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Vintage81

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Posts posted by Vintage81

  1. 1 hour ago, KrissiK said:

    So…for those who read and loved “A Gentleman in Moscow”, are you going to watch the mini-series? And do you agree with casting Ewan McGregor as the Count? I will not be watching because Ewan McGregor is absolutely not the Count of my imagination who I fell madly in love with. So there!

    I won't be watching because it looks like the show is either on Showtime or Paramount+ and I don't have either of those. I'm kind of indifferent about Ewan McGregor. He's not who I pictured, but he might not be terrible since he's a good actor. 

    • Like 3
  2. I finished Happily Never After by Lynn Painter: "Their name? The objectors. Their job? To break off weddings as hired. Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.

    When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”

    During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.

    The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.

    And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime."

    I've read several books by Lynn Painter, and I usually really like them, but this one was just meh. (I think her YA books are much better.) The premise was kind of weird and by the middle of the book, lost. The main characters were shallow, which was surprising because this author usually adds more meaningful things to her storylines. This one was just two people dealing with bad breakups...kind of boring. Her writing was still fun and witty, so it kept me entertained. (3 stars)

    • Like 3
  3. For school, my younger DD and I read The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean (young reader's edition): "Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why did tellurium (Te, 52) lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history?

    The periodic table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, greed, betrayal, and obsession. The fascinating tales in The Disappearing Spoon follow elements on the table as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, conflict, the arts, medicine, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.

    Adapted for a middle grade audience, the young readers edition of The Disappearing Spoon offers the material in a simple, easy-to-follow format, with approximately 20 line drawings and sidebars throughout. Students, teachers, and burgeoning science buffs will love learning about the history behind the chemistry."

    We read this to go along with our History of Science study and quite enjoyed it. It had a lot of interesting facts and information about the elements on the periodic table. (4 stars)

     

    One of the books I chose during the summer last year to be a part of my older DD's American Literature Study was Black Boy by Richard Wright: "Richard Wright grew up in the woods of Mississippi amid poverty, hunger, fear, and hatred. He lied, stole, and raged at those around him; at six he was a "drunkard," hanging about in taverns. Surly, brutal, cold, suspicious, and self-pitying, he was surrounded on one side by whites who were either indifferent to him, pitying, or cruel, and on the other by blacks who resented anyone trying to rise above the common lot.

    Black Boy is Richard Wright's powerful account of his journey from innocence to experience in the Jim Crow South. It is at once an unashamed confession and a profound indictment—a poignant and disturbing record of social injustice and human suffering."

    Unfortunately, due to some scheduling issues, I had to discard this one from the list once school started. I ended up starting it anyway, reading about half of it and skimming the second half. I enjoyed the first half, which mostly discussed his childhood. The second half was more about his involvement with the Communist Party and politics and from what I skimmed wasn't as enjoyable. 

    • Like 4
  4. I finished Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross (sequel to Divine Royals): "Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.

    Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war."

    I was really disappointed in this one. I liked the first book a lot, with one gripe about the lack of world-building. However, this one was a stinker. First, I've decided that I really dislike the memory loss trope. I kind of feel like this is lazy writing by the author just to extend the book series. In actuality, this story probably could've been written as one larger book, but whatever. The first 200-250 pages were a waste of time. Nothing happened. By the time I got to the latter half I was so bored I started skimming. The author started giving us some world-building but by this point it was so late in the game it felt weird and out of place. The were some good little bits at the end but not enough for redemption. I was happy to be done with this one. 🫤 (2, maybe 2.5 stars)

    • Like 4
  5. I finished Dr. Slump! Really cute couple, loved the family and side characters. I feel like the first half of the show was stronger than the second half (the medical accident storyline got kind of weird), but overall I enjoyed this show. It had a nice, happy ending. I really loved the mom in this one! She wasn't perfect, but she really cared about her kids and had a lovely bond with them. 

    • Like 1
  6. 41 minutes ago, Grace Hopper said:

    You have to go  in knowing she’s not going to let all her people get a happily ever after. I love her storytelling but yeah, I come away with a pile of used tissues and a melancholy book hangover every time I read one of hers. So good, though!

    I definitely know that about her books...there will be sadness and probably death!! The Four Winds just felt extreme....there didn't seem to be any up and down to the story, just down. It really put me in a funk after reading it. I think for me to pick up another one of her books, the topic is going to have to be something that really interests me and I'm not sure this latest one does. I'm sure the book is well written and very good, all of her books are. I'm just cautious of them now. 

    • Like 4
  7. This is what we've decided on so far...

    Math - Mr. D Geometry

    English - Lantern English (9th grade full year curriculum)

    Science - Biology (through our local co-op)

    History - World Geography (FundaFunda Academy)

    Foreign Language - German I (having scheduling issues with this, but I think we're going with True North Academy)

    Electives/Other:

    Photography (through our local co-op)

    Film class (through our local co-op)

    PE (at home)

    Extracurriculars:

    She'll probably do track in the spring

    She's been doing MMA classes for over 5 years, so we're trying to convince her to stick with this when she's not doing track

    • Like 1
  8. 1 hour ago, Kassia said:

    Oh, I bet I wanted to read it because of you then!  I'll have to go back and see what you posted!  

    ETA - I didn't find your original post but I saw that you gave it five stars in your yearly wrap-up!   

    I really appreciated the topic…while I know about Syria from what I’ve seen on the news, reading about it (even a fictional story) was interesting. I also liked the little bit of magical realism that was thrown into the story. I don’t know how far you got, but there was a huge twist closer to the end that shocked me, so I found that to be pretty impactful. 

    • Like 1
  9. 6 minutes ago, Hilltopmom said:

    Just finished Kristin Hannah’s The Women about female nurses in Vietnam. I liked it but tough subject. Quick day and a half read.

    I’ve thought about reading this one, but after The Four Winds depressed me so much I felt like I had to put Kristin Hannah on pause for a while! 🤣 I’ve seen mostly good things about this new book though. 

    • Like 3
  10. I finished watching Divorce Attorney Shin. This one was okay, nothing spectacular. Maybe I had a "k-drama hangover" from Alchemy of Souls, but I was kind of bored with this show at times. It did have a good story about friendship. There was really no romance (a very small bit with some side characters). I did like the character of the second attorney in the office...he was funny.  

    On 2/19/2024 at 9:17 AM, Vintage81 said:

    Now I'm impatiently waiting for all of the episodes of Dr. Slump to be released!!

    I finally started this last night. Only 3 episodes in, but already loving it. Love these two main lead actors together!

  11. 1 hour ago, Kassia said:

     

    I gave up on it.  Hated the writing and wasn't crazy about the story/main character either.  It's YA, but there are plenty of YA books with great writing that don't feel like they are written for a middle school audience like this one does.

    Oh wow…🫤 Sorry you didn’t like it. 

    • Like 2
  12. For book club this month we read Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See: "According to Confucius, "an educated woman is a worthless woman," but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient. 

    From a young age, Yunxian learns about women's illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other's joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom. 

    But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights. 

    How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? Lady Tan's Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today."

    This book was so interesting because there were so many different things it touched on but they all worked so well together in this story. First was the Chinese culture itself at the time...this was the Ming Dynasty. The book started in 1469 and ended in 1511. Then there was all of the medical information, which was fascinating. Apparently, this was based on a real doctor and some of her remedies are still used today. You can probably guess from the title, but there was a lot of focus on the female relationships in this book...wives, mothers, friends, etc. Highly enjoyable! (FYI...there were a few graphic medical things described, so if that stuff bothers you, just be aware.) (4.5 stars)

    • Like 5
  13. 42 minutes ago, Sycamore said:

    Thank you so much for sharing your experience @Vintage81! Could you tell me what email address was connected with the payment portal email you received? I've searched my email several times for CLRC and no confirmation came up in junk or inbox, but maybe it's from a different address if it's auto-generated?

    I don't know if there's another way to contact them. I just want to make sure my daughter doesn't get shut out of a class because of a beaurocratic oversight. 😬

    The payment portal email came from mailsender@geniussis.com (however when I replied to that email it just went to support@clrconline.com).

    The only other thing you could try is the "Contact Us" page on their website. I'm not sure where that goes...it could be the same support email, but it might be worth a try. 

  14. I registered for two classes on March 4th. I then decided that I only wanted one of those, so I emailed them to cancel the registration for the second class. I never received a reply to that email.

    On March 6th, I received the email to make my payment in the portal, so I went ahead and paid for the one class I wanted. I sent a second email to (again) ask them to cancel the other class and let them know I only paid for the one class. I haven't received a response to the second email either.

    I also never received a confirmation email for the payment I made (feels like that should've been auto-generated). The only way I know it went through is because I see the transaction on my credit card. The payment portal doesn't show that I paid either.

    This is my third year with them and this is all very strange. They have been slow to respond in the past, but this seems a bit much. I think this is the first year using the payment portal, so maybe that's the issue. Hopefully you get things sorted soon!

  15. On 2/21/2024 at 11:22 AM, Vintage81 said:

    I started Alchemy of Souls yesterday. Looks like it’s going to be a looooonnnngggg journey, so if y’all don’t hear from me for a while you know what’s going on. 🤣

    I did it…I finished Alchemy of Souls! At times it was a bit tedious, but I’m so glad I watched this show because I really loved it!!

    I loved the setting and the story of the mages, the fight scenes were all superb, and all of the characters were fantastic. Shout out to Gwigu the dog and the turtle…loved them!! The couples were also all very cute. 

    At first I wasn’t sure about the female lead change going into season 2, but I didn’t mind it. I’m probably one of the few people who enjoyed season 2 slightly more than season 1, for several reasons. One being that I think the couple in season 2 had better chemistry with each other. While I think the season 1 couple felt bonded to each other, I didn’t get as much of a romantic vibe from them. Also, I really liked the more angry, kick-ass version Jang Uk in season 2. 

    Someday I’ll give this one a rewatch because I know it’s something I can enjoy over and over again. ☺️

    • Like 2
  16. We are planning here too. So far this is what we've got...

    Math - Derek Owens PreCalculus

    English - AP English Language & Composition (through Blue Tent)

    Science - Chemistry (probably through our local co-op, assuming the scheduling works out)

    History - AP European History (most likely through PA Homeschoolers, but not sure which teacher)

    Foreign Language - Spanish III (through CLRC)

    Electives:

    French II (through AIM Academy)

    Creative Writing (through AIM Academy)

    Intro to Psychology (through AIM Academy)

    Extracurriculars:

    MMA classes/volunteering

    Library volunteering

    Also, during this summer she's doing a creative writing camp at Rice University and some sort of online summer editing program (I can't remember where). She hopes to continue doing this editing throughout the year once she completes the program.

    • Like 1
  17. The next book DD and I read for our American Literature study was The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. I also had DD pair this with The Poet X, which I have already read. I thought Mango Street was okay, but I didn't enjoy it as much as Poet X (if I'm comparing the two, although they're not super similar). Because each chapter is essentially a tiny short story, just as something started happening it was ending, so it became a bit frustrating. I think I would've preferred the story to continue throughout the chapters. I also felt like the stories in each chapter tended to be more about other people than the narrator herself and I really wanted to know more about her. It certainly wasn't a bad book, but the whole thing was just hard to connect with because it felt so disjointed. (3 stars)

    • Like 3
  18. Happy March Everyone! 🍀 

    I’m excited that we’re getting some warmer weather. I’m no fan of winter…thank goodness I live in the south! We don’t really have four seasons where I live, so I’m going to enjoy these few weeks of springtime before the heat comes! 

    February was a slower reading month for me. Oh well! Hopefully I’ll get back on track in March. ☺️ How have y’all been doing…reading some good stuff? 

    • Like 4
  19. 5 minutes ago, Jann in TX said:

    Hey -- why don't we go back to having this a K-Drama thread-- it has so many good recommendations I would hate to have to make a new one!

    Someone else can start a K-Pop/idol/sexuality thread if you want... 

     

    I've started watching "Marry My Husband"-- really liking it so far-- I would also note that this is probably NOT for teens...

    Yes! Sorry! 😬

    I started Alchemy of Souls yesterday. Looks like it’s going to be a looooonnnngggg journey, so if y’all don’t hear from me for a while you know what’s going on. 🤣

    • Like 2
  20. 18 minutes ago, Jann in TX said:

    I actually have my Stray Kids shirt on today...

    I really like Stray Kids and Felix's deep DEEP voice-- but Ateez has stolen my heart.  LOVE LOVE LOVE the B-side unit songs (with 1-3 members) they recently released-- especially Its You, Everything (awesome!!) and Youth... Love the A-side "Crazy Form"-- it has over 100 MILLION views in just a few weeks-- such a FUN nonsense song about dancing.

     

    I know of Ateez, but I haven’t ventured into their stuff yet. I’m sure I’ll get there! 

    • Like 1
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