Christmas Bucket List Update #2

Another year, another Christmas bucket list! This season I’m still embracing the mantra of “Take it easy.” As such, I’m filling our bucket list with all my favorite things and not reaching too far. Sickness at the beginning of the month made me switch a few things around. Hopefully we can get back to all our activities by the end of the month.

Go see Santa! ✓ - We had our yearly visit to Santa at Cabela’s. Of course we had go see the fish afterward.

Decorate the mini tree ✓

Decorate the house ✓ - Being sick pushed this back a few days, but we did it.

See the Christmas tree at the Durham Museum

Visit the Holiday display at Lauritzen Gardens

See A Christmas Story @ The Rose ✓ - We really enjoyed the performance! As a bonus, we got student tickets for very few dollars.

See The Nutcracker @ The Orpheum - We didn’t end up going due to the weather.

Listen to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens ✓

Make Christmas cookies

Drive through the Santa Rock n Lights ✓

Visit the reindeers Dancer and Dasher ✓

Watch 10 Christmas Movies (6/10)

Dear Santa
Uncle Buck (close enough, it’s set in winter)
Hot Frosty
Red One
The Merry Gentlemen
Carry-on

Go to Zoolightful at the zoo ✓

Go to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park

Dinner at Coney Island and see the Santa lights

Read 10 Christmas books (7/10)

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay
All I Want is You by Falon Ballard
The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen
The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever by June Faver
Jingle All the Way by Sarah Everly
26 Ways to Come Home for the Holidays by Jennifer Joy
Under the Mistletoe Collection

Make paper snowflakes

Make Christmas cocktails

Hot Chocolate tasting

Finish a Christmas puzzle

Find a new Christmas album

Make a Christmas craft

Decorate a gingerbread house

Take a photo of all four boys together

Finish 2024’s December Daily album

Next up on the TBR pile:

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Title: Before the Fall

Author: Noah Hawley

Publisher: Grand Central 2016

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 416

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Where I Got It: Library

On a foggy summer night, eleven people--ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter--depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are the painter Scott Burroughs and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family.

Was it by chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something more sinister at work? A storm of media attention brings Scott fame that quickly morphs into notoriety and accusations, and he scrambles to salvage truth from the wreckage. Amid trauma and chaos, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy grows and glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, morality, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.

Our book club selection for January and it was a bit of a mess. We start out with the plane crash and immediate aftermath. I was intrigued by the mysteries of the passengers and what caused the crash. We start to explore the backstories of our characters. Very quickly the book starts to drag along. The backstories get more and more boring and tangential. I just found myself caring less and less about these characters. I kept wanting this is actually all connect somehow. But in the end, the cause of the plane crash was so stupid and frustrating. I almost threw my book at the wall.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas

Title: A Ruse of Shadows (Lady Sherlock #8)

Author: Sherry Thomas

Publisher: Berkley 2024

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 335

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Charlotte’s success on the RMS Provence has afforded her a certain measure of time and assurance. Taking advantage of that, she has been busy, plotting to prise the man her sister loves from Moriarty’s iron grip.

Disruption, however, comes from an unexpected quarter. Lord Bancroft Ashburton, disgraced and imprisoned as a result of Charlotte’s prior investigations, nevertheless manages to press Charlotte into service: Underwood, his most loyal henchman, is missing and Lord Bancroft wants Charlotte to find Underwood, dead or alive.

But then Lord Bancroft himself turns up dead and Charlotte, more than anyone else, meets the trifecta criteria of motive, means, and opportunity. Never mind rescuing anyone else, with the law breathing down her neck, can Charlotte save herself from prosecution for murder?

The next installment in the Lady Sherlock series and I must say that I’m slightly disappointed. After the fun and intrigue of a locked room mystery in the last book, this one felt much more aimless and complicated. I am still with Charlotte as she navigates all the mysteries, conspiracies, and seemingly random murders. But… There were too many threads in this one leading all the way back to the first book in the series. At times, I really had to sit and think for a minute about what thread we were referencing. I still love Charlotte and Mrs. Watson, and Ash. I was not super loving the random interludes with Olivia, but understand their purpose. I’m still into this series, I just think this one was a bit of a muddle to get through.

Lady Sherlock

Next up on the TBR pile:

Under the Mistletoe Collection

The Under the Mistletoe Collection is comprised of 5 original short stories presented through the Amazon Original Stories program. Stories from any of the collections are available to read or listen for free with Amazon Prime.

Title: Cruel Winter with You

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2024

Genre: Romance Short Story

Pages: 73

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Amazon Prime

Spice Rating: 5

All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.:

I really do enjoy enemies to lovers style romance stories. This one was short and sweet, but lots of good banter. I have mostly really loved Ali Hazelwood’s publications.

Title: Merry Ever After

Author: Tessa Bailey

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2024

Genre: Romance Short Story

Pages: 59

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Amazon Prime

Spice Rating: 5

Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.

Tessa Bailey writes a type of aggressive alpha male characters that I’m not a huge fan of. In this one, we don’t get enough of Luke for me to root for him. Instead, the story positions Luke in a much more creepy stalker role. Not my favorite.

Title: All By My Elf

Author: Olivia Dade

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2024

Genre: Romance Short Stories

Pages: 59

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Amazon Prime

Spice Rating: 4

Nina and William are underpaid adjunct professors at the same university, where winter break is no break at all: ’tis the season to make extra money. When their holiday side hustle has them stranded by a blinding blizzard in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing to do but cuddle up for warmth and play a hot and bothered game of Never Have I Ever to pass the time. But in the game of love, secrets never stay secret for long…

Too much silliness in this one. Riding around in a phallic shaped pastry vehicle is a little much for me. I wanted to see more actual connection between these two people instead of lots of flashbacks. It was fine.

Title: Merriment and Mayhem

Author: Alexandria Bellfleur

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2024

Genre: Romance Short Story

Pages: 58

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Amazon Prime

Spice Rating: 5

When Everleigh Dangerfield’s baking disaster necessitates a call to 911, firefighter Griffin Brantley douses the flames in the kitchen, but the ones he stokes in Everleigh are an entirely different story. Unfortunately, Everleigh’s only visiting and doesn’t do casual hookups, no matter how smoldering the temptation. But Everleigh’s holiday mishaps have just begun. And Griffin is seemingly always on call. If Everleigh is game for a change of plans, he can give her the merriest Christmas of her life.

Okay this was absolute nonsense and I really liked it. The collection of events that led to the Everleigh and Griffin getting together was wild and fast-paced. I would definitely read more stories from Bellefleur.

Title: Only Santas in the Building

Author: Alexis Daria

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2024

Genre: Romance Short Story

Pages: 65

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Amazon Prime

Spice Rating: 4

All Evie Cruz wants for Christmas is a nap. And maybe some ornaments for her naked Christmas tree. And while she’s making a list, she wouldn’t mind unwrapping her sexy upstairs neighbor like a present. Luckily, the building’s Santa-themed party and a surprise sprig of mistletoe give her just the opening she needs to make all her wishes come true.

Another cute story involving a secret Santa and crushes on neighbors. I was rooting for Evie to come out of her work fog, enjoy life, and possibly make a romantic connection. Such a cute story.

Next up on the TBR pile

Music Monday - Three Days Grace "Mayday"

Very exciting to have Adam back. It’s like the early 200s all over again.

Next up on the TBR pile:

26 Ways to Come Home for the Holidays by Jennifer Joy

Title: 26 Ways to Come Home for the Holidays

Author: Jennifer Joy

Publisher: Foxburg & Stern 2023

Genre: Holiday Romance

Pages: 164

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Goodreads Contest Winner

Spice Rating: 3.5

It’s Thanksgiving 1942, and Stella West, the first-ever head of holidays for Hanover's Department Store is left in a bind when her lead window designer runs off days before the grand unveiling of the store’s Christmas windows—the city's most-beloved holiday tradition. With only 48 hours left until the windows' ribbon-cutting ceremony, Stella scrambles to gather together a rag-tag team of store employees to finish the job, including their picky luxury stylist, two flirtatious personal shoppers, a handful of delivery boys, and Stella's best pal, Hector.

As the group races to complete the store's twenty-six 'Home for the Holidays'-themed Christmas windows, Stella is stunned to discover that Hector is newly single and realizes the feelings she’d buried for him long ago may run deeper than she ever imagined. Dodging a baker who's sweet on her, the store kiss-up who's after her job, and the store owner who wants an early preview — Stella has more than enough to worry about without her love life adding to the mix. But with the ribbon-cutting approaching (and the news of Hector's epic bachelor status swirling through the store), Stella realizes that telling him how she feels might be now or never—even if it means risking losing him entirely.

I won this book through a Goodreads contest. It’s a cute very sweet holiday romance novella. We follow Stella as she deals with a massive problem at her department store job. We’re taken back to the 1940s as we see the characters overcome the problems and come together for Christmas. Overall, it was a cute story with light romance. I did find it slightly odd that there were a few sexual scenes that seemed strange within the tone of the book. But it was a decent read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries by Donald R. Prothero

Title: The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries: The Evidence and the People Who Found It

Author: Donald R. Prothero

Publisher: Columbia University 2020

Genre: Nonfiction - Science

Pages: 376

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

Where I Got It: The Nook, Cedar Falls IA

The theory of evolution unites the past, present, and future of living things. It puts humanity’s place in the universe into necessary perspective. Despite a history of controversy, the evidence for evolution continues to accumulate as a result of many separate strands of amazing scientific sleuthing.

In The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries, Donald R. Prothero explores the most fascinating breakthroughs in piecing together the evidence for evolution. In twenty-five vignettes, he recounts the dramatic stories of the people who made crucial discoveries, placing each moment in the context of what it represented for the progress of science. He tackles topics like what it means to see evolution in action and what the many transitional fossils show us about evolution, following figures from Darwin to lesser-known researchers as they unlock the mysteries of the fossil record, the earth, and the universe. The book also features the stories of animal species strange and familiar, including humans―and our ties to some of our closest relatives and more distant cousins. Prothero’s wide-ranging tales showcase awe-inspiring and bizarre aspects of nature and the powerful insights they give us into the way that life works.

I grabbed this last summer from the used bin at a bookstore (The Nook) in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I was hoping for a fun adventure through what we know about evolution. And that’s exactly what we got! I love how every chapter is its own mini book. You can do a deep dive into a variety of topics within evolution in this one volume. I was especially fascinated by chapter tracing animal lineage. We get to see exactly how our understanding of topics have changed over the decades. I loved it so much that I had to pass it on to a friend. And I will be adding it to Arthur’s required reading in high school. In the end, I will be putting Prothero’s other texts onto my TBR pile.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jingle Ale the Way by Sarah Everly

Title: Jingle Ale the Way

Author: Sarah Everly

Publisher:

Genre: Romance Short Story

Pages: 75

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Kindle

Spice Rating: 4

All I want for Christmas is the day off, a pint of Jingle Ale the Way, and Jason Fowler

Spending the holidays in Franklin Notch this year doesn't feel very merry. I'm stuck at work, there’s no snow, and not a single present under my tree. Until Jason Fowler comes back home.

My longtime crush magically appears, delivering drinks? It's a long fall from grace for the celebrity chef. Doesn’t matter. He's back home, helping his sick father, and I've got a plan to make him stay.

Coming home for Christmas wasn't my plan

But couple my unemployment with my dad's failing health and instead of spending the holidays cooking, I'm slinging beer across New Hampshire. The only good news about any of this is Stephanie's working the holidays, too. Our all too friendly, and often flirty, relationship has grown over the years, but living hours apart and only seeing each other occasionally, I've never worked up the nerve to ask her out. Maybe this Christmas I can convince her to be mine.

A cute Christmas themed short story romance. The beginning was a tad slow in that I felt like more exposition was needed up front to establish our characters. Once we got going, I enjoyed this little story of a sorta second-chance romance between our main characters. Nothing too crazy happens here but we do get some swoon vibes and a grand gesture. It was cute and fun, but ultimately was a little too short. I didn’t really get to know these characters and wanted more.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Our last Academic Co-op meeting of the fall today. I’m ready for a bit of a break and reset for spring.
I really need to ration out the holiday goodies. Aldi’s has way too many good things out right now.
Looking forward to our book and bottle exchange this Saturday. I’m making spinach and artichoke dip!
We did an outdoor homeschool activity yesterday and it was about 15 degrees. So so cold! But we made it through somehow.
It’s just about packing time for our trip to Indiana.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers

Title: The Book Swap

Author: Tessa Bickers

Publisher: Graydon House 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Where I Got It: Library

Still reeling from a recent tragedy, Erin Connolly knows she needs to start living, but has no idea how. When she accidentally donates her favorite book—a heavily annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird containing a memento she can’t be without—to a local little community library, she’s devastated. But then the book turns up a week later, back in the library with fresh notes in the margins, along with an invitation in a copy of Great Expectations to meet her newfound pen pal.

A life-changing conversation, written only in the margins of beloved classic books, begins between Erin and her Mystery Man. Following each other through the pages of their favorite novels as the book exchange continues, they both begin to open up, falling into a friendship…and maybe something more.

But Erin and her pen pal have a shared history that neither of them has guessed. Faced with painful reminders of the past—and the one person she swore never to forgive—Erin finds herself at a crossroads. One that could change her life forever.

This was such a different book than I was expecting to read. I thought it was going to be a light-hearted rom com. Instead, we get a much more serious story of growth and identity featuring two lost characters who eventually begin a relationship. But their romantic relationship wasn’t the focus of the book. I got lots of Fleabag vibes especially with the dead best friend and life flailing. From there, I started really rooting for Erin to find her purpose and own up to her past mistakes. So many of the scenes were not fun and light-hearted. They were definitely serious. And yet, I found myself really enjoying this story and especially connecting to James. I loved the book swap device to move the story forward. Sure, it was a bit cheesy, but also pretty clever.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Update #1

Go see Santa! ✓ - We had our yearly visit to Santa at Cabela’s. Of course we had go see the fish afterward.

Decorate the mini tree ✓

Decorate the house ✓ - Being sick pushed this back a few days, but we did it.

See the Christmas tree at the Durham Museum

Visit the Holiday display at Lauritzen Gardens

See A Christmas Story @ The Rose ✓ - We really enjoyed the performance! As a bonus, we got student tickets for very few dollars.

See The Nutcracker @ The Orpheum

Listen to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Make Christmas cookies

Drive through the Santa Rock n Lights ✓

Visit the reindeers Dancer and Dasher ✓

Watch 10 Christmas Movies (2/10)

Dear Santa
Uncle Buck (close enough, it’s set in winter)

Go to Zoolightful at the zoo

Go to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park

Dinner at Coney Island and see the Santa lights

Read 10 Christmas books (7/10)

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay
All I Want is You by Falon Ballard
The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen
The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever by June Faver
Jingle All the Way by Sarah Everly
26 Ways to Come Home for the Holidays by Jennifer Joy
Under the Mistletoe Collection

Make paper snowflakes

Make Christmas cocktails

Hot Chocolate tasting

Finish a Christmas puzzle

Find a new Christmas album

Make a Christmas craft

Decorate a gingerbread house

Take a photo of all four boys together

Finish 2024’s December Daily album

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W14: A play, board games, and lots of schoolwork!

What We Studied

Back to our normally schedule program. We managed to fit in a decent amount of school work along with a few activities with friends. Trying to make the most of the weeks leading up to our Christmas break.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. We started another read aloud this week. Only got through part 1, but we’re moving along. It’s another featured book from Hearth & Story G5. We are really enjoying that program. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments. We also finished our main poetry collection.

Poetry for Young People: Carl Sandburg
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

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 started our next selection. I really love everything Katherine Applegate has put out and Wishtree is no exception. It’s a quiet story, but one with lots of thinking points and emotion.

Poetry: Dinosaur Dinner (with a Slice of Alligator Pie) by Dennis Lee
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Math

Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. Arthur started the chapter on Algebraic Expression. It’s easing us in, in a very systematic way. Loving this curriculum right now.

Math in Focus Course 1 Book A

Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. We finished our Financial Literacy G2 book. I’m not going to start on Singapore 3B until January, so we are focusing on review and mastery until then.

Primarily Logic
EM Financial Literacy G2

Social Studies

Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We wrapped up Volume 1 with a section about the Seven Years War. A bit of a review from U.S. History, but we also learned about the Carnatic Wars in India.

Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars by Betsy Maestro
Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta
Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson
The Salem Witch Trials: An Interactive History Adventure by Matt Doeden
The Salem Witch Trials: An Unsolved Mystery from History by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Stample
The Salem Witch Trials (Graphic History) by Michael J. Martin

Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 as his main history curriculum. This week we covered a chapter about the Black Death.

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
DK Explorers

Science

Arthur is using RSO Biology 1 this year has the main science text. 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. Arthur covered a few body systems at co-op. At home, we read a bit chapter in our Story of Science about the years leading up to World War II.

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 switched gears slightly to tackle Blossom and Root’s Prehistory Unit. We covered the wonders about What is a Dinosaur and the Triassic Era. Lots of fun stuff in there.

RSO Earth and Environment
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
DK Dinosaur
DK When on Earth? Dinosaurs
DK Eyewitness Dinosaur
The Story of Life: Evolution by Katie Scott
Life: The First Four Billions Years by Martin Jenkins
Stones and Bones: Fossils and the Stories They Tell by Rob Wilshaw
When the Whales Walked by Dougal Dixon
Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs an Other Prehistoric Beasts! by Mike Lowery
Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian x4
How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland
Dinosaurs by the Numbers by Steve Jenkins
Dinosaur Feathers by Dennis Nolan
Fossil by Fossil: Comparing Dinosaur Bones by Sara Levine
Dinosaurs: Fact and Fable by Seymour Simon
I am NOT a Dinosaur by Will Lach
Bone Wars: The True Story of an Epic Battle to Find Dinosaur Fossils by Jane Kurtz
Prehistoric by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Nat Geo Kids Dinosaur Atlas
Dinosaurium by Chris Wormell and Lily Murray
The Colorful World of Dinosaurs by Matt Sewell

Academic Co-op

For math, Arthur and the few students there on Thursday took a trip around the world to celebrate the holiday season. They worked together to make purchase decisions for each leg of the trip while staying in budget. For biology, they covered two more body systems. I had to emergency teach civics due to illness and we learned about social movements and collective action. The kids were given an assignment to do a bio and protest sign based on a living activist. Arthur got Greta Thunberg. Only one more week for the fall semester!

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 covered a Harbor + Sprout module about math and art.

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. We moved into the next section of the book covering Deep Soul. We listened to Ray Charles and Solomon Burke.

Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts

Field Trip/Activities

We got to see A Christmas Story musical at The Rose Theatre on Friday. Love that we can access the student tickets price to see some great live theater. It was a big performance almost 2 1/2 hours long with an intermission, but we loved it.

High

Because I had an errand to get done, a friend took the boys to board game club at Coffee Alley. I met them there after my errand. They got some great socialization time with friends, and so did I. Plus they make good coffee. Loved it!

Low

Nothing really. It was a good week!

Next Week

Completing our read alouds
Reviewing math for Q
Finishing 1A Math book for A
Covering the Hundred Years’ War (Q)
Learning about the Jurassic and Cretaceous Eras (Q)
Wrapping up the fall semester of academic co-op
Seeing Act II of The Nutcracker ballet at the Orpheum (another student ticket show!)

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - The Warning "Hell You Call a Dream"

Always love women rockers.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #30

Right now I am: I am deciding what to make for brunch. I’m thinking either cranberry orange pound cake or pecan pie pound cake for today.

Thinking and pondering: What else should we do before leaving for Indiana. I have a list of possibilities, but I need to get the next car repair estimate in before making some decisions.

On my bedside table: I have a stack of holiday romances from the library. And I have a few romances to potentially use for Dirty Book Month in February.

On my tv this week: J and I started The Essex Serpent finally. It’s been on my list for awhile now. I wanted to watch it before traveling to Indiana.

Listening to: I put on the Christmas music mix this week. It’s not on all the time, but I’m mixing it in here and there.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Chili
Tuesday - Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Wednesday - Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli
Thursday - Sloppy Joes
Friday - Chickpea Stew
Saturday - Snack Dinner
Sunday - Chicken Tikka Masala

On my to do list: I have a ton of little things and errands to run this week. Plus we need to start packing for Christmas. And I want to look up some classes for spring for Arthur. And I need to wrap the presents.

Happening this week:

Monday - Another car repair estimate; Reindeer at Mulhalls
Tuesday - Dentist appointment; Book Club
Wednesday - Homeschool in the Hills
Thursday - Academic Co-op (Last week!)
Friday - The Nutcracker Ballet @ The Orpheum
Saturday - Academic Co-op Working Meeting; Book Club Book and Bottle Exchange
Sunday - Home Day (Packing time!)

What I am creating: I have piles of homeschooling in the office waiting to be decided upon. I want to get some of it organized before leaving for Indiana.

My simple pleasures: Peppermint chocolate covered marshmallows from Aldi’s are amazing. They are my new obsession.

Looking around the house: We did a big clean and pick up before book club yesterday and things are looking pretty decent. I do want to get some other things put away and cleaned up before we leave. I enjoy coming home to a nice and tidy house after traveling.

From the camera: Fun new addition to the Rock n Lights

The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever by June Faver

Title: The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever (Garrett Family Saga #1)

Author: June Faver

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2020

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; She Reads Romance - Cowboy Who Loves His Hat

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4

When handsome town sheriff Derrick Shelton meets Angelique Guillory and her young daughter at the Garrett ranch, he is immediately drawn to the woman who seems to desperately need a true family Christmas. Determined to erase the shadows from her eyes, he decides to give her the best holiday she's ever had.

Angelique Guillory is a woman with a past, haunted by violence and searching for the family she never knew. When she and her little daughter find their way to the Garrett family and meet Derrick, she hopes to have finally found a safe haven.

But Angelique is still looking over her shoulder. Despite her doubts, with a little Christmas magic and the warmth of the Garretts, Angelique may find more love and acceptance than she ever thought possible.

Ooof! What casual misogyny hell is this? But before we get that, my first complaint is that this is apparently the first of a series but also this series is a continuation of a series already published. There is very odd references to the backstories of all the other couples in the story. Even if I had read the previous series, I still think that I would have been annoyed by the constant weird references. And then we get the super weird repetitious scenes of Alphonse back in New Orleans. Instead of increasing the suspense, I was just like “please come to Texas already and attempt to take Gabrielle.” Really the tension just didn’t increase, it pulled me out of the story every time it happened. And finally we get to the casual misogny. I enjoy strong male characters, but these took the “protector” identity to a new disturbing level. The worst part was one one of the wives wants to have a baby and the husband responds that as soon as she can quit her job, they can have a baby. Ugh. I just could not deal with any of it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

All I Want is You by Falon Ballard

Title: All I Want is You

Author: Falon Ballard

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2024

Genre: Holiday Romance

Pages: 256

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads RC

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Meter: 5

Exes. Professional rivals. Just one bed. What could go wrong?

All Jessica has ever wanted is her own happily ever after. But until that happens, she spends her days as a small-time romance writer, penning satisfying Happily Ever Afters to soothe the heartache left by her ex-boyfriend Nick—also a romance writer and now her biggest rival—who has found success writing love stories without happy endings. It’s what he’s good at, after all . . .

So when their professional obligations bring them to a remote inn a few days before Christmas, they’re a little more than peeved, especially when they get trapped sharing a room in a snowstorm. But what’s more fitting for two romantic writers in a slump? Realizing the friction between them might be the only cure for their writer’s block, they decide to turn their frustration into fiction . . . and the pages start flying. But will Jess’s heart soar, too? Nick is the last guy on earth she should love . . . but what if he is really all she wants for Christmas?

This one started out well and then we get to the end and I really dislike it. My main issue with this story is that, even at the end, Nick still blames Jess for part of their breakup. His entire defense that emotions are hard and that he was doing it for her was bullshit. I was still so mad at him at the end of the book. Just because she had some doubts that he overheard, he expects her to take part of the blame when he just straight up walked out. Um no. She wasn’t even given a chance to talk about any of those issues. I really really dislike the “I’m doing this for you” trope in romance. Blergh. Let the characters make their own decisions please. This book is probably fine for other readers, but did not work for me. Thankfully it was a quick read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen

Title: The Kingdom of Sweets

Author: Erika Johansen

Publisher: Dutton 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 354

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Fairytale Retellings; Spooky Season - J

Where I Got It: Unread Shelf

Twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against one another on a fateful Christmas Eve

Light and dark—this is the cursed birthright placed upon Clara and Natasha by their godfather, Drosselmeyer, whose power and greed hold an entire city in his sway. Charming Clara, the favorite, grows into a life of beauty and ease, while ignored and unloved Natasha is relegated to her sister’s shadow.

But the opportunity for revenge announces itself one Christmas Eve, when Drosselmeyer arrives at their family gala with the Nutcracker, an enchanted gift that offers entry into an alternate world: the Kingdom of Sweets.

Following Clara into the glittering land of snow and sugar, Natasha discovers a source of power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who offers her own wondrous gifts . . . and deadly bargains. But as Natasha unspools the truth about a dark destiny crafted long before her birth, she must reckon with forces both earthly and magical, human and diabolical, and decide to which world she truly belongs.

A bit of a mess of a book. I was very intrigued by the Nutcracker retelling and loved the first act. We set the stage and add in a mystery twin to Clara. Act 2 was even a lot of fun twisting around the idea of the Kingdom of Sweets. But then the book started to lose me. Clara and Natasha are both terrible. Their entire families are terrible. Conrad is a wet blanket. Why should I care about any of these people? The person I cared the most about was Anastasia the cook. She at least seemed like a real person. The rest were caricatures; all black and white without the gray that real people have. I was ready for the Sugar Plum Fairy to take them all. Overall, the book really lost me after the second section and the ending was downright confusing.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay

Title: The Holiday Honeymoon Switch

Author: Julia McKay

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4 (couple of explicit scenes, but short and easy to skip)

Holly Beech and Ivy Casey are bury-the-body besties. They’re so in sync, they even look alike. When Holly’s fiancé jilts her, leaving her in shock and with a nonrefundable honeymoon, Holly convinces Ivy to switch places. Ivy will go on the Hawaiian honeymoon her best friend can’t bear to take alone, while Holly escapes to Ivy’s rented Hudson Valley cabin to binge-watch holiday movies and heal.
But Holly’s wallowing is interrupted when her rugged Airbnb host turns out to be her high school academic rival who’s had a major glow-up. Meanwhile, Ivy’s (now Hawaiian) annual solo art retreat is upended when Holly’s ex-fiancé checks into the honeymoon suite—with a new woman. Raging and bed-less, the last thing Ivy expects is for the hot hotel bartender to come to her rescue. Against all odds, this Christmas might prove the most magical yet.

Decent little holiday themed romance to kick off my month. I wanted something fairly easy and breezy and that’s exactly what I got. Holly and Ivy are those super annoying best friends who are complete ride or die for each other. Thankfully, we don’t have to suffer through too many scenes of them together. Mostly we get to see how each friends deals with their issues across the country from each other. I loved Ivy’s of facing her fears and finally pursuing her dreams all while getting to know the hot bartender. I felt like Ivy was the story that exhibited all the character growth and change. Meanwhile, Holly is just there and coincidentally finds her person that also happens to have been the one person from high school. Pretty cliched! Thankfully Aiden helps overcome the super cheese to round out the story. Nothing too life-changing, but a fun holiday romance.