Here's my randomness for the week:
Yesterday was a no good day for me. I must say that we can only go up today…
Getting excited for spooky season reading and visits to the pumpkin patches.
Obsessed with weird trivia and improv shows right now. Yep, we’re nerds over here.
Really hoping that we can get this room situation figured out for academic co-op. It’s stressing me out.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Title: The Succubus’s Prize (A Deal with a Demon #4)
Author: Katee Robert
Publisher: Trinkets & Tales 2024
Genre: Romance
Pages: 182
Rating: 3/5 stars
Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Paranormal Romance; Spooky Season - S
Where It Got It: Library
Spice Rating: 6
Belladonna was born wrong. At least that’s what her parents, religious community, and even her beloved sister believe. Walking away from the church hasn’t helped her come to terms with her purpose in life, and when her sister is diagnosed with cancer, Belladonna has nowhere to turn…until a demon offers her a deal.
After agreeing, nothing is like she expects. There’s no fiery hell to speak of. Her soul seems to still be her own. All she’s required to do is serve. When she’s auctioned off to Rusalka, a powerful and ruthless succubus, her confusion only grows. Rusalka surprises her at every turn, even refusing to allow Belladonna to bear a child that would benefit the entirety of their territory.
Rusalka has sacrificed everything for their people. There are no lengths they won’t go to as leader…but they see something of themself in Belladonna, a familiarity that tempts beyond anything they could have dreamed. They want to keep her.
But if Belladonna can’t release her shame and step into a future where she’s living for herself instead of in service to others… Things may be over even before they begin.
Ooof this one was a hard one! Belladonna is full of religious trauma and shame. There were times that I wanted to put this book down because it was hard to read. It feels like one big therapy session. I enjoyed Belladonna’s side of the story. I enjoyed seeing her grown and come into her own identity. I enjoyed seeing her stand up to Rusalka and the bargainer demons. I didn’t love Rusalka’s side of the story. She just didn’t really have much of a background to build off of. I would have like to see more from the community and her interactions with other members of the court. I am interested in this series to see what Robert tackles next, but I don’t love this series.
A Deal with a Demon
#3 The Gargoyle’s Captive
#4 The Succubus’s Prize
#5 The Demon’s Bargain
#6 The Demon’s Queen
Next up on the TBR pile:
I always love reading “spooky” books during the fall. These books can be hard core horror or just very atmospheric. They could be mystery, romance, or fantasy. I just love leaning into the season and reflect that in my reading. This year, I decided to make a little reading challenge out of it and read 26 spooky books, one for each letter of the alphabet. To help out, I pulled a variety of books from my shelves to get me started. Of course, I also put some library books on hold. Here’s to finding some gems in the stacks.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Music!
Q’s History
We had another week that was full of activities. In fact, we ended up taking a break on Friday due my health issues. Even with all the activities, we managed to mostly catch up on our work.
A’s ELA
Q’s ELA and Math
Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. We finished our first read aloud and even started on the second read aloud for the year. We caught up with our spelling and completed our week 2 list. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.
Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd
Mars One by Jonathan Maberry
Poetry for Young People: Carl Sandburg
Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. This week, we took a bit of a departure to start reading a book that aligns with our history.
The Long-Lost Secret Diary of the World’s Worst Knight by Tim Collins
Poetry: Mites to Mastodons by Maxine Kumin
Write Shop B
Fun with shadows
Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We covered the another lesson and did some practice. We will also be working through Evan Moor’s Financial Literacy G5 book and random math packets.
Math in Focus Court 1 Book A
EM Financial Literacy G5
Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. He started with the lessons in 2B. I imagine that we will be slowing working through that this semester. He also started his next logic book and did some math packets for practice and review.
Primarily Logic
Singapore Primary Common Core 2B
Fun with gears
Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We got back on track with our history with the next section about Spain. We also learned about Miguel de Cervantes.
Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 supporting. We got back into history with a chapter about the Byzantine Empire.
History Quest Middle Times
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Q’s ELA and Math
A’s ELA
Arthur is using RSO Biology 1 this year has the main science text. Our coverage will be spotty until October. Our academic coop will also be using RSO Biology 1 as a basis for the fall semester course, so we will be just supplementing at home. We will also be doing some of Blossom & Root’s Book Seeds and various other small units in between. We did read another chapter in the Story of Science. Right now, the book is setting the stage for Einstein’s Miracle Year.
RSO Biology 1
Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim
Quentin is using RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. Of course, we have a ton of extra science resources laying around the house. And I will be hosting some one-off science exploration days that align with the units. We covered the first lesson and pivoted to B&R’s Book Seed: Over and the Under the Pond. I rearranged some of the RSO units to make sense for our weather. We are starting with water. We ended up skipping science this week to accommodate activities.
RSO Earth and Environment
Earth by the Numbers by Steve Jenkins
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
Q’s ELA and Math
A’s ELA and Math
Enrichment co-op has shifted from warm months only (April to October). We are in the middle of our transitionary “Summer Session.” This week both Arthur and Quentin’s class covered engineering. Q’s class focused on making a machine to save a toy and A’s class made balloon rockets.
Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. (The Joslyn Art Museum is reopening in September after being closed for two years!) And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies.
For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. This week was all about Johnny Cash. The boys weren’t sold on his music.
Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
We had an excursion day downtown at the Lewis and Clark Landing and the Luminarium. It was a very warm day which made everyone a bit cranky. We did have some fun at the playground. Our time in the museum was cut a bit short due to attitudes. We plan on going to the Luminarium once a month until our membership expires in February.
On Friday night, J took off work early to join us at the Luminarium for their last late Friday for the summer. It was the first time that he was able to join us. We had fun even with my health issues this week.
Low
The boys had Pokemon club on Wednesday that was seemingly a waste of time. They don’t really play Pokemon like we had envisioned. Add in the fact that I drove basically an hour and a half to the locale, and I’m just about done with this. I think we need to reevaluate.
Continuing our read aloud (A)
Finished our read aloud (Q)
Learning about Eastern Europe (A) and Western Europe (Q) - pretty funny that I’m covering both sides of Europe next week
Listening to The Shirelles and Frankie Lymon
Exploring the zoo
Next up on the TBR pile:
Always love new music from Nothing More and I think this is my favorite song on the new album.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Let’s check in on August’s goals and my progress.
Read 18 Books ✓ - I just made it!
Schedule a Meeting for All of Secular Omaha - pushing to October
Finish Academic Co-op Lesson Plans - So close
Plan the Boys’ Birthday Party - Utter fail
September Goals:
Read 18 Books
Wrap up Enrichment Co-op
Prep Start of Academic Co-op
Enjoy Spooky Reading Season
Next up on the TBR pile:
August TBR Pile (18/19):
Bookworms BC: I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue ✓
Friend BC: The Six by Loren Grush ✓
Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (DNF)
Kid Book Club: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia (already read)
Kid Read Aloud: Gargantis by Thomas Taylor ✓
Kid Read Aloud: Endling The First by Katherine Applegate ✓
Kid Read Aloud: Endling The Only by Katherine Applegate ✓
Kid Read Aloud: Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd ✓
Romance: Beautiful Vengeance by Katee Robert ✓
Romance: Lovely Corruption by Katee Robert ✓
Romance: Ruthless Redemption by Katee Robert ✓
Romance: Dark Restraint by Katee Robert ✓
Romance: The Idea of You by Robinne Lee ✓
Fantasy: Temptation by R.L. Stine ✓
Fantasy: A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid ✓
Comic: The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 1 ✓
Comic: The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 2 ✓
Horror: The Deading by Nicholas Belardes ✓
Nonfiction: Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz ✓
Historical Fiction: The Briar Club by Kate Quinn ✓
1,000,000 Page Goal:
Monthly Total: 6030 pages
Pages Remaining: 217,059 pages
Current Read - The Succubus’s Prize by Katee Robert
Books I Gave Up On (1) - Nerdy Bookish Friends was reading The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Applegate. I tried three times this month to get into it and it just didn’t happen. The book was very character focused and I just couldn’t. I may pick it up later this year, but now is definitely not the time.
Books Bought/Received (2) - During our travels, I bought a whole stack of homeschool books that I’m not including in this total. For me, I only bought two books. I grabbed The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck from Nevermore Used Books in Toledo OH. I also preordered Dark Restraint by Katee Robert.
UnRead Shelf Progress
Starting Number: 310
Books Read: 2
Books Acquired: 2
Books Unshelved: 0
Finishing Number: 310
September TBR Pile:
Bookworms BC: None (already read)
Friend BC: The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry
Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
Kid Book Club: I Can Make This Promise by Christina Day
Kid Read Aloud: The Long-Lost Secret Diary of the World’s Worst Knight by Tim Collins
Kid Read Aloud: Mars One by Jonathan Maberry
Romance: The Succubus’s Prize by Katee Robert
Movies Watched
Twisters
TV Shows Watched
The Umbrella Academy
Cafe Minamdang
Last Week Tonight
Game Changer
Breaking News
Star Trek: Discovery S1-S2
Below Deck: Med
My Lady Jane
Comments -
Next up on the TBR pile:
Title: The Briar Club
Author: Kate Quinn
Publisher: William Morrow 2024
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 432
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Lifetime - 60s; Library Love
Where I Got It: Library
Washington, DC, 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital where secrets hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic room, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship: poised English beauty Fliss, whose facade of perfect wife and mother covers gaping inner wounds; policeman’s daughter Nora, who finds herself entangled with a shadowy gangster; frustrated baseball star Beatrice, whose career has come to an end along with the women’s baseball league of WWII; and poisonous, gung-ho Arlene, who has thrown herself into McCarthy’s Red Scare.
Grace’s weekly attic-room dinner parties and window-brewed sun tea become a healing balm on all their lives, but she hides a terrible secret of her own. When a shocking act of violence tears the house apart, the Briar Club women must decide once and for all: who is the true enemy in their midst?
I snagged a copy of Kate Quinn’s newest book and immediately started reading it. I always enjoy her books that expand on women’s stories from history. In this one, Quinn takes a slightly different tactic. Instead of one woman or a few women, we get many different stories based in history but not exact women. I loved the collection of characters that we meet in each chapter. The murder mystery slowly unfolds as we learn about the backgrounds of a variety of people. I loved how Quinn weaves in a variety of topics: McCarthyism, racism, workplace misogyny, parenting, romantic relationships, growing up, etc. We get a rounded picture of life in the United States in the early 1950s. I didn’t emotionally connect with the characters, but I really enjoyed following them along in life.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Title: The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 2
Author: James Tynion, Alvaro Martinez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire
Publisher: DC Comics 2023
Genre: Comics
Pages: 176
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: None
Where I Got It: Library
One of the most critically acclaimed and bestselling horror books of 2021 returns for its shocking second act—and now is the perfect time to enter the house! The 10 hardy survivors gathered in the house by their mutual friend Walter thought they’d finally cracked the code on his plans…and now everything they thought they knew has literally changed. Can they free themselves from their patterns? Or are they all just determined to build a prison of their very own?
I finally grabbed the second trade in this series and goodness, it was a journey. The first couple of pages really threw me. The reader has to orient themselves to the story being told. Once I got my bearings, I sped through the next chapters of this story. I loved the interplay of the different personalities and their reactions to the events. I do wish that the story would have a progressed a bit more before we got to the end. Now I just have to wait I guess. No idea when the next chapters will be released.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: I’m deep into Kate Quinn’s new book The Briar Club. This is a different type of book for her. Still historical fiction, but this time we have a murder mystery that folds in an episodic way by exploring each character’s story.
Watching: We’re deep into S2 of Star Trek: Discovery. It’s so dramatic and good.
Listening: We’re loving our music study this year. This week we covered Johnny Cash. The boys liked him more than Elvis, but not as much as Fats Domino.
Making: This past week has been about trying new-to-us dinner recipes. I made a good spring green spaghetti carbonara, Mexican street corn totchos, and buffalo chicken chili. Two of those were hits. The chili was a bit disappointing.
Feeling: The temperatures spiked again this week and it’s terrible. I hate the heat.
Planning: I’m now teaching the last four weeks of enrichment co-op. Our theme is art + mathematics. I’m leaning on the math side to teach geometry puzzles to the Running Rhinos and then probability and cryptography to the Buff Gorillas.
Loving: We broke open the package of Key Lime Oreos (off brand from Aldis) and they were delicious. Now I have to wait another year to get another package.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Music!
A’s science and ELA
All my big talk of balance the first week went out the window last week. Except for Monday, we had activities that took up most of our time. They were worthwhile activities, but it meant that we only did schoolwork two days in the week.
Q’s ELA and Math
Pond Study
Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. Our read aloud has continue along with poetry and grammar. Our spelling list 2 will be stretched to two weeks to accommodate.
Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd
Poetry for Young People: Carl Sandburg
Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. It took us all week, but we finished our very short read aloud. Q also read two chapter books independently in that time. I think he’s finally caught the reading bug.
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
Song of the Water Boatman by Joyce Kidman (poetry)
Write Shop B
Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We covered the another lesson and did some practice. We will also be working through Evan Moor’s Financial Literacy G5 book and random math packets.
Math in Focus Court 1 Book A
EM Financial Literacy G5
Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. He started with the lessons in 2B. I imagine that we will be slowing working through that this semester. He also started his next logic book and did some math packets for practice and review.
Primarily Logic
Singapore Primary Common Core 2B
Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We skipped history this week due to time constraints.
Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 supporting. We skipped history this week due to time constraints.
History Quest Middle Times
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Arthur is using RSO Biology 1 this year has the main science text. Our coverage will be spotty until October. Our academic coop will also be using RSO Biology 1 as a basis for the fall semester course, so we will be just supplementing at home. We will also be doing some of Blossom & Root’s Book Seeds and various other small units in between. We did read three more chapters in the Story of Science. Right now, the book is setting the stage for Einstein’s Miracle Year.
RSO Biology 1
Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim
Quentin is using RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. Of course, we have a ton of extra science resources laying around the house. And I will be hosting some one-off science exploration days that align with the units. We covered the first lesson and pivoted to B&R’s Book Seed: Over and the Under the Pond. I rearranged some of the RSO units to make sense for our weather. We are staring with water. To learn more, we covered some readings and videos about ponds before spending most of Friday doing an exploration and experiments day with friends.
RSO Earth and Environment
Earth by the Numbers by Steve Jenkins
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
Beyond the Pond by Joseph Kuefler
On Duck Pond by Jane Yolen
Tadpoles by Matt James
Pond Circle by Betsy Franco
Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner
Life in a Pond by Craig Hammersmith
Life in a Pond by Allan Fowler
Look Inside a Pond by Louise Spilsbury
Water testing at the pond
Enrichment co-op has shifted from warm months only (April to October). We are in the middle of our transitionary “Summer Session.” This week both Arthur and Quentin’s class covered engineering. Q’s class focused on simple machines while Arthur’s class made balloon powered cars.
Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. (The Joslyn Art Museum is reopening in September after being closed for two years!) And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies. We did some art-related activities while at the pond on Friday. Arthur made an amazing clay rendition of the pond. I snapped a picture before he destroyed it.
For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. This week was all about Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. I’m a Chuck Berry fan; the boys preferred Fats Domino.
Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
Not a guided field trip, but we did have a lovely day at the zoo on Tuesday. It rained, but lightly, which meant that many of the animals were very active!
On Friday, I hosted a pond exploration day at Platte River State Park. They have a set of cascading shallow ponds called Crawdad Creek that you can actually wade into and explore. We caught (and released) some critters, learned about ponds, tested the water, and engaged in some free art. Afterward, we had to have a picnic and playtime at the playground. It has ziplines!
Wednesday we spent all day at the park with the No (we’re not supposed to be in) School Picnic with many of our homeschool friends. It was a nice way for some new families to join and make some connections. The boys’ favorite part was the axe throwing.
Low
Not getting to a ton of schoolwork? Nah, that’s not. a low, just a reality.
Finishing his read aloud and starting a new one (A)
Starting a new read aloud (Q)
Learning about the Spanish Empire (A) and Byzantine Empire (Q)
Listening to Johnny Cash
Exploring the local science museum and another state park
Covering engineering for co-op, last week for this cycle
Next up on the TBR pile:
I’m totally digging the Twisters soundtrack right now. A bit of departure from my usual music, but I’m loving it.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Title: The Deading
Author: Nicholas Belardes
Publisher: Erewhon Books 2024
Genre: Horror
Pages: 304
Rating: 2/5 stars
Reading Challenges:
Where I Got It: Library
If you want to stay, you have to die.
In a small fishing town known for its aging birding community and the local oyster farm, a hidden evil emerges from the depths of the ocean. It begins with sea snails washing ashore, attacking whatever they cling to. This mysterious infection starts transforming the wildlife, the seascapes, and finally, the people.
Once infected, residents of Baywood start “deading”: collapsing and dying, only to rise again, changed in ways both fanatical and physical. As the government cuts the town off from the rest of the world, the uninfected, including the introverted bird-loving Blas and his jaded older brother Chango, realize their town could be ground zero for a fundamental shift in all living things.
Soon, disturbing beliefs and autocratic rituals emerge, overseen by the death-worshiping Risers. People must choose how to survive, how to find home, and whether or not to betray those closest to them. Stoked by paranoia and isolation, tensions escalate until Blas, Chango, and the survivors of Baywood must make their escape or become subsumed by this terrifying new normal.
Such a disappointing read! I was hoping for some great cli-fi horror involving snails and an otherworldly presence. I was hoping for something like Annihlation. Instead, this is a disjointed (not in a good way) mess of random characters and about fifty (it feels like) plots. We never really focus on any one thing. Instead, every chapter is jumping around characters, time, space, and plot lines. I grew very frustrated that we never knew who was speaking until almost halfway through each chapter. It wasn’t mysterious, it was just confusing. That choice made it very hard to connect to the story in any meaningful way. The horror involving the snails was interesting, but never fully explored. The story keeps turning to the deading and a semi religious cult that spring up. Pretty boring. And I really didn’t need almost a 100 pages of random birdwatching. Seriously, I started skimming those sections. Too detailed and very off-putting for the reader. This has not been a good week for my reading…
Next up on the TBR pile:
Right now I am: Heading out to the last academic co-op working meeting before we start in October. We still need to make a decision on location and some smaller items. Beyond that, every needs to submit their lesson plans by Labor Day. This meeting is all about getting those done.
On my bedside table: I don’t quite know. I have.a stack of library books that I need to decide on. Which ones do I really want to read? I might start with The Succubus’s Prize by Katee Robert. I’m also really looking forward to spooky reading season and trying to not jump the gun, but I really want to lean into the spooky.
On my tv this week: We’ve continued with Star Trek: Discovery as well as Game Changer, Breaking News, and Um Actually. I also managed to watch The Bachelorette and Below Deck in between all the activities.
Listening to: Just a huge music mix at the moment
On the menu for this week:
Monday - Out at book club
Tuesday - Out at book club
Wednesday - Loaded sweet potato nachos
Thursday - Spring green spaghetti carbonara
Friday - Out?
Saturday - Mexican street corn totchos
Sunday - Ginger glazed pork chops with Brussels sprout
On my to do list: I need to finish my Civics lesson plans for academic co-op. I also want to start planning my October rock, minerals, and fossils exploration day. I need to finish prepping discussion questions for Tuesday’s book club. And I need to work on enrichment co-op lesson plans for September.
Happening this week:
Monday - Home Day
Tuesday - Lewis and Clark Landing; Luminarium
Wednesday - Pokemon Club
Thursday - Co-op
Friday - Hike at Schramm; Luminarium evening with J
Saturday - Home
Sunday - Home
What I am creating: Um…. I guess some to-do lists. Not feeling very creative right now.
My simple pleasures: Cooler weather (not happening this weekend but last weekdays), girls’ night on a friend’s deck, students engaged in the lesson being presented
Looking around the house: I put away all the pond exploration tools and supplies, but I still need to do a general sweep of the main floor. We have random things laying around that need to be put in their homes.
From the camera: Absolutely love this picture of the boys a friend snapped at pond exploration on Friday.
Title: The Idea of You
Author: Robinne Lee
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin 2017
Genre: Romance (not really)
Pages: 372
Rating: 2/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Library Love
Where I Got It: Library
Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of an art gallery in Los Angeles, is reluctant to take her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band. But since her divorce, she’s more eager than ever to be close to Isabelle. The last thing Solène expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.
What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate and genuine relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other’s worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways in Paris and Miami. For Solène, it is a reclaiming of self, as well as a rediscovery of happiness and love. When Solène and Hayes’ romance becomes a viral sensation, and both she and her daughter become the target of rabid fans and an insatiable media, Solène must face how her romantic life has impacted the lives of those she cares about most.
Labeled as romance. Let me tell you that this is not romance. There is no HEA here. There is not mutually respectful relationship between adults. There is a depiction of an extremely flawed woman in a “relationship” with a manipulative and controlling younger man. The age gap was not the problem for me. I don’t really care. I do care that these two characters were terrible. Everything started out fairly nice, but then we see how Solene is lying to and neglecting her daughter to go off and have sex filled weekends with her boybander. That was bad. Even worse was her interactions with his one bandmate. Creepy Creepy Creepy. Then we get to the second half of the book where we see these two characters become even more toxic. Hayes become an absolute nightmare. Solene should have jumped ship so fast, but no, the sex was too good. Honestly the sex scenes were terribly written; I got so confused about what exactly was happening half the time. This is a terrible book featuring terrible characters masquerading as a “romance.” Stay far away.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Title: Dark Restraint (Dark Olympus #7)
Author: Katee Robert
Publisher: Sourcebooks 2024
Genre: Romance
Pages: 320
Rating: 3/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Male Virgin Hero
Spice Rating: 6
Ariadne Vitalis is in trouble. She's betrayed her father—and his dangerous benefactor—and now she's left to rely on Olympus' questionable mercy. But in this city, mercy comes with a price. For Ariadne, that means a sham marriage to Dionysus. She has no choice but to agree, even if there's only one man she's ever wanted—a man she fears just as much as she desires.
The Minotaur never had any illusions about Minos's plans. He was willing to get his hands dirty as long as the old man kept his word—at the end of their bloody work, the Minotaur would be given Ariadne as a reward. She's meant for him, and he intends to have her, no matter the cost.
Ariadne knows better than to encourage the Minotaur—she's all too aware of how hot a passion like theirs can burn. Besides, she can never forgive him for the terrible things he's done, and he can never change. But when his hands are on her body and his wicked words are whispered in her ear, she might just be willing to let all of Olympus burn…
I’m really not have any luck with my reads this week. I adore Katee Robert and usually find her books, even the ones I don’t absolutely love, to be engaging and interesting. I appreciate how she explores different types of people and relationships. But this one really missed the mark for me. I just couldn’t get over how incredibly controlling and “alpha” The Minotaur was throughout. The sex scenes didn’t demonstrate enthusiastic consent or even mutual respect. I never did buy Asterion and Ariadne as a couple. Really, I kept reading this one for the background storyline about the coming war between Circe and Olympus. Those sections kept me from putting this one down and walking.
Dark Olympus
#1.5 Hades and Hades
#2.5 Zeus and Hera
#7 Dark Restraint
#8 Sweet Obsession
#9 Untitled
#10 Untitled
Next up on the TBR pile:
Title: I Hope This Finds You Well
Author: Natalie Sue
Publisher: William Morrow 2024
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 352
Rating: 3/5 stars
Reading Challenges:
Where I Got It: 52 Book Club - Author Debut in 2024; Library
As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don’t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text color to white so no one can see. That is until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.
When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss’s favor, convince HR she’s Supershops material, and beat out the competition.
But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworkers' private worlds and realizes they are each keeping secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Eventually she will need to decide if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if that means coming clean to her colleagues.
I was very intrigued by the summary of the book. I was thinking that we were going to get a decent speculative fiction take on the workplace akin to Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke. I was hoping… But instead, we get a sad-sack main character that never really breaks out of her sad-sackness. I think I really dislike books that make me feel sad and depressed for most of them. I don’t want or need all happy scenes, but I would like to see characters grow and change. In this book, Jolene just sits in the awkward and uncomfortable space throughout the entire book. I kept forcing myself to pick it up every time to actually get through the book.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
The weather has taken a turn for the windy, cloudy, and cooler. Thank goodness! I am going to enjoy it for the next few days because next week it’s going to be back into the 90s.
Tomorrow I’m leading a pond exploration for 23 kiddos ages 4 to 12. I foresee so much chaos!
A friend asked some of us if an adult’s night at Vala’s would be something interesting. Oh hell yeah! My favorite place during my favorite time of the year and no kids with me. Sign me up! (I’m hosting a family campfire night there in October, but this is completely different!)
One of my co-op supply bags has acquired multiple holes in the bottom. Duct tape to the rescue, but I’m sad. I may need to watch the website for sales and buy some new ones.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: After social media pressure, I started reading The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. I’m not quite sure what I think about the book so far, but I will say that it’s an easy read.
Watching: J convinced me to jump back into Star Trek: Discovery. We sped through the second half of the first season and are ready to start the second season this week.
Listening: The boys and I are embarking on a great music curriculum this year based on Music Lab: We Rock! This wee we covered Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. The boys decided that they love Fats Domino. I’m more of a Chuck Berry fan myself.
Making: I’ve been working on creating academic co-op lessons for the civics course I’m teaching. I’ve got about half of them done completely. The rest have basic outlines and brainstormed ideas.
Feeling: We finished our first week of school strong. I’m feeling very accomplished with what we have done and the balance between school and activities that we created.
Planning: We’re going full force into fall with lots of social co-op activities. I’m very excited about the reopening of the Joslyn Art Museum in September. We are going to do a monthly art exploration meetup there.
Loving: Every time we go to Aldis, I have to get the kitchen sink cookies if they have any. I absolutely love them!
Next up on the TBR pile:
We hit the ground running on Monday with a full week of curriculum and activities. My focus word for the year is balance. Last year, I felt like we let activities take over our life at many points throughout the year and then never really recovered. I felt very rushed and behind. I don’t want to feel that way. One thing that I pinpointed was the fact that we didn’t have a dedicated home day. Every week was different in terms of flow. This year I am reserving Mondays for home. If something amazing comes up, we will jump on it. But otherwise, we will stay home and be chill on Mondays. I like to get that big jump on our curriculum after our weekend breaks. This should help.
Music
Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. We started all the components on Monday and we’re really enjoying it so far. We read about half of our literature selection, analyzed a poem, learned a spelling list, covered some grammar, and wrote a sample essay. We made a ton of progress in just one week!
Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd
Poetry for Young People: Carl Sandburg
Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. He bean his B&R study with a unit about American tall tales. Arthur really enjoyed starting the year with those tales and I think Quentin agrees. We learned about tall tales, imagery, exaggeration, and descriptive language.
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss (Q reads)
Song of the Water Boatman by Joyce Kidman (poetry)
American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne
Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolen
Write Shop B
Elizabethan England
Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We covered the first lesson and did some practice. We will also be working through Evan Moor’s Financial Literacy G5 book and random math packets.
Math in Focus Court 1 Book A
EM Financial Literacy G5
Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. He started with the lessons in 2B. I imagine that we will be slowing working through that this semester. He also stated his next logic book and did some math packets for practice and review.
Primarily Logic
Singapore Primary Common Core 2B
Q's ELA (Monday)
Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We started the year with the first section all about Elizabethan England. I’m very excited that his history has a ton of extras and projects associated with it. For the culture corner, he learned about Hans Holbein and anamorphosis. He even tried his hand at the technique with a drawing.
Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Lives of Extraordinary Women by Kathleen Krull
Frenemy in the Family by Kathleen Krull
The Tudors: Kings, Queens, Scribes, and Ferrets by Marcia Williams
100 Facts You Should Know: Kings and Queens
Mary Tudor: Bloody Mary by Gretchen Maurer
You Wouldn’t Want to Sail in the Spanish Armada by John Malam
You Wouldn’t Want to be Mary, Queen of Scots by Fiona Macdonald
Corpse Talk: Groundbreaking Rebels by Adam & Lisa Murphy
What was Queen Elizabeth I?
Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 supporting. We started with the first chapter about Islamic Innovations.
History Quest Middle Times
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
About Time: A First Look at Time and Clocks by Bruce Koschielniak
Mosque by David Macaulay
A's ELA
Arthur is using RSO Biology 1 this year has the main science text. We did cover the first lesson this week, but our coverage will be spotty until October. Our academic coop will also be using RSO Biology 1 as a basis for the fall semester course, so we will be just supplementing at home. We will also be doing some of Blossom & Root’s Book Seeds and various other small units in between. We did started Volume 3 of The Story of Science and will be working through that this year.
RSO Biology 1
Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim
Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies
The Universe in You: A Microscopic Journey by Jason Chin
The Three Little Tardigrades by Sandra Fay
Quentin is using RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. Of course, we have a ton of extra science resources laying around the house. And I will be hosting some one-off science exploration days that align with the units. For our first week, we didn’t have any formal science.
None
Q's History
Q's Math and ELA
Enrichment co-op has shifted from warm months only (April to October). We are in the middle of our transitionary “Summer Session.” This week both Arthur and Quentin’s class covered engineering by talking about gravity and building egg drop units. It was nice to get back to co-op after two weeks away while traveling.
A's Science
A's ELA and Math
Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. (The Joslyn Art Museum is reopening in September after being closed for two years!) And I incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies.
For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. For the first week, we covered Elvis Presley. The boys likes the rhythm and beat of the music, but not so much Elvis as a singer.
Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
Elvis: The Story of the Rock and Roll King by Bonnie Christensen
Elvis is King by Jonah Winter
A's ELA and Science
Q's ELA and Math
On Monday, Arthur had a dentist appointment to take care of a baby tooth that wouldn’t come out. Not fun, but necessary appointment.
Wednesday we were supposed to have a splash pad birthday party for a friend, but weather cancelled it. We did get to have Pokemon club that afternoon.
Thursday after co-op will always be errands and/or extra activities. This week we used out Get Out pass with friends to visit Papio Fun Park. Quentin is finally tall enough to drive the go-karts by himself. The boys enjoyed go-karts and laser tag while there. We stayed for almost five hours!
Friday morning we had our biweekly nature walk. This time one other friend joined us at Fontennelle Forest for a “board hike” as our friend called it. A hike on the boardwalk. We also ran into two other families that we knew. They were there for a blood drive.
Despite coming off of traveling the week before, we accomplished a ton for our first week. I always like to dive straight in and see what happens. We covered almost everything I had on the schedule and spent a ton of time with friends and outside in nature. I’d say that we had a great first week!
Q's roly poly friend
The changing weather interrupted our plans for one last water park day. Oh well. We did spent a ton of time in pools this summer.
Tree at Fontenelle - most likely broke and twisted in the last storm
Finishing his read aloud (A)
Starting Fortunately, the Milk (Q)
Learning about the Spanish Empire (A) and Byzantine Empire (Q)
Listening to Chuck Berry and Fats Domino
Exploring ponds and hydrology
Covering engineering for co-op
Celebrating the year at the homeschool picnic
Next up on the TBR pile: