ŷ������

You guys! I just realized it's THURSDAY!! I am so unprepared today. I had a big work meeting this morning, and my daughter missed the bus (AGAIN) so I had to drive her, and I had Monday off so I don't know what day it is ... I am all discombobulated!!!!

It's Pride Month! It rained all day yesterday so we do not have our Pride Flag out yet.

Here's my funny story for the week: my college daughter took a painting class at college, turns out she is quite talented (gets it from me haha!) - her final project was a "self portrait" and she painted herself and her sister. It's great! I love it! The canvas is pretty big so the faces are life size. I propped it up on the back of the family room couch this morning so I could admire it some more, and then left to start my meeting. Five minutes later, my dog Sophie walked into the family room and FLIPPED OUT. Apparently she thought some very short very thin people who looked suspiciously like HER people were standing behind our couch LOL!!


Admin stuff
June group read is Beloved!

We still have an opening for discussion leader for August & September.

September poll for the group read is here: /poll/show/2...



I read books! None for this Challenge so I remain 33/50.

Front Desk by Kelly Yang - LOVED IT. This was super cute and emotionally moving and addressed all sorts of difficult topics. Highly recommended.

The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel - thumbs DOWN! One star. Clunky writing, wooden dialogue, characters did dumb things. I barely finished this.

On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho - haiku! who doesn't love haiku?!

Light Years From Home by Mike Chen - I just finished this last night. It's a family drama framed by a possible alien abduction. I think Chen is great and I enjoyed this, but I hated one of the main characters.




Question of the Week
here's another suggestion from Lauren, who hasn't been around in a while and probably has no idea we are finally using her suggestions!

What book do you recommend to other readers the most?


I browse the suggestmeabook subreddit a lot, and I think the book series I recommend most is MurderBot. Because who doesn't love MurderBot??

In the comic book sub, I recommend Moonshadow a lot - that graphic novel series was a criminally under-rated work of art.

Thursday is here again! We got dumped on with rain last night too, and I ended up driving home through a thunderstorm. Wipers going as fast as they could, 30mph and could still barely see the lines on the road. And it was so LOUD on the roof of the car! But I made it home in one piece (and wouldn't you know it, the sun was out at my house), and I got to visit with my grandma so I'm calling it a win.

Happy Pride!! 💙💜💗

Finished:
Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America - 4 stars. A tough listen to begin with, but the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings made it even more difficult. Glad I read it though, as I've been meaning to read Ijeoma Oluo for some time now.
Catwoman, Volume 2: Dollhouse - 4 stars. This series is a lot of fun!

PS 29/50

Currently:
The Silmarillion - still making progress!
Shorefall - past the halfway mark and this entire book has been so intense, I'm not sure I'll be able to handle the finale when it gets here Book with a character on the ace spectrum
Dismembering Lahui: A History of the Hawaiian Nation to 1887 - I started learning Native Hawaiian so I could understand the pronunciation of various Hawaiian words, and am plugging along with this Book by a Pacific Islander author
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith - a tough audio listen, but it moves quickly enough. Looking forward to the Hulu miniseries.
Redemption Song - enjoying it just as much as the first book!

Upcoming:
Base Notes
The Invention of Wings

QOTW: What book do you recommend to other readers the most?
I LOVE recommending City of Stairs (some of the best world-building I've ever read) and Craig Schaefer's Revanche Cycle (it's like GOT with the fantasy + political intrigue, and bonus: it's a FINISHED 4-book series).

I've missed a few check-ins recently. Here are the May book finishes that I would recommend to other readers:

Dune by Frank Herbert (4/5, reread)

For scope and imagination, this is a 5/5. For an actual reading experience at this time in my life, it's a 4/5. There are some phrases from other languages, both real and invented, used in the story, so it could fit for a book that features two languages.

Imzadi by Peter David (4/5, reread)

This is very well-written, and David has a strong grasp of the TNG characters. Some minor gripes like Barclay being treated unfairly bring it to a 4/5.

Question of the Week:

Here are three frequent recommendations from me.

Bloodline by Claudia Gray
Watching the Clock by Christopher L. Bennett
The Art of the Impossible by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Ashley Marie wrote: "I LOVE recommending City of Stairs (some of the best world-building I've ever read) ..."


I LOVED American Elsewhere and now I know I definitely want to read more by him, so City of Stairs is high on my TBR!

I finished Slow Train to Switzerland: One Tour, Two Trips, 150 Years - and a World of Change Apart as a previous favorite, somewhere I want to go. It was very interesting. Totally still want to go, but probably won't happen.

I read The Guise of Another as a book with someone living 2 lives. It started out good and it was a real page turner, but I didn't like the ending which can really ruin a book for me.

I'm almost done with A Rose for Virtue as a book that starts with the last letter of your last read (I don't count the articles). It's from that infamous box of books, but it's actually not half bad.

QOTW: I don't really recommend books very much. If I'm currently reading a book, I might tell someone, hey this is good, or if someone asks if a book is good, I'll give them my opinion, but that's about it.

Hello! My parents were in town for the holiday weekend, and this weekend is my college reunion. College is requiring vaccination to participate, which is good, but still very apprehensive about everything. My best friend is flying in from Utah, and I haven't seen her since the last reunion, so will see how things go.

It also dawned on me that this year's Hugo voting deadline is in August, not November, so I have far less time to read everything. I've only read one of the Best Novel nominees, and the others seem to be in the middle of series. Anyone know if I need to have read the early stuff to understand A Master of Djinn? I've read nothing by P. Djèlí Clark.

Finished This Week:
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Once I started over, I was able to finish fairly quickly. Very engaging, and I really should have connected the dots before I was expressly told things. Have book 2 from the library already, but haven't started yet. Not using for PS prompt, but would fit for #27, A Hugo Winner.

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera. Retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice myth set in New York where Pheus is a Afro-Latino teen and Eury had her home in Puerto Rico destroyed in Hurricane Maria. This is my favorite myth and I've tried multiple times to do my own retelling. I enjoyed the framing of Eury being haunted by an evil spirit since childhood, and that she has agency in her fate. Using for PS #12, About the Afterlife.

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews. I listened to the Graphic Audio production of Clean Sweep, with a full cast and sound effects like an old-timey radio serial. I thought it was very well done, even though it is missing the epilogue. Will look for the rest of the Innkeeper Chronicles from them.

Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights by Mikki Kendall. Graphic Novel of women fighting for all sorts of rights throughout human history. It's a very large overview, with each person usually only getting a paragraph about them. A great place to start, but most of the people profiled deserve more time devoted to them. Using for Read Harder #6, Nonfiction YA comic.

PS: 26/50 RH: 4/24 ATY: 29/52 GR: 71/100

Currently Reading:
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser. It has been a long time since I've read any of the Little House books, as I mostly stopped reading them in middle school when a friend read a biography of Laura and we realized she'd left large parts out. But when this book came out a few years ago, I wanted to read it. And then when Read Harder had a prompt to read a biography of an author you admire, I decided it was finally time. I may not admire Laura these days, but I certainly did when I was a kid. Reading this as far removed from the books as I am, I'm pleasantly surprised any time something I remember turns out to be accurate. They've just survived The Long Winter.

QOTW: What book do you recommend to other readers the most?
Cumulatively, it has to be Sunshine by Robin McKinley. I told all my friends to read it, and also encouraged a random woman at a library book sale to get it. More recently, I've told plenty of people to read either A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher or Murderbot.

Hi All, I forgot it was Thursday until I saw the notifications. I read 3 books for the week.
1. What If It's Us. I used it for the advanced prompt of a book with 2 POVS. I enjoyed it.
2. The Truth According to Us. Not for this challenge. I didn't like the book. It has been on my queue since 2016. What a disappointment.
3. The Love Hypothesis. #22 A book with a character on the ace spectrum. I liked the book.
I can't think of a book I recommend all the time. It's usually a current read that is fresh to me.

I finished Many Waters. I had intended to use it for the prompt "A book set on or near a body of water" because I knew it was about Noah's Ark. But it's a pre-flood Noah. It's barely raining when the book ends. Mostly it's desert. So, I feel justified in using it for the PS prompt about a misleading title.

Finished:

Many Waters
ATY prompt: A book published at least 10 years ago
Popsugar prompt: A book with a misleading title

ATY - 23/52
PS- 19/35
Series - 9/13
Clearing my TBR list: 18/40

Currently reading:

Death by Water - About 95% done

How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe  - Just started

QOTW: It depends on which of my friends I'm talking to. I've been recommending Ruth Ware to friends who read mysteries, Grady Hendrix to people who like Horror, Jan Karon to my friends at church. For my writing group, I pick books that have an interesting writing style - plus it's pay back for them making me read that horrible Life After Life book.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: "I LOVE recommending City of Stairs (some of the best world-building I've ever read) ..."


I LOVED American Elsewhere and now I know I definitely want to read m..."

City of Stairs is in my Top 5 Books Ever!

Blessed Feast of the Ascension to my fellow Eastern Christians celebrating today! My husband took the holiday off, so we had two days of discombobulation! I have no idea what day it is anymore.

Finished 19/50

Need to get a move on! I'm falling behind!

The Dragon Reborn for "book about a party [of adventurers, lol]". So fun rereading this series. It's a totally different saga the second time around!

Currently Reading

Save Me from Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story for "book about a band". We loooved Korn as teenagers and were shocked when we heard on the radio that Head had left the band! I have always wanted to read his story, so now I get the excuse. Looking forward to it!

QotW

Lately it seems to be Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Finding the Way to Christ in a Complicated Religious Landscape and/or Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith. A surprising amount of people in my general sphere are dropping American Evangelicalism and asking me questions about my journey and faith. These books help the average American Protestant understand their own context and the wider experience of the Eastern church. I've been recommending those a lot lately.

The Stormlight Archives and Wheel of Time also top my list for books I've been recommending to my fellow fantasy lovers. I'm currently working on converting all my WoT friends to Stormlight and all my Stormlight friends to WoT. I mean, there's no excuse if you like one to not read the other. Sanderson is directly involved in both.

29/50

Finished: In the Key of Us for prompt romance novel by a BIPOC author

The Book Smugglers

The Gift

Started: Philosophical Explanations

Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America

Qotw: I don't know how much I actually recommend this book, but I would like to recommend The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared because it is so funny!

Happy Thursday, book pals.

I took my car in for repairs... and it looks like there's a chance that it was totaled in my accident a month ago. Joy... guess it's time to go car shopping.

On the plus side... I get to attend my first concert next week! Going to see Weird Al.

Books read this week:

Hide -- straddles the line between “schlocky campy horror�� and “social horror,�� and while I’m not sure how well it managed to do both, it was still entertaining and thought-provoking.

Killing Gravity -- this has fairly low reviews on ŷ������, but I thought it was fun! Might move on to the sequels��

Death Wins a Goldfish: Reflections from a Grim Reaper's Yearlong Sabbatical -- graphic novel, and a surprisingly cute read. The art takes some getting used to (it’s just a step up from scribbles) but it has its own brand of charm.

Currently Reading:

Indistinguishable from Magic
Rune Scale
Deep Roots
When Women Were Dragons
I Am an Executioner: Love Stories

QOTW:

Definitely The Martian. One of my favorite books ever, and one even non-sci-fi readers can enjoy, I think.

Hi everyone. I went to London with my nephew this week which was lovely but I'm glad we missed the Jubilee crowds. I bought my nephew A Bear Called Paddington for being so well behaved and he read most of it on the train ride home.

This week I finished Skyward. It took a long time for me to warm up to this book, mainly because Spensa was hard to like, but once I was invested I really liked it. Also, M-Bot was the cutest ship-robot and must be protected.

Currently reading: Payback's a Witch- mostly because I chuckled at the title and it has a pretty cover. I am enjoying the story so far too

QOTW: I hate giving recommendations to people. Too much pressure to guess their tastes. If I had to, I'd probably go for The Lies of Locke Lamora but it definitely isn't for everyone.

Good afternoon, everyone!

The Seasons of Reading SciFi Summer Readathon started yesterday! This is my first time participating in this particular readathon, and I am already loving it. I ended up reading for about 15 hours straight yesterday, so I’ve already finished my first 6 books of the readathon.

Since I am currently on a book buying ban, all of the SciFI books I read this month are coming straight from my TBR Checklist. I did take a quick look at my list prior to the start of the readathon, and I found that I had a total of 100 SciFi titles that I had not read. Quite a few of those books are titles from popular television and movie franchises (such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, and Doctor Who), so I think it’s safe to say that SciFi Summer is going be really fun.

Of course there’s no way that I’ll manage to make it through all 100 titles in the next 29 days, but I am determined to complete as many as I can. I’ll keep track of my progress in each week’s update for anyone who’s interested.

ŷ������: 277/200
TBR Checklist: 236/1140
TBR Checklist (SciFi only): 6/100

Finished Reading:
~The Singles Table
~The Sanatorium
~The Monarch of the Glen
~The Art of Film Magic: 20 Years of Weta
~Heirs of the Force
~Shadow Academy
~The Lost Ones
~Lightsabers
~Darkest Knight
~Jedi Under Siege

Currently Reading:
~Shards of Alderaan

QOTW:
Here are some of my favorite books to recommend...
~The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
~The Murderbot Diaries series, by Martha Wells
~A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, by T. Kingfisher
~And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
~The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi

Sarah wrote: "Hi everyone. I went to London with my nephew this week which was lovely but I'm glad we missed the Jubilee crowds. I bought my nephew A Bear Called Paddington for being so well behave..."

I love Paddington. He's from Lima in Darkest Peru and he loves orange marmalade. And even though that's all I can remember about him, I know I read 7 billion books about him.

PS: 13/40
Total 2022: 24

Finished
The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS #21, a book about a band or musical group
A heartwarming book!

Currently reading
Us Against You
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder

QOTW
Lately I recommend The Sisters of Auschwitz: The True Story of Two Jewish Sisters' Resistance in the Heart of Nazi Territory a lot. It’s not just another ‘true story�� on World War 2, it’s absolutely unique and gives a new perspective on it. Did you know Jews were in the resistance while going into hiding?

Melissa wrote: "Currently Reading:
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser. It has been a long time since I've read any of the Little House books, as I mostly stopped reading them in middle school when a friend read a biography of Laura and we realized she'd left large parts.."

I'm currently reading this book too! I’m also pleasantly surprised when I remember something correctly. I loved the tv series and remember that when I read the books I was surprised that the Ingalls family had such a rough time. I knew the series was almost entirely made up. Turns out it was even worse. I’m at where they’ve just moved back to Walnut Grove (chapter 4).

Been out of school for over a week. Enjoying some Women’s College World Series today and I’ve actually knocked out some more prompts.

Book about witches

Mortal Sin by Allison Brennan. Third in a trilogy. I finally got around to reading it and it was just awful. It’s about witches who want to bring forth demons and the first book wasn’t great literature but it was fun. This was not, I would’ve DNF’d if not for the fact that I had read the first two and just wanted to see the end.

Book about a found family

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. It’s about an orphanage for children with unusual abilities. It’s very sweet. Also, if you are looking for books with queer characters for Pride month reads, this one centers a couple of gay mains.

A book you can read in one setting

Goodbye, Again by Jonny Sun. Book of essays. Very sweet and calming and the essay about succulents is lovely.

Sister cities

by Kat Howard. Set NYC (I figure I'll run across a book in one of NYC's sister cities sometime this year). Magic is real and requires a tournament and one magician wants to take down the whole system. It was good. It could have been great in another writer's or editor's hands.

no prompts from fave to least fave

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzalez. YA romance. It was adorable. The main is an anonymous advice writer for her school, someone figures out who she is and ropes her into helping him get his ex back. It was cute and enjoyable. And if you are looking for queer reads for Pride, the main character is bi and there are some lesbian secondary characters.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel. It was okay like I didn't hate it but it didn't necessarily leave a favorable opinion.

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne. Contemporary romance. I hated this book. I can't tell you why I did not DNF it. The mains were annoying especially the hero was a grown man but didn't what size sheets to get for his bad and it was played as "ha, ha, I'm so incompetent, isn't that cute". No, no it's not. Also, he had family issues were decades deep and resolved in 2 paragraphs.

QOTW
Recommendations are hard. What genre do they like? Do they like bad but fun in their genre? How spicy do they like their romance?

I do trade a lot of books with my niece and I know her pretty well.

Also, I am always on the Ruta Septys train. She writes historical fiction and doesn't miss.

Melissa wrote: "It also dawned on me that this year's Hugo voting deadline is in August, not November, so I have far less time to read everything. I've only read one of the Best Novel nominees, and the others seem to be in the middle of series. Anyone know if I need to have read the early stuff to understand A Master of Djinn? I've read nothing by P. Djèlí Clark."

I would recommend both A Dead Djinn in Cairo and The Haunting of Tram Car 015 as they give you a bit of early/background info on the main characters prior to diving in (and they're both short), but I don't think it's absolutely necessary.

Hi Everyone!

It's been a hectic week. I have one week before Summer Reading Program starts. I'm still working logistics for it. sigh.

It was still a pretty good week of reading.

Read:

Lumara My third NetGalley read. It was pretty good. There was a twist.

Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron I'm a Julia Quinn fan. I bought this one through our book supplier. I enjoyed it. It was so silly and fun. Watch out for those pigeons!

Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura, Vol. 9
Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura, Vol. 10
Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura, Vol. 11
Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura, Vol. 12 I finished this series and really loved the last volume.

Full Moon o Sagashite, Vol. 1 Just started this one. The mc has throat cancer and wants to sing. The first volume was good. I've never read or watched this series before so I can't wait to see what happens.

Reading:

A Curse So Dark and Lonely
I think this one is for a prompt, but I don't know anymore. I think i fullfilled it with Kaiju preservation society.

Planning to read:

The Luminaries

Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria

these are both NetGalley books. So I will definitely read them.

QOTW:

I work in a library so I recommend a lot of books. It depends on what genre and author they are looking for.

Personally, I'm recommending these two book right now because i thought they were very good. Daughter of the Moon Goddess and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea.

I feel like an idiot. I forgot to mention The Light in Hidden Places. This is a faction book. It tells the story of real life woman who saved 13 Jews.

K.L.: Lightsabers! That was the first Star Wars book I remember buying at a bookstore instead of checking out at the library. The sparkly cover is fantastic, and Tenel Ka is still one of my favorite characters.

Kenya: Going to see Weird Al should be a great time. Is it your first concert ever or since COVID-19 started spreading?

Melissa wrote: "Anyone know if I need to have read the early stuff to understand A Master of Djinn? I've read nothing by P. Djèlí Clark. ..."


You do not NEED to read the earlier books to follow the plot, but you will enjoy the book more if you know more of the characters' background. I had forgotten some of the details from the previous shorts and it was a bit annoying at times, because Clark assumed we knew certain things, and I did not know. But if that sort of thing does not annoy you, you'll be fine.

Chandie wrote: "Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne. Contemporary romance. I hated this book. I can't tell you why I did not DNF it. The mains were annoying especially the hero was a grown man but didn't what size sheets to get for his bad and it was played as "ha, ha, I'm so incompetent, isn't that cute". No, no it's not. Also, he had family issues were decades deep and resolved in 2 paragraphs. ..."

I read this, this past week too and I completely agree.

That is very funny about Sophie the dog.

As for me, not doing much, doing nothing I'm supposed to be doing, not even really reading much.

The only thing I read for the challenge wasMurder On The Mountain by L.R. Starr for the prompt A romance novel by a BIPOC author. It's a mystery-romance, short and likeable enough except for a couple of weird things (like I swore he told her about the serial killer but she acted like he didn't the day after they tumbled into bed).

I also read The Shadow Threat by Claudia Gray, a Kryptonian story about Superman's parents. If you like seeing a whole planet of caste-bound jerks into Eugenics, go for it. I did not like this one

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March is a historical mystery set in India and includes some really ugly true events into the mystery. I really enjoyed it.

QOTW whichever good book I last read. There really isn't one book I keep holding up time and again. I'm more likely to suggest series

I too am struggling to sort out the days of the week. It's a combo of too may long work days that spread through the weekends, a holiday that wasn't a holiday, etc.

I am 36/50 in PS. I will be picking away at that number as I have books from my TBR for everything left to be read.

Finished I had a stellar reading week:
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 - I was the way far back rear guard in this read along with some PBT friends, so far back that their rear was NOT protected - but this was fabulous! 5 star read. Atkinson makes history come alive - I felt like I was watching a movie while reading.
A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder - a fun romp as a reward for pushing through and finishing my history read - which I loved but it was time to move away from battles in war to battles in ballrooms.
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne - only an Irishman could have written this. Gorgeous but so sad. a 4 star read
The Album of Dr. Moreau - hilarious and brilliant scifi/classic murder mystery retelling of the classic H.G. Wells The Island of Dr. Moreau featuring a species hybrid boy band called the WyldBoyZ whose unscrupulous manager is found gruesomely murdered. 5 star read! Short -- a novella - and I of course slotted it right into prompt book about a band. This was nominated for an Edgar this year. Deservedly. So inventive and fun.

Currently reading:
Ulysses - this is the read along I'm now dragging behind on.
A Clash of Kings - I am no longer as far behind in this read along as we spread out the time blocks a lot as we were all falling behind.
Razorblade Tears - another Edgar nominee -- and brilliant. Fits Pride month too - gritty, violent thriller which socks an emotional punch from the very first page. A client recommended it and dang he is right - it's incredible.
Breadfruit - my Pacific Islander read.

QOTW: Right now I'm always recommending The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Circe, and The Weight of Ink. Ask me at Christmas and I have a whole different set of recommendations -- very different!

Brandon wrote: "Kenya: Going to see Weird Al should be a great time. Is it your first concert ever or since COVID-19 started spreading?"

First concert ever (unless you count seeing artists perform at the local county fair). I hope it's a fun one, heh...

Kenya wrote: "Brandon wrote: "Kenya: Going to see Weird Al should be a great time. Is it your first concert ever or since COVID-19 started spreading?"

First concert ever (unless you count seeing artists perform..."

I'm jealous! Though I suspect other concerts may be ruined for you after seeing him!

Well, bad news since the last check-in: we both definitely have COVID after our Anaheim trip. So far, it hasn't been too bad; just some sniffles and a little coughing and sore throat. The real challenge is trying to avoid giving it to my partner's elderly mom, who we live with. Right now, we've been isolating as much as possible and wearing masks in common spaces, or while doing stuff like cooking.

I finished The City We Became for the sister cities prompt. I loved it. As someone who grew up in NYC, maybe I got more out of it, I don't know. It's definitely a love letter to the city.

I am just getting started on The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, not for a prompt. I'm not far enough in to have much of an opinion yet, but it should be good reading for Pride month, at least.

QOTW:
Making recommendations for me depends on the person's genre preferences and tastes. Most recently, I've been recommending Little Thieves to a lot of people, just because I loved it so much. I also regularly push T. Kingfisher's fantasy books on people.

Happy check-in! It's a beautiful start to June here. Just finished mowing the lawn and it doesn't look too bad except for the weeds that won't die. :)

So I decided that to lower my tbr piles I would not add to them in the month of May. 🤦‍♀�� Bad idea because I read several things that weren't already on the list and I just became frustrated that I couldn't add shiny new books to my lists. Particularly all the interesting recommendations by you guys. So yesterday I added between 10 and 20 new books. :)

Finished Reading:

Book Lovers ⭐⭐⭐⭐�� (2022 set in favourite season summer)
This was great and my favourite of Henry's. The main character goes on vacation to small town America and plays hallmark movie bingo with her sister. (minus all the Christmas and wintery stuff)

Magic Shifts ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
Keeping the reread of this series going.

Second First Impressions ��
So I hated this and was hoping it would get better until I had read too much to not finish it. There were quotation marks but I struggled with who was talking and the banter jokes/snark didn't make sense a lot. I found mistakes so it's never a good sign when I see these because it means I'm not in the story. This was like obnoxious ya aimed at tweens except they are all adults.

Grass ⭐⭐⭐⭐�� (2015 nonfiction)
I read a graphic novel by the same author last week and found this when returning the library book. The Waiting combined many people's stories about Koreans being separated from family due to the various wars and occupations. Where as Grass was about one woman's horrific experience when Japan occupied Korea and tried to conquer China. The subject matter is upsetting but the author avoided depicting the violence.

Spy x Family, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
This series is great for found family. A spy, an assassin and a telepath become a family. It's entertaining silly.

Dark One ⭐⭐
This was boring.

Love at First Spite ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2015 a book you can finish in a day)
This was a bit silly but entertaining none the less. A great first chapter for sure.

PS 41/50
PS 37/50
ŷ������ 132/250

Currently Reading:

Six Crimson Cranes
Sweep of the Heart

QOTW:
If I give something 5 stars it's a sure bet I think others should read it. Really it's just whatever I read recently that was good.

Happy Thursday! I too have participated in a book-buying-ban and my wallet thanks me. I still have BOTM but I don't pick a book every month so it balances out.

COVID hit my house this last week. Thank goodness for vaccines and boosters so it wasn't so bad. But I got a lot of reading done.

My whole spreadsheet of books and prompts is completely out the window and I need to re-do it. Some of the books I picked for prompts don't actually fulfill the prompt. I am not a stickler for the book being an exact fit but if it really doesn't fit I can't justify the selection so I am going to spend part of this weekend reorganizing my list.

I finished two books (!) this week which I hardly ever do.

Finished:

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. I picked this for a "book with cutlery on the cover" and I ordered the edition that had a spoon on the cover but that is not the copy I received. Normally I would let it go since there is a cover with a spoon on it, but since I am rearranging I might fit it in somewhere else.

No Exit by Taylor Adams. I didn't have a prompt picked out for this one but kept seeing it all over BookTok and so many people recommended it I just had to start it. It was really good and I see why people liked it. It is basically like reading an action movie. Speaking of, there is a movie of this book on Hulu now. I read it in about 3 days. It is fast paced and a total ride.

DNF:

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio. I ended up DNFing this book, which I hardly ever do. I think I have DNF'd maybe 5 books in the last 20 years. I found the Shakespeare a little overwhelming. I just didn't care anymore and life is too short to waste on bad books.

Starting:

The choices are endless! I need to reevaluate my new spreadsheet (when I make it) and decide what to read next.

QOTW:

I always recommend the following books because they aren't too genre-specific:

Circe
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Project Hail Mary
The Nightingale

Hi all! Another nice week here in NY. A few really hot days, but I try not to complain. Nothing much going on here, which is a nice change of pace!

I finished 2 books this week!
The Lost Apothecary for a book with a recipe. I liked it, wasn't completely thrilled with it, but I think the author has talent and I will read her again.

Ghost Boys for a book about the afterlife (also a book that's being banned or challenged). It's written for preteens, so it read quickly. I think it's a good book for an intro to BLM, Civil Rights, and showing that there are few easy answers.

Currently reading Mexican Whiteboy, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and I just started Voyages in the Underworld of Orpheus Black (which, based on the title is probably also a book about the afterlife, but I'm not far enough to know). Though I didn't read much in any of those as I was focusing on the other 2.

QOTW: I rarely offer unsolicited recommendations, but one I'm always name dropping around goodreads is The Gargoyle. A year or 2 ago I picked it up to reread it, but I remembered it so well from my first read a decade ago that I put it down again.

I have had a terrible sore throat and headache the past two days (not Covid according to a home test) and I need it all to go away because I have plans this weekend. Big plans! Which isn't all that usual anymore. Cross your fingers that I have a miraculous recovery tomorrow.

Finished
A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie - 4 stars
My monthly Christie. This one is a Miss Marple, and she is her usual self. I actually figured out the murderer in this one, which doesn't happen too often. An interesting plot about an ad in the newspaper announcing exactly when and where a murder will be.

Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier - 4 stars; PS #15 Pacific Islander author
Read for the monthly read, but didn't get it done until the last couple of days. I really enjoyed this story. Great characters. Sequel is requested!!

Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby - 4 stars
This is part of my weekend plans - to see this author perform live. I knew nothing of her until my friend purchased tickets and told me I was going with her. So I watched her Netflix specials ("Nanette" and "Douglas") and read this book. What an interesting person - autistic, lesbian, Australian. She is blunt and tells the hard truths in a funny way. So I'd better get well enough to go!

ŷ������: 37/100
Popsugar: 17/40, 4/10

QOTW: I usually recommend The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Night Circus, Front Desk, anything by Fredrik Backman and Liane Moriarty. And Agatha Christie, of course.

The first week of summer vacation. I feel so relaxed. Makes me wonder why I work at all. Oh yeah, food, shelter and etc.

Finished:

by Agatha Christie (#2 & # 17).

by Neil Gaiman (#4)

by Martha Green. Not for a prompt.

Still working on:
Parable of the Sower
Rush
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

New starts:
Beloved
Clap When You Land

Question of the Week

For my students, I recommend The Giver the most often. I just really love this book and it is one of the few books that I reread every couple of years.

Most recently, I have recommended Homegoing a lot. It is such a touching story of the pathology of African-Americans due to the slave trade.

Nadine in NY wrote: "The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel - thumbs DOWN! One star. Clunky writing, wooden dialogue, characters did dumb things. I barely finished this."

Interesting. I surprisingly enjoyed this book. I read this as an audiobook, so maybe it is a different experience.

Holy cow y'all! How has this much time passed? I haven't checked in for ages! I haven't even read a single thing. How weird is it that since the beginning of 2020 I've read 680(!) books, and the second I get hired by the bookstore I stop reading entirely?

I absolutely blame the K-pop pirates, as I have fallen so deep down that rabbit hole that I accidentally started to read Hangul the other day. This was a total shock to me since I didn't even know it's phonetic. One day soon I'll actually look it up so I can get the rest of the letters. So, I may not have read anything but I've inadvertently been doing some sort of weird Korean immersion nonsense. And that's the story of how I've spent AAPI month!

I know I'll level out eventually and get back to normal. The world is just so... ugh. My little pirates dudes are really fun so I'm just letting myself go with it. I hope all of you are still finding moments of joy. Remember to take care of yourselves so we can keep fighting.

Happy Thursday. My list is still high this week from Read-a-thon books, and books I had for read-a-thon that I didn't get to in time.

Stats:
Popsugar: 30/50
ATY: 53/75
ATY Reread: 18/52

Books I finished:

Only in Saskatchewan: Recipes and Stories from the Province’s Best-Loved Eateries - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Prompt: PS: A book with a recipe in it.
Part travel guide, part cookbook, part history book, part photography collection. It was awesome.

Borders - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Prompt: N/A
I've want to read something by Thomas King for a while, and somehow I never thought a middle grade graphic novel was going to be the first, but it was there and so I read it. I liked the artwork, and the story was deceptively simple and yet it felt like you were only getting a fraction of the story.

Nightflyers - ⭐⭐��
Prompt: ATY: A book with a time-related word in the title. (Night)
So a sci-fi horror novella by George R.R. Martin it was good but the ending was a bit off a let down for me.

That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Prompt: N/A
This was even better than the first Huda Fahmy book I read. It made me laugh the whole way through.

Spy x Family, Vol. 2 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Prompt: N/A
The bonus mission at the end was the best part, but it involved penguins, so how could it be any other way.😉

Mercy Thompson reread:
Hunting Ground, Homecoming & Blood Bound - 5��, 4��, 5��
Prompts: MC ATY name (Anna), Under 220 pages, Series book.
I don't like the artwork in the graphic novel, and I wish it had told the story in a linear fashion, rather than jumping a head and then backing up to explain in places. But I still love the base story enough that I don't skip it like I do with both Iron Kissed & Fair Game

Wayward Children Reread
Every Heart a Doorway, Beneath the Sugar Sky, Come Tumbling Down - 4��, 5��, 5��
Prompt: Academic setting, No people on cover, loving LGBTQIA+ relationship.
I felt like rereading the main story, so I'm skipping the prequel books. Not because I don't like them, but just cuz I didn't feel like them right now.

Books I made progress on:

Where the Drowned Girls Go
The Emma Project
Part of Your World (Not a Little Mermaid book😉)
Fevered Star

QotW

I don't recommend individual books so much as I recommend authors or series. So the obvious ones like Jane Austen, Fredrik Backman, Seanan McGuire, Ilona Andrews Murderbot series, or Mercy Thompson series.

Nadine in NY wrote: "You guys! I just realized it's THURSDAY!! I am so unprepared today. I had a big work meeting this morning, and my daughter missed the bus (AGAIN) so I had to drive her, and I had Monday off so I don't know what day it is ... I am all discombobulated!!!!..."

Hey it was 6pm when I realized it was Thursday!! LOL.

Also, discombobulated is one of my favorite words. I just like saying it and it is fun to throw out once in awhile...people never expect it.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Front Desk by Kelly Yang - LOVED IT. This was super cute and emotionally moving and addressed all sorts of difficult topics. Highly recommended.

My library had the first two and I borrowed them the other day. Hoping to get to them this weekend.

The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel - thumbs DOWN! One star. Clunky writing, wooden dialogue, characters did dumb things. I barely finished this..."

Goes to show how people's preferences are different 'cause I loved this book.

Ashley Marie wrote: "Dismembering Lahui: A History of the Hawaiian Nation to 1887 - I started learning Native Hawaiian so I could understand the pronunciation of various Hawaiian words, and am plugging along with this Book by a Pacific Islander author..."

I live in Hawaii (but, do not speak the language fluently, just having grown up with it you know how to say a lot of things) and the easiest thing for me to always remember when trying to pronounce something is to remember that the vowels are said different.

A = Ah (like in applause)
E= hard A or even like eh (like eh I don't like that)
I = E (as in each)
O = oh (but softly) (like quietly saying Oreo)
U = ooh (like ohh that looks good)

Also, Okina's (') are important. It can change the sound and meaning of a word.
Example: Ka'u and Kau
Ka'u (Ka-ooh) is a place/district on Hawai'i Island.
Kau (said like cow) Kaukau is to eat in Hawaiian.

**I am by no means an expert and these are just ways that I personally use to help me pronounce things.**

This week it has been SUPER sunny weather. I finished off the ATY read-a-thon with a few more books (even managed to read (audiobook) at a beach party Sat.) Funny thing is I didn't get sunburned that day but, I did yesterday in my yard. I had made an obstacle course for the kid and managed to forget to put on sunscreen before I went outside. It was a bit of a challenge to put it together on a whim but, he ended up loving it and did it four times, the last time was after his Mama got home from work, so he could show her. We have a huge yard that goes all the way around the house so, with all the things I made, it took him about 13 minutes each time. There was only one thing he couldn't do (Lasso) and so I had to scrap it after the second round when he was being all defeatist about it.

2022 Challenges:
Popsugar: 41/50
ATY: 41/52
A to Z: 22/26
50 States:
2021.....37/50 (Have until end of June)
2022.....13/50
Read Harder: 13/24
ŷ������: 91/100

Finished:
5 finished this week, 1 for Popsugar

Let Me Hear a Rhyme
Not for a Challenge
This was ok. It was along the lines of On the Come Up. I never would’ve read it except I came across it while looking for a book for the ATY Read-A-Thon.

Beautiful Beginning
Not for a Challenge
This, while good, was a lot spicier than I realized. Gobbled this up in about 4 hrs since it was <250 pages.

Always Dakota
Not for a Challenge
Read this to finish off the challenge and also needed a little bit of a break-up in my books. I’d say it was the weakest of the trilogy.

The Girl on the Train
PS #2
This was alright. I guess I just don’t really like the author’s writing style. A lot of talk and background explaining before it gets to the real meat of the book, and even then it just kind of slowly makes its way there. Actually I think I fell asleep for a bit and missed who actually killed her but, didn’t really care.

Hot Dog Girl
Not for a Challenge
I am reading this as I write…but, I only have about a half hour left in the audio so I will be finishing this tonight and am going to count it. I picked this up after reading Some Girls Do. This book reads slightly more junior than Some Girls Do but, it is still good. I’m not real sure if I can/should count this for Gender Identity because she knows she is Bisexual. What do you all think, count it or don't?

Currently Reading
At First Light
Burning the Breeze
Heart and Seoul

On the Backburner
Overdrive
The Wife Upstairs
The Plot
Just as I Am
The Topeka School
It's Not All Downhill from Here

Physical Library Rentals
Seoulmates
Small Great Things
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
Front Desk
Three Keys
Under the Wave at Waimea

QOTW:
I don't usually recommend books to people.

My Week's Reading:


1. The Mallee Girl by Jennifer Scoullar an Aussie rural romance. Doesn’t tick off any prompts on this challenge but will work for my Aussie Readers group winter challenge.
2. Eucalyptus by Murray Bail an interesting modern day fairytale about a father who offers his daughter’s hand in marriage to the man who can name all 200 species of eucalyptus on his property. Well-written but left me with mixed feelings.
3. The Postmistress by Alison Stuart an Australian historical romance set on the goldfields. This would work for my ATY challenge as a inclement weather book due to the bushfires, I’m not sure which popsugar prompt it fits.

Progress:
Popsugar: 39/50
ATY: 43/52
A to Z countries: 21/24
Dymocks 2022 Challenge: 23/26
Aussie Readers Genre Challenge: 35/36
Aussie Readers June Challenge: 3/10
Aussie Readers Winter Challenge: 2/12
Middle Eastern & North African Lit Challenge: 5/12
Tarot Major Arcana: 13/22

Question of the week:
the book I am currently recommending is Jessamine by British Virgin Islands author Eugenia O'Neal, a beautiful dual timeline historical fiction with romance and a ghost story.

I keep forgetting to check in, this week has been especially confusing with the double bank holiday for the Queen's Jubilee. I did catch the sheep show at the food festival yesterday, I have never seen sheep dance before. Today our town has celebrations and I have never seen the park so busy!

So this is two weeks' worth of update and also included the ATY readathon, so more than usual.

Finished:
Book of Night by Holly Black for ATY (first of two books with same word in title). I liked the a lot more than most people seem to. They're all a bunch of criminals and not instantly likeable, but I liked the mystery and the whole manipulating your own shadow thing.

Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood. Cute novella, a bit of a ridiculous premise but I liked it.

The Legacy of Molly Southbourne by Trade Thompson for ATY (under 220 pages). Final installment of trilogy where every time Molly bleeds she creates another Molly.

Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle + Katherine Webber. Fun YA fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater. Fantasy regency romance, read this in an afternoon in the garden drinking Pimm's.

Theatre of Marvels by Lianne Dillsworth for Victorian era and ATY (historical fiction). I liked the concept of centering a black character in a Victorian story but she was so naive. She grew up in the slums, is mixed race in the 19th century, works at seedy theatre and is sleeping with a viscount, so she should really not be so ignorant of things.

The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow + Liz Lawson for reflected image on the cover. The Agatha Christie link is a bit of a stretch (one of the characters read some of her books and staged a disappearance like Agatha's) but otherwise this was a good YA mystery with a rich popular girl teaming up with the outsiders to solve a murder.

I'll just answer last week's QOTW. I thought I was behind but I am half way through both my main challenges. I haven't really been reading with much focus, so I know I have to start tackling some of the harder prompts soon.

Popsugar: 24/50

Finished
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan - 22. A book with a character on the ace spectrum - ⭐⭐��
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - 2. A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship - 2. A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship - ⭐⭐
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green - 31. A book featuring a man-made disaster - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Beach Read by Emily Henry - 28. A book set during a holiday - ⭐⭐⭐⭐



Currently reading
Swedish Traditions by Jan-Öjvind Swahn - 23. A book with a recipe in it
Coraline by Neil Gaiman - 27. A Hugo Award winner



Planning
Mem by Bethany C. Morrow - 43. A book with a palindromic title
Beloved by Toni Morrison - 10. An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - 38. A book featuring a party
The Push by Ashley Audrain - 41. A book with a reflected image on the cover or "mirror" in the title
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - 12. A book about the afterlife



QOTW
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Happy Thursday! I am always prepared for Thursday because it was an important day to me. In our country, we don't celebrate Pride Month. Today, I attend the Seminar on Responsible Use of Social Media and also attend the Concert 2022 competition to show my talent in singing and dancing and I enjoyed it so much. And also for this week, In our local was conducted the Mobile Photography which I happily participated too and especially I used to take artistic shots.

I also love the Front Desk by Kelly Yang and I really mean to read the second book of It which is Three Keys
My current reading is Wonder by R.J. Palacio and The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

QOTW

I think the book I want to recommend to others is the book
The List of Things That Will Not Change
Ban This Book
The Lemonade War
Save Me a Seat
Front Desk

I'm so glad it's the weekend! The weather in Chicago is finally beautiful with low 70s and sunny with a breeze (my ideal weather day). Somehow having a shorter work week always makes the week feel SUPER long.

32/80 GoodReads Challenge
28/50 PopSugar Challenge

Finished:
1.) Watership Down by Richard Adams (#9 Found Family) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: No idea why it took me so long to pick this one up, but I loved this rabbit adventure. Fiver was my favorite and I had to stay up late to see how this would wrap up.

2.) Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier (#15 Pacific Islander Author) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: LOVED this one. I really appreciated the snappy banter between Cas & Lena, and I'm such a sucker for a sassy horse. There were some issues I had with the plot, but so glad this was selected for our monthly read.

3.) Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison (#38 Party) ⭐⭐��: LOVED the setting of an Italian island, but the twist was predictable and the book dragged on a little too much for my liking.



Currently Reading:
1.) Razorblade Tears
2.) The Overnight Guest



QoTW: What book do you recommend to other readers the most?
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
No Exit
The Great Alone

Brandon wrote: "Lightsabers! That was the first Star Wars book I remember buying at a bookstore instead of checking out at the library. The sparkly cover is fantastic, and Tenel Ka is still one of my favorite characters."

I remember buying the Young Jedi Knights books when I was a kid, and Lightsabers was (and still is) a definite favorite. For some reason that I will never understand, I let my parents sell my original copies of the books in a garage sale, but fortunately I was able to find the complete series on ebay a few years ago. I'm so glad I got them again, because I've had so much fun re-reading them this week!

K.L. wrote: "... For some reason that I will never understand, I let my parents sell my original copies of the books in a garage sale, but fortunately I was able to find the complete series on ebay a few years ago. I'm so glad I got them again ..."



That has happened to me - my mother never understood my desire to keep my books and she talked me into getting rid of a lot. Others, I did keep, but they're lost somewhere now. Most of them are honestly forgettable, but some jump out in memory and I've been able to find second hand copies of most of these at thriftbooks! Somehow buying a used copy of a remembered book is more satisfying than finding a new copy (partly because it often has the original art on the cover). Have I re-read the books I bought in the last few years? NOPE LOL!! I meant to, but other books got in the way.

Hi, sorry I've been absent! I just peeked in and saw the QOTW was one of mine... :)

Work and life have been overwhelming, and I need to get my novel revisions done in time to pitch to agents for a conference June 25th (wish me luck - eeee!). With that I've had to trim a few things, especially if they include night zoom meetings (ugh, so tired of those), and more computer time.

Anyway, I'm slowly progressing with the challenge. I'm at 39/50 but have a lot of other reading commitments right now so I think I'm still a few months away from finishing (most year's I've finished before July).

For the QOTW I'd say I've recommend these the most in the past year or so:

-Nonfiction: The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together or Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
-Poetry: Counting Descent
-Fiction: Chouette or Cantoras

Happy reading - hope you're all staying safe and healthy through these scary times. <3

Lauren wrote: "Hi, sorry I've been absent! I just peeked in and saw the QOTW was one of mine... :)

Work and life have been overwhelming, and I need to get my novel revisions done in time to pitch to agents for ..."


I'm glad you're still around!!! Best wishes with your novel, I'm sure that's a ton of work.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Hi, sorry I've been absent! I just peeked in and saw the QOTW was one of mine... :)

Work and life have been overwhelming, and I need to get my novel revisions done in time to pitch..."

Thanks so much! :)