Some major 90s angst this is new Halsey song. I think I might just love it!
Next up on the TBR pile:
2024 Reading Challenges Update #3
I’m back to employing reading challenges to help direct my reading this year. Let’s check in with my progress of all the challenges I am attempting this year.
Goodreads 194/200 97%
Unread Shelf 38/50 76%**
Kid Read Alouds 36/50 72%**
52 Book Club 44/52 84%
She Reads Romance 27/36 75%**
COYER 9/20 45%*
Decades 6/12 50%
Lifetime 8/12 67%
In Case You Missed It 11/12 92%**
Nonfiction Reader 12/12 100%
Library Love 55/60 92%
Clock Numbers 4/12 33%*
Fairytales 6/12 50%*
Spooky Season 8/26 31%
Total Challenges 1/14 7.1%
Total Reading Slots 458/566 80.9%
* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job
Comments: I reading focused on reading my own shelves and made some great progress there. For the last quarter, I want to try and finish that one and work on fairytale retellings, clock, and spooky season challenges.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Life Right Now #23
As I look outside my window: Bright and fairly warm. Our proper fall weather has warmed up again.
Right now I am: Sipping my fancy coffee, prepping to read a bit before making brunch.
Thinking and pondering: How can I compel other adults to actually adult? The eternal question.
On my bedside table: Lots of spooky reads sitting there, but also some fun romance. Not sure what I will be picking up next.
On my tv this week: J and I have continued our ridiculous Dropout game shows. We also finally started Dimension 20.
Listening to: I got back into some podcasts this week, binging If Books Could Kill and You’re Wrong About. Basically I spent my Saturday listening to Michael Hobbs.
On the menu for this week:
Monday - Me out at book club
Tuesday - BBQ Chicken
Wednesday - Jerk Fish Chowder
Thursday - Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice
Friday - Pizza Night
Saturday - Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Sunday - BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf
On my to do list: So many things, but up first are the Academic Co-op tasks. I want to get everything set for our first meeting on October 10th.
Happening this week:
Monday - Vala’s! Potentially book club
Tuesday - Zoo Day; Meeting with a friend
Wednesday - Vala’s!
Thursday - Last Enrichment Co-op of 2024
Friday - Home Day
Saturday - Arthur art class at Joslyn; Junkstock with a friend
Sunday - Home Day
What I am creating: I did some work on my Memory Planner yesterday. I might be able to sneak up for awhile this morning…
My simple pleasures: I bought myself pumpkin pie sauce and have been making myself fancy coffees. Really loving the fall flavors without the $9 price tag.
Looking around the house: Things are decent. I’ll be excited to put away the big co-op supply bags after this Thursday. They take up a lot of real estate next to my chair. (I can’t leave them in the garage and it gets too hot in there.)
From the camera: Flower (weed?) along our hike on Friday.
The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton
Title: The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love (Love’s Academic #1)
Author: India Holton
Publisher: Berkley 2024
Genre: Romance
Pages: 384
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf RC; She Reads Romance - Only One Bed (repeated!)
Where I Got It: Book of the Month September 2024
Beth Pickering is on the verge of finally capturing the rare deathwhistler bird when Professor Devon Lockley swoops in, stealing both her bird and her imagination like a villain. Albeit a handsome and charming villain, but that's beside the point. As someone highly educated in the ruthless discipline of ornithology, Beth knows trouble when she sees it, and she is determined to keep her distance from Devon.
For his part, Devon has never been more smitten than when he first set eyes on Professor Beth Pickering. She's so pretty, so polite, so capable of bringing down a fiery, deadly bird using only her wits. In other words, an angel. Devon understands he must not get close to her, however, since they're professional rivals.
When a competition to become Birder of the Year by capturing an endangered caladrius bird is announced, Beth and Devon are forced to team up to have any chance of winning. Now keeping their distance becomes a question of one bed or two. But they must take the risk, because fowl play is afoot, and they can't trust anyone else—for all may be fair in love and war, but this is ornithology.
A new series from India Holton! I must have it immediately! And thankfully this one was just as delightful as her previous series. In here, we get a colleagues and competitors to romance story. It’s not quite an enemies-to-lovers tropes but a bit more gentle than that. Devon and Beth are thrust together by their own choices and the machinations of a pair of black-clad gentleman for a madcap adventure to capture a rare bird. Along the way we encounter some peril, multiple one-room-in-the-inn situations, competing ornithologists, some protective French fisherman, and a whole lot of swoony moments. I loved seeing Beth and Devon succumb to their mutual admiration and attraction. Overall, a delightful adventure romance with equal parts. I can’t wait until Gabriel’s story!
Love’s Academic
#1 The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love
#2 The Geographer’s Map to Romance
Next up on the TBR pile:
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: