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Hi all, sorry I never got a post up last week. Was a long week, followed by a very full overwhelming weekend. Finally had the memorial for my grandma who passed back just before Christmas. Everyone was at least partially vaccinated, so it was safe enough, but I am NOT used to having 20+ people that i have to interact with at once anymore Even if they were all family. And as part of the events there was a dinner out at a local restaurant, on the patio at least. But man, that was an overwhelming return to eating out, kind of a disaster. Anyhow, was basically useless all Sunday recovering. Then there was a family bbq Monday, same people. Was good to see family and be able to hug and everything, ti's the whole reason I tried to get vaccinated as fast as I could. But still exhausting!

Tuesday was our wedding anniversary as well, ended up returning to the same restaurant since we figured if we lived through a massive disaster of eating out, eating with just the two of us in a basically empty restaurant was fine. Manager gave us free drinks as apology for the mess on Saturday (husband couldn't order the food he wanted, they were out), We said it wasn't necessary but he insisted. Then they gave us a free experimental cookie dessert due to anniversary, so that was nice. (we tipped really well)

This week I finished:

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within - I loved this so much, absolutely tore though it. I love the series, so sad that this was the last one. I'm really hoping that once she takes a break and writes some other stuff, that she might come back in a few years. Used it for book nerds book set in a made up place, and for ATY book with an ensemble cast.

Libertie - This is part of Roxanne Gay's book club. I had high hopes for it, but fell kind of flat for me. I think the book blurb was a bit misleading, and I just wasn't feeling it. Kept reading other stuff/getting distracted. Used it for Booknerds book set in a country I've never visited. The second half+ of the book takes place in Haiti which I've never been to.

Love Bites- re-read I was distracting myself with

Currently reading:

Nothing just yet, need to figure it out. OR maybe go back to 1Q84 finally. but I do think i need a few quick reads to get back in a groove before trying that.

QOTW:

This is related to the book club, are people still interested in continuing it?
Not very many people have participated this past round. Just wondering what is up. Are people having a problem getting the book? Or has everyone just been busy and haven't gotten around to posting? Not trying to pressure people, but I just wondered if there's something I did wrong or COULD do to improve. Also wondering if I should be setting up selection for a new book, or if people need more time to get this one read/write posts. Mostly want to know if there's still interest in it, and if so, if there's anything I could do to improve. Thanks!

I'm sorry you had a rough time, but hopefully the cookie is a portent of better times to come.

America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States: This was basically an account of opposition to the immigration of various groups (Germans, Irish, Chinese, etc.) in roughly chronological order. It had a lot of good information, but I guess I was hoping for more "why are we like this" analysis, and it wasn't really that. I think it's still a good background to have.

The Black Dove: This is the third entry in the [Holmes on the Range] series, and an unintentional follow-up to my previous read, as it is set in Chinatown in San Francisco in the late 19th century. The author seemed to have done his research and provided a believable cross-section of the community, including anti-immigrant propagandists. The series is kind of weird in that the books are very funny, but the plots always involve everything going wrong, and the endings seem to all be a bit melancholy. I may have read this one in order to letter-over-spirit the "Western" challenge prompt.

A Testament to Murder: I thought this would be a fun long-weekend read, since it was set in the 1920s, but there really wasn't anything in the book to indicate that setting. The writing wasn't very good, the plot was silly, and we shall speak no more of it.

Sex, Murder and a Double Latte: I had to give the mystery genre a chance to redeem itself. This one really did have a sense of era: it's from about 15 years ago and referenced Blockbuster, CDs, Beanie Babies, answering machines AND cell phones... The characters are a bit over-the-top stereotypical and there were some plot, uh, incongruities, but it was fun.

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics: I saw this on a list somewhere that said it involved astronomy, French translation, and sapphic romance. I am interested in two out of three, so I gave it a shot. This was like one of those kids' books where the girl fights to be able to do Boy Things, but with adult women and, uh, adult content. A bit simplistic, but a nice optimistic story with decent writing. There was no actual physics or French, which is probably for the best, but I think the author should've thrown in a direct mention of Caroline Herschel.


QOTW: I read the latest book before the posts were up, so I was kind of waiting to give other people a chance to comment before swooping in with my final thoughts, but I'll go ahead and get that done soon. I know there have been some long wait times over the last few selections as well, so I would be fine with a pause for folks to catch up, or we could try to suggest some older books next round that might be more readily available.

Sounds like an overwhelming time to be sure! Glad you've come out the other side somewhat intact.

Two finishes for me since last time I checked in - The Kids Are Gonna Ask, which I used for the award prompt. It won an Alex Award, which I had never heard of until a few weeks ago and decided to browse the list and pick out one that sounded interesting. It's an award given to books that are aimed at adults that also have appeal for younger readers (minimal violence and sex, etc). It was okay - I enjoyed the characters a lot, but I found the plot to be pretty improbable.

Second was Run by Ann Patchett, which I used for a book set where I live. I've loved some of the other books that I've read of hers, and this was also quite good (and she captured Boston pretty accurately). But I was dissatisfied with how superficially she explored race and privilege - it was obvious that the book was written by a white author, because so much was glossed over or not portrayed authentically. It makes me feel like I'm growing as a person, because even just a few years ago that lack wouldn't have registered with me, so yay?

Currently - still working on The House of Hades with the kiddo, and I just started The Priory of the Orange Tree.

QOTW: I enjoy the book club. I haven't participated much in the discussions, mostly because I lack the brainpower to answer questions thoughtfully right now, but I like reading what everyone else has to say. I may be able to participate more reliably over the summer (twelve more school daaaaays).

Sorry everything has been so overwhelming for you, Sheri. I hope things get better.

I have a few finishes to report since the last check in.

Elatsoe - A YA story set in an AU America similar to our own, except magic is widely accepted, and creatures from every folklore exist. The lead character is an Apache girl who has inherited her family's ability to summon ghosts. After her cousin is killed, she sets out to discover the truth about his death. I really enjoyed the different take on magic and folklore in an otherwise contemporary setting. This was my my Popsugar book by an Indigenous author.

Concrete Rose - A prequel to The Hate U Give about Starr's father Maverick growing up as a Black teenage boy in gang territory, and becoming a teenage father. This was powerful and moving. This was my my Popsugar book about a social justice issue.

After that, I needed something lighter, so I went with My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life. Super fluffy, super wish fulfillment, rags-to-riches story about a mixed-race American girl who's taken out of foster care to go live with the wealthy Japanese father she never knew. The story and characters are flimsy, but it's worth it for the descriptions of Japan and Tokyo in particular. Used for my Popsugar book set somewhere I'd like to visit.

Some manga: Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 11, Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 12, Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 13, and Blue Flag, Vol. 4. I also read a short story, The Autobiography of a Traitor and a Half-Savage by Alix E. Harrow.

Currently, I'm reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, my Popsugar book by an online personality. I'm mostly enjoying it, but sometimes the character voice just feels wrong. Maybe part of it is just that the main character is not very likable. I can't quite put a finger on it, but it's like... I can tell it's a man writing a female main character and trying to be too clever about it. I don't know how else to describe it.

QOTW: I feel bad for not participating in the book club as much as I'd like to. For me personally, it's usually a combination of, I read the book too early, or things get busy at work so I don't have the mental power to write up answers to the questions and I'm not sure what to talk about. For the last book, I finished reading before the questions went up, but I'll go look at the final post and try to write up my thoughts now that things have slowed down for me.

Wow, Sheri - you had quite the weekend! Like Rebecca, I hope that the experimental cookie marks the beginning of a new era, but I know I couldn't handle a funeral, family reunion, and going out to eat in any combination right now, let alone all on top of each other like that! I almost feel guilty that I got to spend all three days reading now.

So not to rub it in even more, but with all that reading time I finally got caught up with all of the book clubs, so I don't feel like I'm sliding down a cliff anymore. :)

At last check-in, I was in the midst of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants for the online alumni book club. I really enjoyed it, and would never have picked it up on my own, so it was a good reminder of why I do book clubs in the first place. It really made me think about the perception vs. reality of different religions' beliefs about our relationship with nature.

Next up was The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power for IRL book club #3. This was another one I never would have heard of otherwise, and that I really enjoyed. Every chapter could be expanded into (at least) a full book, but the author does a good job of balancing the enormous scope of the topic with specific situations that illustrate the larger points. It made me want to dig deeper into many of the sources, which are very nicely cited, by the way. :)

After that was The Lost Apothecary for IRL book club #1 - it was a super quick read, which surprised me. I got the ebook through the library and didn't really pay attention to how long it was, and from the description, I was expecting something along the lines of Once and Future Witches in length. It was enjoyable, if not entirely unpredictable, but it definitely felt like it was setting up a sequel with the way it ended. The pacing and writing style felt like a movie, so I wonder if it might be one where the movie rights were sold before it was finished, so it was partially written with that in mind. I think it might actually work a bit better as a movie, since the lack of detail on some plot points would be less of an issue there.

I'm now almost finished with IRL book club #3's The Secrets We Kept. This is another one that feels movie-like, which is not a criticism, just not what I was expecting. The writing style is unusual - different sections almost feel like they were written by different people, which I think is intentional since the perspective jumps around quite a bit. I've got less than 100 pages to go, and I truly have no idea how everything is going to wrap up, so it certainly isn't predictable. I don't know how much (if any) of the story is based on reality, and I don't intend to find out until the author's note at the end (assuming there is one - there usually is with this kind of story). I've never really gotten into cold war stories as a genre - I think partially because when I was growing up in the 80's it was not exactly the golden age of cold war fiction - but this one has drawn me in.

QOTW: You know I'm the biggest book club enthusiast out there, so of course I'm in favor of continuing. I've read several books with this group that have brought me to authors I'd never have found otherwise that I've really enjoyed. One thing to keep in mind is that the vast majority of members in any Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ group are lurkers, so a lack of posts doesn't necessarily translate to a lack of people reading the book and following along. I'm in several groups on here where I almost never post, and usually read the selected books years after the fact - but I still really enjoy going back and reading the discussions when I finally have read the book. I suspect there are similar folks here, so if you look at it from that perspective, it's more of an ongoing reading list than a set of finite conversations. But since I'm pushing you to continue, the least I can do is offer to help - so if you'd like me to do anything like writing questions, responding to comments, etc., I would be glad to - I don't want to throw work at you and run off! :)

I don't mind continuing the book club, it's just more that usually by the time it'd be next book selection time, at least SOME people have posted on the posts. I think only one person has posted thoughts, so I wasn't sure if something specific is going on (i was too slow getting posts up, people can't get the book) or if people lost interest, or just happens to be a busy time. I could also delay a month, start the selection of the next book closer to July instead of now.

Also I originally started breaking up the posts by chapter groups due to back when Stephanie ran Left Hand Of Darkness and she did it. It seemed like a popular format at the time. But if people would prefer just "pre reading thoughts" and "final thoughts", that's fine with me (and actually easier since I wouldn't need to go section by section to make sure questions line up) . I know if i don't get the book as quickly as others, and people have finished it can be difficult to remember what happened when and make sure you're posting spoilers.

Sheri wrote: "I don't mind continuing the book club, it's just more that usually by the time it'd be next book selection time, at least SOME people have posted on the posts. I think only one person has posted th..."

I personally would be more likely to participate with just pre-reading thoughts and final thoughts - sometimes I don't have the brainpower for the specific questions. But that's just me!

I think just pre-reading and final might work better as well. I sometimes forget to stop reading at the stopping points, and then worry about posting spoilers and/or can't remember what was in which section.

And if I can help at all with the book club, I'm happy to help out where I can, too!

i've finished: Best Laid Plans and Tell Me Your Dreams, but by Sidney Sheldon. i have two more of his books and then I'm done my reread.

I'm currently reading The City of Zirdai - the entry here on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ is weird - it's trying to tell me it's an ebook, but I'm holding the book in my hands and turning actual pages, so no, it's not an ebook! XD

QotW: I find that if i read a book club book, it's a totally random happenstance. but, true to form: i remember the book for a short time after I've read it, and then all I'm left with was "wow, that was a good book!... but i don't remember why" XD there's nothing wrong with how you're doing the discussion threads; it's my brain that's weird most of the time XD

I missed a week too (and for no particular reason, unlike Sheri), so now have about 3 weeks of books to report. I read Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. During pandemic, I saw him speak at an online event, and was really impressed at how well he answered questions at the end (I figured he has writers to help on the Daily Show). Now that I have read his background, it's even more amazing. It is hard to believe that someone as young as he is lived through apartheid; I remember learning about it as it was about to end, but he really illustrate what it meant to live through it. It is appalling that it lasted as long as it did.
I read The Seventh Most Important Thing for a book about redemption for book nerds. (I chose a children's book figuring it would be fast if I didn't like it.) I liked it better than I expected, and it turned out to be based on a true story too.
I read The Convivial Codfish as the next one in my reread of the Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn series. The thing that I like about this series (from 1980s) is that it has aged well because it didn't incorporate too many things related to pop culture at the time-the only noticeable things are pay phones.
I finally got to read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue after 7 months on my library waiting list. I enjoyed it; was a little worried about how it might end but I found it satisfying.
Last one was The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry. I liked it, but found the speech patterns distracting so probably won't read others by the author. I liked how the author incorporated into her fantasy a romance trope (rich/poor couple) but made it non-hetero.
QOTW-I hope we keep book club; I have better success liking books here than in my IRL book club. It just takes me awhile to get them-I'm 72/84 on the list for Once and Future Witches, so it may take me even longer than the 7 months I waited for Addie Larue. I think switching to the pre- and post would be fine, as I also forget to do the intermediate parts and don't want to give away spoilers.
Thanks again Sheri for leading our group!

Similar to Sheri, in a few weeks we have an anniversary dinner with 20 people (all fully vaccinated) in a restaurant. That will be our first time in a restaurant since Feb 2020 and there will be other strangers in there too, likely unvaccinated given where we'll be geographically. Stressful...

I am "this close" to finishing The Once and Future Witches. I have 90 minutes left on a 16 hour audiobook. So it is quite close to the end and clearly the climax is real soon now. I'll save my discussion for the book club thread.

I am also reading Project Hail Mary. Loving this so far. Much more readable like The Martian and holding my interest. I am looking forward to seeing where this story goes!

QOTW: Put me also on team pre- and post- thoughts. It is a lot of work for everyone to both come up with questions relevant to a section as well as isolate thoughts at that granularity. And also thank you Sheri for all you do for this group here.

I'm also fine with the pre and post reading thoughts posts - I enjoy the questions, but I don't always see the posts when they go up and then they get buried, so that would be less to keep track of. :)