulse buy around Christmastime. I thought it might be a fun thriller with a focus on dinosaurs. And it mostly is. We get a potentially unreliable narrator who decides that his next step in life is to revisit a place that holds the beginning of his trauma. Seems like a bad idea to me, but Simon does it. From there, the paranormal elements start to occur and we are left to piece out the mystery of just what is happening the museum. My biggest complaints are focused on the side characters. The various employees of the museum are pretty terrible. The board members are extra terrible. Every time I picked up the book, I really did it pretty begrudgingly. By the end of the book I really as pretty tired of every one and the story. A bit of a disappointment, but it was fine.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #4

As I look outside my window:

Right now I am:

Thinking and pondering:

On my bedside table: Midnight Ruin by Katee Robert; Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

On my tv this week: I watched some random television shows, but did watch much at night. I was so incredibly exhausted most nights that I went to bed early.

Listening to: Dungeon Crawler Carl #5… This audiobook is over 24 hours long and I’m only listening an hour day or so. Hopefully I can finish it sometime this next week.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chicken Schwarma Fries

• Tuesday - Leftovers

• Wednesday - Roast Pork Cubano

• Thursday - Teriyaki Chicken

• Friday - Maafe

• Saturday - Pot Roast

• Sunday - Garlic Shrimp Pasta

On my to do list:

Happening this week:

• Monday - Chemistry Class

• Tuesday - Black Violin Performance @ Steelhouse

• Wednesday - Home Day

• Thursday - Coop; Luninarium

• Friday - Home Day

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Galentine’s Brunch

What I am creating: I finally got photo paper deliver, so I’m hoping to make some progress on my Memory Planner and/or December Daily.

My simple pleasures: My bed (seriously I missed it when I was away), triple chocolate cookies

Looking around the house: It’s laundry day, including all the sheets. So there are clothes everywhere…

From the camera: My birthday present from J came early! (Usually the presents are months to years late.) I’m definitely a Donut Hole.

Dead Voices by Katherine Arden

Title: Dead Voices (Small Spaces #2)

Author: Katherine Arden

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2019

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 256

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; 52 Book Club - Timeframe of a Week or Less

Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready to spend a relaxing winter break skiing together with their parents at Mount Hemlock Resort. But when a snowstorm sets in, causing the power to flicker out and the cold to creep closer and closer, the three are forced to settle for hot chocolate and board games by the fire.

Ollie, Coco, and Brian are determined to make the best of being snowed in, but odd things keep happening. Coco is convinced she has seen a ghost, and Ollie is having nightmares about frostbitten girls pleading for help. Then Mr. Voland, a mysterious ghost hunter, arrives in the midst of the storm to investigate the hauntings at Hemlock Lodge. Ollie, Coco, and Brian want to trust him, but Ollie's watch, which once saved them from the smiling man, has a new cautionary message: BEWARE.

With Mr. Voland's help, Ollie, Coco, and Brian reach out to the dead voices at Mount Hemlock. Maybe the ghosts need their help--or maybe not all ghosts can or should be trusted.

After reading the first book in this series, I was completely hooked. I love a good spooky series and this one has a great premise. This one picks up soon after the first book. I loved the change of scenery and new situation that our kids find themselves in. The hotel in the middle of the snowstorm gave awesome Overlook Hotel in The Shining vibes. From there, we very quickly dive into the main conflict. I love how the mystery unravels. The scary parts are truly terrifying and I loved very single page of it. I’ll definitely be continuing this series soon.

Small Spaces

• #1 Small Spaces

• #2 Dead Voices

• #3 Dark Waters

• #4 Empty Smiles

Next up on the TBR pile:

Haunted Holiday by Kiersten White

Title: Haunted Holiday (The Sinister Summer #5)

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: Delacorte Press 2024

Genre: Middle Grade Horror

Pages: 272

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Revenge Story; Lifetime - Child Protagonist

Trapped in Aunt Saffronia’s spectral house, Theo and Alexander must work together to escape, stop their newfound nemesis Essa and her henchman Edgaren’t, save Wil and their friends, find their parents, and maybe, just maybe, get things back to normal.

Following the clues left behind, the twins find themselves at Siren’s Song Seaside Amusement Park. Old faces and new surprises await them in a park that was built to lure in visitors…and their secrets.

As they get closer to answers, the twins are left with the biggest question of all: Who is Essa really, and why is she so determined to find their parents?

And we come to the end of the Sinister Summer series! And it was utterly delightful! I loved this play on A Series of Unfortunate Events with references to classic horror stories. In this volume, everything and everybody finally comes together for a happy ending. We get to see the family reunited as they solve the last mystery of the summer. I especially loved the setting of the amusement park in this one. The kraken and robot battle at the end was the cherry on top of the sundae. Definitely a recommendation for most of my friends.

The Sinister Summer

• #1 Wretched Waterpark

• #2 Vampiric Vacation

• #3 Camp Creepy

• #4 Menacing Manor

• #5 Haunted Holiday

Next up on the TBR pile: