So, we start full days of school this week and I’m still trying to make decisions about curriculum! The rest of my day will be spent doing the research I should have done already. The only decision left to be made is on the language arts curriculum so that I can call our new tutor and get her up to speed. Ohio raised the scholarship amount this year so, he’ll get 6 hours a week with a tutor for language arts, in addition to a weekly piano lesson and speech session. It’s all coming together, but still work to be done.
Here’s what I’ve read this week…
A mouse, a rat, and a princess all end up in the castle dungeon, but the how and the why are the driving force of the story. Full of humor (not always nice, but we call those teachable moments), animals that had their own stories, and silliness earned two thumbs up here in Ohio.
I listed to Paula McLain’s latest, When the Star Goes Dark, while we puzzled. The stars are the only thing connecting the two 🌟
Anna has just experienced something traumatic, we get only snippets until the very end, and retreats to the town where she grew up. She’s a missing persons detective and an old friend needs her help. This takes place in the 1900s and contains real cases, like Polly Klaas, with the fictional.
This is a dark book, just like the title says. As a mother my heart still hurts a little. If you are triggered by child abduction or abuse then read at your own risk.
Let’s start with Whale Fall Cafe because it was our favorite. From the outside it looks like a silly story, but on the inside it gives you all of the details about a whales death and what happens once the carcass hits the ocean floor. It was fascinating, and perfect for kids who like their stories with a little bit of gross factor. Gage read this to me and got a kick out of my inability to look at the illustrations for more than a few seconds. Highly recommend!!
Little Leonardo’s Fascinating World of Paleontology was the opposite of Whale Fall. It had cutesy illustrations with just too much information to make it fun. But, the 6 experiments at the end make it worth a look. We’ve already done two and hope to do at least one more. We both thought the story was okay, 3 stars, and the experiments fun, 5 stars.
We read Desert Baths because we’re studying Nevada this week. It is fantastic.!! The story about the creatures who live in the desert was good and over half the book. It’s the 6 pages of facts and fun quizzes at the end that made this a big win for both of us. This is a perfect book for homeschoolers and school libraries or classrooms. Highly recommend.
50 Easy Ways To Help Save the Bees 🐝 is a great read. We love the bees because we understand what they do for us. but even I learned new things. The first 23 pages are about the plight of the different kinds of bees which I thought was excellent. The 50 ideas were well though out.
I read this last night and shared things with Gage this morning. Our afternoon project is to go through the book together and choose 5 things to do this year. We received a pack of seeds last year from a save the bee campaign and threw them into out old bee container this past spring. They may not look like much now but we still get bees daily.
At 127 pages this is a must read. 🖤💛🖤💛🖤
Susan Elizabeth Phillips is an automatic buy for me (as are Harlan Coben and Sarah Addison Allen). She is a master of romance. While not a series, this is the 9th book she’s written about a member of the Chicago Stars football organization.
In When the Stars Collide Olivia, world renowned opera singer, and Thad, backup Stars quarterback must spend weeks together traveling the country promoting a brand. It’s not exactly love at first sight, but heartbreak and danger are close at hand.
Loved it ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Are you a sauna fan?
Okay, the book…The Last Thing He Told Me lived up to ALL of the hype! It’s so different from her other two books. It’s a thriller. One day a child knocks on Hannah’s door with a note, it’s from her husband and all it says is PROTECT HER. Bailey, the daughter. Comes home from school with a duffel bag full of cash that her dad had stuffed in her locker. Owen himself was missing.
That’s all you get. If you like thrillers this is a must read! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Stacy's Books 
Stacy , interesting reading that you and your son accomplished. Bravo.
I look forward to reading The Last Thing He Told Me.
Thank you.
That’s great that Gage will get a tutor for language arts, piano and speech!
I have When the Star Goes Dark on my audiobook TBR list. It hasn’t called to me, but I’m sure I’ll get to it later this year.
I’m not a sauna fan and I’m curious why the doctor recommended that you use it twice a week. What are the benefits other than sweating out impurities?
Glad to hear that The Last Thing He Told Me is a winner. I’m anxious to get to it!
Have a good week, Stacy. Glad Gage is doing better!
I’m sure Gage’s learning plan for the year will fall into place. It sounds like there is a good plan already and with a mom like you everything will fall into place.
I loved The Last He Told Me as well and, NO, not a fan of saunas or hot tubs. In my younger days I was a sun, hot weather worshiper, but, these days no thanks.
Glad things are coming together for the school year! I’ve enjoyed a few SEP books so I think I’ll add this title to my listening list. Side note: I’ve heard there’s a new SAA book in the pipe!
I love bees, we plant our garden every year to attract bees and butterflies and enjoy them as they buzz around doing their thing.
Here is my link:
https://twogirlsandtheirbookishlife.blogspot.com/2021/08/sunday-salon-diningroom-is-finished.html
I know you are both eagerly looking forward to upcoming school year. I enjoyed teaching so much. I find I do miss it now and then.
Your books are especially wonderful this week. I’m a huge Kate DiCamillo fan, and Tale of Despereaux is one of my favorites. Consider Because of Winn-Dixie if you haven’t already read it.
If I had a sauna or a pool, I’d never get out of it. I can’t wait until the pool at the Y reopens, but for now I’m enjoying a twice-weekly swim class at the city pool.
Sounds like everything for the upcoming school year is falling into place, but I know all the behind the scenes work it took to make it come together. Hope Gage has a great year ahead!