In Search of the Magic Theater by Karla Huebner

June 10, 20226 Comments

Why, the rather staid young cellist Sarah wonders, should her aunt rent their spare room to the perhaps unstable Kari Zilke? Like the nephew in Hermann Hesse’s Steppenwolf, Sarah finds herself taking an unexpected interest in the lodger, but she is unable to stop at providing a mere introduction to Kari’s narrative of mid-life crisis and self-discovery, and develops her own more troubled tale of personal angst and growth, entwined with the account Kari herself purportedly left behind. Generational tensions, artistic collaborations, and even a romance steeped in Greek myth follow as Kari and Sarah pursue their very different creative paths in theater and music. And while Kari seems to blossom post-divorce, Sarah must grapple with the question of what the role of mothers, fathers, aunts, mentors, and male collaborators should be in her life as a young musician. from Goodreads

In Search of the Magic Theater 🎭 is a sophisticated story of two women, both creatives, whose lives change because of one person. Kari, a recent mid-life divorcée, rents a room from Sarah, a young repressed cellist, and her aunt. As Kari tries to find her way back to her passion, experimental theater, Sarah tries to find any passion at all.

Set sometime in the 1990s and told with alternating chapters between the women, it surprised me by having me more interested in one at the beginning and the other near the end. It’s heavy in mythology, art, and theater, as well as music. I felt educated and entertained.

I enjoyed the story of these women and the different ways that each approached life and found their own happiness. Anyone interested in mythology or theater should definitely pick this one up.

I want to thank TLC Book Tours for getting this book to me and for the author for sending a sweet card and additional information.

April & May Movies and $ for Charity

June 2, 2022June 2, 20221 Comment

You know the drill, add your 5 words (or less!) to mine in a comment and earn $1 for charity. Once we get to $100 the person with the most reviews will choose the charity. Click here to see the past winners, the charities they chose and the other reviews you can add to. Anyone is welcome to join in at any time. Click here to see past movie posts.

We’re at $84 right now. Your charity could be next

Shows I binged these shows last few months… Ozark (second half of season 4), Bridgerton 2 (where were the naughty bits?), The Lincoln Lawyer (fun!), Survivor 42

Blade Runner 2049 (Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, MacKenzie Davis, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, Jared Leto) Grade B

Search for replicant baby ignites.

All Good Things, 2010 (Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Grank Langella, Phillip Baker Hall, Nick Offerman, Kristen Wiig) Grade B

Based on true murder mystery.

The Bad Guys, 2022 (Voices-Sam Rockwell, Marc Moran, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Alex Borstein, Lily Singh) Grade B

Don’t ever judge by stereotypes.

2 Hearts, 2020 (Jacon Elordi, Adan Canto, Tiera Skovbye, Radha Mitchell) Grade B

Tears begrudgingly shed.

The Silencing, 2020 (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Annabelle Wallis, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, Zahn Tokiya-ku McClarnon) Grade B-

Chilling and dark trafficking thriller.

Finding You, 2020 (Rose Reid, Jedidiah Goodacre, Katherine McNamara, Patrick Bergen, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Tom Everett Scott, Vanessa Redgrave) Grade B-

A lovely trip to Ireland.

Sonic the Hedghog 2, 2022 (Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Voices- Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, Colleen O’ Shaughnessey) Grade B-

Sonic finds family and friends.

Can You Keep A Secret?, 2019 (Alexandria Daddario, Tyler Hoechlin, Sunita Mani, Kimiki Glenn, Laverne Cox) Grade C-

I’ve already forgotten the secret.

Senior Year, 2022 (Rebel Wilson, Sam Richardson, Zoe Chao, Mary Holland, Justin Hartley, Chris Parnell, Angourie Rice, Avantika Vandanapu, Brandon Scott Jones, Alicia Silverstone) Grade D+

Coma stole cheerleader’s Prom crown.

This Week – Sunny Days Ahead

May 29, 20222 Comments

This Memorial Day weekend feels more somber than celebratory after 19 4th graders and 2 teachers were gunned down in their classroom this week. I am choosing to keep some of the sadness there as a reminder that change will not be easy and it will take a lot of people just as heartbroken as I am to make change happen. This photo is from the church just up the street from us.

We have a picnic with friends planned today and the Memorial Day ceremony and parade in our town tomorrow and then 4 days left of school! The days will be easy as he finishes up his online Outschool classes and his last days with his reading tutor with no difficult work with his mama, just some fun little projects.

My computer now shuts down randomly around a dozen times a day, which is why posting and commenting hasn’t happened. Hoping to make this quick and get it posted before I see the evil blue screen.

Read

How To Draw Cool Stuff: A Drawing Guide for Teachers and Students by Catherine V. Holmes. 4/5 stars, 255 pages, pub. 2014

I loved it and will be using it with our homeschooling next year, something that Gage and I can do together for art. There are lesson plans and detailed instructions. The first section was all about defining and practicing the elements of design with lessons on shading, foreshortening and more. I love how each of the cool things to draw is broken down and perfect for easy, no planning, lessons. This is the first of a series and plan on checking out some of the others too.

I was on a TLC Book Tour with this book this week, but my computer frustration stopped me from posting here.

Three fantastic kids books this week! We loved all of these. I included one shot of each book in the order they’re pictured.

Rock by Rock: The Fantastical Garden of Nek Chard was a great picture book biography about the Indian Chard who secretly changed the landscape in his town. We watched some of the videos on YouTube since it is still a thriving tourist attraction in India. He died in 2015.

Colors in Nature is such a beautiful book about color. Definitely one to have on the bookshelf.

Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature. Fantastic photos and short, easy to understand information. Perfect for every classroom.

We’re trying to read our way through the Dewey Decimal system (by 100s), so when we browse the shelves the number one thing we’re looking for is length, the shorter the better. This is not something I normally recommend, but when your challenge is 100 books you do what you have to do 😁

I’ve read 155 books so far this year.

Watched

We watched the new Lincoln Lawyer series based on the Michael Connelly books on Netflix and really liked it.

Senior Year, 2022. I watched this during a night of insomnia. Silly.

Puzzled

Loved this dual puzzle from Galison. They are both so beautiful and worthy of being gifted to wine loving friends. Or a perfect summer activity with a friend over a glass of Rose. They were both individually bagged and around 250 pieces each.

Another fabulous piece of art from Art & Fable. I’m in love with anything trees and this puzzle with the matte pieces was a joy. This was from my puzzle subscription service, Completing the Puzzle, and they’ve not let me down yet.

This Week – Teacher Work Days

May 22, 20222 Comments

After almost two years of homeschooling I discovered something this week. We need teacher planning days too! I reached a breaking point on Tuesday and cancelled all of Gage’s mom school time for the rest of the week. He still had a few Outschool classes and his reading tutor two days, but I disconnected from the school day completely and we’re both so much better off for it. The plan is to homeschool next year and, rest assured, there will be a scheduled teacher planning day once a month so that a another breaking point isn’t reached. There are so many posts I finally feel like writing about homeschooling, but I’ll save them for another day.

I finished 3 non-picture books this week. I’ve read 150 total books this year.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Bauxbaum, 328 pages, 2016

I loved this book. Jessie has recently lost her mother and her father remarried and moved them across the country to LA. A new stepbrother and ultra rich private high schoolers is a lot to take, especially with no friends and mean girls targeting her.

Enter SN, who begins anonymously emailing her with encouragement and tips on how to navigate her new life. Suddenly it all becomes bearable. But who is he and why can’t they meet?

Such a rich story, full of the drama and insecurities of youth. I’m a little late to the party on this one, but happy to recommend it. Just make sure you make the waffles 🧇 .

The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldon, 134 pages, 1960

Originally published in 1960 it’s the story of a cricket from Connecticut who accidentally finds himself in the Times Square subway station. He’s taken as a pet and makes friends with a mouse and a cat. Oh, and he becomes a famous musician and hundreds of people crowd around while he makes beautiful music.

Gage and I read the first half together and then finished independently (yes, I did! I needed to know what became of Chester Cricket). It was a sweet, silly, old-fashioned story about friendship and I’m glad to have read it. I’d say this is more geared to a 3rd grader. 134 pages (with some illustrations).

It’s an oldie but goodie. Did you read this as a kid?

Edutoons: A Jumpball Melee of Editorial Cartoons About the Politics of Public Education by Ron Hill, 138 pages, 2016

We were lucky enough to get a few new board members for the Friends of the Solon Library, and one of them is the author of this book, Ron Hill . This is a few years old and a compilation of his editorial cartoons about public education in Ohio and more specifically our region. I’ve always enjoyed his cartoons in the paper and this a quick, fun read about the state of education.

This book just happened to come in with donations, but I know he has a new one out that I’ll have to check out soon.

Movies watched

As part of my teacher ‘break’ I took my student to the theater, lol.

I came for Jacob Eldori and and left with tears. (watched on Netflix)

On TV

We started the new series, The Lincoln Lawyer, on Netflix. We’re over halfway through.

What’s your favorite burnout solution?

This Week – What day is it?

May 15, 20228 Comments

I took this on our family walk last night. Beautiful, right? Life is crazy busy right now, but taking ten minutes to check in feels like a necessity for my sanity. My to do list is 15 very important, all a bit time consuming, things that need to happen in the next few weeks, all while trying to finish up Gage’s 5th grade year strong. I know I’m not the only one with a crazy May.

The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day, 4.25/5 stars, 408 pages, pub. 2017

The Day I Died is one of those dark thrillers that has as many secrets as revelations. We know the main character is hiding and moves around with her son for that reason. We don’t know exactly why, but do get plenty of hints. She’s a handwriting expert for the FBI so she gets drawn into a missing child case, an entanglement that makes her itch to flee yet again. It was a nicely paced thriller with a complicated main character. Great combo!

The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis, 4/5 stars, 384 pages, 2020

The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis is a beach read with some serious issues. Brynn is recovering from an embarrassing life choice when she runs into Eli, a camp crush from her teens, who offers her a place to live. He forgets to mention that her frenemy, Kinsey, also lives there and she is also seriously ill.

I loved Brynn’s moms. They were most definitely the best characters, full of love and spice. The story of the three roommates coming together was good, even if it ended a little too simplistic for me, but hey, that’s what summer reads are for! And the cover will look good at the pool or beach.

I’ve read 143 books so far this year.

On TV the last few weeks

We finished Ozark. I didn’t dislike the end to this series, but it lacked some of the punch the rest of the seasons had.

We watch Harlan Coben’s Hold Tight on Netflix. It was solid, like most of his book adaptations are.

Movies

Plans for the rest of the day

We’re planning a hike in the park after dinner, but right now I need to spend a few hours pulling out homeschool year together and getting it ready to be assessed. This is required by Ohio. We can choose taking a standardized test or having a teacher assessing progress. It’s time consuming, but a good way for me to personally assess what worked and what didn’t.

What about you? Anything fun this weekend?

TBR

May 11, 20222 Comments

I received my second box from TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations and am excited by my choices. My bibliogist did a great job with my first box so I’m expecting good things.

Have you read any of these? Which would you read first?

Do you get any subscription boxes? I also get Ipsy monthly and Decocrated seasonally (like TBR). Along with my favorite, Completing the Puzzle, a puzzle subscription service.

April Favorites

May 7, 20221 Comment

I ended my book a day streak April 15th and my reading, as I feared it would, has fallen off a cliff. It’s been an extremely busy few weeks that will continue for a few more, so I am trying to sneak in more reading time. A real bonus of taking my time with books is that I’ve completely abandoned two audiobooks already whereas before I would have probably powered through just to finish. I love the luxury of just moving on, abandoned books in my wake.

I finished 23 books in April, bringing my yearly total to 139. I read 7 fiction, 4 nonfiction, 7 kids nonfiction picture books, 4 kids fiction picture books, and 1 kids nonfiction chapter book.

My 5 favorites were

A Sparrow’s Disappearing Home by Mary Ellen Klukow and Albert Pinilla, 5/5 stars, Nonfiction kids picture book, 24 pages, 2019

One of our Earth Day reads and I loved everything about it. The illustrations were fabulous and the story of the sparrow’s search for his native habitat in an increasingly hostile world was powerful. The story ended by showing the heroes that were doing something about it, those working to save the environment and the birds. It also had a list of ways to help the birds and a map. This is part of a series and you can be sure we’ll be checking out the rest.

Infinity and Me by Gabi Swiatkowska and Kate Hosford, 5/5 stars, 32 pages, 2012

A beautifully illustrated book about infinity. Infinity is a big, huge thing for small kids and somehow this book makes it work. We follow a girl as she asks her classmates and some adults in her life what they think infinity looks like and, not surprisingly, everyone has a different answer. This had a sweet ending and led to a good discussion.

The Last Kind Words by Tom Piccirilli, 4.25/5 stars, 320 pages, 2012

Terrier Rand was from a notorious family of thieves. They were all good at stealing money, wallets, expensive items from your house, and doing it without violence. Until Collie goes on a bloody rampage leaving 8 dead. As Terry comes home for the lethal injection of his brother he finds himself more fearful than ever of the blood that runs through him.

I was drawn into this one right away and loved the balance between action and introspection. The Rand family was captivating and I loved the gritty reality of them. Terry has a follow up book and I’m going to have to see what Terry does next.

Falling by TJ Newman, 4.25/5 stars, 304 pages, 2021

Are you a fearful flightier? Terrified at turbulence? Skittish of soaring 20,000 feet in the air? Me too! And yet this thriller managed to entertain not invoke nightmares.

The pilot’s family has been kidnapped and he is ordered to crash the plane or they will die. Will he choose his family or the souls onboard his plane?

Fast paced and pertinent to today’s politics this was a great audio book.

I’m always jealous of happy fliers. Are you one of them?

Past Tense by Lee Child, 4/5 stars, 382 pages, 2018

This is #23 in the Jack Reacher series and I’ve read them all in order up to this point. I love the Reacher and especially love the books that have a family connection. Reacher spontaneously gets off the bus in the small town his father grew up in and wants to see if he can find where he grew up. But, nothing is easy with Reacher and I like it that way 🙂

This Week – For the Birds

April 24, 2022April 24, 20226 Comments

Have you have had a bird eat out of your hand? Gage went to his weekly Nature Kids Adventures and the coordinator sent me this pic. He had 12 chickadees visit his hands and he is begging Jason and I to take him back so that we can all try it. I love this group and also appreciate the 3 hour break I get from homeschooling and the time that Gage gets to spend with other kids during the school day 🙂

Gage had his first appointment with the orthodontist this week. He wants to remove two permanent teeth before putting on braces. I’ve never heard of this being a thing and I’m not sure about it. I’ll be looking for a second opinion before going forward. Have you had to do this?

Books read this week in the order I liked them best

Loved this story of a thief going home because his serial killer brother on death row needed him.

Loved this fast paced (at least until the end) thriller.

This is one of a series of beautiful picture books about animals and their threated environment with actionable things for kids to do to help. I hope to get them all!

Our second picture book for Earth Day this year and it was more informative than I’d hoped. I my have even assigned weekend homework from it 😉

I love Tommy and Tuppence and this final book in the series also happened to be Agatha Christie’s last book written before she died. It was meandering and showed her ages, but since T&T were also in their 80s it kind of fit.

Currently reading

Watching

We started watching the new Harlan Coben Netflix series, Hold Tight, last night but the wifi was too glitchy for us to get very far. Maybe tonight!

We’re watching the first season of Ghosts and still watching the current season of Survivor.

Puzzles finished

Plans for the weekend

We’re headed to a county maple festival today. What are you up to this weekend?

This Week – All good streaks must come to an end

April 17, 20226 Comments

Happy Easter everyone! Gage has already found his eggs and is playing around with gifts.

BIG NEWS After a year, 4 months, and 15 days my book a day streak has come to an end. I’d been thinking about it for a few weeks, even intending to purposely end it last week before reading a book for homeschooling and realizing that I continued without even trying, lol. I went longer than I thought I would and am actually quite proud of myself for this challenge. There are also the obvious downsides (where do I find the time) but also the small ones that showed up (am I choosing a book for its quality or its length). I found myself giving up family time for reading one too many times.

What finally tipped me over the edge? I spent most of yesterday with a sinus migraine in a dark room, moving as little as possible. By the time I got around to being mobile, I wanted to give my full attention to my guys, at least as much as the headache allowed. It was a fitting way to end my book a day challenge, but I still feel that small twinge of regret.

What I read – Hopefully I’ll get reviews posted this week.

Posts this week

My newest challenge!

Currently reading

Movies

We watched the first three episodes of the network show Ghosts and thought they were funny.

We’re also into this season of Survivor, we’re seen them all. We each picked a winner in the first episode and all three have made it to the merge.

Plans for the weekend

It’s cold here! And the last two times I’ve spent an hour or two outside this week I’ve ended up with terrible sinus migraines, so I’m homebound today.

What about you? Anything exciting this Easter weekend?