This week’s prompt is: Books I Was Assigned to Read in School
This is a fun look back at high school and college!
The Jungle and Animal Farm were both assigned in high school and they both were pretty mind-blowing to my 16 year old self. The Jungle actually turned me into a vegetarian, from like 18 until recently. So it is safe to say it made a huge impact on me!
Frankenstein was a college read, and probably one of my favorites. I absolutely loved it, and found it so very sad as well, the loneliness of the monster.
The Great Gatsby took me to wild parties, the glitz and glam of the roaring twenties, dancing, and what looks like freedom and happiness. But the reader begins to see through this to the classism and lack of compassion and caring. It is still a favorite classic of mine. I am going to stop saying this because I feel like I will just keep repeating myself.
Their Eyes Were Watching God is an amazing book where we watch the main character learn to find herself and her voice. And the book that made me terrified of rabies. Plus there is a character named Tea Cake which I loved when I first read it in college. His character was not the greatest but his name was.
Beloved is a story that haunts you, and I am not trying to make a joke. I think this book and story is one that stays with you, the trauma and fear of the characters in a world of slavery that drives people to do things they would not do under normal circumstances.
Annie on My Mind is a book I read way back when in college, in my children’s lit class. It stands out as the very first LGTBQ book I have ever read, and also because it introduced the Cloisters to me.
The Metamorphosis by Kafka is one I feel like I read in high school and in college, and I liked it both times. It was so crazy but it is possibly the only existential book I really understood in school.
In high school I was introduced to The Canterbury Tales, and I just loved them. I loved discovering all the characters stories. Another one I should go back and reread.
I had to take sooo many Shakespeare classes in school, and of all the plays that I read, Hamlet was my favorite.
And that wraps it up for me today! What were you assigned in school that stood out to you?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hello everyone! Last week was so fun! We took a little mini-trip to Cleveland/Cuyahoga Valley National Park and we had a blast! I can’t wait to tell you about it all this week! As I suspected, I didn’t read – like at all. Except for maybe 10 pages before breakfast yesterday. I plan on making up for it this week though!
Read Last Week:
This book was lovely. It is so full of life, the good and the bad, the sad and the happy, and I really felt like I was living in this little community, sharing in their lives.
Reading This Week:
So, my post looks the same as last week. I did start Berries and Bones, and wow is it heavy on the cozy right away. This old bear has a pretty good setup! I am looking forward to reading more of it today.
Listening:
Last week, I wasn’t sure I liked this story. This week, I am here to tell you that I am really enjoying it! I am glad that I stuck with it. It is so cute and very fall vibes.
We are still watching The Pottery Throw Down. I admit, I am addicted. I am learning so much though from it! We went to the Cleveland Art Museum yesterday and as we wandered through, reading about some of the items that were ceramic or china or what have you, I understood the process that went into making them. It was amazing to see pots made in the 700s, and realize that the same processes (more or less) created them. The same shapes still exist. Billy and I were marveling at all the pieces with our newfound knowledge.
We of course are watching our Comfy Cozy Cinema movies that we are watching with Lisa at Boondock Ramblings, and Deb from Readerbuzz is also participating with us! Yay! Last week we watched and posted about Kiki’s Delivery Service; this week we are watching the 1945 version of Blithe Spirit and will post about it Thursday! We are also having a giveaway – you can enter here if you are interested!
And that is about it from here! I hope you are all doing well!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hello everyone! It’s been slow around here, which was fine by me. I hope though that everyone who had to face down Helene has minimal damage. She was fierce looking.
Read Last Week:
Last week I read The Girl in White which was actually a little spooky for a kids book! This one was spookier than the other I have read by Currie, What Lives in the Woods. It was a good read for the season (without actually being too scary).
I also started Twilight Garden on Friday morning. I had forgotten I wanted to read this until I saw it on Rebecca’s TBR! Darn it. My TBR is just too crazy. Like everyone’s is, I am sure. Lol.
Reading This Week:
I will finish up The Twilight Garden, and then start another from my list. Right now I am not sure which direction I will pivot, but I feel I am leaning towards light and easy. Perhaps Berries and Bones, it look so deliciously fall. I also plan on starting The Whisperwicks, which is my book club book for the Patreon group I am part of for Alexandra Roselyn.
We are going away this weekend and so I hope to have some good reading time. It’s like that old saying though, “No one is more optimistic than a mother who takes books on the family vacation”.
I am also listening to an audiobook while I embroider. Right now I am listening to The Pumpkin Spice Cafe to see what all the hype is about. It has been compared to Stars Hollow and the Gilmore Girls which I love and have watched a million times over – and unpopular opinion coming, but I am not too excited about this book so far. It is too much like Gilmore Girls. I haven’t listened to much but it seems more like it is really just Lorelai Gilmore all over but this time she runs a cafe. The character talks a lot and talks fast, she drinks a lot of coffee – I don’t know. I guess I wanted the feel and or even a reimagining, but this is too on the nose. Does that make sense?
We are busily watching our Comfy Cozy Cinema movies; last week was Ladies in Lavender, and tonight’s feature is Kiki’s Delivery Service. Comfy Cozy Cinema is something Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I started together and every year is so much fun! You are all invited to watch and post along with us.
Billy and I are also watching What We Do in the Shadows, as well as The Great Pottery Throwdown.
Also – I wanted to add that Lisa and I will be posting about our Comfy Cozy Care Package giveaway on Wednesday! We have lots of goodies we will be sending to someone to get all cozy with this fall!
And that is about it from here! I hope you are all doing well!
Hello everyone! I am one tired mama this morning! I keep telling myself I can rest after such and such – and then something else comes up! Lol. Oh well – all too soon we will be deep into winter and not doing anything at all really, so it’s best to get out there and let Wyatt experience as much as possible while we can (and have some myself too)
Last Friday, we kicked off our school season with a field trip to The Henry Ford Museum. Wyatt is starting a big prehistoric unit in science this fall, and I love to try to find a field trip at the beginning of the year that correlates with something we are going to learn about. Lucky for me, we were able to squeak in under the wire for the Dinosaurs exhibit at the museum, two days before it was set to end. I am glad we made it, because we both had a really good time.
The artist who created these, John Payne, welded the metal and steel together to create these huge sculptures. Wyatt and I also talked about this, how art doesn’t have to just be paintings or sketches, it can be these enormous dinosaurs made out of steel, fire and heat. The exhibit is called Dinosaurs in Motion, and it is interactive. Half of the dinosaurs could be moved and manipulated using old fashioned pulley systems, and we could pull ropes, levers, spin wheels -there were all sorts of different ways to activate the pulleys. And let me tell you, those dinosaurs were heavy! Wyatt and I would be pulling or pushing together and sometimes I had to put my whole weight behind it. There was just one dinosaur I couldn’t really budge, and a young twentysomething man asked if we needed some extra oomph! I said yes and he helped Wyatt get that dinosaur really moving!
The other half of the dinosaurs were activated by computer, and you can see Wyatt at the controls in the one photo. All of they exhibits you could press buttons and make the dinosaurs roar, and flash lights like lightning and play storm sound effects; the computer versions you could do that plus use controls to move them around. It was really really cool, and I felt like we were in the movie Jurassic Park. Wyatt could not get over how big that T-Rex was, and kept giving it the side eye. He was a little skeptical of it at first.
The exhibit was a fantastic way to kick off school and I was so glad that we went.
On Saturday, Wyatt had like the perfect Wyatt day. Billy and I also very much enjoyed ourselves, especially the autumn weather that we were having! We took a drive out to Grosse Pointe Park, to a children’s bookstore named Coreanders. It was so whimsical, adorable, and I wanted to spend hours in there. It was not very big, but just big enough. The walls are covered in beautiful murals, including the entire elevator shaft. The elevator to the second floor has a window in the door, so that as you go up or down, you can view a mural on the way. It is spectacularly done. I was also so happy that they were wheelchair accessible!
There is also a cafe/ice cream shop in the back, and we of course had to pop in for coffee and cookies which we ate in the courtyard. It felt like we were in New Orleans, with the wrought iron, the brickwork, the garden. Tucked in and hidden about the garden were little garden statuary, little animals reading or just hiding, and we enjoyed looking at them all and picking our favorites. Also – the cookie was delicious, and was made at a nearby boulangerie, name LeRouge. Wyatt picked out a book, I picked out a book, and also grabbed a few cute bookmarks. I love them – they are designed by Ingrid Press and they are beautiful! I should never have looked up that website because now I want everything!
We walked around the cute little area, wandered through a farmers market that was just closing up but I still managed to buy a bag of loose tea from Outer Realm teas. I bought the Royal Tea and we are going to brew a pot up over the weekend.
When we went home, we painted as we had not managed to fit art in over during the week. Wyatt is studying Charley Harper for a few weeks and I wanted to fit in the first lesson. Then we had game night! I think all three of us crashed out that night!
Sunday was much more relaxed. I went to church in the morning, then we hung out at home for the afternoon, just relaxing and doing whatever. Dinner was an adventure though. We were planning on watching The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for Comfy Cozy Cinema that evening, so we thought it would be fun to get Indian food as well. And goodness, I am so glad that we did. It was fantastic. We ordered from a place called Charminar Biryani House in Detroit and it was delicious. We couldn’t decide what to get, everything looked amazing, so we ordered Butter Chicken and Tandoori chicken, and split it with some buttered naan bread (Wyatt had a different dinner although he seriously missed out).
Needless to say, it was a very packed weekend. This week though, is a much slower pace right now. School, and finishing up some errands and projects for scouts tomorrow night – it will be our first meeting! I am super nervous about it! Tonight I still need to make game paddles for a game we are playing, and put together the little beaded keychain kits for every kit, that they are going to make while learning about the pack laws. (Be kind, etc) Wish us luck everyone!
Here are a few photos from the roll!
And that is it from me today! I hope you all have a wonderful day and do something today that makes you smile!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well! It’s crazy to think we are eleven days into August already. This summer is flying by! I can feel autumn in the air this weekend; we had the windows open all day yesterday and it was wonderful. It has just been so muggy all summer that we haven’t really been able to do that, so it was nice to air everything all out!
I didn’t read much last week. I spent a lot of the week working on school or Cub Scout stuff. We are getting so close to September and then it will be go time! When I finally took a break I usually worked on my embroidery. I finished my cat and plants piece, and started a new one for fall! Wyatt’s been playing from sun up until sundown these days too, which is good. I love to see him getting involved in things and playing. I can’t wait for Billy to finish the wheelchair ramp so that we can have easier access to outside!
Reading This Week:
I did start both of these last week and I am enjoying them both quite a bit! I am hoping to finish them this week.
We are watching The Great British Sewing Bee at night when we finally collapse into bed. It is one of those calming shows, just like the Bake-Off. I usually watch a bit of YouTube too, when I first get into bed and start sewing. The people in my rotation these days are Randi Lynn Reed, Kristina at With Love, Kristina , and Ahya’s Cottage. So many online accounts everywhere are already introducing fall content which seems premature to me, but I get it. I am ready for the coziness of fall too.
And that’s it from me today! Enjoy your week everyone!
Hello everyone!! Last week when I wrote this post I didn’t have any coffee – only instant packs that Billy had taken camping! Now thankfully we have a full pot brewing in the kitchen, and I have a steaming cup next to me.
It’s been hot and muggy out there this week. Disgustingly humid. Wyatt and I have been hanging out at home most of the time, but we have ventured out a few times.
Saturday we hung out with my brother and his family for a small fire, which was nice. It was before the really gross weather moved in and it was a nice preview of fall and fires. I can’t wait. The kiddos were all just doing their thing, and my littlest niece Wild Child was having fun playing with the portable fan I had bought Wyatt. (Thanks for the suggestion Captain, we take it everywhere!) It was just a nice relaxing evening, hanging out.
Sunday we spent in our shady spot at the park, under the trees. Wyatt absolutely loves this so we try to do it whenever we can. On the way there though we passed a local rotary club having a little to-do at the fire station. They had demonstrations shooting off the fire hose, and also had some free ice cream from the Good Humor woman. We spent a nice time at the park afterwards, full of ice cream, just drawing, enjoying the breeze under the trees, the singing of birds, and reading. (me lol)
Later that evening, we had game night, which is Wyatt’s favorite. This time we played a game we had checked out from the library called What’s Next. It was really fun! It is sort of a choose your own adventure/rpg type game. There are three stories you can choose from, and each card has either an event or a choice you need to make or do. There are little side challenges as well, and a tower of peril! It really was a lot of fun, and we are definitely adding it to the wish list!
The rest of the week we have been home, with one journey to the library to check out more books, and to collect Wyatt’s summer reading National Parks Card and cryptid card that he earned. Next week he gets to shop the library “shop” with the book bucks he earned with all the reading we have been doing.
I have been working on getting our school plans together for next year. I absolutely love doing it honestly, putting together the plans and then finding fun tie-ins. Fall looks like it is going to be a lot of fun, with reading adventures like Alice in Wonderland and The Phantom Tollbooth, Indigenous history of Michigan, dinosaurs, and artists like Charley Harper! I am just starting to construct my Charley Harper art study for Wyatt, and I am having to taper things down because there is just so much we can do – too many ideas and not enough time. I think Harper will be a really fun artist to start off the year!
Hello everyone! Welcome to my little post about a few books that I have read lately! I am not the greatest book reviewer in the world; mine are sort of haphazard and probably don’t include much depth or insight, but … I just like to share my thoughts and what I liked about the book and how it made me feel.
When I first started reading this one, I was a little unsure if I was going to like it. The main character Yuki was so whiny and immature, and that was reflected in the voice of his character, who is the narrator of this book. It is written as a journal type book, but without journal entries, from Yuki’s perspective so we see everything through his eyes and filter. When the book begins, he suddenly finds himself transported from the city life he is used to, the mountain woodlands of Kaumsari. His family has arranged an apprenticeship and he is very unhappy about this. But as he gets more used to life in Kamusari, the people, their ways, his job, he grows in all ways. It is a real coming of age story and I ended up absolutely loving it. I am hoping to read the sequel this fall.
In the spring I went to a huge used book sale at a local library, and they had grab bags of cozy mysteries for a dollar! I bought a few of the bags, and each bag had like five or ten books in them. As soon as I opened the bag when I got home and saw this one, I knew it would be the first one I would read. I LOVE a lodge setting in the mountains, and a white fluffy kitty? I am so there. I did enjoy this first book in the series, but I did feel at times there was not enough investigating by the main character, if that makes sense. I feel like she got most of her info from the actual police department, as the deputy would just spill all the beans to her. It was interesting though and I am going to definitely read the next in the series as well.
I absolutely loved this book! I don’t usually read romances but this one got my attention because that main character is a snail scientist, and I love snails. Sometimes that is all it takes. Anyway, I absolutely adored it. I loved the journey that Christa’s character went through, and it was handled very well. For those who like a clean romance, this was not a closed door book and there was some swearing for those who dislike that as well. There are some trigger warnings though, for SA. It is brief and not graphic but still upsetting.
I was absolutely glued to this book! Like, I can’t read Riley Sager all the time because everything in my life gets neglected so that I can read. (well not the living people or animals but don’t look at the laundry or dishes while I have one of his books in my clutches) This one was insane. I loved the crumbling house being set against the unraveling of the mystery.. it was just very well done, that idea that everything, the house and secrets were just falling down around the characters in the story. I loved it so much that I immediately ordered a copy for my mom to read. I have to say, I am pretty good at figuring books out and this one, I didn’t see that ending coming!!
Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?
Hello everyone!! We had a pretty busy week last week with just life stuff and it being summer. I have been working super hard on Wyatt’s big room update and I have finally made it to the last stage – the decorating. Hanging the artwork, the final touches, etc. It should be done pretty darn soon! It’s been so difficult getting rid of some of his picture books though. We just have so many it is insane – I have collected so many over the years from book sales, garage sales, from book stores and holidays, plus I worked in an elementary school library for years before Wyatt was born and bought books from the Scholastic Book Fair and from the used book fair, making a small library before Wyatt was even a thought. We have been giving them away to people though, and putting them in little free libraries whenever we see them though so that makes me feel better about getting rid of them. They are getting a new life now.
Read Last Week:
Getaway with Murder was a pretty fun and light cozy. I loved the setting of the mountains and the lodge. I also enjoyed the little one or two paragraph chapters from Yeti the cat’s point of view. As for The Only One Left, holy cow what a ride!! It was amazing. I could not stop reading it!!
Reading this Week:
I need a bit of cozy this week after The Only One Left, so I am reading Verse and Vengeance from one of my favorite series, the Magical Bookshop series by Amanda Flower. I really can’t wait to relax with this one later.
I meant to blog more last week, and to go commenting on everyone’s posts but things got away from me! I hope to be more present here this week.
Watching:
We are still watching The Great British Sewing Bee. It is just as wholesome as you think it is. More so even. The judges on this show are more like teachers and you can sense the connection between them and the contestants. We are loving it and it is the ultimate relax show after a long day.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hello everyone! I hope that you had a good week! Last Sunday we were waiting for Billy to get home from his camping trip, and he got home later in the evening that Sunday. We were very happy to see him! The rest of the week was spent working, all of us, in our own ways. Billy at his job and then around the house, Wyatt in therapy (he kicked butt on Wednesday!!), and I have been working on Wyatt’s room. He needed a huge upgrade, as he is now 9, which I can’t believe yet here we are. So I have been going through all of his stuff (sometimes with his help, sometimes not…iykyk) to donate or pitch or keep. It’s been a weird week but a good one.
Oh, I just loved this book. At first, I wasn’t sure about it. The main character was a bit of a whiner and the language/tone/voice was so juvenile – then I realized, duh of course it is, because the character himself is young. Yuki is young adult, who after graduation finds himself as a forestry trainee sent off to a rural village in the mountains, far from his home in the city. This story is a coming of age story, and it was really very beautiful and thoughtful. I am looking forward to reading the second book, Kamusari Tales Told at Night.
Reading This Week:
After The Easy Life I needed something just light, so I grabbed Getaway with Murder off of my cozy mystery TBR shelf. I wanted something I could just relax into before I start this Riley Sager book.
We are back to watching the Great British Sewing Bee. By the time we are ready to relax and watch tv these days we are whipped and kind of collapse. We need something easy to watch! Tonight we are going to watch a movie although which one has yet to be determined! So not too much on this front.
Listening:
While what we are watching has tapered off for the summer, we are listening to things much more. We both love to listen to books and podcasts while we do work around the house. I also listen to something when Wyatt takes his morning after meds nap while I stitch on my embroidery that is more just me stitching than real embroidery but I have fun.
Billy is listening to the audiobook Words of Radiance, in the Stormlight series by Brandon Sanderson.
I am listening to a few different things. Sometimes I listen to the cozy mystery To Fetch a Felon, which is a cozy mystery in the Chatty Corgi series. Sometimes I listen to Silent Came the Monster about the 1916 shark attacks along the Jersey shore. And then sometimes I listen to The Night Owl True Ghost Stories Podcast. (for those of you in Texas, he is a Texan covering stories in and around Austin)
And that is it from around here today! I hope you all are doing well!
So, the clouds outside are gathering and dark, the wind is picking up, and storms are on the way. Chores are done for the night, I have some Ginger Turmeric Tea next to me on the table (although tonight I wish it was wine!) and I thought this would be the perfect time to write this post!
I’ve seen this around on BookTube and by other book content creators and thought it sounded fun!
Is it just me or does it sort of remind you of those senior superlatives in high school?
1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2024
Hands down, the best book that I have read so far this year.
2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024
This book was such a fantastic follow up to the first in the series, Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing by Lisa Howeler. I love Gladwynn and her vintage style, as well as the homeschooling mom who is also the barista. Such a fun series!
3. New release you haven’t read yet but want to.
I love this series set in Northern Michigan in one of my favorite places in my home state, the Traverse City area. I need to pick it up – it looks like the perfect summer read!
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
I absolutely loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and I can’t wait for this new book to come out! And I have to wait all the way until December!!
5. Biggest disappointment.
The Darling Buds of May. Loved the show, did not like the book. At all. That has never happened to me before! I do love this cover though.
6. Biggest surprise.
I received The Magic All Around from the publisher and I didn’t know much about it prior to reading it. However, once I picked it up I could barely put it down. It was so good, I could not stop reading it.
7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)
I am late to the party on Sager, and I wish I had picked up his books sooner! I just finished The Last Time I Lied today and again, it was another book I could not stop reading. It was crazy good, and had so many twists and turns! I can’t wait to read another of his books!
8. Newest fictional crush.
I wouldn’t say crush but I would definitely like to hang out with Tress and talk about her adventures and see her cups.
9. Newest favorite character.
See above.
10. Book that made you cry.
Of course it is a middle grade. I loved this book! I had never heard of it honestly when I picked it up at a used book sale, I just thought it looked neat, with that cute little house and the tree. And it was a cute little book…with the exception of the part that made me cry!! It was the loss of an animal friend that did it, of course.
11. Book that made you happy.
Another middle grade! I one hundred percent adored this book, and while it gave me some anxiety, it ended up all working out and just left me with the warm fuzzies.
12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
It’s a tie for me on this one. I just love love love that cover of Watership Down and I was so happy that Billy and Wyatt got it for me, but then that cover of Tress is fire.
And there you have it! My Mid-Year Book Freakout. How would you answer some of these questions?
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 