School Is Back in Session!

 G is about to start 8th grade! I can't believe it. Summer went by so fast. We made it camping and a small weekend trip to Idaho to see friends and enjoy The Chicks concert. And I have been hiking a lot and seeing some beautiful mountains in preparations for my big hike next month.

We have been having a lot of rain and thunder storms out our way. Summer storms are normal but this has been more than I remember in a long long time.

G had is back-to-school night this last week and he got excited to get back to it...well, at least a teensy more excited. I'll take it! I remember always being a little bit anxious but also entwined was the excitement of a new year and possibilities ahead. I wish that for him and hope nothing but great things for his last year of middle school.

We enjoyed a lovely camping trip to Mirror Lake up the Uintah Mountains. And I finished up one of my favorite puzzles. She's a beauty. The various paintings in the series are all gorgeous and would like to collect them all.
So big changes with school setting in this week...I'm just hoping we can all get back into and still enjoy summer as fall is soon upon us!

Currently Reading 

Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker

Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington by Jamie Kirchick

What Do You Say? How to Talk with Kids to Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure by Yascha Mounk

A Darker Shade of Magic (Darker Shades #1) by V.E. Schwab

Read

Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S.A. Correy. (reviewed earlier).

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Publisher's Summary:

In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.

But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will help her.

Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness.

Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.

My Thoughts:

I really loved this one! It had some fun throwbacks to Rebecca and the Goth feeling of dark and foreboding and forbidden passion. Just what I needed.

We follow both Beatriz and Padre Andres as they each have different paths that lead them to our point in the book. Lots of flashbacks and things unhidden as the story progresses. And some of those scenes are truly terrifying.

I'm definitely coming back for more.

Aru Shah and the Song of Death (Pandava#2) by Roshani Chokshi

Publisher's Summary:

Aru is only just getting the hang of this whole Pandava thing when the Otherworld goes into full panic mode. The god of love's bow and arrow have gone missing, and the thief isn't playing Cupid. Instead, they're turning people into heartless fighting-machine zombies. If that weren't bad enough, somehow Aru gets framed as the thief. If she doesn't find the arrow by the next full moon, she'll be kicked out of the Otherworld. For good. But, for better or worse, she won't be going it alone. Along with her soul-sister, Mini, Aru will team up with Brynne, an ultra-strong girl who knows more than she lets on, and Aiden, the boy who lives across the street and is also hiding plenty of secrets. Together they'll battle demons, travel through a glittering and dangerous serpent realm, and discover that their enemy isn't at all who they expected.

My Thoughts:

It was great to revisit this series. G and I are really loving this. We are now on book 3 and no more re-reads left! Three books to go to finish this series off!

I like the issues these books bring up. Loyalty, family, friends, trusting yourself, and letting new people in. Also, you know, puberty and feelings for friends and such. All great themes throughout. Also, she brings up sexism in these stories and how sometimes people want and need to be remembered differently. And it's also just really funny. G will laugh multiple times while I'm reading and I'll even have a slight chuckle or two.

Memory's Legion by James S.A. Correy 

My Thoughts:

This contains all of the short stories written over the years for The Expanse. Also the last short story that takes place after the last book is in it.

Some were better than others. I liked the ones that brought more insight into our main characters. But overall, they were all interesting and had relevance for the world we've been following for so long! Highly recommended if you love the series.

Movies Watched:

I watched a lot of movies these summer nights with the family, friends, and by myself. I'll just throw out some highlights!

Feel the need...the need for speed

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) in the theater

My Thoughts:

Everyone is losing their shit over this one. I mean yeah, it was fun. Those scenes with the jets were fricking cool. And I can see why this is the movie America needed right now. I get it. I really do.

But yeah, that plot? 😂 And Tommy boy just leaves a bad taste in my mouth...

Romance is a lot like baseball. It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.

Bull Durham (1988) on Amazon Prime

My Thoughts:

This is apparently the best baseball movie ever. I'm not a huge baseball fan but I do like a good sports movie regardless of whether or not I actually play, watch, or follow the sport in real life. This was a really interesting movie. Susan Sarandon is hot! She wins this movie forever and ever. So glad I took the time to watch.

Work together or die alone

The 355 (2022) watched on Amazon Prime

My Thoughts:

This is not a well-loved movie. But I got out of it what I expected. Stupid plot but I loved the fights and the way the actresses worked together. It's not perfect but I didn't need it to be. 

Hit the high seas

The Sea Beast (2022). Netflix

My Thoughts:

It was cute even though predictable. It's got pirates and silly songs and G enjoyed it. So I won't complain too much.

The one is not the only

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). Saw in theater.

My Thoughts:

Another fun edition to the Thor movies. Taika Waititi is fantastic as always. I'm not sure it's as good as Ragnarok but I'm OK with that. The marvel formula can get a bit old but I always love returning to familiar characters and places. The cameos are pretty hilarious too.

TV Watched:

I'm still watching Star Trek: TNG. Now season five! This season is really good. I forgot how many good ones they have. Like this is the first season with consistently good episodes.

Started The Sandman on Netflix. Really good so far. Loving the whole fantastical element and contemplating how weird studios are when WB can't sell off this series to its own HBO Max network and sells it to Netflix! Same with Ted Lasso...that was made by NBC and sold off to Apple! Weird.

Also binged my way through The Staircase on HBO. That case fascinates me in so many ways. 

Joining up with Deb from Readerbuzz and her Sunday Salon.