Currently #16

Reading: After hearing about it from retreat friends, I picked up Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli. It’s a whole fantasy enemies-to-lovers YA story. Not my absolute favorite, but I’m interested to see where this goes.

Watching: J and I started Slow Horses S5. It’s such a well-done spy thriller show.

Listening: For whatever reason, I’ve been putting my entire Apple Music collection on shuffle. I have very eclectic tastes in music.

Making: My brain is getting cluttered again with all the to-dos, so I’ve been making lists. Homeschool lists, life lists, projects lists, household lists, etc. All the lists!

Feeling: Sick. I caught a cold this past week and it was resulted in a nasty cough. Hoping it clears up soon. We have things to do!

Planning: The boys’ birthday party is coming in less than two weeks. I have a rough outline of what we’re doing (video game tournament) but need to make all the definite plans.

Loving: Being sick, I’m loving getting some decent sleep. Seriously loving my bed right now.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Aespa "Whiplash"

It’s a K-Pop summer! After doing my Top 10 Stray Kids songs, I decided to focus on some other K-Pop groups and people that I enjoy.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #26

As I look outside my window: It’s a bit overcast and rainy today. Thankfully the temperatures are going back down to acceptable fall temperatures.

Right now I am: Cleaning out the Enrichment Co-op supply bags. Most of these supplies get put into storage until next April. A few things will be used for Academic Co-op starting this week, so I need to pull those things out.

Thinking and pondering: What else do we need to prep for Academic Co-op on Thursday? I’m certain that I am missing something…

On my bedside table: More spooky reads and a stack of manga/manhwa.

On my tv this week: We finished a short season of Dimension 20 and caught up with our currently airing shows. I also watched another couple episodes of SKZ Code from 2023.

Listening to: I’ve been putting all of my Apple Music on shuffle. I definitely have a wide variety of music genres in there. I never know what is going to come up next. It’s fun.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Tater Tot Casserole

• Tuesday - Leftovers

• Wednesday - Ham and Potato Soup

• Thursday - Apple Cheddar Stuffed Chicken

• Friday - ???

• Saturday - ???

• Sunday - ???

On my to do list: I need to wrap-up prepping for Academic Co-op and wrap-up Enrichment Co-op for this year’s session. I probably need to dive back into curriculum planning for the fall and adjust for our breaks and sickness. There’s more, but I need to check with my big brain dump list.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home Day

• Tuesday - (Hopefully) Arbor Day Farm

• Wednesday - Joslyn Art Explorers

• Thursday - Academic-Co-op

• Friday - OPPD Arboretum Hike

• Saturday - Home

• Sunday - Junkstock!

What I am creating: Not much of anything right this second. I might be able to get started on my September Memory Planner later this week.

My simple pleasures: Being able to breath, crashing out with a friend over our collective biases, good music in the background.

Looking around the house: I should vacuum today…

From the camera: Beautiful flowers at Vala’s this week!

Zomromcom by Olivia Dade

Title: Zomromcom

Author: Olivia Dade

Publisher: Berkley 2025

Genre: Horror/Romance

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season; Romanceopoly — Spooky Reads

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4

When Edie Brandstrup attempts to save her sweet, seemingly harmless human neighbor from the first major zombie breach in two decades, she’s stunned to be saved by him—and his ridiculously large sword—instead. As it turns out, he's actually a super-old, super-surly vampire. But for all her neighbor's newly revealed cynicism and lethality, Gaston "Max" Boucher (yes, Gaston) is unexpectedly protective. He wants her to stay in his safety bunker until the breach is resolved. Edie can’t risk more innocent people getting killed, though—and Max won’t let her save them alone.

As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies and discover they're not the only ones willing to fight for the future of humanity. Despite the awful timing, Edie finds herself falling for the vampire who’s helping her save the world . . . but all their dangerous plans could end their future before it even begins. As she and Max battle side by side, Edie must decide whether having a love worth living for also means having a love you'd die for—and, in a world that grows deadlier by the minute, whether that’s a risk she’s willing to take.

Another random pick from the library New Reads shelf. I had no idea what I was going to read, but have enjoyed some of Dade’s previous books. I started this one and couldn’t put it down. It was such. fun wild ride. We jump right away into a world that has already experienced a zombie apocalupse and now we have a potential containment issue. Edie and Max are a great duo full of banter and spunk as their attempt to understand what exactly is happening and how to stop the zombies. There is a good blend of horror and romance in this one. But be forewarned that this volume ends on a cliffhanger. Guess I will have to wait until the next one to see how this story plays out.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers by Jen Campbell

Title: The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers and Other Gruesome Tales

Author: Jen Campbell

Publisher: Thames & Hudson 2021

Genre: Horror Short Stories

Pages: 120

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season; Cover Lover - A key

Where I Got It: Library

Do you dare read this collection of terrifyingly gruesome tales? In this gripping volume, author Jen Campbell offers young readers an edgy, contemporary, and inclusive take on classic fairy tales, taking them back to their gory beginnings while updating them for a modern audience with queer and disabled characters and positive representation of disfigurement.

Featuring fourteen short stories from China, India, Ireland, and across the globe, The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers is an international collection of the creepiest folk tales. Illustrated with Adam de Souza’s brooding art, this book’s style is a totally original blend of nineteenth-century Gothic engravings meets moody film noir graphic novels. Headlined by the Korean tale of a carnivorous child, The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers is a truly thrilling gift for brave young readers.

I picked up this slim volume of horror short stories randomly from the library. In it, we get a revised selections of classic folklore stories with some beautiful illustrations. Most of the stories were delightful and spooky. But my biggest issue is how short some of the stories are. Some of them really just end abruptly with no satisfying conclusion. I just really wanted more from this collection. The illustrations really did bring this collection up for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Stolen Vows by Sav R. Miller

Title: Stolen Vows (Black Rose Auction #3)

Author: Sav R. Miller

Publisher: Trinkets and Tales 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 288

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Preordered

Spice Rating: 6

For three days, the doors to this luxe New York estate are thrown wide for anyone with a taste
for the obscenely rich, the ultra-exclusive, and the once in a lifetime thrill of the forbidden: where
nothing is off the table and everything—and everyone—can be had for the claiming.

In STOLEN VOWS by Sav R. Miller, a Rapunzel remix, a virgin is forced to marry a
mafia heir determined to kill anyone who touches her—only to flee from him the day
after their wedding. But he's done waiting and has the perfect trap in mind to lure her
back...

Not my favorite within this series so far, but a pretty decent Rapunzel story. We get our FMC being kept int a proverbial tower and a MMC attempting to rescue her. But of course, we are going to twist the story to fit our dark romance tropes. We get a very broody, dangerous MMC attempting to rescue our FMC but also stumbling around tragically. I liked seeing their dynamic once we actually get to the auction, but the lead up was a bit much. It took so long to get there that I started to lose just a bit of interest. Once we get our characters back together, I was enjoying things but also a bit frustrated that the two characters could never actually speak to each other. Oh well. It was a decent romance novella.

Black Rose Auction

• #1 Wicked Pursuit

• #2 Divine Intervention

• #3 Stolen Vows

• #4 Irresistible Devil

• #5 Shattered Innocence

• #6 Royal Heart

Next up on the TBR pile:

We are Legion by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: We are Legion (We are Bob) (Bobiverse #1)

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Publisher: Ethan Ellenberg 2016

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 299

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER

Where I Got It: Our server

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets. The stakes are high: no less than the first claim to entire worlds. If he declines the honor, he'll be switched off, and they'll try again with someone else. If he accepts, he becomes a prime target. There are at least three other countries trying to get their own probes launched first, and they play dirty. The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad - very mad.

I finally (after years of J encouraging me) read the first of the Bobiverse books. it took me a few chapters to really get into the story, mostly until Bob dies. Once we enter into the world of the Bobiverse, I got sucked into the story. I really enjoyed following along to see all the different iterations of Bob. The narration gives them just enough distinct personalities to keep everyone straight. Ryker and Homer are my favorites hands-down. I love their enemies to friends relationship. I sped through the book during a few slow weekend days. There were so many interesting developments that I’m definitely going be continuing the series.

Bobiverse

• #1 We are Legion (We are Bob)

• #2 For We are Many

• #3 All These Worlds

• #4 Heaven’s River

• #5 Not Till We are Lost

Next up on the TBR pile:

September 2025 Wrap-up

September TBR Pile (13/14):

1. Bookworms BC: The Antidote by Karen Russell ✓

2. Bookworms BC: A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck ✓

3. Friend BC: Lone Women by Victor Lavalle ✓

4. Nerdy Bookish Friends: The Strange by Nathan Ballingrud ✓

5. Kid Book Club: The Story Collector by Kirstin O’Donnell Tubb ✓

6. Kid Read Aloud: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne ✓

7. Kid Read Aloud: The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown ✓

8. Kid Read Aloud: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

9. Romance: Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto ✓

10. Romance: Irresistible Devil by Jenny Nordbak ✓

11. Scifi: Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove ✓

12. Horror: Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson ✓

13. Horror: In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant ✓

14. Nonfiction: Dr. Mütter’s Marvels by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total: 3667 pages
Pages Remaining: 132,293 pages

Current Read - We are Legion by Dennis E. Taylor; Stolen Vows by Sav R. Miller

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (0)

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 307

• Books Read: 4 (antidote, lone women, irresistible, of monsters)

• Books Acquired: 0

• Books Unshelved: 0

• Finishing Number: 303

October TBR Pile:

1. Bookworms BC: A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck (already read)

2. Friend BC: North Woods by Daniel Mason

3. Nerdy Bookish Friends: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (already read)

4. Kid Book Club: The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien

5. Kid Read Aloud: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

6. Romance: Stolen Vows by Sav R. Miller

7. Science Fiction: We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor

Movies Watched

• Suicide Club

• The City of Lost Children

• Nobody 2

• Death of a Unicorn

TV Shows Watched

• Finding Stray Kids: Get Edition (2022)

• Foundation S3

• The Nice Guy S1

• Babylon 5 S1

• Only Murders in the Building S5

• Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy

• SKZ Code (2023)

• SKZ Talker (2023)

• SKZ Talker-Go (2023)

Comments -

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W7: Two Weeks of Pushing Through

What We Studied

We’ve actually had our first Flex Week and a regular week these two past weeks. Our Flex Weeks are unplanned curriculum weeks that we can use to catch up with anything we got behind in and/or give us a break. We also had two weeks of activities and errands.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G6 for his language arts this year. While I love H&S, there’s never enough literature in there. Thankfully we have a stack of books just waiting to be picked up and read. Beyond H&S, we are focusing on expanding vocabulary and reading comprehension this year. We started our next read aloud, getting close to the end, but not quite finishing it. This is actually our co-op book club selection for September.

• Poetry: Hearth & Story G6

• Poetry: A Child’s Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll

• The Vocabulary Workbook for 6th Grade by Kelly Anne McLellan

• The Story Collector by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G3 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 3 and random books that we have around the house. We are also starting the Reading Explorer series to focus on reading comprehension and word choice. We started one of my favorite books getting about halfway through the book in these weeks. We should be able to finish next week without a big problem.

• Poetry: National Geography Book of Nature Poetry

• Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

• In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton

Math

Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 2. Effectively this is Singapore’s 7th grade math text. We continued Chapter 2 focusing on integers. I think this book will force us to slow down a bit and take more time for mastery. We don’t have formal logic book this year, but are focusing on lots of critical thinking and math puzzles.

• Math in Focus Course 2 Book A

Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 3B and 4A. We finished up our logic book before moving to more complicated puzzles. We started our next chapter about money.

• Primarily Logic

• Singapore Primary Common Core 3B

Social Studies

Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Modern History Vol. 1. Unfortunately CC only has volume 1 published so far. This will take us to Christmas break. If they don’t release volume 2 by then, I’m going to have to do it myself. We covered two sections: one on Latin America and one on the failure of Reconstruction and end of slavery.

• Curiosity Chronicles Modern History Vol. 1

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• A Journey Through Art

Quentin is using Build Your Library Level 5 to begin our two year exploration of American History. We finished our study of indigenous cultures in North America. We also finished watching Native America S2. I really enjoyed the documentaries in the series.

• History Quest United States History

• DK When on Earth?

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

• A Kid's Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis and Arlene Hirschfelder

• The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet: Native American Poems of the Land by Joseph Bruchac and Thomas Locker

• Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger

• What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger

• Native American Stories for Kids: 12 Traditional Stories from Indigenous Tribes Across North America by Tom Pecore Weso

• The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales by James and Joseph Bruchac

• Native Americans: A Visual Exploration SN Paleja

Science

Arthur is using RSO Earth and Environment 2 and later RSO Astronomy 2 for science. Arthur covered the chapter about absolute dating in geology. He also completed his first science test.

• RSO Earth and Environment 2 (August-November; March-May)

• RSO Astronomy 2 (November-March)

• DK Eyewitness Energy

Quentin is using RSO Physics 1. We covered the chapter about friction exploring some topics and terminology.

• RSO Physics 1

• The Story of Science Vol. 1 by Joy Hakim

• Physics: Investigate the Mechanics of Nature by Jane Gardner

• Physics for Curious Kids Introduction

• The Way Things Work Now

• Why Do Moving Objects Slow Down? A Look at Friction by Jennifer Boothroyd

• Energy by Andi Diehn

• Give It a Push! Give It a Pull! A Look at Forces by Jennifer Boothroyd

• All About Forces by Angela Royston

Enrichment STEAM Co-op

We’re so close to finishing Enrichment for the year. The boys had fun exploring geometry and art in these weeks. Only one more to go before we are done!

Art and Music

We are doing something a little different this year. Instead of trying to do music and art every week, we will be trading off. I realized last year these subjects were always the first to be cut when we had time constraints. We covered a short lesson about stick figures and realistic figures in art.

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

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

• The Story of the Incredible Orchestra by Bruce Koscielniak

Field Trip/Activities

We visited Vala’s multiple times these past weeks. .

High

Um… Vala’s I guess. I do love going there in the fall.

Low

Changes in Nick’s work schedule caused changes in my activity schedule interrupting our plans. Oh well. Sometimes things do not go as planned.

Next Week

• Finishing our read aloud and possibly starting new ones

• Moving forward with our math chapters

• Learning about the European invasion of North America (Q) and the Reservation System (A) for history

• Covering erosion and weather (A) and motion (Q) for science

• Prepping for Physics with Academic Co-op (A)

• Listening to Mozart

• Visiting Vala’s and the Zoo

• Getting school pictures taken for the year!

• Attending the last week of Enrichment Co-op for 2025!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Jungkook "Standing Next to You"

It’s a K-Pop summer! After doing my Top 10 Stray Kids songs, I decided to focus on some other K-Pop groups and people that I enjoy.

Jungkook’s album was much harder to pick a favorite. Really I love every song on Golden, but I had to narrow it down. I went with “Standing Next to You” mainly because this song always makes me want to get up and groove along with it. So good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #25

As I look outside my window: It’s dark outside… the day really got away from me. So many tasks to be completed and errands to run.

Right now I am: Relaxing and watching some television before reading and bed.

On my bedside table: I made a small stack of spooky books to hopefully get to before November.

On my tv this week: Not much of anything. I was gone most nights this past week so no regular television watching. We did sneak in a few episodes of Only Murderers in the Building. I also watched some 2023 episodes of SKZ Code.

Listening to: All my playlists on shuffle. I’ve been alternating between K-Pop and Heavy Bangers.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Tuna Melts

• Tuesday - Apple-Cheddar Stuffed Chicken

• Wednesday - Ham and Potato Soup

• Thursday - Avocado, Bruschetta Chicken

• Friday - Pizza Night

• Saturday - Seafood Stew

• Sunday - Tater Tot Casserole

On my to do list: I need to buckle down and finish my Academic Co-op lesson plans for Regional History. I have two out of the nine weeks completed. The rest I have started, but need to nail down and finish. We start on October 9th.

Happening this week:

• Monday -Vala’s Visit

• Tuesday - School Pictures

• Wednesday - Zoo Visit

• Thursday - Last Enrichment Co-op of 2025!

• Friday - Vala’s Visit

• Saturday - Co-op Book Club

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Nothing beyond lesson plans. Ugh!

My simple pleasures: Time with friends, a good night’s sleep

Looking around the house: I need to spend some time early this week and clean up the kitchen better, vacuum the playroom and dining room, and do a ton of laundry.

From the camera: Another visit to the Christmas bar after Bingo Loco. I really love the vibe in there.

The Strange by Nathan Ballingrud

Title: The Strange

Author: Nathan Ballingrud

Publisher: Saga Press 2023

Genre: Science Fiction; Horror

Pages: 304

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season; I Read Horror - Black, Gray, Orange, or Red Cove

Where I Got It: Library

Since Anabelle’s mother left for Earth to care for her own ailing mother, her days in New Galveston have been spent at school and her nights at her laconic father’s diner with Watson, the family Kitchen Engine and dishwasher, as her only companion. When the Silence came, and communication and shipments from Earth to its colonies on Mars stopped, life seemed stuck in foreboding stasis until the night Silas Mundt and his gang attacked.

At once evoking the dreams of an America explored in Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chroniclesand the harsher realities of frontier life in Charles Portis True Grit, Ballingrud’s “brilliant” (Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of The Cabin at the End of the World) novel is haunting in its evocation of Annabelle’s quest for revenge amidst a spent and angry world accompanied by a domestic Engine, a drunken space pilot, and the toughest woman on Mars.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

Title: Lone Women

Author: Victor LaValle

Publisher: One World 2023

Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction

Pages: 275

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Spooky Season; Read Around the USA - Montana

Where I Got It: The Bookworm, Omaha NE March 2024

Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear.

The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory.

This was perfect! We dive headfirst into a bleak and unforgiving story of a women attempting to survive on her own in the wilds. We don’t know exactly why Adelaide is running from California, but we know that it was bad. We follow her to Montana where she faces a different set of struggles. Along the way, we meet a varied cast of characters, all of whom are suspicious in their motives at least once. I found myself really rooting for Adelaide to survive and come out stronger than ever. There is violence in this book. There is some spookiness in this book. But ultimately, I found a lot of strength and hope in these pages. This is my brand of feminist rage!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dr. Mutter's Marvels by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz

Title: Dr. Mütter’s Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine

Author: Cristin O’Keefe Aptoqicz

Publisher: Avery 2014

Genre: Nonfiction - History, Medicine

Pages: 371

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season; Nonfiction Reader; Cover Lover - Depiction of a Famous Person

Where I Got It: Library

A mesmerizing biography of the brilliant and eccentric medical innovator who revolutionized American surgery and founded the country’s most famous museum of medical oddities
 
Imagine undergoing an operation without anesthesia, performed by a surgeon who refuses to sterilize his tools—or even wash his hands. This was the world of medicine when Thomas Dent Mütter began his trailblazing career as a plastic surgeon in Philadelphia during the mid-nineteenth century.

Although he died at just forty-eight, Mütter was an audacious medical innovator who pioneered the use of ether as anesthesia, the sterilization of surgical tools, and a compassion-based vision for helping the severely deformed, which clashed spectacularly with the sentiments of his time. Brilliant, outspoken, and brazenly handsome, Mütter was flamboyant in every aspect of his life. He wore pink silk suits to perform surgery, added an umlaut to his last name just because he could, and amassed an immense collection of medical oddities that would later form the basis of Philadelphia’s renowned Mütter Museum.

I’m always interested in micro-history books and this one did not disappoint. We dive into the life of Thomas Mütter, exploring the world of medicine in the early 1800s along the way. I loved how the author tried to explain some of the choices of Mutter by pointing to other events and trends of the day. We get a comprehensive look of the time. We get an in-depth and oftentimes gory look at medicine. Do not pick it up if you are squeamish at all. But for the rest of us, it was a fascinating journey. My only issues are that the overall story meanders some times dragging my reading speed down. If I ever go back to Philadelphia, I definitely want to visit the Mütter Museum. Unfortunately, I was last there when the twins were 10 and they were definitely a bit young for that museum. Still, the book was a very interesting biography in context.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Irresistible Devil by Jenny Nordbak

Title: Irresistible Devil (Black Rose Auction #4)

Author: Jenny Nordbak

Publisher: Trinkets and Tales 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 271

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Preordered

Spice Rating: 6

For three days, the doors to this luxe New York estate are thrown wide for anyone with a taste for the obscenely rich, the ultra-exclusive, and the once in a lifetime thrill of the forbidden: where nothing is off the table and everything—and everyone—can be had for the bargaining.

In IRRESISTIBLE DEVIL by Jenny Nordbak, a Rumpelstiltskin remix, a society darling is willing to make any bargain to benefit her family, but each deal draws her deeper into a dark and decadent world ruled by the dangerous man who's been pulling her strings from the start...

I enjoyed the Katee Robert story in this series. I did not enjoy the RM Virtues story in this collection. I was hoping that this one was going to be a hit and it was. I am always drawn to the villains in stories as they are much more complex and interesting. In this one, we finally get to explore Reaper (Rumplestiltskin) and learn more about his own wants and desires. I knew he was going to be a great character. I was just concerned that he wouldn’t find his partner. Thankfully Juliet shows a spark right away and continues to grow and strength throughout the story. I was glad that she didn’t immediately submit to Reaper, but ended up finding her own path even if it was difficult. We get to see her come into her own identity and eventually take what she wants. I sped through this book in two days not wanting to put it down for even a minute.

Black Rose Auction

• #1 Wicked Pursuit

• #2 Divine Intervention

• #3 Stolen Vows

• #4 Irresistible Devil

• #5 Shattered Innocence

• #6 Royal Heart

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Stormy weather has thankfully broken the high temps. I am much more comfortable now.

• I think my reading mojo is back. I have blown through multiple books this week, even while still reading fan fiction. I’m so excited! I might actually get to 230 books this year.

• All my dinner recipes have celebrated fall flavors. I cannot get enough of fall!

• I should really pull out my fall home decor. I pulled the bins, but did nothing with them last weekend.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck

Title: A Short Stay in Hell

Author: Steven L. Peck

Publisher: Strange Violin 2011

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Pages: 104

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

An ordinary family man, geologist, and Mormon, Soren Johansson has always believed he’ll be reunited with his loved ones after death in an eternal hereafter. Then, he dies. Soren wakes to find himself cast by a God he has never heard of into a Hell whose dimensions he can barely grasp: a vast library he can only escape from by finding the book that contains the story of his life.

Our book club selection for October. I am very unsure what I feel about this novella. I went into the story completely blind (as I think you should as a reader), but at the end, I wasn’t sure that I actually enjoyed the story. We get about a hundred pages of existential rambling. Overall, I enjoyed the philosophical thought-experiment. But that’s basically all this is. We cannot read this as an actual story with characters and an arc. We get just a snippet of some rambling thoughts. I would have liked to se more from the main character and more from his journey. This story feels incomplete.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Antidote by Karen Russell

Title: The Antidote

Author: Karen Russell

Publisher: Knopf 2025

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Pages: 432

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Cover Lover - Real Historical Photograph

Where I Got It: Amazon purchase

The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing—not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the dust bowl drought but beneath its own violent histories. The Antidote follows a "Prairie Witch,” whose body serves as a bank vault for peoples’ memories and secrets; a Polish wheat farmer who learns how quickly a hoarded blessing can become a curse; his orphan niece, a basketball star and witch’s apprentice in furious flight from her grief; a voluble scarecrow; and a New Deal photographer whose time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both the town’s secrets and its fate.

I kept waffling between three and four stars for this book. There are some parts that I absolutely adored! On the other hand, there were parts that stretched believability (not the magical parts) and parts that dragged on so much. I fell for the strange otherworldly atmosphere of Uz Nebraska during the Dust Bowl. The historical fiction aspects of the book really sucked me into a time and place. I loved those parts! I also really enjoyed the magical realism sections. The short chapters narrated by the scarecrow were great. I loved the injection of strange-ness to the story. I also really enjoyed the Prairie witches and their entire lore. The parts that I did not like all centered around Dell and Cleo. Dell was such a flat character most of the time that I really got annoyed with her. The long passages about Dell and basketball really pulled me out of the story in a very bad way. I did not care at all. Also, the completely dropped mystery of her mother’s murder left me wanting. As for Cleo, I just could not believe that a single Black woman in 1930s Nebraska could really join the community that easily. It really stretched my belief in this story. While I had mixed feelings about the book, I ended up enjoyed most of it. Cannot wait until tonight’s book club meet to discuss!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - J-Hope "Killin' It Girl"

It’s a K-Pop summer! After doing my Top 10 Stray Kids songs, I decided to focus on some other K-Pop groups and people that I enjoy.

Another super catchy song! I’ll admit to not being a fan of BTS. But I do love some of the member’s solo stuff. I love J-Hope’s rough exterior and catchy beats.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W6: Sickness Ugh!

What We Studied

Sickness derailed our activities plans, but it did allow for us to get a ton of school work done. This leaves us with more time for activities in the next few weeks.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G6 for his language arts this year. While I love H&S, there’s never enough literature in there. Thankfully we have a stack of books just waiting to be picked up and read. Beyond H&S, we are focusing on expanding vocabulary and reading comprehension this year. We finished our read aloud. Arthur enjoyed it even with the 19th century language. .

• Poetry: Hearth & Story G6

• Poetry: A Child’s Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll

• The Vocabulary Workbook for 6th Grade by Kelly Anne McLellan

• Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G3 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 3 and random books that we have around the house. We are also starting the Reading Explorer series to focus on reading comprehension and word choice. Quentin finished his read aloud, loving every page of it. We’ll have to work in the last book in the series at some point this year.

• Poetry: National Geography Book of Nature Poetry

• The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

• In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton

Math

Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 2. Effectively this is Singapore’s 7th grade math text. We continued Chapter 2 focusing on integers. I think this book will force us to slow down a bit and take more time for mastery. We don’t have formal logic book this year, but are focusing on lots of critical thinking and math puzzles.

• Math in Focus Court 2 Book A

Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 3B and 4A. We also are finishing up our logic book before moving to more complicated puzzles. We finished a chapter about Capacity.

• Primarily Logic

• Singapore Primary Common Core 3B

Social Studies

Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Modern History Vol. 1. Unfortunately CC only has volume 1 published so far. This will take us to Christmas break. If they don’t release volume 2 by then, I’m going to have to do it myself. We covered two sections: one on European Nationalism and one on Slavery and the American Civil War. We are officially caught back up to where I thought we would be when I planned the year back in July.

• Curiosity Chronicles Modern History Vol. 1

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• A Journey Through Art

• Stories of the Spirit of Justice by Jemar Tisby

• Louisa May's Battle: How the Civil War Led to Little Woman by Kathleen Krull

• To the Front!: Clara Barton Braves the Battle of Antietam by Claudia Friddell

• Stitch by Stitch: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly Sews Her Way to Freedom by Connie Schofield-Morrison

Quentin is using Build Your Library Level 5 to begin our two year exploration of American History. We covered the indigenous peoples of the Northeast. We will stay with indigenous peoples for the first six weeks or so. In fact, we wrapped up our big unit this week. After we com back from our Flex Week, we will be diving into the European invasion of North America. We also continued watching the documentary series Native America. We have two episodes left that we will hopefully watch next week.

• History Quest United States History

• DK When on Earth?

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK A Child Through Time

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

• A Kid's Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis and Arlene Hirschfelder

• The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet: Native American Poems of the Land by Joseph Bruchac and Thomas Locker

• Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger

• What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger

• Native American Stories for Kids: 12 Traditional Stories from Indigenous Tribes Across North America by Tom Pecore Weso

• The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales by James and Joseph Bruchac

• Native Americans: A Visual Exploration SN Paleja

Science

Arthur is using RSO Earth and Environment 2 and later RSO Astronomy 2 for science. Arthur covered the chapter on sedimentary rocks with a focus on fossil fuels. While much of it was review, we did go deeper in how fossil fuels were formed. And we covered a chapter about relative dating in geology focusing on big concepts. My favorite part was the Famous Science Series on Yellowstone. We also watched a documentary: Inside Planet Earth.

• RSO Earth and Environment 2 (August-November; March-May)

• RSO Astronomy 2 (November-March)

• DK Eyewitness Energy

• The Sun and Renewable Energy by Kaitlyn Duling

• Making Cities Green by Jeanette Leardi

• All About Green Tech by Clara MacCarald

• Volcano Dreams: A Story of Yellowstone by Janet Fox

• Welcome to Yellowstone National Park by Teri and Bob Temple

• A Weird and Wild Beauty: The Story of Yellowstone, the World's First National Park by Erin Peabody

• Yellowstone National Park by Chris Bowman

• Earth's Incredible Places: Yellowstone by Catherine Ard

Quentin is using RSO Physics 1. Well, that is our plan, but I’m waiting on the plans for Academic Co-op to be solidified before I start. There’s a possibility that the younger kid class (if we get the second classroom) will be doing Physics in a collective fashion. We covered Newton’s Laws of Motion this week. Taking baby steps through this curriculum.

• RSO Physics 1

• The Story of Science Vol. 1 by Joy Hakim

• Physics: Investigate the Mechanics of Nature by Jane Gardner

• Physics for Curious Kids Introduction

• Understanding Newton's Laws of Motion by Barbara Martina Linde

Enrichment STEAM Co-op

We’ve entered into the last four weeks of Co-op which means the lessons are focused on math and art concepts. Arthur’s class covered fractals and Sierpinski triangles. Quentin’s class covered Seurat and dot paining.

Art and Music

We are doing something a little different this year. Instead of trying to do music and art every week, we will be trading off. I realized last year these subjects were always the first to be cut when we had time constraints. As we are ahead, we did not do art or music this week.

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

• The Story of the Incredible Orchestra by Bruce Koscielniak

Field Trip/Activities

All of our activities were canceled due to sickness.

High

We managed to get a ton of schoolwork down. That’s my win this week.

Low

Sickness really puts a damper on our flow.

Next Week

• Next week is our first Flex Week. We will hopefully catch up on science, ELA, and math before starting out next section.

Next up on the TBR pile: