On this day in 1969, the Apollo 11 mission landed on the Moon. đ And back on Earth, an estimated 600 million people watched this historic moment live on televisionâroughly one-fifth of the worldâs population at that time! The mission had three crew members: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Collins piloted the craft that would return them to Earth, while Armstrong and Aldrin became the first two people ever to walk the Moonâs surface.
Photo: NASA Image and Video Library, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Stopped by our local reuse store; they're moving and giving away a lot of what's left, picked up some velcro, but didn't find much else that I had to have
Rested and watched a thing
Put away the produce
lalala
Attended stitch-in, where I stitched more on the current cross stitch ornament
Attended our online ST viewing party, which was 2 episodes of DS9
ACNH
Made rice goop for dinner
Watched The Mandalorian
YPP
Manage the kids' evening meds and such, because GB was gone for the night with his other partner
Put away the dinner leftovers
Was waiting for the kids to get done with their evening snack to get things cleaned up in the kitchen, and THEY OFFERED(!!!) to do it so I could take my tired ass to bed
Read Swordheart until I fell asleep
Sunday
Woke up in the dark to use the bathroom, and then went back to sleep until 8:30
Washed and dressed and breakfasted
F is too tired to go to church so we attend via video
Knitted a baby hat
Watched GB do some of the optional super bosses in COE33
Mixed taco seasoning, and chopped onion, and tossed it all with some ground meat into a slow cooker
Tossed F's sheets into the wash
Cleaned the microwave
Cleaned the kitchen counters
Cleaned the cooktop backsplash
Cleaned the upper cabinet doors
Tossed F's sheets into the dryer
Tossed F's comforter into the wash
Watched more of the Mandalorian
Chopped up taco toppings
Watched GB work on more of the optional super bosses in COE33
YPP
Got to bed relatively on time, and read Swordheart until I fell asleep
Stupid tired despite more than enough sleep; didn't get outside
Finished Love and other Disasters (which was a library book that expired before I could finish it (I fell asleep with about 20 pages left!) and it was not available, so I put a hold on it, and it suddenly became available today!)
Watched more of The Mandalorian on the laptop, because F was using the TV, and played more spades
Made some box mac and cheese (that F wanted) and sliced tomatoes to go with the rotisserie chicken we got
Watched the the first episode of Ride or Die!, and oh yes, we will be watching the rest!
Payed COE33 with GB
Was so tired that I was in bed by 10, and asleep by 10:20
Author: Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
Genres:Â Contemporary/Thriller
Pages: 353
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Review Copy: ARC from publisher
Availability: Available Now
Summary: For Thurgood Marshall Academy's best and brightest--five friends who've been thick as thieves since kindergarten--this spring break is all about forgetting: they want nothing more than to wash away last year's tragedy, and the human-shaped hole it left in their friend group.
It's a hole the new kid, Anthony Brooks, seems to fit right into. So when he invites the Five to join him on a private island for a week at his dad's luxury resort, they agree with zero hesitation. No one's counting on a freak tropical storm swooping in and killing the vibe. And speaking of killing, they're also ill-prepared for the mounting collection of dead bodies... including (another) one of their own.
As their dream trip unravels, everything they tried to leave behind--secrets, lies, betrayals, dead best friends--seems to be washing up on the shore of their lives for everyone to see. Will any of them make it out alive?
Review: Having reviewed and loved Blackout and Whiteout, I was so excited for this newest novel from The Six (thatâs what I call them). All of these authors have such different writing styles that come together, seamlessly, to tell a gripping story. Both novels were completely different so I was intrigued on how they would work together to create a thriller. And having Tiffany D. Jackson as one of the writers, I was expecting a bomb-dropping plot twist (which did happen). For the most part I believe it worked, but the ending left me with more questions than answers so that marred my reading experience a bit. That doesnât mean I didnât enjoy it; I was just left wanting for more at the end.
The novel is told in a mix of present day chapters, where the kids are at the hospital after their ordeal, and flashbacks to the events on the island. The story is told from multiple perspectives, of all the kids of course, but also the detective in the hospital, and various workers at the hotel. There is murder as well and the reader is privy to the last moments to at least three of the murder victims. With having these multiple POVâs, specifically between the kids and the workers, as to how the two saw each other. We learn about the complex nature of the kids relationships with each other individually, as a whole, and even in the absence of their deceased friend Keisha. The island trip happens to coincide with the 1 year anniversary of Keishaâs death, which all of them were present for, so when Anthony turns up dead, all the kids are triggered and act out accordingly. In addition, Anthony had dirt on all of them, secrets they are hiding from each other, so they all are trying to find where he hid the info while playing innocent. Itâs a lot for high school kids that I almost didnât want to believe such young people could be so dirty, but the reality is that many high school kids are involved in some crazy nonsense, especially when you have kids who have access to power as all the teens in Breakout do. Because of this, all the characters were unreliable narrators so I have to applaud the authors for pulling this off. None of the characters, both the kids and the staff, were very likable so there was no one to root for. The mystery, however, is what really drew me in. As each body was revealed, each character began to act more and more irrationally and the psyche breakdown was masterfully written. It was a study on what happens when people are trapped and dealing with stress. Folks become selfish and turn on each other. New relationships are formed and some are irrevocably broken. All of this happened in Breakout.
Breakout was an intense and crazy novel where so much happened in such a short amount of time. It was a fast-paced novel but also took the time to be a character study. Another solid novel by these fabulous authors who I hope continue with the âoutâ series.
I was on vacation, and then a week of catchup and recovery. I hope to eventually make a couple of highlights posts, but for now ,I need to get back to the daily posting, because I'm feeling like I'm losing... something.
Woke up too early :/
Washed and dressed
Eighth-assed PT exercises (it's been at least a week since I did any)
Prepped K's lunch
Took the puppy for her morning walk
Breakfasted and internetted (probably too much)
Played some pick-up spades games
Decided that leftovers were what's for dinner
Feeling really tired and unmotivated
Lunched and re-watched the Mandalorian (yeah, again)
ACNH
Decided that I needed to DO SOMETHING, so I took my physical library book outside and got out the pruners, and pruned the rose bush so the puppy won't get caught in it, and then, pruned (hacked off?) the skinny branches on part of the plum-tree-that-will-not-die
then I discovered these under some weeds... can't remember what their name is, but they are very common in my area
Then I put my feet up and read up to page 214 in Yesteryear. I think it's a good thing I can't read it at night, or it might be a bad decision book.
More internetting
Showered
Heated up some dinner, and took it downstairs to eat during my...
Phone date!
YPP shoppe keeping
More Mandalorian
Spades
Got to bed early-ish, feel asleep about 2 pages into Swordheart
Still so tired, and am not really motivated to do much that doesn't absolutely need doing.
Why "Precolonial" Indigenous North American History Matters: A Mini Syllabus
Okay I had this half-finished lying around so I prettied it up into something vaguely usable and added links wherever possible (most of them being totally legal...)
This is not a full treatment of Indigenous history before European contact. It was originally created to be a 15 week class, so it was not intended to cover everything but to give a taste of various regions and histories. Unfortunately, certain essays I would highly recommend are in the Oxford handbooks I listed at the end, and I have been unable to locate free-to-access versions.
Each section includes a question to consider that is intended to suggest ways that these precolonial histories have reverberations into the present. In a course I'd be able to draw them out more clearly, but keep them in mind as you read, if you like. Finally, please keep in mind that few of these sources will read like a "straightforward history" of "precolonial [xyz region/tribe/nation]." Be open-minded and critical-thinking!
Part 1: Foundations
Questions to consider:
Why didn't we learn this stuff?
Why should we learn this stuff?
Why do so many Indigenous people distrust historians / anthropologists / archaeologists?
Readings:
Michael Witgen (Red Cliff Ojibwe), "American Indians in World History" in The Oxford Handbook of American Indian History
Vine Deloria, Jr. (Standing Rock Sioux), Custer Died For Your Sins, chapter 4: "Anthropologists and Other Friends"
Floyd Westerman (Sisseton Dakota), "Here Come the Anthros" (music video!!)
Juliana Barr, "There's no such thing as prehistory"
Peregrine and Lekson, "The North American Oikumene"
(Parts 2-6 under the cut)
Part 2: Mesoamerica
Question to consider: How could so few Spaniards conquer the vast population of Tenochtitlan and other Aztec cities?
Readings:
Camilla Townsend, Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs
Popol Vuh (translated by Allen J. Christenson)
Part 3: Aridoamerica/Oasisamerica
Question to consider: How did the Southwest region of the United States become so associated with the touristy image of the "peaceful Pueblo Indian"?
Readings:
Joe Sando (Jemez Pueblo), Pueblo Nations: Eight Centuries of Pueblo Indian History
Severin Fowles, "The Pueblo Village in an Age of Reformation"
Part 4: The Midcontinent
Question to consider: How did the Five "Civilized" Tribes become so powerful, both historically and today?
Readings:
Alt and Pauketat, "Medieval Life in America's Heartland"
Christopher B. Teuton (Cherokee Nation), Cherokee Stories of the Turtle Island Liar's Club
Part 5: The Great Lakes
Question to consider: What role did Indigenous peoples play in the French ultimately losing their North American colonies? (Why am I writing this in English and not French?)
Readings:
Georges Sioui (Wendat), Huron-Wendat: Heritage of the Circle (I can't find an online copy but it's extremely worth buying)
Kayanerehkowa: The Great Law of Peace (Kahnawake Mohawk)
Part 6: General Resources
I would also recommend these two handbooks, if you can get a hold of them for a non-outrageous price:
The Oxford Handbook of American Indian History (2016)
The Oxford Handbook of North American Archaeology (2011)
So first of all: let me tell everybody how things went with the new glasses.
Briefly: they're brilliant. The new varifocals work way better than earlier versions of them have routinely done. (This is apparently secondary to the way my eyes continue to change shape as I get older. It continues to make me snicker that I'm getting Iess nearsighted as I age. "So," I said to my Eye Lady, "if I can manage to live to, like, a hundred and twenty-five, I'll be twenty-twenty?" She gave me sort of a cockeyed look. "Well... you'll still be astigmatic. As for the rest of it, let's see how things go...") The reading glasses are no good for the computer: theyâre genuinely just for reading. ...But this is okay, because the varifocals work fine for computer work. So THAT whole business has turned out more than satisfactorily... and thanks once more, from the bottom of my heart, to all those who helped out. â€ïž
And get this. I went out to lunch after picking the new glasses up, and in the middle of lunch found myself paper-outlining a paranormal police procedural trilogy. (headclutch) So that went well. ...And no, I can't tell anybody anything about the plotting on these: it's too soon. But this looks like something of a change of writing voice (and thematic material) for me: darker than usual, maybe a touch grittier. We'll see how this group of works sets itself up as work gets going. (Other works further along in progress are in front of these right now, but that's fine. Giving things time to mature is never a problem.)
Anyway: typically enough, some other unexpected health junk that had been behaving itself during the spring then started kicking up cranky in June and over the last couple of weeks. (eyeroll) I don't want to get into more detail than necessary about this, but it's an outgrowth of the internal problems that have made me give up long-distance travel. It's required a goodish outlay of cash, and has resulted in me falling behind on my rent.
My landlord is being really easygoing about this, but nonetheless I'd very much like to get caught up on this before it gets any worse. (As being behind this way, I'm finding, is increasingly interfering with my work... especially as that's now become so much easier to get to grips with due to the new glasses.)
So it seems to me that this is a good time to repeat the Summer Reading Sale over at Ebooks Direct!
I imagine lots of people here know the drill. Everything's cheap, and the ebook bundles are all being held at their lowest price points for the duration (meaning specifically the "All The Wizardry" bundle, the Middle Kingdoms series bundle, the LGBTQ Pride collection, and the Feline Wizardry bundleâEven our "Give Me Everything You've Got" collection, which is the whole ebook store in one package, has had a bit knocked off.
So could I get folks to reblog this post so that people who might not have caught one of these sales before can do so now if they want to? Please & thank you!
And additionally: for those who're already up to the gunwales in ebooks and don't need any more, but still want to help out with the rent situationâif you'd like instead to drop something into my Ko-Fi, it'd be very welcome. And if you feel like doing this, I thank you very much in advance! đ
Support Diane Duane
...So that's the news from Lake Wobegon for the moment. ...Now to slip outside and give the potted plants a potful or so of water as an evening drink. They've been suffering from the (unusual-for-us) local heat wave, there's a wildfire watch on (leading to a ban on selling portable BBQs), and we're also having a ban on watering things with a hose at the moment. (sigh) One thing after another...
There are three books we were watching for today. From the titles, descriptions, and covers, they look intriguing to me. What do you think?
To Dance the Moon and Stars (A Graphic Novel) by Tasia MS and Barbara Perez Marquez
Joy Revolution
Eighteen-year-old Myra has spent her entire life training to succeed her grandmother as high priestess. But with her ascension rapidly approaching, sheâs worried about the path ahead. How can she become the herald of the god Alrun when he forbids the thing she loves most: dancing?
Her people canât afford her self-doubt, though. A peace treaty is dependent on Myra receiving Alrunâs wisdom, and the forces of darkness are seeping through the barrier between worlds. The only source of light Myra has is her childhood best friend, the crown prince. Without his support and . . . love, she may not be able to stop whatâs coming.
Myra must dig deep into her kingdomâs forgotten history for answers, even if it means defying the law. But the key to saving her people may require her to make the biggest sacrifice of all.
What Lies Beneath the Flowers by Natasha Diaz
Delacorte
It girl Estella Aubergine is everything Pippa and Bidi are not: wealthy, popular, influential, missing. Finding her and collecting the reward money Estellaâs reclusive mother is offering could turn their lives around. Theyâd be able to pay off the overdue bills on Pippaâs familyâs store, and all the media attention would only help Bidiâs chances of becoming the youngest elected official in San Francisco.
But to uncover what happened to Estella, theyâll have to enter her wealthy world. Namely, the prestigious Beaumont Academy, where Estellaâs classmates and teachers all seem to have dark secrets and enough money to hide them.
The deeper Pippa and Bidi dig, the more questions come up about Estellaâs disappearance. Worse, someone seems to be clocking their every step. And as cracks form in the girlsâ friendship, they begin to see that maybe the grass isnât always greener on the other side.
Lovestuck by Farah Naz Rishi
Quill Tree Books
Of all her sisters, only Riya inherited the full powers of their peri ancestor, a fey creature specializing in emotion magicâŠespecially the sacred power of love.
Riya has never been interested in loveâmuch to the disappointment of her best friend, Mel, who really, really wants Riya to get Mel and her crush together before senior yearâs over. The only thing Riya cares about, truthfully, is forgetting the last, disastrous time she used her powers.
So, when Mel finally convinces her to give her crush a tiny push, sheâs horrified when the peri magic lashes out of control yet again. Instead of a casual love spell, sheâs placed an accidental love curse on the school bad boy, Kian Kho. Riya doesnât like Kian one bitâbut if the curse isnât reversed by the next full moon, his unrequited love could leave him literally heartbroken.
As the letters, public declarations, flowers, and songs pile up, thereâs only one way out: master her peri magic and break the curseâbefore theyâre both love-stuck forever.
While I was taking a look at upcoming titles this summer, a theme caught my eye. Here are five books all about the highest stakes: life and death.
Funerals Are for the Living by Sami Ellis
Amulet || Publishes 21 July 2026
A month ago, Junie Daniels was in a car crash that left her with a dead sister, fragmented memories of the accident, and a mother too checked-out to plan a funeral. The cheapest grave plot Junie can find is in the next town over. Sure, Williamsville is still proudly named after a slave master who was rumored to dabble in dark magicâbut this North Carolina, after all.
When unexplained occurrences start happening at the graveyard, though, Junie and her best friend, Omari, investigate. And itâs not long before Junie and Omari are takenâŠ
Williamsville wants both Daniels girls. But Junie will do anything to protect her sisterâeven if itâs only her corpse.
Take it to Your Grave by Lounge Bou-Montes
Godwin Books || Publishes 21 July 2026
Maximiliano Rafael Guerrero Lopez âMaxâ has been dead for 30 years. Heâs stuck as a sixteen-year-old in his childhood bedroom with no memory of how he died, and no company aside from rotting floor boards and mildew-ridden guitars.
JoaquĂn Felix LadrĂłn âJoaquĂnâ is a high schooler whoâs desperate to experience something paranormalâheâd do anything to even catch a glimpse of a ghost, even if it means sacrificing his relationship with his boyfriend.
When JoaquĂn goes on a ghost hunt at an abandoned house thatâs rumored to be haunted, he and Max find their fates becoming intertwined in ways neither of them expected. But, as Maxâs powers begin to grow stronger, it becomes clear that their tentative friendship may just prove to be fatalâŠ
Too Perfect to Die by Juliana Goodman
Feiwel & Friends || Publishes 28 July 2026
With competition this fierce, bodies are bound to hit the matâŠ
All Jonty has ever wanted is to lead her cheerleading team, The Exalted Ones, to win a NCA championship. Cheer is not just a sport, itâs her legacy. Her mother cheered for T.E.O. before she died, and Jonty would do anything to snatch the crown and honor her motherâs memory. This year she has a real shot, finally beating her rival Tommie and becoming the team captain.
But Jontyâs perfect season is shattered when Tommie shows up dead on the first day of practice. Now the team is down a flyer and everyone is convinced that Jonty killed her. Everyone except Adam, her co-captain, who was with her the night that Tommie died.
As the season progresses, girls keep dropping like flies, and one thing becomes clear: Someone is sabotaging The Exalted Ones, and theyâre willing to commit murder to get their way. But with the police still convinced itâs her, will Jonty be able to save herself, her team, and her perfect season?
Death Card by Jasmine Smith
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books For Young Readers || Publishes 11 August 2026
A dark contemporary fantasy featuring witchcraft, tarot, death, and a bit of romance that's perfect for fans of Immortal Dark and Cinderella Is Dead.
On an ordinary Monday morning, eighteen-year-old Mikaela Broussard receives the shock of her life. During a customerâs tarot reading at her familyâs occult shop, she turns over the Death card and envisions the beautiful stranger stabbing her in the heart.
In order to determine why the girl, Joelle, wants to kill her, sheâll have to keep her close. But the more time Mikaela spends with her soon-to-be murderer, the more irresistible she finds her.
As if imminent death isnât worrisome enough, witches are turning up with their magic stolen. And itâs clear some very dark magic is at work. Mikaela, as the next Witch Queen of her coven, is tasked with figuring out whoâs behind the horrific actsâa mystery that will put her and her power to the test.
Death Card is a dark, pacy, and romantic fantasy about one witchâs journey to find the strength to fight for herself, her future, and her beloved community.
My Killer Family Reunion by Dinesh Thiru
Atheneum Books for Young Readers || Publishes 11 August 2026
Knives Out meets Never Have I Ever in this hilarious and twisty young adult mystery-comedy about an Indian American teen whose family reunion at a lavish manor falls into chaos after her grandma is attacked.
Nothings brings family together like attempted murder.
There are three things Jayshree Devi can count on happening at her annual family reunion: 1) her cousins will forget she exists, 2) her aunts will try to set her up, and 3) her uncles will get into a fight. What she doesnât expect? An accident that lands her grandmother in a coma, throwing the familyâand their matriarchâs sizeable fortuneâinto chaos.
When Jay discovers Grand Momâs âaccidentâ might not have been so accidental after all, sheâll have to dig through decades of secrets to find the truth. With the help of her (annoyingly perky) cousins and one of their (annoyingly hot) friends, Jay finds herself knee-deep in a mystery thatâs even more tangled than her family tree.
But the closer Jay gets to answers, the closer she gets to finding her place amongst the relatives who once felt so distant. With Grand Momâs life and fortune hanging in the balance, can Jay save her family and maybe hook up with a hottie while sheâs at it?
this is a painting that i started probably three years ago, and finally decided to come back to and finish! i don't think you need to finish everything you start, but it's rarely too late to return to things if you want t!
[ID copied from alt text: An acrylic painting of a wolf howling over a deep teal background with stars and swirls on it. The painting is impasto, with a textured, vibrant feel. End ID.]
A number of books coming out this week that have a little bit of something for every reader in your household.Â
King of Lost Dreams by Nevin Holness
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
The magical underbelly of London is no longer under threat from the malevolent daughter of Death after she was vanquished during an epic nine-night. But in her wake, certain truths have been unearthed that have left Malcolm, Eli, Sunny, and their friends fractured and desperate to lay the past to rest.
For Malcolmâa boy grappling with his inherited death magicâconfronting his past means facing heartbreak, realities he isnât yet ready to acknowledge, and perhaps even first love. On the other hand, Eli, a silver-tongued thief with no memories of his past, is more determined than ever to uncover his lost identity and find out once and for all where he came from, unless his past catches up with him firstâŠ
Something is lurking in Eliâs dreams, giving teeth to his nightmares. And when Malcolm finds a mysterious letter in the ruins of a former magical sanctuary full of its own secret histories, he and their friends set out to find a hidden key that may just be the answer to all their problems. If they want a chance against the shadow thatâs been hunting Eli, theyâll need to learn the magic of their ancestors and go back to the very beginning: when magic first arrived in London.
Free Girls by Kristen McCallum
Flatiron Books
Sixteen-year-old Jasmine Cooper is back after twelve months at Guiding Hearts Home for Troubled Girls, and nothing is the way it was. Her mom has remarried and now thereâs a big new house, a shiny new family, and a fancy new school. Jas feels completely out of place, and things only get more complicated when her mom insists that her âfresh startâ include hiding the truth of where sheâs been and cutting off people from her past.
As Jas settles into her new life bonding with her seemingly perfect stepsister, making a close-knit group of besties, and maybe even falling for the cute girl in class, it starts to feel like her second chance might actually be real.
But when a friend from the detention center reaches out to reconnect, Jas worries that everything sheâs built could fall apart. How long can she keep her past a secret? And how many times can she spin the truth before she forgets who she really is?
Coming Out Perfect #1 by Richard Mercado
Graphix
When Kevinâs parents ignore his attempts to come out of the closet, he devises a plan to become more like Raymond, the popular gay kid at his high school. After all, if Kevin can do everything perfectly, too, then people will have to pay attention to him.
But life under Raymondâs wing isnât easy: a dress code, new things Kevin can and canât do, and even abandoning his old âuncoolâ friends. Perfection comes at a cost, and Kevin must decide whether itâs worth the sacrifice.
Hallieâs Rules for a Recovering Romantic by Jessica Lewis
HarperCollins Childrenâs Books
Hallie loves romance, but it doesnât seem to love her back. Her six-time broken heart can attest to that.
So when Hallie has the chance to attend a prestigious academic summer camp, she sees an opportunity not just to better herself, but to reinvent herself. Into a new Hallie who will succeed where the old one failedâin school, friends, and especially love.
First, a fresh startâwhich means no romance, all summer. If Hallieâs fortitude is immediately tested by Julia, her gorgeous camp roommate with an uncrackable icy shell, then all the better! Reinvention is never easy!
Yet as Hallie and Julia get clos
er, Hallieâs heart is in more danger than ever. With the prospect of real love on the line, can Hallie trust that New Hallie wonât make the mistakes that she did? Or is Julia looking for someone elseâthe unfiltered, unaltered, real Hallie?
Wish You Werenât Here meets I Think I Love You in this sweet, summer rom-com, where plans go wonderfully astray, the best rules are broken ones, and love might actually be just around the corner.
Deathless (Fateless #2) by Julie Kagawa
HarperCollins Publishers
Sparrow and her companions have been left with an impossible task: slay the immortal Deathless King, whose magic siphons the very life of the world to sustain himself.
The answer may lie deep in the past, when those who would become Deathless Kings stormed the sanctuary of the goddess of Fate, in an attempt to remove their threads from the Weave and become immortal. They broke off a piece of the goddessâs loom and hurled it to the earth, where it still lies at the center of a dangerous wasteland called the World Scar.
For any chance against the Deathless King, Sparrow and her companions must brave the World Scar and reach the loom, which would grant the power of a goddess. But the journey is fraught with danger, and the powerful Deathless King determined to find them.
And if the loom is reachedâwhat will the power of a goddess do to a mere mortal? Sparrow has no choice but to find out.
The Bad Boyfriend Curse by Farah Heron
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Meera Noorani has spent her whole life playing it safe.
Raised by her single mom, sheâs had toâespecially in love. After all, it has been proven, generation after generation, that all Noorani women are cursed to have partners who ruin their lives.
And though she tried her best to avoid it, Meeraâs fate comes a-calling, and within the span of a week, sheâs broken up with, arrested, and then shipped to small-town Canada, where sheâll be completing her community service under the watchful eye of her mom and her new stepdad.
Meeraâs spent her whole life being good, and this is the thanks she gets?
If she can pose a threat to Momâs perfect new life, though, maybe she can get back to the city. And thereâs no better way to do that than date one of her fellow teen delinquents. Noah has got the piercings, tattoos, and rumors to prove that heâs the townâs most infamous bad boyâŠbut when the bad boy isnât actually bad, whatâs a girl meant to do?
Woke up, used the washroom, GB was nice and took the whining dog out, and I slept until 9...
Washed and dressed
Breakfasted and internetted
Dithered
Chopped ingredients for double batch Presidential Chili (for BB while we're gone) and tossed them into a slow cooker
lalala
Decided to finally get my living room crafting area tidied, found some things that I needed to finish my project today, and also evidence of a most unwelcome kind, ugh; I managed to clean most of it but asked GB to get the rest
Attended stitch-in, where I ironed the cat cross stitch ornament, cut out foamboard for the backing (found a tutorial that helped!), lots of running stitches to get the the backing boards covered, and then whip-stitched everything together
It's a takeout night, we decided on a place but they weren't taking orders for some reason, so we pivoted to another
took the puppy for walk
Dinner was waiting when I returned
Date night started; we had Kitava, and watched Leverage: Redemption, and had started to play COE33, and GB's other partner called in so much pain that he took her to the hospital; turned out that it was a continuation of the issue she's just had treated.
Played some YPP
And then, there was a kerfluffle (an understatement) with F and KP (where she is now) and F wants to leave, but that is a WHOLE can of not really possible, and I spent more than 2 hours on a video call with her, trying to be calm, and teaching her Klondike Solitaire so that she could get her mind calm enough to sleep
Played ACNH while on the call
GB got home very late, and we played a little COE33 to calm ourselves, mostly exploring more little places to collect items and having a few way-too-easy-now fights
Got to bed way way late and it took a bit to finally turn off my brain
Thursday
Awakened by the puppy, then slept until around 7:45
Washed and dressed
Took the puppy out for a walk straight away to let GB get a little more sleep, as he was up later than I; we went over to the park, and made friends with several dogs
Breakfasted and internetted
Did a little research into the F leaving early thing, and discovered that we need some documents for her to travel, oops
Another 2ish hours with F and then KP to see if we can settle F down; we hit a little of an impasse, but decided that after 3 go rounds part of things needed to be not talked about for a bit, and they decided to try and do some light-hearted things together (and that seemed to settle things down)
Stripped the bed
Washed the sheets
Fed myself and watched some Being Human
Took down the bag of crafting items that needed to be put away
Tossed the sheets into the dryer
Folded and put away my laundry from Tuesday
Reminded K that I needed any laundry of theirs that needed washing
Prepped taco meat, and tossed it into the slow cooker
Reset the upstairs and downstairs freezers
Prepped my e-reader for the trip: selected library books, got them checked out and downloaded and synced to the e-reader; synced all my recently bought books; updated the e-reader
The puppy was being all kinds of whiny crazy, so I took her out for some fetch, as I wasn't up for a big walk, and that seemed to settle her
tossed the couch blankets into the wash
Folded and put away the sheets load
Looked for some crafting things for K, and failed to find
lalala
Made myself little tacos for dinner
GB finally got home (he went to see his other partner in the hospital) and we dealt with the online notarization for F's consent form
Found a brownie when I was resetting the freezer, and had it for dessert
I was DONE for the day, so I watched a movie and played YPP, interspersed with COE33 with GB when he needed a break from his moving a kid room around task
Took the puppy outside so that I could play tug with her and let GB sleep in (nearly an hour)
Breakfasted and internetted
Prodded K to get up and eat and take meds
Took the puppy out for a long (in time) walk and some fetch
rested and TVed
dithered a lot
Finally did some necessary adulting:
Scheduled fitting and pickup of K's glasses
Called to reschedule my dentist appointment; had to leave a message
Did more research on the school district's website, and finally found an email for the district 504 coordination and crafted a message regarding getting K's accommodations in place before school starts. (it took way longer than I thought it would)
Had to rewash BB's clothes, as he had left them in the washer too ling, ugh
Pre-treated my laundry while re-watching KPDH (end adulting)
Tossed BB's clothes into the dryer
YPP
Phone date!
took the puppy out for a walk and some fetch (a lot shorter time, as the wind was howling and it was COLD!)
Leftovers for dinner
Internetting and TV
ACNH
Got to bed a littler bit earlier; read System Collapse until I fell asleep
Really hit a wall of tired around 9:15
Tuesday
Out of bed by 7:30, very hot and sweaty
Washed and dressed
Took the dog out for a lot of tug so GB could sleep in a little
While I was out in the yard, I noticed that the rose was really over-grown so I pruned it. I also noticed several more thistles, which I pulled (they are invasive in my area; but diligent pulling means I only had about a dozen this year, instead of a yardful that we had the first year). I forgot to take a before photo of the rose, but it was so grown out that canes had snaked through the fence, so I took a photo of that so you can see how long they were.
Cleaned my pruner (the rose has some sort of must)
Breakfasted and internetted and newsed
Wrote post
Tossed laundry #1 into the washer
Chopped ingredients for chicken mahkani with cauliflower, and tossed them into a slow cooker
Hung-to-dry most of laundry #1
Tossed laundry #2 into the washer
Lunched and Tved and dithered
Hung-to-dry most of laundry #2, tossed the rest into the dryer and turned the dryer on
Accompanied K (driven by GB) to the optometrist to pick up their glasses; they are amazed at being able to see far away writing so much clearer!
Went shopping to find a pair of soft pants to travel in that doesn't require a belt; the least bad option still needs to be hemmed by about 3 inches...
Finished reading Score on the way home! It's very, very good; a lot of history, and social and medical justice, and excellently and compassionately written.
Made rice and cucumber/tomato salad to round out dinner
Tumblred
Played COE33 with GB; clearing up a lot of little areas we originally bypassed in this playthrough to get caught back up
Again, hit the tired wall early. Headed to bed before my reminder...
ETA: and then got hit by the worst heartburn i have had in YEARS that came on without warning; it took over an hour and 2 cups of BSW to calm down, while I played spades with bots... and then finally went to bed, utterly exhausted.
We have quite a few on our release list this week including one I got to read early - The Vacation Shift. If you like rom-coms or travel related stories, you'll want to grab that one, but several others are calling to me.
Doe by Rebecca Barrow
Nancy Paulsen Books
Maris Larsen is the captain of the West Eaton High cheer team. Sheâs Coachâs favorite and the team worships her. Being on the team makes her feel specialâpowerful. When sheâs leading the girls on the mat, Maris doesnât have to think about her dead-end life in a dead-end town. She can forget about her depressed mother and absent father and the fact that her girlfriend doesnât really love her. But when newcomer and Coachâs new golden girl, Genevieve Ray, joins the team, the only thing going right in Marisâs life is suddenly in jeopardy. A bitter rivalry develops between the two, but Maris is determined to take Genevieve down. The knife she needs to wield comes to Maris in her dreams.
While sleepwalking, Maris is visited by a monstrous, decaying beast in the shape of an enormous deer. Doe is an ancient, tired creature who has been wandering, trapped in her current form for decades. She cannot die, but she cannot go on living as she has. Only a girl related by blood to those who bound her in this form can free her, but those girls she loved died years agoâmurdered in a fire.
But Maris is somehow linked to Doeâs beloved girlsâlinked by bloodâand so she has the power to free Doe, to unleash her immense power. In Marisâs dreams, she and Doe form a bond, but Maris doesnât know the creature from her dreams is real. Maris doesnât understand the danger sheâs in. She only knows Doe has promised her a way to win her battle with Genevieve. But for Maris to win, someone has to die, and the only real winner in the end will be Doe.
The Vacation Shift by Lily Chu
Quill Tree Books
Ivy Yu is cursed. Her parents separated six months ago, and sheâs fallen into a fog. To help, her mother books an impulsive trip to Japan (cool) on a bus tour (very uncool). Ivy should be grateful, but this summer is her last chance to get her situationship, Connor, to fall in love with her.
When they arrive in Tokyo, itâs even worse than she imagined. Ivy and her Mom are the youngest of a group of seniors. Make that two of the youngest: thereâs brooding Matteo, with his single dad, Keith.
Then Ivy discovers her mother and Keith are getting close, and her crush back home is hooking up with someone else. Desperate for some semblance of control and a distraction from the heaviness she canât seem to shake off, she makes a deal with Matteo to keep their parents apart. Luckily, he agreesâand their devious plans begin.
Dodging nosy old ladies on the bus ride through Japan, their strange partnership begins to blossom into something unexpected and excitingâbut can their romantic spark survive the journey?
Checking You Out by Jennifer Chen
Wednesday Books
Lizzie Wei is a huge book nerd, and proud of it. And when she realizes there is a mysterious reader who has been checking out all of her favorite books from the library, she canât help but get a crush on someone sheâs never even met. Her friends make it their mission to find Lizzieâs long lost book soulmate and convince her to leave notes for her crush. But what if the person Lizzie is looking for, isnât at all what she expects?
Dylan Lin loves reading, secretly anyway. Ever since a bullying incident at his last school, heâs hidden his love of fantasy novels, instead leaning into his jock persona. Now heâs the tennis team captain, runs every day, and actively avoids reading. So, when he decides to start volunteering at a kitten nursery, and his super cute co-volunteer Lizzie asks if he likes reading, he says no. He never expects the look of complete and utter disappointment on Lizzieâs face.
Lizzie is certain her secret crush isnât Dylan. It canât be! But when he accidentally makes an obscure reference to her favorite book during their volunteer shift, sheâs not so sure anymore. Can Lizzie forgive Dylan for lying? And can Dylan be brave enough to be himself?
Jennifer Chenâs Checking You Out is a contemporary romance about being true to yourself and celebrating what you love, because you just might find the perfect person to share it with.
Good Luck, Babe! by Erin Baldwin
Viking Books for Young Readers
Reality TV enthusiasts Noelle and Yumi spent ten years attached at the hipâuntil the summer after junior year. One ill-fated night (and one awkward kiss) ended their friendship, and after a year of no contact, fate throws the girls back together when theyâre offered a last-minute spot on their favorite showâan Amazing Race analog called The Adventureverse.
Itâs a chance to put their superfan status to the test, a dream come true. Except for a few snags: Itâs an all-couples season, filming starts in two days, and Noelle hasnât spoken to her âgirlfriendâ in a year. But Noelle already has plans to use the prize money on her ailing fatherâs medical expenses. She would do anything for himâincluding fake date her ex-bestie on national television.
Can Noelle walk a tightrope between reality and TV while juggling a pretend relationship and true feelings? Or will she get sent home empty-handed and brokenhearted?
The Romance Rewind by Sarah Everett
G.P. Putnamâs Sons Books for Young Readers
Zadie expected her anniversary dinner with her boyfriend, Jason, to end with a dreamy promposalânot a breakup and a car crash!
When she wakes up in the hospital, she gets even worse news: Jason is in a coma. With nothing to do but wait by his side, Zadie is left wondering where the relationship went wrong and if anyone else knows about the breakup.
Suddenly, Zadie is catapulted back to their first date, trapped in a time loop she canât escape. To make matters worse, Jasonâs cousin Marcus is along for the ride, threatening to spill her secret. Can Zadie mend her relationship with Jason before he wakes up, or will Marcus shatter her hopes for a happily-ever-after?
For fans of The Do-Over and Check & Mate, get whisked away in this charming new rom-com abounding with betrayal, twists, and romance tropes.
There is one very important thing I need people without major dietary restrictions to understand: the distress caused by allergies, celiac disease, and other food restrictions is largely not about the food.
Do I miss some foods I can't eat anymore without getting sick? Sure, but that's not what really bothers me. What bothers me is being excluded from a huge portion of human social life of which food is a crucial component. What bothers me is the stress and social stigma of trying to figure out what I can safely eat. What bothers me is the amount of extra work and cost that is required of me to identify, obtain, and prepare safe foods. What bothers me is people treating my needs like a nuisance, as though I chose to be like this - as though their brief inconvenience to check an ingredients list is unreasonable, when I deal with this every day of my life forever.
I don't miss the food that much. I miss not having to worry about what I eat. I miss freedom. I miss when trying new foods and new restaurants was fun instead of a minefield. I miss not having to plan my entire life around the need for safe foods.
Food is such a basic human need, and a lot of people don't really need to think about it. When your danger foods can be anywhere and everywhere, suddenly your entire life revolves around avoiding them, and it massively sucks. You get used to it and it's not a big deal most of the time, but then you go to a new restaurant, or your office has a potluck, or you've been invited to a party and suddenly it feels just as miserable and exhausting as it ever has.
