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Happy Thursday!! The passage of time continues to feel very confusing, days rush by, days feel like years, it’s hard to remember what day it is (which is why I’m opening this check in a bit late - oops!). I hope all of our readers continue safe and healthy.

This week I finished 4 books, 1 for this Challenge. I am now 29/50.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow- this was an audiobook (read by a woman named January LaVoy!!), I don’t remember why I put it on hold, probably because it won a 2020 Audie award. I enjoyed it. This is not for the Challenge.

W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton- this was my book from a series of more than 20 books. It’s been a long time since I read a Kinsey Millhone book, so I don’t know if I changed or the books changed, but I didn’t really love this. Kinsey spends a lot of time being judgey and petulant.

Dream Work poems by Mary Oliver - another fantastic book of poetry from Oliver. These nature poems were just what I needed during this stressful time!

Sadie by Courtney Summers - wow I did not like this book at all. (If it sounds like it might be your thing: it works for the social media category.)


Question of the Week
This week’s question was suggested by Lauren!

Do you have any authors that you'll buy/borrow their new books without checking the description or reviews first, since you're sure you'll like it.

Yes! I don’t normally buy many books, but now during the pandemic when my library is closed* for the foreseeable future. E-books are still available, but wait times can be very long for new releases.

I’ve pre-ordered the new books coming from Martha Wells (Network Effect, May 5!), Kristen Lepionka (Once You Go This Far, July), and Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians, July). ... And I might pre-order Lauren Beukes�� new book, Afterland, currently due at the end of July (the publication date keeps being pushed out, so I’m waiting to see what happens).

* Last summer our library was closed for construction AND their computer system crashed, so we could not put books on hold and it was awful! But this is worse.

Finished:
-The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver: I loved this. Definitely in my top 5. 100% recommend.
-Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan: this was a fun read. A little hard to keep up with how who was related to whom, but still enjoyed.
-The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: dreadful. Was a pain to get through. Should have been a lot shorter. Unnecessarily wordy, pages of description describing the country side and her dad looking out the window, that didn't progress the plot at all, and the ending was ridiculous. Don't recommend anyone try to start this.
The Razors Edge by W Somerset Maugham: the writing was good, but by the end I hated the author as a person and I vowed to never read anything else by them.

Starting: Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robinson

QOTW: RA Salvatore. I actually have everything he's written on my tbr, and he's written a lot, bc I already plan on reading it all.

Has anyone else bought a ridiculous amount of cheap ebooks since lockdown? It's not like I'm close to running out but I'm glad I don't rely on the library because mine is reporting a 770% increase in their digital lending! I'm hoping to have a bit of a reading (and challenge) boost this weekend with Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon.

Finished:
The Book of Koli for review and ATY (theme of survival). I didn't particularly like the narrative voice but I did enjoy the second half a lot more where Koli ventures out into the world where trees are deadly. Would have liked more info on the plants than the social structures, but most reviewers seem to like it more than me.

Currently reading A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and loving it, there's something about these YA cold-case mysteries that I get absorbed in. I'm also listening to The Switch in small increments, the characters don't have the same depth as in The Flatshare, but it's something non-taxing to listen to during repetitive bits of work.

PS: 18/50 | ATY: 18/52 | BR: 6/24 | GR: 43/100

QOTW:
Yes, I buy quite a lot of books without really reading the info because I don't like to know too much about the plot, so knowing I love the author helps me avoid duds. I would probably buy all these authors's books without hestitation: Seanan McGuire, James Smythe, Laura Lam, N.K. Jemisin, Alice Oseman, Kelley Armstrong, Emma Newman, Holly Bourne, Lauren Beukes, Samantha Shannon, Sarah Moss, Sabaa Tahir, Tom Pollock, Madeleine Miller, Non Pratt.

Heather wrote: "... -The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: dreadful. Was a pain to get through. Should have been a lot shorter. Unnecessarily wordy, pages of description describing the country side and her dad looking out the window, that didn't progress the plot at all, and the ending was ridiculous. Don't recommend anyone try to start this. ..."


Yikes. I keep thinking I should read this, but you've just described everything I cannot handle in a book. If the words are not moving the plot along, I get extremely antsy. I just moved it to my "maybe not" shelf (not off my tbr entirely, but maybe will remove it)

Good morning!

I hit a slump during/after finishing Cold Magic on the 16th, so I haven't finished anything in the last week.

However, I'm doing my best to finish Wuthering Heights (author in their 20s) this morning. Not a huge fan, it's rather overdramatic and angsty for my taste, but as with most classics I think I may like it better on the (eventual) reread.

Currently reading:
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn - a murder mystery in Victorian London, and just enough fluff to keep things light. The MC and her siblings are all named after Shakespeare characters :) Main character in their 20s

QOTW: Yes, my auto-read authors include Mindy McGinnis and Kate Quinn.

I'm looking forward to Dewey's Readathon this weekend. I have my books picked out already. I'm working my way through unread print books on my shelves between digital library holds. I'm glad I held back some print books so I definitely have some challenge books to read this weekend.

Finished
Second Skin by Christian White. Not for the challenge. This was an Audible Original. It's a short thriller with a lot of plot twists. I enjoyed it, even if some parts were farfetched.

Reading
The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon. I'm about halfway through the book. It's still slow going.

QOTW
I don't think so. I guess I'm not that loyal to authors. I always read the summary, even if it's an author I love. Sometimes I'll read the book, sometimes I'll decide to pass.

Happy Thursday! I am now on furlough and getting lots of little things around the flat done, as well as writing and trying out some online learning courses. And of course, reading :)

Finished reading:
Berta Isla (a book I was meant to read in 2019): A very long book, but I enjoyed most of it and loved the writing, just a few sections that were difficult to get through.

Currently reading:
Good Girl, Bad Blood (a book by an author with flora or fauna in their name): Only 100 pages into this, looking forward to the pace picking up a little but I'm sure it's going to be a great read!

QOTW: Yes, YA authors such as Holly Bourne, Cat Clarke, Sara Barnard, Patrick Ness, Juno Dawson, Louise O'Neill, Alice Oseman...
Not so many non-YA authors, David Nicholls and Jane Harper are probably my best examples of these!

Morning. It's day 42 of quarantine over here. The passage of time has gotten weird - March took forever, but April has flown by. It's hard to believe it's almost May.

Finished reading: (14/50)

Mother of Learning (bildungsroman, three-word title) - Time loop story! Zorian, a student at the mage academy, is caught in a one-month time loop that always culminates in a large-scale invasion of the city. He's got to figure out why he's in a time loop, how to stop it, and how to defeat the invasion (because, as a time traveler, he's the only one who knows it's coming). A fun story with tons of absurd time travel hax. Also incredible in terms of Zorian's growth/development.

Go Fish - Short story about psychics investigating a paranormal murder. Not great; the attempted banter and character dynamics all fell flat.

Currently reading:

Paladin's Grace (2020 release, fauna in author's name (Kingfisher)) - Paladin romance. the two main characters are such awkward dorks I love them


QotW: Not really. For a new series, I always at least check out the blurb, and possibly reviews (or I may come across reviews in my feed from GR friends, which is often how I find out about new books).

If I love the first book in a series then I often actively avoid checking info about the later installments because I know I'll be reading them, but that's more book-based than author-based.

I remember liking The Historian. But, I read it at least 10 years ago, so my memory is fuzzy.

This week, I finished The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper as my book that won an award last year. Very interesting.

Now, I'm reading Wildwood as my book with a good first line. It's soooo good. I can't wait to find out what happens. I know what I'll be doing after work tonight.

QOTW: I don't buy a lot of books. Especially new. I think even with the authors I really like, I'd be inclined to just check out the back. Unless it's part of a series. Then, I'm kind of already in the middle of one long book, just need to buy the next chapter, so to speak.

If it weren't for my reading journal I'd have no idea what day it is. Today's Thursday, right? (I could have sworn it was next week already. I thought Friday should be May 1.)

Challenge Progress: 38/50

Completed:
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires: "Sometimes she craved a little danger. And that was why she had book club." Horrifying and incisive. I loved this book! It's like "The Stepford Wives" + "Salem's Lot." Absolutely amazing. (A book about a book club) ★★★★��

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family: “You can’t be heartbroken every day,�� Mimi liked to say. Emotional and informative, but not exploitative. First of all, I can't imagine having twelve children... and then to have six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia? Wow. ★★★★

A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Ingenious Young Women Whose Secret Board Game Helped Win World War II: Vivid and engrossing. Did you like The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz? This one's better. ★★★★

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea: Revealing and sometimes painful look at life in North Korea. Going beyond the propaganda and the worship of their leaders, Demick exposes the lies and the trauma of living in one of the strictest regimes on earth. (A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins - Envy) ★★★★

Currently Reading:
Fahrenheit 451 (A book with a great first line)
A Single Thread
Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In
Followers (A book about or involving social media)
A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power
The Night Circus
Year One (A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it)
The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States

QOTW: I don't think I have any authors that I blindly pre-order books from. Sometimes I wait, and I almost always read the publisher's description before making my decision. With the library closed, however, I have recently pre-ordered books that I'd usually would have waited for (Stephen King's If It Bleeds, Max Brooks's Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre).

Good Morning!

My dog is getting really angsty. I still go to work and see other people but she just gets me. She hasn't gotten to hang around any of her dog friends, she's getting real reactive on the leash when she sees other people and other dogs. I think she'll be real glad when this is all over.

Finished:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower for a first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed. This was the first time I read this one even though it came out when I was in high school. I wish I would have read it then but I still loved it. And my heart broke for poor sweet Charlie.

The Guest List not for the challenge but it was my BOTM pick. I liked it. I also liked the author's last book too and this was the same set-up as that. I didn't guess the twist at the end, so I count that as a win.

Currently Reading:

Under the Dome for a book featuring one of the seven deadly sins. Man oh man I only have like 9 hours left on the audiobook...yeah that's still a lot. The book is good, the narration is great but it doesn't feel like it needed to be this long. I am in a really exciting part of the book, so I'm looking forward to my commute home tonight to pick-up where I left off.

Little Women for a book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it (there was a reality show that was called Little Women, that was not related to the book at all). This is a re-read for me. It's been years since I've actually read it, so it's nice to jump back in.

QOTW:

I always read a description of a book. Authors I love can write a book that I'm completely uninterested in. I will be more inclined to pick-up a book by a beloved author but I will never not read the description. But reviews, they really don't mean too much to me. If someone gives it a bad review, it won't stop me from reading it. If someone gives it a good review, I may move it up my TBR.

Nadine wrote: "Heather wrote: "... -The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: dreadful. Was a pain to get through. Should have been a lot shorter. Unnecessarily wordy, pages of description describing the country side a..."

To complicate matters, I hate books like that, too, but I loved that one! I would say if you're going to keep it in your maybe pile, pick it up when you're in the mood for something atmospheric.

OMG it's Thursday again?????? I still haven't finished a book, but I've watched a lot of movies and taken a lot of naps :/

Hoping to fix that today with the ATY Quarantine-a-thon.
I'm still working on Becoming on audio which I kind of have on hold becuase I haven't carved out time to listen to it ( it's a great book though) and Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea, I'm a little more than halfway through and realize I need to learn more about North Korea.

Wait.... I may have finished a book this week or last:
The Rising: Antichrist is Born- just felt like reading this ( possibly inspired by current politics and world events).

QOTW: I will usually pre order anything by Jodi Piccoult or Chris Bohjalian, and any new books by Diana Gabaldon for the Outlander series ( although I am about 3 books behind). The only pre- order I have made this year is for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

I'm currently at 42/50 for the challenge and it might stay like that for a bit since I have some other book priorities right now. I'm also organizing a short story tournament through our Tournament of Books ŷ������ group so I've been reading more short stories and fewer books lately.

I just finished listening to You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth, and while I disagree with her on where poverty comes from and that everyone can be financially successful if they just "set their mind to it and don't give up," I'm really tired of being stressed about my lack of money (I've been without a job for almost five months now) so I'm going to try some of her suggestions. 3 stars

I also listened to the newer book Black Sunday and about halfway through I started wondering if it was going somewhere, if there was an actual plot, but then the end ties things together pretty nicely. I liked having the four different perspectives. 4 stars

One of the short stories for the tournament (it's technically a novella) shows up as a book on here, so I'll add The Embassy of Cambodia. This was excellent! You can read it for free on The New Yorker website. I look forward to discussing this in the tournament. 5 stars

I listened to the newer short story collection Stateway's Garden: Stories and it was a good read. I liked how they were all connected through the same characters. 4 stars

I also read the short new book Indelicacy which was pretty unique. It reminded me a bit of Optic Nerve but had different themes and it was easier to follow. 4 stars

I just started listening to New Waves and I'm still reading my hard copy of Sharks in the Time of Saviors.

QOTW: Even though this was my question, I don't have too many answers for it. Probably Brené Brown for nonfiction. She is just so wonderful. At one point it was Isabel Allende but her newer stuff is a bit more hit or miss. I haven't added her newest one to my library holds list yet since I'm limited to seven, but I'll probably do that soon. I typically enjoy everything Elizabeth Gilbert writes. Other than that it would be authors that I'm friends with like Natalia Sylvester and Ire'ne Lara Silva.

Oh it has been ages since I checked in, a month or so I think. This has been due to a massive work load a little due to Covid-19 but also because of some identified health problems. I have not been able to settle down with a book. During this last week, I have been able to pick up a book again so eventhough my check-in only covers a few book, it is many weeks. I hope to catch up on my challenges in due time though.

The last few days have been beautiful with really sunny spring weather.

Challenge process
PS: 7/50
ATY: 6/52

Currently reading
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Reading aloud for my daughter.

Boy Swallows Universe Reading to use for both PS and ATY as well as my book club

The Ice Monster Reading aloud for my son

Finished
The Lightning Thief Read this aloud for my son. First time I read anything from this series, my son has heard some of them as the teacher has read the books for them in school, and I liked it a lot. Eventhough my kids are starting to get older I enjoy the time together when I read to them and we can discuss the stories.

The Wolf and the Watchman A historical crime novel taking place in Stockholm during 1793. I enjoyed it and will continue with the next book in the series in due time.

Grimmen Hard to translate the Swedish title, anyway it is an urban fantasy novel for kids in their preteens and I read it aloud for my son and enjoyed it. It is the second book in a series of 10.

Yep, starting to go stir crazy... And I can still go to work every so often (I will on Sunday). It's getting to my boyfriend worse because he can't and he's an extrovert. Which is contributing to my feelings of being cooped up....

I did finish an audio book this week, though! Love and First Sight for a book with a character with a vision impairment. It was cute and a good book to escape into. Not super recommended, but if you want something easy for that prompt, it'll do.

Other than my slow reading of Anna K and Love in the Time... I'm over halfway finished with You for a book with the same title as a show. My boyfriend used his stimulus check to get some DC comic streaming channel on our Roku, so he watches that, I pop on an audio book.

QOTW: I have strict rules for buying books now: either my library doesn't have it, it's massive and I'll never finish it with a library loan (barring a 2 month shutdown of the world, that is!), or I love it so much that I have to reread it. That said, I didn't use to have such strict rules, and I used to buy everything that Nicholas Evans put out. But he hasn't written anything in like a decade. If he did come out with something new, I'd probably spring for it no questions asked!

I haven't checked in in a few weeks - I end up coming late and then taking so much time to read all the posts that I am worn out by the end and tell myself I will post later - and then never do! So got to it earlier today.

Not sure when I last recapped what I read, so I will confine myself to the past two weeks. Reading has picked up a bit - I lost my editing contract indefinitely a few weeks ago so ironically, although I usually work from home, I am now unemployed. Thought that would mean a lot more reading but it took me a week or two to sort of deal I guess and get into a routine - plus I feel guilty reading during the day while my husband works upstairs - feel like I should be doing chores and baking bread and sewing curtains or something all day long! But starting to let go of the guilt and being easier on myself - besides, nagging a lonely and unhappy 16 year old all day to do some school work takes up a LOT of my time! The ATY read-a-thon is also helping me ramp up my reading.

FINISHED:

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips - for ATY sparsely populated area. Liked this one - set in a very remote part of Russia and kind of a mystery about missing girls but in fact more of a study of different women's lives living in this isolated region and how the women going missing touches their lives.

The Woo-Woo: How I Survived Ice Hockey, Drug Raids, Demons, and My Crazy Chinese Family by Lindsay Wong - used this for a title with more than 20 words. This was a crazy book ... it's billed as a dark comedy but I found it more dark than comedic. It was for my IRL book club (which is now a virtual book club) and a Canada Reads nominee, but I don't know if I would recommend it or not.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley - for the same title as a movie prompt. This was an ok closed door mystery but a bit too cliche in parts, and I guessed a lot of the twists. But not a bad way to pass some time.

How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee - for ATY set in a global city (Singapore). I had this out because it was on the long list for the 2020 Women's Prize and I quite liked it - it's about the Japanese occupation of Singapore during WWII and comfort women, and uses a dual timeline between past and present to tell the story. It was well written and a topic I really didn't know a lot about- but be warned, there are some hard scenes for sure.

Weather by Jenny Offill - used this for book published in my birthday month (Feb). This was a quick unusually written book (in very short paragraphs all the way through) but I ended up really liking it although not sure I got it all. It's on the short list now for the Women's Prize. I guess her earlier book (Dept. of Speculation) is also written in this style, and I plan to read that one now that I've read this.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren - for a bird on the cover. I am not a romance genre fan, and I actually have no idea how I ended up having this one out of the library when it closed down. But it was a nice light comfort read, and the main character was pretty well written (I think this could also be used for a women in STEM - she's a biology major who works in the pharmaceutical industry).

IN PROGRESS:

Currently trying to decide. Thinking of trying Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham - it was on the Listopia for neurodiverse character for ATY but I am not sure ... there's some mystery about the main character's condition that apparently isn't revealed until the end so I feel like it would spoil it to know in advance whether it fits or not. So figure I will just read it and hope. It was on sale for $1.30 on Kindle last night so I grabbed it.

QOTW:

I don't buy books but I do put a hold from the library the minute I hear about a new Anne Patchett, Stephen King, Philippa Gregory, or Elizabeth Strout. I am sure a few others as well but those are who come to mind.

Time is definitely warping. The days seem to fly by, but I'm confused about the weeks. I had to look up the date in My Books to see if I finished in this week period or another!

Finished:
The Arrangement by Robyn Harding. Another unputdownable book. I'm on a roll! I thoroughly enjoyed this as escape reading, and I rather liked the MC, flaws and all. Yeah, I figured out whodunit, but it was a satisfying ending. It works for a book involving social media.
Props to the author for doing her research.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. I loved the first half! Keiko's logic was making sense to me and she made me laugh because her thinking exposing flaws in our society. Shiraha brought it down for me, but I loved the ending. Book that takes place in an Olympic City: Japan.

QOTW:
The one author I'd buy without knowing a thing about her upcoming book is/was Sue Grafton. Sadly, she is not in this mortal coil.
Others I might pre-order without knowing a thing include: Herman Koch, Graham Moore, Koethi Zan, Will Lavender, and Patti Smith. Honestly, I am working on my book buying recovery, so I tend to wait on my library and discounted or free e-books.

Hi everyone. Hope you're all staying safe and healthy.

I had a bit of a better reading week this week. I read On the Banks of Plum Creek and I have to say, Pa Ingalls has made some very questionable decisions in this book. It also makes me think that things could be worse right now lol

Currently reading: I re-started Spellwright because I couldn't remember what I had already read. I also became temporarily American to get All Systems Red

QOTW: Unless it is a sequel, I always at least read the blurb of a book. It doesn't matter who the author is if I'm not interested in the story.

Reached 25/50 - halfway through is a nice milestone to have! :)

Finished:

The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot for A book with a map. I wanted to love this, but I didn't. It didn't quite turn out to be what I wanted it to be, which isn't the book's fault, we just didn't gel. There was a little too much philosophising and a few too many tangents.

Now You See Me for A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it. This started okay, albeit without much depth, but in the second half became rather implausible. It also felt like it ended rather abruptly, and some threads weren't really wrapped up very well.

Started:

Whiskey When We're Dry for A Western. This is pretty good, and well written, but at around 30% of th e way through, I can already feel myself wanting to hurry up and get to the end. I just don't think Westerns are my genre...

QOTW:

I'll always buy a new book by Lindsey Davis, and if Robin Hobb ever publishes any new books, I expect I'll be there for that without too much questioning! I do still read the descriptions though, although that's more to see what the book is about rather than because I'm checking if I'll like it (because I know I will!).

Hi everyone. I am having a very first world problem. Ever since my library has been updated with the new Deliver Later option, I can't plan when I will get the books. A book will say the wait is 5 weeks, then 5 minutes later it becomes available. This just happened to me with Always and Forever, Lara Jean.
I am still having a hard time concentrating. I think I am absorbing maybe 80% of any book I read. At this point it may be me and not the current situation.

Completed:
Tweet Cute for a book with a pun in the title. My go to type of book these days, fun and cute and distracting.
Running with Sherman for a book on a subject I knew nothing about. Burro racing? Never even heard of it. Keeping donkeys? Also know nothing about that. Very sweet and positive and upbeat book. Perfect for this time.
Home Not upbeat like the other two, but I still enjoyed it.

Currently reading
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
A Curious Beginning
The Count of Monte Cristo
Always and Forever, Lara Jean

QOTW:
I don't buy books very often, but I do automatically add these authors' new books to my list without even reading the blurbs:
Tana French, Kate Atkinson, Jane Harper, Liane Moriarty, Ann Patchett, Barbara Kingsolver, Alice Hoffman, Jennifer Weiner (I just realized how white this list is, when I wrote it out like that)
Sometimes this backfires. I put Clare Mackintosh's new book After the End on hold without reading the blurb because I liked two previous mysteries by the author. When the book finally came up and I read about it, I returned it right away. It's not a mystery, and I am not interested in the book at this time.

With online school it’s a little difficult to keep up with reading, and the books on my shelf don’t always have a place in this challenge, but here’s what I have.

Finished: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (book published the month of your birthday)

5/50 popsugar
5/15 goodreads (I don’t intend to finish the challenge but it gets me to read)

Currently reading:
Lincoln’s Last Days by Bill O’Reilly (book with a map) this should be done by like Sunday, but I’m reading on the timeline since it takes place in April.

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner (not for this challenge, just a reread for fun. I’m also not counting it for goodreads either)

Starting: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi. It’s a novella, and I’m not sure it counts? I’m not even sure I could make it fit into the challenge

QoW: I always read the descriptions because I want hints about what to expect.

Greetings from "Pause" in NYC! Still WFH, still hating it, but you know, we are doing fine. New Yorkers - whether in NYC or upstate -- are really doing what needs to be done if a bit grumpy about it.

I actually am one of those with lots of work and in fact more work as a result of COVID-19. Lawyers never sleep! And I now add being my own cleaning lady to my job description. That means less time to read even though the commute to work is less than a minute and my social calendar only includes a few Zoom meet-ups . There has been that small thing called inability to focus as well.

But there is improvement if not back to normal and I have 2 finishes, one for challenge!

Do or Die - cover should give you a pretty good idea of why this romantic thriller got read! Actually quite a sophisticated thriller with layers of cons, heists, and stings before the conclusion, great characters and 3 - count 'em' 3 - romances. Very funny at times too.

Earth Girl - YA space opera and both genres I do not read although more apt to read YA than SciFi) - LOVED it! What a wonderful book and I urge everyone to read it. I used for PS made-up language -- and yes, that was stretching it a lot given just how much made up language is used (various made up coloquialisms), but it's as close as I am likely to come without re-reading something.

Currently Reading:

Crossroad Blues - an American noir and really good.

QOTW: I absolutely automatically buy a lot of books by favorite authors: Cara Black for example, VIctoria Thompson, Ruth Ware - it does tend to be mystery or romance of some kind rather than general fiction. I also have a lot of classics -- Austen, Twain, Dickens, Heyer -- and will pick up copies or new editions of ones I particularly love or do not own. And I automatically buy historical and contemporary series by favorite authors like Stephanie Laurens, Robin Carr, Wendy Wax, Roxanne St. Claire, RaeAnne Thayne, Emily March -- although there are starting to be more and more reissues so I have to be careful not to end up with duplicates. There are also a number of cozy authors I like but my reading of those has slowed so much as I've expanded what I read for challenges that I stopped automatically buying when I found I couldn't keep up. I still have about 8 Sue Grafton's to read!

Milena wrote: "Hi everyone. I am having a very first world problem. Ever since my library has been updated with the new Deliver Later option, I can't plan when I will get the books. A book will say the wait is 5 ..."

I don't like that new feature for overdrive either. However, a book showing up really early probably means your specific library bought the copy and gives priority to its members letting you jump the line or people have cancelled their holds.

Happy Thursday, y’all.

Ended up caving in and buying the rest of the books I need for the challenge that I couldn't get from my library. (Our library's opened up for curbside service, so our community can still get books they want, they just can't come in and browse.) Partly I wanted to support Powell's and other indie bookstores, but partly I just wanted to not be stopped from finishing the challenge if the shutdown continues for much longer.

Also, my favorite indie bookstore has gone ahead and opened its doors, but is implementing social distancing rules by limiting the number of people that come in and offering after-hours "appointments" for people who want a solo shopping experience. I wish them the best of luck!

Ended up DNFing more books than normal this week too. Dunno if I've just gotten picky or if the shutdown is affecting my attention span...

Books read this week:

The Book of Strange New Things -- for “book with a made-up language.�� I’ve heard a lot of mixed review on this one�� and while it’s a slow-paced book, especially for a science fiction book, it’s actually very poignant and beautiful. It’s been a long time since a book wrenched my heart like this��

Every Heart a Doorway -- for “a book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online bookclub.�� Instantly hooked on this series! I love the premise and I can’t wait to read more about these Wayward Children.

Mr. Bleaker -- not for the challenge. Definitely bleak, just as the title says, and rather poorly written�� but still tense and suspenseful enough to keep me reading until the very end, so I guess it did its job.

Witches of Lychford -- not for the challenge. Had potential to be a great story about witches trying to save their town from a modern-day force of evil, but honestly fell kind of flat for me. It didn’t help that it felt like the most interesting bits of the story took place offscreen and we didn’t get to hear about them until after the fact.

Snow, Glass, Apples -- graphic novel, not for the challenge. Holy crow, is THIS a dark and fascinating retelling of Snow White! I’ve seen people theorize that Snow White was actually a vampire elsewhere, but Neil Gaiman carries it out to its horrific conclusion here.

Regular challenge -- 33/44 (split the last prompt into five)
Advanced challenge -- 6/10
Not for challenge -- 30

DNF:

Round Ireland with a Fridge -- was going to be for “favorite prompt from 2017 (book involving travel).�� Wasn’t as entertaining as I thought it would be.

Soul Stealer: Legacy of the Blade -- not for the challenge. Couldn’t get into this. I get that the author wanted to give us a flawed hero and a gritty and dark world, but starting off with the hero listing how stupid and cowardly he is and the falling-apart, manure-smelling town he lives in isn’t the way to go��

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd -- not for the challenge. Supposedly these are short stories that celebrate geekdom and nerd-dom, but they feel more insulting than anything�� and I have to wonder whether these writers have actually met a geek or know anything about nerd culture...

Currently Reading:

Space Unicorn Blues -- for “book whose title caught your attention��
Ghost in the Canteen -- not for the challenge
Night Shift -- not for the challenge

QOTW:

I'll read anything by Catherynne Valente -- heck, she wrote a Minecraft novel for kids last year and I went ahead and snapped it up despite not being a Minecraft player!

Hello - I agree that the passage of time, even though I have my regular work (from home) schedule, still feels off. But I'm getting a better routine and accomplishing more (at which point I realized my house is a disaster, so my upcoming weekend will focus on that). We're trying to distance ourselves a little more from just news, news, news and that has helped.

I finished 2 books this week, both for the challenge. I am now 18/50:
How to Save Your Child from Ostrich Attacks, Accidental Time Travel, and Anything Else that Might Happen on an Average Tuesday by James Breakwell - a book with a bird on the cover (an ostrich, naturally :-)) I love James Breakwell, I subscribe to his weekly newsletter and follow him on Twitter. This is the first of his books that I've read, but I already have the next one sitting on my desk. I discovered him last year when he was marketing pre-release autographed copies of "How to Save Your Child," and I really enjoy his style of humor. This book was great, I am definitely now more qualified to protect my nieces and nephews from alien attacks, time travelling to the age of the dinosaurs, and vampires. Crucial life skills!

Titans by Edward W. Robertson - a book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character, this one really dragged for me. I'm glad to be done with it, I've been reading a chapter a day for weeks, it seems.

I'm reading an anthology now (mystery stories), and it's a nice change of pace from Titans.

QOTW: Without a doubt, I have a long list of authors that includes Maria V. Snyder, Wilbur Smith, Scott Westerfeld, Melissa de la Cruz, Philippa Gregory, Jean Plaidy (and all her alter egos), Brian Freeman, Ann Brashares, and Janet Evanovich.

Nadine wrote: "Sadie by Courtney Summers - wow I did not like this book at all. (If it sounds like it might be your thing: it works for the social media category.)"

Oh dear! I'm curious as to why you didn't like it? I read it a couple weeks ago and enjoyed it, thought it was a lower 4 ⭐️ overall but there were definitely a couple of things about it that annoyed me that I remember mentioning in my GR review! I'm wondering if those same things irked you to the point of not liking it at all or if there was something else?

What a week. I've been staying with my parents to help care for my mom while she was in hospice. She died yesterday morning from complications of her leukemia (no COVID, thank goodness). It was a strange and terrible experience, but I feel pretty at peace about it now. Sad, but at peace. My mom really loved to read and passed that on to me. In fact, one of the books I read this past week is the last book that my mom ever read and we talked about it while I was reading it. There was a lot of reading time because I couldn't make too much noise at night and couldn't have too much light. Good thing my kindle is back-lit.

This week I finished:
Chasing Cassandra, which is the latest in the Ravenel series. My mom had this out from the library and it was here at the house, so I read it. I enjoyed it. I used this as a book published in 2020.

The Perfect Couple, which is the last book my mom had read. She read it while she was in the hospital and had recommended it. My library had this available as an ebook, so I checked it out. It was a fun beach-y kind of read. My mom liked talking about it, so that was nice. I used this as a book about a woman in STEM, since one of the main characters is a zoologist.

Dead and Gone, part of my kind of slow re-read of the Sookie Stackhouse series. I love these books. I used this as a book with an unrelated TV series/movie of the same name.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which finishes my re-read of Harry Potter. I've been reading along/listening to the Quibbler podcast, which I highly recommend to people who like Harry Potter and also being skeptical about Harry Potter books sometimes. Super fun. This really is the best YA series of all time. I used this as a book about a character with a vision impairment. Harry really needs those glasses!

QOTW: I think the only author whose books I will buy without even a description is John Irving. He is absolutely my favorite author. I met him once and he was delightful. I love his books because they are about people like me. I couldn't even tell you a favorite, they're all so good. But if I had to say a favorite, I would probably go with A Prayer for Owen Meany.

Milena wrote: "Hi everyone. I am having a very first world problem. Ever since my library has been updated with the new Deliver Later option, I can't plan when I will get the books. A book will say the wait is 5 weeks, then 5 minutes later it becomes available ..."


yessssssssss this has been happening to me recently too!! It didn't occur to me that it was due to the "deliver later" feature but that makes SO much sense now! I thought I was going nuts. it sure makes it tough to plan, because if I think I'll need a book in about two weeks and the wait is two weeks, that's perfect. But then the book is available a half hour later and I'm in a pickle. So I bump it two weeks. It's confusing.

Hello from very rainy Wisconsin. I'm spending most of my free time playing Animal Crossing rather than reading but I've gotten through a couple short things.

Death on the Nile: one of my favorite Agatha Christie's and I just needed a comfort read
Jackalope Springs Eternal: not the best entry in the series
Wild at Home: How to style and care for beautiful plants: aspirational home decor eye candy
Along the Tapajós: fun colorful picture book that's part of Amazon's World Book Day freebies

QOTW: No not really. I pretty much always read the description, unless it's part of a series I'm reading and I'm just borrowing the next one from the library.

Happy Thursday! I've had a better week for focusing but this past weekend was heartbreaking in Canada. Thank you to Global Citizen concerts on YouTube!

Finished:

Shatter Me 2 stars
This is craptactular ya, if it's not your genre stay away. I couldn't put it down and I need to continue the series. This edition had a novella at the end that was a 1 star read unfortunately.

Shade's Children 2 stars
I read this years ago and had forgotten it mostly. I ended up down grading my rating. The dystopian world and AI were great. The weird ferret monsters were not.

A Moon Made of Copper 2 stars
The cover art made me grab this from the library for my quarantine stockpile. It's a collection of poetry so it was doubtful that I would enjoy it in the first place. There were a few good poems but over all it was confusing.

Book Love 4 stars
A graphic novel about book addiction... It was awesome. I'd be confused if anyone that posts in the check ins did not enjoy this.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires 1 Star
My expectations were high and it let me down terribly. A favourite reviewer let me down. The start of the book had promise and I pushed myself to finish this due to the about a book club prompt. At the halfway point I became angry and I'm still angry. I got sent back to the Sookie Stackhouse series where the author makes the character be stupid to make the villain better and to drag the story on.

PS 2020 37/50
PS 2016 24/40
ŷ������ 75/150

Currently Reading:
Little Women this is gonna take forever for some reason

QOTW:
I don't buy books that much except from garage sales. However I have favourite authors that I'll read anything they write.
Ilona Andrews, J.K. Rowling, Chloe Neill, Holly Black to name a few.

Nadine wrote: "Milena wrote: "Hi everyone. I am having a very first world problem. Ever since my library has been updated with the new Deliver Later option, I can't plan when I will get the books. A book will say..."

Exactly, Nadine. Very small problem, just slightly annoying.

Sara, so very sorry about your mom. Glad you have your love of reading that she passed down to you in this time.
John Irving is also my favorite author (even though he wasn't on my QOTW list).

Sara wrote: "What a week. I've been staying with my parents to help care for my mom while she was in hospice. She died yesterday morning from complications of her leukemia (no COVID, thank goodness). It was a s..."

I'm so sorry for your loss. It is a really good thing that you were there for your mom and your dad.

Well, I blew last week. Just reading maybe a couple chapters (or not) still on the same book

Still going to continue chugging along with this book, hopefully finish next day or so, and then next is The City of Tears by Kate Mosse. Not even going to venture any further in the future with reading.

QOTW: Do you have any authors that you'll buy/borrow their new books without checking the description or reviews first, since you're sure you'll like it.
Heck, yeah! Any of my cozy authors are ones I don't even bother to look at description of new cozies. I may look at description if it is outside my normal genre but I would probably get it anyway. I also would buy/borrow any book written by Christian writers.

Sara wrote: "What a week. I've been staying with my parents to help care for my mom while she was in hospice. She died yesterday morning from complications of her leukemia (no COVID, thank goodness). It was a s..."


I am so very sorry. I hope it brings some comfort that you were able to share that last book with her and talk with her about it.

I read a bunch this week which made me happy.

For A bildungsroman I read Troubling a Star by Madeleine L’Engle. It was from a series started in the 60s, contemporary YA. This was from the 90s and is mired in the Faulkland Islands and the fight for rights to Antarctica and ultimately rather forgettable.

For A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it I read The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Yes, it's plural where the movie is singular but I'm calling it close enough. This was a horror novel and I enjoyed it.

For A book that has a book on the cover Chronicles of the Last Liturian: Book 1 - The Diary of Oliver Lee by Kenneth Rogers Jr. It was something i picked up from the author at a local con. It's more like a loose collection of short stories than a novel though.

And for A book with a great first line I read Who Slays the Wicked by C.S. Harris which was last year's Sebastian St Cyr book. I love this historical mystery series and this one was very good!

QOTW Honestly, no. Even if I like an author I still read the blurb especially if I'm buying. Even if I'm borrowing I do because some of the stuff even my favorites write just isn't my cup of tea.

I don’t think any of these tick off prompts I have left

WhiteOut by Adriana Anders. Romantic suspense. The premise is bonkers, a scientist and the station’s cook survive an attack in Antarctica and set out to go to another station across Antarctica while bad guys chase them for a virus the scientist discovered. Bonkers. But I was there for the entire ride and enjoyed it.

2 okay historical romances Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas and The Bachelor by Sabrina Jeffries.

And the first in a series (?) YA fantasy: Frostblood by Elly Blake. Enjoyable enough read, reading the second in the series right now.

QOTW:
Autobuys: Ruta Sepetys, Tessa Dare, Sarah Maclean, Erik Larrson, Shea Serrano (in fact, he announced his next book would be about rap which I’m not a huge fan of but will buy)

Good afternoon!

I think I'm starting to get over that brief reading slump, which is fabulous news.

Still doing surprisingly well in lockdown, though there's no routine to speak of so I've gone nocturnal again.
The only cause for concern is an expat relative who works in healthcare - their workplace is taking a head-in-the-sand approach, my relative is the only one there who's using PPE and they're having to provide their own. The whole family is yelling at them to pack in the job, it's not worth dying for. So yeah, that's... not great, but not a whole ton we can do about it from the confines of our houses, in a different country...

---

As for books, only one completed this week: The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics. Very much enjoyed it, preordered the followup by the time I was halfway through. It was the first romance novel I've ever read and far-and-away exceeded my expectations. It's really mostly about fighting institutional sexism in the emerging scientific disciplines of the Georgian era and healing from traumatic relationships. But also, beautiful love story between two women. 😍🌈
I used it for Popsugar prompt #22, book about or by a woman in STEM. One of the protagonists is an astronomer.

Still progressing slow and steady through David Copperfield, and also reading Magic for Liars, which is a little bit different than what I expected but I'm really liking it.

Nadine wrote: "W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton- this was my book from a series of more than 20 books."

Oh, I just picked up the first in that series on Kindle, and am planning to use it for the same prompt!

Ellie wrote: "Has anyone else bought a ridiculous amount of cheap ebooks since lockdown?"

😳🙋‍♀��
A Booktuber I like refers to her Kindle as "where books go to die" and I must admit it's the same with me - I've got like 400 on there, buy more constantly in daily/monthly deals, but only actually pick the thing up to read a couple of times a month, if that.

QOTW: Do you have any authors that you'll buy/borrow their new books without checking the description or reviews first, since you're sure you'll like it.
Seanan McGuire (and her many pseudonyms), N.K. Jemisin, Catherynne Valente, Naomi Novik, Frances Hardinge, Natasha Pulley, Garth Nix, Fonda Lee, Diane Setterfield, maybe Joanne Harris...
New or new-to-me authors who are certainly heading that way: Alix E. Harrow, Bridget Collins, H.G. Parry.

Stacey wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Sadie by Courtney Summers - wow I did not like this book at all. (If it sounds like it might be your thing: it works for the social media category.)"

Oh dear! I'm curious as to why ..."


Your comments a few weeks ago were probably part of why I put it on hold! Several members of this group have raved about it, and quite a few of my trusted GR friends have raved about it, and I just did NOT like Summers's writing style. It felt like it was just trying too hard to impress. "Look at me, I'm gritty and feeling all the dark feels while I'm poor and struggling and maybeprobably being raped and I have a mysterious ending!" I see all the five star reviews and so I know definitely that there's nothing wrong with this book, it's just not the kind of book for me.

Sara wrote: "What a week. I've been staying with my parents to help care for my mom while she was in hospice. She died yesterday morning from complications of her leukemia (no COVID, thank goodness). It was a s..."

I'm so, so sorry.

Happy Thursday! This week, I hit the halfway mark for the challenge with finishing 25/50 books so far.

Finished:
Ugly Love- this was not for the challenge. I keep reading Colleen Hoover books because my facebook book club picks them. She's not my favorite author, but this story was ok. 3.5 stars

Darling Rose Gold - I used this for prompt #31 - a book with "gold", "silver", or "bronze" in the title. I really liked the authors writing style in this book. It was a quick read and I thought it was very good. 4 stars

Sin Eater - I used this for prompt #20 - a book you picked because the title caught your attention. I had never heard of a sin eater before and found the concept of this book very interesting. There were some parts of the book that were slow and I found myself confused at times because things weren't always explained well. 3.5 stars

Challenge Progress:
Regular Challenge - 19/40
Advanced Challenge - 6/10
Total - 25/50

Currently Reading:
Behind Closed Doors - I'm reading this for my local book club. So far it's very good.

Valentine - I'm reading this for my book of the month book club. I'm struggling with the author not using quotes so might have to switch to the audiobook. It's free on Audible today so I got it just to see if it's any better.

The Apartment - I have an ARC of this, and I'm going to start it today.

QOTW - Do you have any authors that you'll buy/borrow their new books without checking the description or reviews first, since you're sure you'll like it.

I tend to read descriptions before buying books. There are some authors I will request ARCs for without reading the description though - Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell, Kristin Hannah, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Katherine Center come to mind.

Cornerofmadness wrote: "I read a bunch this week which made me happy.

For A bildungsroman I read Troubling a Star by Madeleine L’Engle. It was from a series started in the 60s, contemporary YA. This was fro..."

Oh goodness I DEVOURED the Austin & O'Keefe books as a child!! Zachary Grey was just IT for me, the original delectable bad boy!!! I didn't realize L'Engle had kept writing these. I think I'll just leave them as a wonderful childhood memory and not pick this one up :-)

Sara wrote: "What a week. I've been staying with my parents to help care for my mom while she was in hospice. She died yesterday morning from complications of her leukemia (no COVID, thank goodness). It was a s..."

I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope spending the last week together gives you comfort.

Happy Thursday! Hope you are all staying safe and healthy. I had a pretty normal week, except for the lockdown. Sorry, we are supposed to call it intelligent lockdown *smile* which means we can go outside for a walk, shopping (essentials only) or a bike ride. I still have no idea why this is intelligent, but I'm happy we can take a walk every day.

Finished
A Long Petal of the Sea It took a while, but Allende has written a beautiful story again. You can feel that the book’s theme (Spanish immigrants, the revolution and military regime in Chili) are very close to her. Her late uncle and former Chilean president, Salvador Allende, plays his part too. I guess Allende has written her final tribute to her country of origin, her uncle and the Chileans.
Edited Used for prompt Book published in 2020. Also: book by a WOC, book set in a country beginning with 'C'.

Currently reading
De Bourgondiers
Barkskins

Qotw
I used to buy every book by Isabel Allende. But, after some disappointments (please, no more mysteries Mrs Allende!!!) I first check the description or reviews first. I can recommend her latest book though. Other authors I buy/ borrow blind are Charlotte Roth and Geert Mak.

Happy Thursday Everyone! I hope everyone is safe and healthy! :)

I finally had a much more productive reading week, I think tuning out the news and focusing on other things plus picking up shorter books or audiobooks has helped me want to read more. I passed the halfway mark in my Popsugar Challenge this week so I'm happy about that! I also took a look at what I had tentatively planned for the challenge back in November and updated my plan now that the Library and my local used book store is closed and turns out I'm more excited about some of my new picks that I could get on ebook or scribd for those prompts anyways! :)

Current Progress

PS: 28/50 | HP: 40/56 | ATY: 38/52 | GR: 40/100

Read This Week
I read 6 books this week - yay!

The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5) by Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is the novella that follows The Cruel Prince and it's basically a letter from Taryn to Jude about the events that happened in the first book. I thought it was neat to see her side of the story and I enjoyed the much faster pace of the writing in this one. While there was some new content, it was nothing earth shattering or groundbreaking and nothing to further the main story line of the series but it would be a good refresher on parts of the first book for anyone who took a long break between books 1 and 2.
Used for: PS - 35. A Book with a Three-Word Title
HP - 10. Read a book that contains a magical creature
ATY - 50. A Book with a silhouette on the cover (lots of tree silhouettes)

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen ⭐️⭐️ This thriller was pretty disappointing for me. It follows the story of a woman who witnesses a suicide, tries to learn more about the person and then ends up being pulled into their old group of friends who are kind of shady. Imo, it was predictable and drawn out and I couldn't connect to any of the characters (I found most of them annoying). I guessed most of the ending by the halfway point and it wasn't because I was clever and sussed it out...it was pretty obvious.
Used for: PS - 1. A Book that's published in 2020
HP - 30. Read a book published in 2020
ATY - 48. A Book published in 2020

The Little Book of Self-Care for Gemini: Simple Ways to Refresh and Restore—According to the Stars by Constance Stellas ⭐️⭐️ Let me start by saying I don't really put stock into astrology and that I also don't connect with some things that most people seem to consider typical of Geminis but I figured it was a great time to be thinking about self-care and the audio of this was free on scribd so I figured why not, I'll give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I have liked, like or would like most of the ideas presented in this book BUT I also thought the tips were fairly disorganized and repetitive. It felt like the author repeated themselves just for filler content. I guess this probably isn't the kind of book that's meant to be read in one sitting and is meant more of like a tip a day or coffee table/bathroom kind of thing so you don't notice how repetitive it is? Overall, I didn't really discover many new things to try that I wouldn't already gravitate towards doing on my own. (maybe I'm just more self-aware when it comes to self-care or maybe this book could have been better? either way it was a quick read that I didn't hate)
Used for: HP - 52. Read a self-help book
ATY - 31. A Book inspired by a leading news story (I'm interpreting this as a book I was inspired to pick up because of a headline news story and not as a book that was written because of one. There are tons of news headlines about various self-care things these days on the Canadian media since we're all isolating with COVID.)
PS - not used for PS

Love Is a Gift (Heartland #15) by Lauren Brooke ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked that this particular book in the series went in a direction that the show veered totally away from so it was all new content for me. :) I also really loved that for a MG, it portrays the idea that you are a different person to different people that you come across and that you'll have more success building relationships when you practice more self-awareness.
Used for: PS - 12. A Book that passes the Bechdel Test
HP - 53. Read a book that includes an animal
ATY - 7. A Book set in the southern hemisphere (this particular installment in the series is mostly set in Australia.)

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was super short but also pretty powerful. It was really interesting to explore what a person with Dementia/Alzheimer's might experience and it was incredibly endearing to see the relationship between this patient & his grandson and how the family coped in general.
Used for: PS - 10. A Book recommended by your favourite Blog, Vlog, Podcast or Online Book Club (Recommended by Merphy Napier over on Booktube)
HP - 14. Read a book that was translated into your language
ATY - not used for ATY

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a retelling of The Little Mermaid that started a little darker (and she's a Siren not a Mermaid in this case). This is a hard one for me to rate because I think the story is exciting (even though it's fairly predictable imo) and I know that a lot of people will like this one but I thought that the narrative really didn't do it justice, well at least until we got 2/3 of the way into the book and the banter started; I did really enjoy that. :) I'm not sure if Christo's writing style just isn't for me or if the combination of her writing style + fantasy didn't really work for me? It felt disjointed, like there were small holes that had me asking questions throughout but not in a good I'm going to purposefully leave you wondering until everything comes together in a thriller kind of way, more in a I'm not sure if everything makes sense/I have questions kind of way. This is her debut and I liked some of her ideas, so I'll be interested in what she puts out in the future. Overall, this was a fun quick read but it wasn't anything special.
Used for: PS - 41. A Book written by an Author in their 20s (her fb about page says she's a 20-something author)
HP - 21. Read a book that includes a villain
ATY - not used for ATY
Edit: to mention that this can be used for Made Up Language in case anyone is still looking for another idea for that prompt. The sirens in the story have their own language called Psaarin (or Psariin? I forget how it's spelt now). There's several snippets of it throughout the book. :) I added it to the thread and listopia for that prompt as well.

Currently Reading

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi

QotW

Hmm..I'm not sure how many authors fit this bill for me. My problem is that I tend to read so many different things that I almost never get through most of an author's backlist to really discover how I feel about any one author and if I can really trust that I'll like everything they put out! If I'm going by authors that I have read a lot from that have never let me down...maybe Lisa See. I've read at least like 4 or 5 of her books that I can think of right now off hand and they were all at least 3 star reads. Another author that I've read a lot of, especially when I was younger, just for how much fun her reads are would be Sophie Kinsella. I think I've read nearly all her standalones by now expect for the one that still on my 2020 challenge plan! There were a couple of hers that ended up being 2 star reads for me but the majority were 3 or 4 stars.

Hello everyone!
I couldn't post in the previous weeks because, as I didn't finish any book, I thought "what's the point?" I even thought about the questions of the week that I could answer, but no.
But this week I finished: The Two Towers . Now I’m going to watch the movie to compare. I read the Fellowship of the Ring 5 years ago, so many things I don't remember. Good story, good book. When we can leave again, I will check the third part of this story.
I am currently reading Physik . I thought about reading an e-book of another genre, but I want to finish all the books borrowed from the library before reading anything that is available in digital or physical format that I have purchased.

QOTW:
I don't buy many books lately, I borrow a lot, but I don't trust the authors that I like that I will like all the books they write. I always look at the synopsis of the story, hoping it won't give me too many spoilers and ruin the experience of reading the book, only then will I decide whether to borrow that book or not.

Finished two books for the challenge this week, and one not for the challenge.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was for a cover with an upside down image. Not sure what I thought the book was going to be about (probably more about the dog, honestly), but I was definitely not expecting all the revelations that occurred towards the end.
I finally finished Red Sister that was for the January group read. I am clearly not a great read together type of person. Fits the category of book with a great first line.

QOTW: I really don't buy very many books; I'm definitely a library girl! Having the library remain closed for so long has been a form of torture, but I already had a very, very large stash of books checked out from both of the libraries I frequent, so I am well stocked for another several months, should it come to that. I can't come up with any specific authors who I would automatically read a new release from, although I know there are several.

Hello everyone! I'm in the middle of several big ol' books right now, so I only finished one book this week.
Finished: Spinning Silver--It took me quite a while to get through the audiobook, but I did and I'm so glad. I thought the narrator was quite good, and I just loved the book. There are so many moral gray areas for the characters, and Novik lets them take their time to find their way.

Currently reading:
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China: the writing style is a bit dry, but the history and the story are so fascinating they make up for it.
The Romanovs: 1613-1918: I am absolutely loving this book, but I've had to pause it for a bit because of library holds. Can't wait to get back to it!
Thick: And Other Essays: this is my new audiobook. It's my first time reading Cottom, and I'm enjoying her carefully chosen words and the way she explains/defends/advances her perspective.
Also, this weekend I shall read a silly novel. So mote it be.

QOTW: I think the only author I've done this with is Tamora Pierce. Maybe Willa Cather too?

In terms or reading this week has been a bit better than previous weeks. I hope I'll be able to read a bit more this weekend. Some of the books I read this week I wasnt able to fit into one of the prompts.

Popsugar Challenge: 24/50
ŷ������ reading challenge: 26/55

Finished
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven. ⭐⭐⭐⭐. I read this book in Swedish with the title "Vända världen rätt". Overall I liked this book, it was a cute romance with interesting charachters. Prompt: A book with a three word title

The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite. ⭐⭐��. I watched the series on Netflix last year and I got interested in reading the comics. I prefer the tv-show but I enjoyed the tone of the album, and the humor. If you want action the comics is better but the relationships are better in the tv-show.

The Hope of Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. ⭐⭐��. At the moment I'm really into Sanderon's books! I liked this short story and how it tied into Elantris and followed another charachter. I also read his annotations and it made me like the story even more.

Currently reading
Not much has changed since previous weeks.
The Night Circus
The Two Towers
The Emperor's Soul

QOTW
I have some but not a lot, that mostly depends on that I very rarely read new releases. But I have some authors that I like to read as soon as possible they release a new book

One of them is a Swedish crime author, Viveca Sten. She writes crime novels that take place in Stockholm and surrounding archipelago islands (?). They are fast-paced and I am finally caught up on the series.

Another author is a Swedish romance author, Simona Ahrnstedt. I really like her romance, it's well-written and has strong female characthers. Everytime she relases a new book I try to buy it at once or borrow it from the library.