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Hi everyone!

Michigan's finally decided it's spring (today) with almost 70 degree weather! That makes me happy.

This week I finished:

The Hate U Give - My past goodreads choice winner for Popsugar, and own voices for ATY. It was really good, if hard to read in terms of difficult subject matter. It really breaks down how a police shooting ripples through a whole neighborhood, in ways that are understandable but I wouldn't have considered before.

Maplecroft - I thought this would be my book about a real person, but I forgot I covered that already. But it does work for a book related to water for ATY. I didn't like this as much as I expected. I like Cherie Priest, but this felt very slow moving. I also didn't particularly connect with any of the major characters. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't my favorite of hers by any means.

Overwatch: Anthology Volume 1 - fun set of backstories for various characters in overwatch.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It's True Accidentally bought vol 2 instead of vol 1. Read it anyhow, it was still good.

Mockingbird, Vol. 2: My Feminist Agenda - This was great, i'm so sad they cut the series short. I'd love to read more. She did show up in the Unstoppable Wasp, but they cancelled that too. Give me more science ladies, marvel!

Currently reading:

Impostor Syndrome - Third book in the arcadia project series. I was going to count it for my mental health prompt, but i realize the prompt says "about" mental health, not just involving it. The protagonist has borderline personality disorder, and it's a fundamental part of her character and how she responds to situations etc. But the book isn't ABOUT living with the disorder or anything like that, so not sure it counts? I mean sure i can stretch. It could also work for my book published this year, so I'll think on it while I read.

Does your reading change depending on time of year?

I know some people like to read halloween themed books in the fall, or books about Christmas during Christmas etc, or happy books during the spring. For me, I'm generally going by what my exact mood is on any given day, or else by what is currently up on my library queue. I'm not going to ignore a hold i've been waiting for for six months just because it's a winter book and it's now summer. Unless I changed my mind about reading it in general. That's happened, where I was initially interested, put something on hold, then lost interest by the time it came up. I might read the occasional seasonally appropriate book, but I don't make a point of it.

Hello All,

It's finally warmed up here, too, and I've replaced some of my reading time with getting the garden ready for spring and even getting some vegetables and greens planted. So, slow reading this week, but that's okay because I'm more than ready for some outdoor activities.

I finished reading Room as my book by a local author. I was almost done this when I checked in last week, and I stand by my initial review of really enjoying this book and characters, even if the subject matter was dark. I gave it a solid 4 stars and would put it on my re-read list if I was in the mood for something a bit sadder, mostly because I really liked the two main characters in it. Or maybe just watch the movie as I haven't seen it yet and it's supposed to be really good.

I'm 60% of the way through In Cold Blood (and 100% through turning on my eReader's wifi, since this one's now overdue) as my true crime book prompt. I am really surprised at how much I'm enjoying it as I thought it would be like a mystery, which I generally don't like as a genre. I've never read a Truman Capote book or a true crime book, and I was pleased to find this book isn't actually a mystery since you know who committed the crime from the beginning. Rather, as the reader, you are focused on figuring out the motive for the crime and how the criminals were caught. It reads more like a novel than a non-fiction, and Capote has a really beautiful narrative style. Although I'm finding that the book is slow reading, I'm very impressed with it and I can see why Capote's book is one of those that has stood the test of time.

QOTW: My reading choices aren't influenced by time of year at all, except when it comes to vacations. I definitely want easier, lighter, "fluffier" reading when I'm on vacation.

Susan, thank you for your nice words last week about my reviews. I've picked up a few books from your check ins, too. And Buns is now officially on my "to read" list. How did is stack up against the other two books in the series?

My reading doesn't vary with the season. One thing I do like to do when I travel is read a book set in the place I'm visiting. It's fun to see streets or landmarks that were just mentioned in the book.

Kathy, that's a great idea!

Made some progress on The Satanic Verses. About halfway through. I love the writing, but I want the story to move, already! We'll see how far I get this week. Next weekend is a road trip, so I'll have a couple of audiobooks to get through.

The seasons rarely influence what I read. I listened to Neil Gaiman's wonderful take on A Christmas Carol right around Valentine's Day :)

Not much reading this week. I'm catching up on some magazines. I am just starting to get back to Artemis. I started it a while ago but had to put it aside with my travels to Australia because it is hardcover and I got other paperbacks and e-books for that trip.

Sheri, you might look into Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. I found it crazy interesting (but I love to exercise so it was preaching to the choir). For me it confirmed everything I've ever felt personally. When I'm stressed, I get nervous energy and have to burn it off. It might be an interesting read for your prompt that accurately fits the category.

Or another alternative I loved that would also fit the category for you is The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative. It is about the changes that occur just simply being in nature. Just in the presence of green, fresh air and the measurable changes they can detect. Again for me it was preaching to the choir because I start getting antsy if I'm not outside for a day or two. Cabin fever is probably one name for it. In our family we just call it "having the green gene."

QOTW: Generally no, seasons do not influence what I read. Unless I happen to see a random fluff novel at the library that is on display seasonally and it catches my eye and I'll pick it up. I don't usually seek them out on my own. I'm not opposed to it but not driven to find it either.

It's been 3 weeks since my last check-in and sadly not much progress to report....

I finished reading The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince. I've been on a fairy tale retelling kick and this was free with Prime Reading. It told the story from Beast's perspective and had a different take on why he was cursed. It was decent, but I think I liked Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book better.

Thank you to Kate for introducing me to Serial Reader! I'm about half done with Journey to the Center of the Earth using that app. Part of me really loves getting the book in installments and part of me is so annoyed that I can't keep reading. (I haven't upgraded to the paid version, so can't read ahead.) I don't know that I would want to read a long book with this format, but for this book it's OK. So far I'm enjoying the story.

I've also started reading The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York. It's interesting to read about the development of forensic medicine and the difficulty of detecting poisons. There was also so much corruption in government at that time! At times the book gets a little dry, so we'll see how I feel once I'm closer to the end.

QOTW: Seasons do not generally affect what I read, though I do tend to read less in the summer than in the winter. Too many other activities vying for my attention in the too short Minnesota summers!

I did a fair amount of reading this week, as I went on another trip (last one for a long time, thank goodness!). I plowed through Firefight and Calamity and was super sad when I realized that the series was over. I really loved the Reckoners series, and will definitely be reading more Brandon Sanderson!

I then started on The Thief, which will be my book involving a heist. So far I'm enjoying it fairly well, but I can't say that it's anything amazing.

QOTW: Seasons don't really affect my reading. I read according to my mood, and also according to a sort of cycle. For instance, after reading several totally new books/series, I often want to go back and read an old favorite over again. Though for some reason I do enjoy reading a book about a very cold place whenever I travel to a beach!

Susan, thanks for the suggestions! I'll see if my library has either of those!

I haven’t checked in here in forever, but I’ve really gotten back on track with reading lately thanks to being selfish and checking out both the paper and electronic editions of books so I can switch back and forth. I justify it by telling myself that since I’m finishing faster and returning them sooner, I’m not really tying up too many more items from others. :)

My most recent reads have been:

Old Mars, edited by George R.R. Martin - a super-fun compilation of old-style (I.e. pre-exploration) Mars-based sci-fi by modern authors, which I highly recommend.

A Whole New World, by Liz Braswell - I actually devoured all four of the Twisted Tales series in the past month, and they’re all fun - but this is not the strongest of all of them. I believe it may have been the first, though, so now they’ve had more time to perfect the concept.

A Thousand Nights, by E. K. Johnston - Beautiful. I had read Spindle, which is technically the sequel, and loved it, and this one is just as gorgeous. I picked it for one of my IRL book clubs this month, so I hope they love it as much as I did!

Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure, by Matthew Algeo - a fun, quick read for another IRL book club. The writing is very conversational, and it really gives you an interesting look at 1950’s America and how much the media, transportation, politics, etc. have changed.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey, by Thornton Wilder - last month’s selection for the above-mentioned IRL book club. This one felt like homework for me - it was short, but one of those allegorical, literary-type pieces that it’s hard to get into.

Hi all,
I'm currently reading The Lies of Locke Lamora. I didn't realize when I started that it was almost 800 pages, so I might not finish this month. It's for the Pop Sugar book involving a heist prompt.
I'm also listening to the audiobook of Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things and almost finished with it. If you have read her books but not listened to one, I think it's worth listening to her read them. She does a really fantastic job, and I can't imagine anyone else doing it justice. I might count it toward my book about mental health.
I finished reading The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the book made into a movie you've already seen. The book was very good and then I rewatched the movie and watched the sequel that I hadn't seen yet. The movie was a really good adaptation I thought. Lately, I have become fascinated with how books are adapted to screenplays. For whatever reason I can almost see some of the mechanics of it, but not quite.

I do sometimes read seasonal books. Especially at Christmastime, I often find some kind of cheesy Christmas romance book, much like the Hallmark Movies that I also become addicted to during Christmas. Sometimes I read something Halloween themed, but I don't really like scary books, so it's usually more urban fantasy or one of the witch-related cozy mysteries.