Sunday Salon: Freedom!

We are done with 6th grade and hence the elementary school years.  It has been a family affair and an accomplishment we are all quite proud of.  Little did we think when we started homeschooling James and taught him how to read, that we'd still be doing it today.  We took it day to day and year by year and each year decided to just kept going.  We decided for the Junior high years we needed a bit of help, so signed up for the local public home school charter school.  We are hoping to ease James into some classroom situations over the next couple years so he'll be ready for regular high school.  But who knows what the future will bring with schools changing so much and the majority of textbooks all turning electronic. I'll be posting our 6th grade wrap up sometime this week. 

As far as writing is concerned, I didn't accomplish anything last week.  Heck, I feel like I haven't accomplish much this whole round.  Too busy concentrating on making sure James did all his work and passed all his tests to even think about it.  Did manage to get some critiques done on the first and second chapter which were quite helpful.  So now since free from lessons, going to put the pedal to the metal and concentrate on editing my current wip and attempt to finish the 2nd edit by June 30th.  How has everyone else been doing? 

Reading wise, I completed The Bishop by Steven James and the reviews were right. It is an unputdownable book. Have The Pawn on my nook which is the first one in the series so will be going back and reading it, then the rest of the series. Finally read the thriller A Killing Tide by P.J. Adlerman. It's been on my nook forever - one of those Barnes and Noble free friday things. Great mystery with characters who loved to keep secrets which kept creating more crisis.

Finished Blameless by Gail Carriger, the 3rd book in her steampunk mystery series. Lady Maccoon is a hoot and the story is humorous as well as charming and entertaining. Now reading #4 in the series: Heartless.

Next up on the nightstand is Jane Emily: And Witches Children by Patricia Clapp. Discovered it through Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading by Lizzie Skurnick.

And just received Love is Murder edited by Sandra Brown with original short stories from mystery authors: Lori Armstrong, Jeff Ayers, Beverly Barton, William Bernhardt, Allison Brennan, Robert Browne, Pamela Callow, Toni McGee Causey, Lee Child, JT Ellison, Bill Floyd, Cindy Gerard, Heather Graham, Laura Griffin, Vicki Hinze, Andrea Kane, Julie Kenner, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love, Jon Land, D.P. Lyle, James Macomber, Carla Neggers, Brenda Novak, Patricia Rosemoor, William Simon, Alexandra Sokoloff, Roxanne St. Claire, Mariah Stewart, and Debra Webb. I've read the majority of these authors so know the stories will be good. Happy Happy Joy Joy!

Blogging wise, now that I will have more time, am looking forward to catching up with all my peeps.  Yesterday, went through my reader and culled it down a bit to my favorite favorite folks, making it more manageable.  Plus I need to sit down and write/schedule a bunch of book reviews to get caught up.  It's been a bit boring around the blog lately. Will be sprucing it up a bit and possibly even transferring over to my own domain name.  Lots of things on the to do list.  


It is week 23 in our quest to read 52 books and highlighted Ray Bradbury on 52 Books blog and have links with Stephen Colbert reading The Veldt on You tube.  Check it out - very well done.   Do you remember the first Bradbury book you ever read?  What was it and when was it?

Happy Summer, ya'll.

 It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.  ~e.e. cummings

If you cannot be a poet, be the poem.  ~David Carradine