Dead Lake by Darcy Coates

Title: Dead Lake

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher: Black Owl Books 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 158

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; In Case You Missed It - 2020

Where I Got It: Library

A week's visit to the remote Harob Lake cabin couldn't have come at a better time for Sam.

She's battling artist's block ahead of a major gallery exhibition. Staying at the lake house is her final, desperate attempt to paint the collection that could save her floundering career. It seems perfect: no neighbors, no phone, no distractions.

But the dream retreat disintegrates into a nightmare when Sam sees a stranger by the lake.

A tall, mysterious man stands on the edge of her dock, staring intently into the swirling waters below. He starts to follow her. He disables her car. He destroys her only way to communicate with the outside world. And something about the man seems… unnatural.

Soon Sam suspects he's responsible for the series of disappearances from a nearby hiking trail.

Completely stranded, Sam realizes she's become the prey in the hunter's deadliest game…

Another fun creepy Darcy Coates book for my Spooky Season. I didn’t realize that this was actual a novella and a few short stories. But I still really enjoyed each story. The novella was a fun take on the isolated cabin and a killer in the woods with a supernatural bend. As always, Coates excels at the creepy imagery that gets me every time. The second story featuring a monster in the woods was my favorite of the collection. I was truly horrified by that one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

Title: Phantasma (Wicked Games #1)

Author: Kaylie Smith

Publisher: Forever 2024

Genre: Fantasy; Horror

Pages: 461

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Book of the Month September 2024

Spice Rating: 5

Welcome to Phantasma.

There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart…

Wicked Games

• #1 Phantasma

• #2 Enchantra

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lost Boy by Christina Henry

Title: Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook

Author: Christina Henry

Publisher: Titan Books 2017

Genre: Horror; Fantasy

Pages: 292

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

There is one version of my story that everyone knows. And then there is the truth. This is how it happened. How I went from being Peter Pan’s first—and favorite—lost boy to his greatest enemy.
 
Peter brought me to his island because there were no rules and no grownups to make us mind. He brought boys from the Other Place to join in the fun, but Peter's idea of fun is sharper than a pirate’s sword. Because it’s never been all fun and games on the island. Our neighbors are pirates and monsters. Our toys are knife and stick and rock—the kinds of playthings that bite.

Peter promised we would all be young and happy forever. Peter lies.

This book has been on my TBR list for years now. I had previously enjoyed Henry’s brand of mixing horror and fairy tales and this one definitely hit the spot. Right away, we know that we are going dive deep into how Jamie become Captain Hook. I was hoping for a villainous portrayal of Peter Pan and I got exactly what I was hoping for. In fact, he was much more horrendous than even I imagined. (I have always very much disliked the Peter Pan character from literature and the movie/tv versions.) We quickly learn how demented Peter is and attempt to navigate his impossible situations alongside Jamie and the other Lost Boys. In a short amount of time, I really came to care for those kids. But I knew that this story was not going to end well. Overall, this one is not for squeamish people and especially not for anyone who cannot handle violence involved children.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

Title: A Sorceress Comes to Call

Author: T. Kingfisher

Publisher: Tor Books 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

Where I Got It: Book of the Month September 2024

Cordelia knows her mother is . . . unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him.

But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t evil sorcerers.

When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother's next victims. But Cordelia feels at home for the very first time among these people, and as her mother's plans darken, she must decide how to face the woman who raised her to save the people who have become like family.

Loved loved loved this book! I have loved almost everything that T. Kingfisher has put out. I love her blend of horror, fantasy, and fairy tales. The blend makes her book shave a great atmospheric quality mixed with solid plots. For this book, I wasn’t sure what we were getting at first. I was not super excited to spend 300+ pages with Cordelia as our narrator. Thankfully, we are introduced to Hester pretty quickly and from then on we get two narrators. Much better! I loved seeing the story and the situations play out from each perspective. The suspense ratchets up throughout the first half of the book leading to some great scenes. And then the plot kicks into high-gear and we get one long adventure leading to the conclusion of the book. I loved it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W6: A Pretty Normal Week

What We Studied

This week is our current normal: a few activities, some days of schoolwork. We got to visit Vala’s for the first time this season and it was amazing. The boys even got to bring two of their friends. A weekly visit to Vala’s will be our new normal through October.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. We finished reading our current read aloud about space. Overall, we really enjoyed this journey story featuring a normal American teenager. It definitely sparked some interesting discussions. We continued with our spelling and completed our week 4 list. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.

• 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. We finished a space-themed read aloud to align with Arthur’s selection. We moved onto Arthurian stories and Beowulf to align with our history.

• Lucy and the Rocket Dog by Will Buckingham

• Excalibur by Hudson Talbott

• King Arthur and the Round Table by Hudson Talbott

• The Hero Beowulf by Eric A. Kimmel

• Poetry: Firefly July

• Write Shop B

Math

Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We dove back into our textbook to cover most of the chapter about Multiplying and Dividing Fractions and Decimals.

• 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. We finished our Financial Literacy book and dove back into our main textbook. Q started covering the chapter about Multiplication and Division.

• Primarily Logic

• Singapore Primary Common Core 2B

• EM Financial Literacy G1

Social Studies

Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We covered an entire section about the Dutch trading empire and England’s first colonies in North America. For our culture corner, we learned about Johannes Vermeer and his art.

• Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• Johannes Vermeer by Alix Wood

• The Vermeer Interviews by Bob Raczka

• Corpse Talk by Adam & Lisa Murphy (chapter about Guy Fawkes)

Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 supporting. We continued history with a chapter about the Norse. We explored some books and videos about the Vikings and their influences on history. We also watched a NOVA documentary about a lost Viking army.

• History Quest Middle Times

• DK When on Earth?

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• Kingfisher Atlas of the Medieval World

• What Did the Vikings Do for Me? by Elizabeth Raum

• DK Eyewitness: Viking

• Myths, Legends, & Sacred Stories

Science

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 read a chapter in the Story of Science, learning about Max Planck and the discovery of quanta. We continued watching the documentary series One Strange Rock. We will continue watching sporadically throughout the fall. I’m counting this as science for kids.

• 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 didn’t have a formal lesson, but did watch an episode of One Strange Rock. We also covered the Blossom and Root Book Seed Young Water Protectors. We learned about why water is so important and how some people are helping to protect access to water.

• RSO Earth and Environment

• Earth by the Numbers by Steve Jenkins

• DK First Earth Encyclopedia

• Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock by Aslan Tudor

Enrichment STEAM Co-op

We started our last mini session for coop focusing on art and mathematics. Quentin’s class learned about shapes and art. I taught Arthur’s class all about probability.

Art and Music

Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies. We had our fist visit to the Joslyn Museum. Along with a few friends, we explored part of the modern art wing and a few historical art galleries to focus on space and perspective. The boys lasted about two hours before being done. I’m excited by the possibilities for future visits. We are going to love going monthly.

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 The Rolling Stones. I fully admit that they are not my favorite, but I do enjoy their early work.

• Music Lab: We Rock!

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

Field Trip/Activities

We skipped the field trips that were planned in the social co-op for more school time at home. We did end up visiting the Joslyn on Wednesday, so I’m counting it.

High

Tuesday was our first visit to Vala’s for 2024. The boys got to invite two friends and we ended up spending 5 1/2 hours exploring. The boys rode the new roller coaster and found the newly refurbished attractions. We each grabbed a slice of pie as our treat. I tried the strawberry rhubarb (the special this week) and it was great. The boys got salted caramel apple.

Low

By Friday, I was slightly burned out. We decided to skip the apple orchard excursion to relax at home. We ended up covering more schoolwork and watching some documentaries. I think it was a good call.

Next Week

• Starting a new spooky read aloud (A)

• Starting a new read aloud featuring a lovable robot Q)

• Learning about the British Isles (Q)

• Taking a dive into the makeup of the Earth (Q)

• Listening to The Supremes and James Brown

• Heading to Vala’s again and out for a nature walk

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Linkin Park "The Emptiness Machine"

I’m really digging this new Linkin Park with Emily joining her massive vocals.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Book of Night by Holly Black

Title: Book of Night (Book of Night #1)

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Tor Books 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 304

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Book of the Month May 2022

Charlie Hall has never found a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or a bad decision she wouldn’t make.

She's spent half her life working for gloamists, magicians who manipulate shadows to peer into locked rooms, strangle people in their beds, or worse. Gloamists guard their secrets greedily, creating an underground economy of grimoires. And to rob their fellow magicians, they need Charlie Hall.

Now, she’s trying to distance herself from past mistakes, but getting out isn’t easy. Bartending at a dive, she’s still entirely too close to the corrupt underbelly of the Berkshires. Not to mention that her sister Posey is desperate for magic, and that Charlie's shadowless, and possibly soulless, boyfriend has been hiding things from her. When a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie descends into a maelstrom of murder and lies.

Determined to survive, she’s up against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, gloamists, and the people she loves best in the world—all trying to steal a secret that will give them vast and terrible power.

So very disappointed by this book. I was intrigued by the summary and interested in reading a dark magical story featuring a scrappy protagonist. What I got was a meandering, boring story featuring a highly unlikable main character. Charlie lies, cheats, and steals, even to and from those she loves to accomplish some very unspecified goals in life. I never found myself connecting to her. I also was very annoyed by those surrounding Charlie. Posey is terrible in her own way. And I hated that Vince keep everything important secret. I’m really sick of books where every character keeps very important information from the people who need it the most. All for a perceived gift for another character. Very annoying. As for the storyline itself, I was continuously annoyed by the interlude chapters about Charlie’s past. I really didn’t need all those long chapters detailing her past transgression. We get it. I would have cut most of those and focused more on the present.

Book of Night

• #1 Book of Night

• #2 Thief of Night

Next up on the TBR pile:

From Below by Darcy Coates

Title: From Below

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher: Poisoned Press 2022

Genre: Horror

Pages: 469

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season RC

Where I Got It: Library

Years ago, the SS Arcadia vanished without a trace during a routine voyage. Though a strange, garbled emergency message was broadcast, neither the ship nor any of its crew could be found. Sixty years later, its wreck has finally been discovered more than three hundred miles from its intended course...a silent graveyard deep beneath the ocean's surface, eagerly waiting for the first sign of life.

Cove and her dive team have been granted permission to explore the Arcadia's rusting hull. Their purpose is straightforward: examine the wreck, film everything, and, if possible, uncover how and why the supposedly unsinkable ship vanished.

But the Arcadia has not yet had its fill of death, and something dark and hungry watches from below. With limited oxygen and the ship slowly closing in around them, Cove and her team will have to fight their way free of the unspeakable horror now desperate to claim them.

I also enjoy a Darcy Coates book for some spooky fun. This one involves a sunken ship and lots of creepy creepy scenes. I will say that every Coates book is a wild ride. I never know exactly where we are going and I really enjoy the journey. We dive in (haha) to this story featuring a cast of unreliable characters on a mission. I suspected every single one these characters of having nefarious intentions on the mission. With every chapter, the tension and creep factor increased. I ended up speeding through the book dreading what they were going to find inside the ship. Once the horror begin to be revealed, I was thoroughly horrified. Lovely!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I got my reading back on track with a whole string of great atmospheric and/or spooky books!

• We started our weekly Vala’s visits. They make me so happy!

• Very strange co-op week. I went from a class of 12 to a class of 4 with basically no warning. This always happens at the end of the session. I should know better.

• A friend’s kid who was in the hospital is out and on the mend. So glad for that entire family.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

Title: The Terraformers

Author: Annalee Newitz

Publisher: Tor Books 2023

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 338

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Lifetime - Intergenerational

Where I Got It: Library

Destry's life is dedicated to terraforming Sask-E. As part of the Environmental Rescue Team, she cares for the planet and its burgeoning eco-systems as her parents and their parents did before her.

But the bright, clean future they're building comes under threat when Destry discovers a city full of people that shouldn’t exist, hidden inside a massive volcano.

As she uncovers more about their past, Destry begins to question the mission she's devoted her life to, and must make a choice that will reverberate through Sask-E's future for generations to come.

Goodness, I had such high hopes for this one. I was intrigued by the initial chapters. I wanted to learn so much more about how this world actually works. I was intrigued by the mysterious underground city. I wanted to follow along with Destry’s life. Unfortunately the story completely changed with a huge time jump. I was very annoyed to leave my characters behind for a whole new cast. I also felt like the messages became much more simplistic and reductive. I would have liked a more nuanced message and story. I know that our book club discussion will be great full of interesting opinions and insights.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lore Olympus Vol. 6 by Rachel Smythe

Title: Lore Olympus Volume 6

Author: Rachel Smythe

Publisher: Del Rey

Genre: Fantasy Comic

Pages: 432

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

“We have to make an example of her.”

Chaos reigns in Olympus as Zeus publicly declares Persephone a traitor and issues a warrant for her arrest. But Hades defies his brother’s decree, sheltering Persephone in the Underworld—and as the pair spend more time together, they are able to speak openly about their pasts. The goddess of spring admits the truth behind the bloody secret that led to Zeus’s ire, and the king of the Underworld shares the trauma he suffered at the hands of his power-hungry father, Kronos.

But as Hades and Persephone’s relationship grows stronger, others begin to fall apart. The bond between Hades and Zeus is stretched to its limit, threatening to fracture the peace between their realms. Persephone and Artemis’s friendship hangs by a thread as the goddess of the hunt slowly uncovers the vile truth about her twin, Apollo. A line is being drawn in the heavens, putting everyone’s loyalties into question as all the gods are forced to choose sides.

And as the cracks in the foundation of the pantheon spread, something darker and more earth-shattering might soon be released. . . .

This edition of Smythe’s original Eisner Award–winning webcomic Lore Olympus features exclusive behind-the-scenes content and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

This volume collects episodes 127–152 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

Finally I grabbed this volume of one of my favorite comic series. I loved how the story actually moved forward in this volume. The last one did not move the plot along very much. We finally get to see more perspectives of Persephone and move along her relationship with Hades. And that last issue was a doozy. I am very interested to see where Smythe takes this story next. Cannot wait for the next volume.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W5: Meh. I Guess It was a Normal Week.

What We Studied

Oddly this past week just feels very meh for me. We covered a decent amount of schoolwork and had a few activities. But we also had a big car appointment and had to change our Tuesday plans after an unexpected hours change. I ended the week with a big feeling of meh. I think the boys are very much with me on that feeling.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. We continued reading our current read aloud about space. We continued with our spelling and completed our week 4 list. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.

• 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. We dove into a space-themed read aloud to align with Arthur’s selection. We should finish it early next week.

• Lucy and the Rocket Dog by Will Buckingham

• Poetry: Firefly July

• Write Shop B

Math

Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We paused our lessons from the textbook in favor of 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. This week was really about math practice and financial literacy.

• Primarily Logic

• Singapore Primary Common Core 2B

• EM Financial Literacy G1

Social Studies

Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We covered an entire section learning about Korea and Japan.

• 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 continued history with a chapter about the Tang and Song Dynasties of China.

• History Quest Middle Times

• DK When on Earth?

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• Kingfisher Atlas of the Medieval World

• The Explosive Story of Fireworks by Kama Einhorn

• Fireworks and Gunpowder by Phil Amara and Oliver Chin

• Liang and the Magic Paintbrush by Demi

• Hildegard of Bingen: Scientist, Composer, Healer and Saint by Demi

• We're Riding on a Caravan by Laurie Krebs

Science

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 two chapters in the Story of Science, learning about Marie Curie and her discoveries. We continued watching the documentary series One Strange Rock. We will continue watching sporadically throughout the fall. I’m counting this as science for kids.

• 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 didn’t manage to fit science in this past week. At least we watched one episode of our science documentary.

• RSO Earth and Environment

• Earth by the Numbers by Steve Jenkins

• DK First Earth Encyclopedia

Enrichment STEAM Co-op

We started our last mini session for coop focusing on art and mathematics. I taught Quentin’s class about tangrams and geometry. Arthur’s class explored origami.

Art and Music

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 cover the second module in our visual arts curriculum. We covered a quick history of art styles and choose a few favorites.

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 The Beatles. Always a favorite in our house. We focused a lot on how The Beatles influenced so many other artists. We also did some comparison of original Beatles songs and covers.

• Music Lab: We Rock!

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

Field Trip/Activities

Our planned visit to the Luminarium was scrapped as they unexpectedly changed their hours. Unfortunately we couldn’t fit back into the schedule this week. We will have to wait until our October scheduled visit to go.

High

On Monday, we had our annual school photo session. A former homeschool parent has a side business doing photography and has offered her services every year. She takes great pictures and they are a highlight of the fall season. I can’t wait to see the pics soon.

Low

I absolutely hate taking the car into the dealership for oil changes and work. We had to get that oil change, fluids, tire rotation, and transmission flush. I packed a ton of school stuff to settle into the long haul. It wasn’t fun hanging out in their waiting room. But thankfully the dealership finished quickly.

Next Week

• Continuing our read aloud (A)

• Finishing our read aloud and Starting a new one (Q)

• Learning about the Dutch and the English (A) and the Vikings (Q)

• Listening to The Rolling Stones

• Heading to Vala’s for our first visit of the season

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Ice Nine Kills and Reel Big Fish "Walking on Sunshine"

The two major sides of my music personality - metal and pop ska - together in one song. Plus, it’s a band from the 90s that I still love and a current band that I love. Perfect, no notes.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #22

On my bedside table: All the spooky books! I have The Hacienda by Isabel Canas and Book of Night by Holly Black on the short stack.

On my tv this week: It’s been all funny shows all week.

Listening to: I caught up on a new-to-me podcast that J suggested, Conspiracy She Wrote. I really found the episodes about Beyonce and Meghan Thee Stallion to be fascinating.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chili and Cornbread

• Tuesday - Snack Dinner

• Wednesday - Chicken Ranch Tacos

• Thursday - Apple Cheddar Grilled Cheese

• Friday - Ranch Cheddar Chicken

• Saturday - Beef Stew

• Sunday - Caprese and Avocado Toast

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home Day

• Tuesday - First Vala’s Visit of the Season! Co-op Happy Hour

• Wednesday - First Joslyn Art Museum Visit since they reopened (after being closed for two years!)

• Thursday - Co-op

• Friday - Ditmar’s Apple Orchard Day

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Co-op Steering Committee Meeting; Nerdy Bookish Friends Book Club meeting

What I am creating: Nothing much this week, although I really want to get back to my Memory Planner.

My simple pleasures: Cucumber Melon Sparkling Water, Fall Flavors

Looking around the house: Meh. It’s fine. I do need to pick up some things for Happy Hour on Tuesday.

From the camera: We had a hitchhiker on the way back from the OPPD Arboretum on Friday morning. I didn’t notice this little guy until halfway home. He made it all the way back to our house and eventually leapt off into our yard.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

Title: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishaps #1)

Author: Kimberly Lemming

Publisher: Orbit Books 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 288

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Social Media Rec; In Case You Missed It - 2022

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

Spice trader Cinnamon’s quiet life is turned upside down when she ends up on a quest with a fiery demon, in this irreverently quirky rom-com fantasy that is sweet, steamy, and funny as hell.
 
All she wanted to do was live her life in peace—maybe get a cat, expand the family spice farm. Really, anything that didn’t involve going on an adventure where an orc might rip her face off. But they say the goddess has favorites, and if so, Cin is clearly not one of them.
 
After Cin saves the demon Fallon in a wine-drunk stupor, Fallon reveals that all he really wants to do is kill an evil witch enslaving his people. And who can blame him? But now he’s dragging Cinnamon along for the ride whether she likes it or not. On the bright side, at least he keeps burning off his shirt.…

This book had been on my radar but kept getting pushed down. Thankfully I grabbed it from the library as it was the perfect read for me this week. I took a little teensy break from the spooky to enjoy some fantasy romance adventure. This is a great mix of genres that reminded me of the movie Romancing the Stone. We get an unlikely pairing on a quest to find (in this case destroy) artifacts. I loved the humor and banter between Fallon and Cinnamon as they enter uncharted territory. The action sequences were great fun and fast-paced. The romance was swoony and very cute. I loved very page of this novel and cannot wait to grab the second one.

Mead Mishaps

• #1 That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

• #1.5 Mistlefoe

• #2 That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf

• #2.5 A Bump in Boohail

• #3 That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human

Next up on the TBR pile:

Never Whistle at Night

Title: Never Whistle at Night

Author: Various

Publisher: Vintage 2023

Genre: Short Story Horror

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Indigenous Culture; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home.

These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, these stories are a celebration of Indigenous peoples’ survival and imagination, and a glorious reveling in all the things an ill-advised whistle might summon.

Randomly found this collection of horror filled stories at the library and knew that I needed to read it. Like every short story collection, some stories are outstanding, while some are not-so-great. Thankfully this collection erred on the better side. I found myself actually a bit creeped out by many of the stories included. I especially loved the ones that incoprotated folklore and mythology into the horror. The ones that were much more based on the horror of current life didn’t work as well for me. I’m not as much of a real-life horror fan. I like the weird, the strange, and the supernatural. Overall, this was a good collection and shared a lot about indigenous life.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Murder Road by Simone St. James

Title: Murder Road

Author: Simone St. James

Publisher: Berkley 2024

Genre: Thriller/Horror

Pages: 341

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: BOTM March 2024

July 1995. April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They’re looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.

When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Coldlake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all.

Not my favorite of St. James’s books (that’s The Book of Cold Cases), but still an enjoyable thriller/horror book. I enjoyed the random throwback to the 90s as we follow Eddie and April on their ill-fated honeymoon. They are both carrying secrets and I enjoyed seeing them be revealed throughout the story. Our book opens with a great propulsive sequence, so of course I was intrigued. Once the Carters start investigating the murder and the mystery of Atticus Lane, the book slowed down. There was a lot of circular conversations and actions in the middle that started to drag things down. Thankfully it picked up towards the end and we barreled across the last pages. I didn’t love the neat-as-a-bow wrap-up, but overall enjoyed this book with moderate ghost involvement.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Key Lime Sky by Al Hess

Title: Key Lime Sky

Author: Al Hess

Publisher: Angry Robot Books 2024

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season; Library

Where I Got It: Library

Denver Bryant’s passion for pie has sent him across Wyoming in search of the best slices. Though he dutifully posts reviews on his blog, he’s never been able to recreate his brief moment of viral popularity, and its trickling income isn’t enough to pay his rent next month. 

Driving home from a roadside diner, Denver witnesses a UFO explode directly over his tiny town of Muddy Gap. When he questions his neighbors, it appears that Denver is the only person to have seen anything – or to care that the residents’ strange behavior, as well as a shower of seashell hail, might be evidence of something extraterrestrial. Being both non-binary and autistic, he’s convinced his reputation as the town eccentric is impeding his quest for answers. Frustrated, he documents the bizarre incidents on his failing pie blog, and his online popularity skyrockets. His readers want the truth, spurring him to get to the bottom of things.

The only person in town who takes him seriously is handsome bartender, Ezra. As the two investigate over pie and the possibility of romance, the alien presence does more than change the weather. People start disappearing. When Denver and Ezra make a run for it, the town refuses to let them leave. Reality is folding in on itself. It’s suddenly a race against time to find the extraterrestrial source and destroy it before it consumes not only Muddy Gap but everything beyond. Denver’s always been more outsider than hero, but he’s determined to ensure that a world with Ezra – and with pie – still exists tomorrow.

This was such a trippy novel that I truly did not know what to expect every time I turned the page. I randomly grabbed this off the library’s New Release shelf, read the back, and checked it out. I had never heard of the book, but the summary had me intrigued. Really it was the line “Reality is folding in on itself” that really peaked my interest. I love books where you end up questioning reality. It’s my catnip. In this book, we meet Denver and things quickly start taking interesting twists and turns. I loved following Denver and xir’s struggles with fitting into the small town of Muddy Gap. I was fascinated to watch xir navigate the strange happenings after seeing a light in the sky. Xir’s budding relationship with Ezra was beautiful full of tension, misunderstandings, and care. I loved seeing the two of them navigate an alien invasion while staying true to themselves. At times, this novel is very cringey, but realistic, horrifying, but funny and downright action filled. I really really enjoyed the journey. I might have to look up other books by Hess.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #16

Reading: I’m currently deep into Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology. It’s giving me all the spooky vibes that I was looking for. There are some truly terrifying tales in here.

Watching: J and I have been on a game show kick. We’ve been binging episodes of Game Changer and Make Some Noise along with Breaking News and Um, Actually. It’s been a comedy week in this house.

Listening: J also got me started on a new podcast called Conspiracy She Wrote. There’s only a few episodes out, but they are good dives into famous women and conspiracies.

Making: We’ve almost finished our first homeschool section of the year. Time to make piles for the next 6 week session.

Feeling: Securing a location for the Academic Co-op has gotten ridiculous. Add in that fact that not everyone in the group is actually helping and I am frustrated.

Planning: Tomorrow we have to take the car in for an oil change and lots of other regular maintenance issues. We’re going to camp out in the waiting room and do schoolwork. Maybe we will actually get it done with the distractions of home.

Loving: The wind has finally kicked up a bit heading into fall and it’s making my life so much better.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W4: Catching Up a Bit

What We Studied

This was our off week for co-op and we took advantage catching up on bookwork. We also ended up having a very light activity work. It was actually pretty nice to slow down a bit and stay home.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. We continued reading our current read aloud about space. We continued with our spelling and completed our week 3 list. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.

• 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 finish 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

Math

Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We covered another chapter 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. This week was really about math practice and financial literacy.

• Primarily Logic

• Singapore Primary Common Core 2B

• EM Financial Literacy G1

Social Studies

Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We managed to cover two more sections (four chapters) in our history book. We talked about Russia, Poland, the Persian Empire, and the Mughal Empire.

• Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• Taj Mahal: A Story of Love and Empire by Elizabeth Mann

• Whole Wide World: Taj Mahal by Kristine Spanier

• Amazing Landmarks by Rekha S. Rajan

Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 supporting. We continued history with a chapter about the Charlemagne and the Medieval period in Western Europe.

• History Quest Middle Times

• DK When on Earth?

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• If You were a Kid in a Medieval Castle by Josh Gregory

• A Medieval Feast by Aliki

• Kingfisher Atlas of the Medieval World

Science

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, learning about JJ Thomsen and the discovery of electrons. We also started watching the documentary series One Strange Rock. We will continue watching sporadically throughout the fall. I’m counting this as science for kids.

• 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 continued with water and the hydrosphere.

• RSO Earth and Environment

• Earth by the Numbers by Steve Jenkins

• DK First Earth Encyclopedia

• Sometimes I Feel Like a River by Danielle Daniel and Josee Bisaillon

• Water Dance by Thomas Locker

• Water by Seymour Simon

• Water: A Deep Dive of Discovery by Christy Mihaly

• What on Earth? Water by Isabel Thomas and Pau Morgan

• The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks by JOanna Cole

• It's Raining by Gail Gibbons

Enrichment STEAM Co-op

This was our off week for co-op due to Labor Day. We are going into our four last weeks of enrichment co-op.

Art and Music

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 cover the first module in our visual arts curriculum. We covered the variety of art mediums and chatted about some of our favorites.

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 The Shirelles and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. I had a lot of fun listening to the origins of doo-wop and the girl and boy vocal groups.

• Music Lab: We Rock!

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

Field Trip/Activities

No real field trip this week, but we did go to the zoo on Tuesday. We’re aiming for a monthly zoo visit. This time, we focused on the jungle building (a new baby pygmy hippo!), elephants and giraffes, Asian Highlands, and the gorillas and oranguatns. It was a nice morning of observing animals.

High

It was nice to take this week a bit slower than normal. Sometimes I just really want to get cozy at home.

Low

By the end of the week, I think that the boys were really missing their activities and friends. Thankfully next week is back to our normal.

Next Week

• Continuing our read aloud (A)

• Finishing our read aloud (Q)

• Learning about Japan (A) and China (Q)

• Listening to The Beatles!

• Getting school pictures taken!

Next up on the TBR pile: