What I read: This week I read The Light Between Oceans, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, and am currently reading Before the Fall.
A lot of people have recommended The Light Between Oceans to me over the years, so when I saw it in our library’s used book room for $.25, I figured I should go ahead and try it out. The reason I was so hesitant is because I knew it dealt with a lost child who was found by a childless couple. And then if that was not bad enough….the child had to be returned to its original family later (doesn’t that sound heart wrenching?) I honestly didn’t think I could handle it (I barely did!) On a positive note, the book is beautifully written. If I had a highlighter I would have marked at least one phrase per page (probably way more) due to the author’s way with words. However, this is a really sad story. While I have read sad stories in the past, I usually can look past the sorrow if there is a rainbow at the ending. For me, the rainbow was missing in the end:(
**But if you love beautiful, thought provoking writing and you do not get depressed with unhappy endings…definitely read this book.
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice is the first book in the Mary Russell series. I had previously read one of the later books and liked it so much, that I decided to read the whole series. It is a Sherlock Holmes retelling with a female Watson sort of character. I am very happy to know that there are at least ten more books in this series for me to read!!
I love listening to the What Should I Read Next? with Anne Bogel podcast while I do the dishes each evening. One book has been mentioned again and again, so I put it on my personal TBR list. The book is called Before the Fall. It is about the search for answers after a plane crash happens in the beginning of the book. The author brilliantly swings back and forth between the present and past lives of all of the crash victims to create a perfect thriller. I haven’t finished it yet, but I am really enjoying the story so far. **Warning: There are some wildly inappropriate situations and curse words peppered throughout the story, but I am trying to overlook that as much as possible:)
Emma (15 years old) is reading The Light Between Oceans.
Ben (8 years old) is reading The Sea of Monsters, Judy Moody Predicts the Future, and Farmer Boy.
What I watched: I am currently watching Season 9 of Murdoch Mysteries and Better Call Saul with my husband.
Something I was happy to check off my to do list:
-Getting Emma through her first two exams of her semester. She always seems to get really stressed before the first exam and then settles down for the rest of the semester. So glad that is over for now! (She did beautifully on her exams by the way)
This week, I am looking forward to:
-Donating blood (I have been meaning to do this since the New Year….maybe if I share it here, I will make it happen)
Things I learned:
-That little boys love Valentine’s Day as much as girls. Our homeschool co-op was selling little Valentine gift bags that parents could send to their kids during class. Being the frugal mom that I am, I decided that Ben wouldn’t like it because it seemed kind of girly….I was wrong. I told him sorry and that I would get him one next year:(
-Ben has officially outgrown kid’s meals at restaurants. We ate at Niffer’s in Auburn this weekend (War Eagle!) and the kid’s meal was tiny. Ben scarfed it down in a flash and then started to pout. Luckily, Emma was nice enough to share her garlic bread with him and then he topped the meager dinner off at his grandmother’s house with a big bowl of ice cream. My baby is growing up…
Funny Cute things that happened this week:
Ben made me a cute valentine that he drew all by himself. I especially love the “I wuv u” note (He wanted everyone to know that he knows how to spell “I love you” and that this was just a creative touch) **This is Ben’s interpretation of Pusheen the Cat.
The Thrifty Educator 