ŷ������

It's Thursday, I've reminded myself it's Thursday all day today and yet until a couple hours or so ago, I did not process that it was THURSDAY! Time to do my favorite reading update!

I just got off the first session of a Center for Fiction virtual discussion group on the gothic novel as written by women authors today. The first book was Mexican Gothic which I read in 2021. It was a wonderful discussion! Next month is The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware which I have not yet read. I'm really looking forward to this group discussion.

I'm 4/50 PS so far.

The Mistletoe Matchmaker - for alliteration prompt - note that Matchmaker here means 'meddler', not maker of romantic matches.
Legend of the Highland Dragon - for mythical creatures (dragons, demons, others) - this is a really cute and clever Beauty and the Beast retelling.
Murder on Capitol Hill - about a family -- and the Caldwell family is front and center and critical to the plot. Also, the 1980s vibe (written and set in 1980) is so spot on in every way.

Currently reading:
Cheatgrass

QOTW: I'm not great at remembering exact lines -- especially when put on the spot. Other than Rebecca quoted by Nadine, and Pride and Prejudice (the opening line about a man being in need of a wife), and also A Tale of Two Cities (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.), I have to mention two:

Call me Ishmael. --- Moby-Dick or, the Whale of course. I don't even like the book but that openng line is one of the greatest ever written.

The circus arrives without warning. --- The Night Circus. With a few words, I was caught and knew something unexpected was to come.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Dubhease wrote: "(Also, having to explain who Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor were made me feel 500 years old.)..."


LOL it's been my experience that it's impossible to explain to my kids why everyone l..."

You should play your kids a couple of Bob Newhart's stand up routines. I particularly recommend the one about teaching urban bus drivers how to drive - obviously to do all those things that drive us nuts. Another great one is Abe Lincoln's PR person prepping him for the Gettysburg address - and criticizing the opening.

Hello! Happy it’s-8pm-and-I-just-realized-it’s-Thursday! It’s been a long week, and I just got Pokémon Violet so I haven’t really been reading as much as I should lol

Finished:
The Queen of the Tearling not for a challenge I just wanted to give this a quick reread before I pick up the other books in the series. This felt like a fairly standard female-led fantasy where a bold queen has to make tough decisions to save her people from a very powerful enemy. Worth the read, but nothing revolutionary.

A Master of Djinn for a read harder prompt. Set in the early 1900s Egypt, Djinn and other magical creatures are living among people and there’s a government agency to deal with magical happenings. I realized between this and The City of Brass series, there’s a lot about djinn and Middle East lore I don’t know lol. I enjoyed it even though a lot of the references went above my head.

The Strangers not for a challenge, but another quick reread before I read the latest sequel. I feel like this falls in the middle grade (maybe YA) category, about three kids who are trying to follow clues their mom left behind before disappearing. I enjoyed this and am eager to finish the series.

Currently Reading:
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Ithaca - absolutely loving this in the heartbreaking way I love Greek retellings focused on the lives of the women.

QOTW:
Well this is hard, my mind always goes completely blank whenever someone asks my favorite. I usually say the opening line from Commonwealth, “The christening party took a turn when Albert Cousins arrived with gin.�� is a favorite. Ann Patchett in general has a lot of great one-liners.
But what I truly love to come across in books are stories within stories, like the character quotes from a book or movie or the author includes a passage from a book that exists only within that book.

One more - and I was shocked because it is from Hemingway: "Isn't it pretty to think so?"

From The Sun Also Rises. It is a concept not just a quote.

It wasn’t a very eventful week for me so I’ll get right to the reading list LOL.

Finished
Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski (a book that features two languages). I’m really, really loving this series. I told my friend at Christmas how I wanted to find a deep world-building sci-fi or fantasy series that would inspire me to read all night. I’m so so glad she told me to try the Witcher books! The translator for this book was better than the first book. Everything flowed much more naturally in this one. I hope they translated more books in the series.

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (longest book on your tbr). I remember enjoying the movie adaptation, but reading this wasn’t a very enjoyable experience for me. It was 900 pages of people being deeply stupid or horrible. To be fair, the subtitle is “a novel without a hero�� for a reason.

Reading
I haven’t started anything new yet, but I got Rock Paper Scissors from the library so maybe I'll pick that and try to join the monthly read discussion.

QOTW
I have many favorite quotes, but the one that stands out to me is from The Hobbit. It’s about Smaug, but only on the surface.

“So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their ending.��

I also think about this line from Dune a lot.

“There is probably no more terrible instant of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man - with human flesh.��

Spent most of the week sick and prepping for beginning of the spring semester.

I did manage to read Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich for the prompt A book with just text on the cover - Most of her books have just text. This one was amusing, certainly better than several of the later books in this series.


QOTW Not all those who wander are lost from Lord of the Rings. (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Everybody has a secret world inside of them - (Sandman by Neil Gaiman, okay it's a graphic novel but still, love that line)

Happy check-in! I’m still limited to the app only so I push posting about my books until then. Although I’m currently reading The Lost Heir by Holly Black and it’s so good. Worth the wait. 😁

QOTW:

Before goodreads the only quotes I noticed were from movies/tv so the one that comes to mind is from The Cellist Of Sarajevo by Stephen Galloway which I only read last year. A character is remembering a joke.
A pessimist says 'Oh dear, things can't possibly get any worse. ' And an optimist says, 'Don't be so sad. Things can always get worse.��

Hello all! It's been quite a week. Turns out my car has to go in for another round of work, which is the pits. Expensive and so inconvenient since I'll be without a car for a few days and have to switch up my shifts at work again. (My boss has been very accommodating though.) And then found out a family member had to go to the hospital tonight. Everything seems like it'll be fine, but it still sucks.

I kind of feel like the last few weeks have been putting me through a stress test to see if I'll crack. I know things could be much worse. I just wish things would be a little easier. Just for like a week. That would be nice.

Finished:
The Hole- very weird, not necessarily the weird I like. I thought it was interesting, but I don't know if I really understood what it was going for.
-26 The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list

Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language- I found this so interesting. Talks about how words go from neutral meanings to insults, how the ways women speak are policed, and so much more. So fascinating.
-25 A book with just text on the cover

One Life- really liked this one. Rapinoe's voice really shines through
-33 A book about an athlete/sport

QotW:
The first one that comes to mind is "so it goes" because my dad used to say it all the time growing up. So I'd heard it nonstop before I knew anything about Slaughterhouse-Five. That and "tell me about the rabbits George"- which my parents said all the time. When I finally read Of Mice and Men I was like- this is why you say that??

But one that I really like a lot from my own reading is from Anansi Boys:
“You're no help," he told the lime. This was unfair. It was only a lime; there was nothing special about it at all. It was doing the best it could.

Ashley Marie wrote: "Brandon wrote: "I love spending time with Laurence and his dragon Temeraire. The book can exist as a satisfying stand-alone, but I will check out at least the first sequel to see what happens to th..."

I gave Book #1 one of my rare 5*. LOVED it. So what happened...where did this series go for me? Read book #2....4* (my usual rating for books I really like) and nothing. I really need to get back to this series.

L Y N N wrote: "FINISHED:
*Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ is one of the most informative, well-researched, and well-written nonfiction books I’ve read."

Added to TBR. Your review got me to take a look at it. Right up my alley, I think.

Jai wrote: "Surprisingly, I just read a quote from Homegoing that really hit me. "When you study history, you must always ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth?"

Thank you. I have read Homegoing but missed that quote. Perhaps at the time of reading, my head was elsewhere; but, just now, it spoke to me loudly. Thank you again, Jai.

Theresa wrote: "I just got off the first session of a Center for Fiction virtual discussion group on the gothic novel as written by women authors today. The first book was Mexican Gothic which I read in 2021. It was a wonderful discussion!"

I have avoided Mexican Gothic, since I first added it to my TBR in 2020. Maybe I need to get to it, after all.

Erica wrote: "QOTW:...A pessimist says 'Oh dear, things can't possibly get any worse. ' And an optimist says, 'Don't be so sad. Things can always get worse.��"

I had to re-read that quote twice!

Erin wrote: "Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language- I found this so interesting. Talks about how words go from neutral meanings to insults, how the ways women speak are policed, and so much more. So fascinating."

I love words! So this is definitely added to my FRIENDS RECOMMEND list.

OK...my turn to check in, even if a day late.

It has been a quieter week for me...most definitely needed after all that anxiety about the NY Day party. I am still eating cheese and fruit that was purchased for that party, but I am seeing an end to the massive amounts. It will take forever for me to get through the cases of sparkling water as I have learned that it is not my preferred source of liquid.

I did get my yard rakings of leaves, pine cones and pinestraw finally burnt, but now that the storm has rolled through there will be more. Never ending...just like dusting!

I have re-worked some of my plan by substituting read books for planned books where appropriate. As a result, I am doing better than I thought in some of my challenges.

Books reported finished last week with further comments:
Scotland with a Stranger: Audiobook memoir of a trip made to Scotland. (PS #3, ATY #3) This book also was part of my NY Goals for this coming year (go to Scotland), although it may not be realized until early 2024.
The Dressmaker's Gift: Kindle book. Started in November, but didn't finish until last week (as all owned books end up taking forever since library books have due dates and take precedence). ~ no prompts
Hickory Dickory Dock: Read for a side ongoing mystery challenge - published 1955.

Finished:
Art's Blood: Realized after reading this that it met the ATY place prompt, which stimulated the re-working of my plans. (ATY #1)
The Hollow Hills: Read for several past challenges that I am still working ~ no prompts.
Frill Kill: Read for another past challenge (2021). Last book for it. Apparently I have not read any books since the end of 2021 that had the word KILL in the title! ~ no prompts
To Love and Be Wise: Another book used for old challenges but now applied to Nadine's Mini Challenge on ATY.

Still Reading, but hope to finish this weekend:
Strangers on a Train - 2022 PAS challenge
Family History 101: A Beginner's Guide to Finding Your Ancestors - PS mini-challenge
Zen in the Art of Writing - NY Goal (writing)

Also currently reading:
The Paper Bag Christmas: Audiobook. Chose this one for a quick read while doing errands. Will finish soon.
Buried Magic: Kindle (PS #19)
Enter A Murderer: Chosen for ALCM challenges.
This Lie Will Kill You Chosen for PAS and old challenges.

On deck
I am a Japanese Writer - inter-library loan for PAS challenge *no renewal
Fiddler on the Roof - for ATY and old challenges
Death in D Minor - ALCM and old challenge
Masquerade - ALCM and old challenge
To Shield the Queen - old challenges
Rock Paper Scissors - PS monthly

Still trying to finish old challenges as well as clear the many holds that came in all at once. I still have 14 that I haven't even started! (That number includes the on deck books above.)

Pooja wrote: "A book about a holiday that's not Christmas - Feel the Bern (1/12)
This is a kooky cozy mystery which features Bernie Sanders as a sleuth, true. ..."



That is so funny!! This guy has gone from writing about Obama & Biden to writing about Bernie? Who will he write about next ???

Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!!   I spent the last week of December refining all my 2023 reading goals, and I pulled together a really great plan, and now I've reached that time in the year w..."




YES it's confirmed: I am a Sally Rooney fan!! I've 5-starred both books I read by her. I know she's polarizing, and I get it, I can see why readers might not love her.

I've never read Wolf Hall, and I probably never will. Do I have to turn in my "Friends with Theresa" card now ??

Bea wrote: "It will take forever for me to get through the cases of sparkling water as I have learned that it is not my preferred source of liquid...."

I do not see the point of sparkling water, it tastes like someone dumped baking soda in it. However I can suggest adding a bit of fruit juice to it for a much more pleasant drink.

Ellie wrote: "Bea wrote: "It will take forever for me to get through the cases of sparkling water as I have learned that it is not my preferred source of liquid...."

I do not see the point of sparkling water, i..."

Thank you. I will certainly try that idea.

Finished:
One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite ~ This was a really nice story about grief. I really enjoyed the dynamic of the stories within the story that connected in such an unexpected way. 4/5 stars

Lore by Alexandra Bracken ~ Really enjoyed this. I am a sucker for mythology. I want more of these characters and this world. 5/5 stars (#5, 16)



Currently Reading:
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This is my first year in this group (though I have done the challenge once or twice before), and I'm very glad to be here! In my personal life I'm currently looking for a job and have been for several months now, and I am not having a good time with it. Only good thing about it is having a lot of time to read and do other hobbies, and this month I'm mostly picking fun/sweet fantasy books for myself to get away from reality a bit :)

Finished:

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - It was okay, and there were absolutely things about it I liked, but it also didn't engage me much. Some of that might of course be because I'm not in the target age group any more, but I suspect I would have felt largely the same even if I had read it earlier.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - This, on the other hand, I loved. I have liked everything I have read by Gaiman, but I think this might be my favourite. It was just a perfect mix of heartwarming, creepy, exciting and fun, and exactly what I was looking for now.

I haven't decided where in the challenge I'll put these yet, they both fit several. Probably #Booktok for Percy Jackson though, to get that prompt out of the way.

Question of the Week:
I like collecting quotes, so there's so many! One of my favourite books is The Lord of the Rings, and there are several I could have picked from that. But this one really resonate with me right now:

"It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not."

I also have a quote from Momo by Michael Ende that I really love. It's a character who is a street sweeper that's speaking, and I often think about it when I'm feeling overwhelmed. In my old diaries there's several times I have just written "remember how to sweep a street" as a reminder and reference to this. :) It's too long to post here, but this is a part of it:

"Sometimes, when you've a very long street ahead of you, you think how terribly long it is and feel sure you'll never get it swept. (...) Every time you look up there seems to be just as much left to sweep as before, and you try even harder, and you panic, and in the end you're out of breath and have to stop. That's not the way to do it.
You must never think of the whole street at once, understand? You must only concentrate on the next step, the next breath, the next stroke of the broom, and the next, and the next. Nothing else."

Kristin wrote: "This is my first year in this group (though I have done the challenge once or twice before), and I'm very glad to be here! In my personal life I'm currently looking for a job and have been for seve..."



Welcome! And good luck in your job hunt. Looking for a job can be so dispiriting.

Ellie wrote: "Bea wrote: "It will take forever for me to get through the cases of sparkling water as I have learned that it is not my preferred source of liquid...."

I do not see the point of sparkling water, i..."

That is what I do. In fact, OJ is often just too much just taste and texture wise for me. By making a half OJ and half seltzer it makes each a lovely experience. Pomogranate juice mixed with seltzer is another winner.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!!   I spent the last week of December refining all my 2023 reading goals, and I pulled together a really great plan, and now I've reached that ti..."

Nope. I am Camp Hate Wolf Hall. Keep your card.

I excuse you Sally Rooney - you have teenage young adult daughters.

Bea wrote: "Erin wrote: "Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language- I found this so interesting. Talks about how words go from neutral meanings to insults, how the ways women speak are pol..."

Have you read Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries? I am slowly reading it along with too many others.

Bea wrote: "Theresa wrote: "I just got off the first session of a Center for Fiction virtual discussion group on the gothic novel as written by women authors today. The first book was Mexican Gothic which I re..."

I see from your shelves that you rated highly both Rebecca and The Death of Mrs. Westaway. I really believe you will love Mexican Gothic

February read for discussion is The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware.

These are really gothic works more than horror. I personally dislike horror and I felt little sense of horror here.

Kristin wrote: "I also have a quote from Momo by Michael Ende that I really love. It's a character who is a street sweeper that's speaking, and I often think about it when I'm feeling overwhelmed. In my old diaries there's several times I have just written "remember how to sweep a street" as a reminder and reference to this. :) ..."

I love Momo! I haven't found many people who have even heard of it.

Bea wrote: "I love words! So this is definitely added to my FRIENDS RECOMMEND list."

You might also like her book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism- how people use rhetoric to manipulate. Both books were really good!

Happy Friday. I meant to post last night, but then I got reading...😉

Stats:
PS: 3/50
ATY: 2/100
Nadine's Mini Challenge: 3/10
Tarot Card Challenge: 2/22
ŷ������ Choice: 0/30

Books I finished:

Rereads:
Sweep in Peace
One Fell Sweep

New Reads:

Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: A book based on a popular movie.
This was a gorgeous book, and I liked it in book form even more than as a movie - just the story within the story aspect was able to come foreward.

In Mercy, Rain & Lost in the Moment and Found ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
IMR - Nadine's Challenge: Featuring a shepherd (Alexis is a shepherdess)
LitMaF - ATY (Reject): A book with opposites in the title. Book 1
So this was a short story and then book 8 in the Wayward Children series. I loved the sweet backstory for Jack, and was so caught up in the back story for Antoinette.

Books I made progress on:

Sweep of the Blade
Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia
Shakespeare: Sonnets
The Shadow in the Glass
The Matzah Ball

QotW
I have a bunch I've added to my account here, some funny some serious, but the one that first came to mind is from The Starless Sea "Not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime. In one form or another."

Current book I am reading gave me a good one just now. From Family Business by S.J. Rozan:

"I had my mansplaining filters set to industrial strength."

Late check-in, I had 2 busy nights! Thursday I had our monthly Eat & Talk-meeting (a church group). And yesterday I had a family dinner.

It seems I’m finally returning to my old self after covid almost 4 months ago. I have more energy, less coughing and my brain is starting to fizzle with new ideas. And I survived 2 busy nights with a lot of talking. That are all good signs.

PS: 2/50
Total 2023: 2

Finished
The Reindeer Hunters by Lars Mytting - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
PS: #34, a historical fiction book
I love these series!

The Unseen by Roy Jacobsen - ⭐⭐��
PS: #29, a book your friend recommended (I added this book to my TBR because of review of a friend).
I’m liking this kind of books more and more. Because it is all about what’s important in life. Family, a place of your own, freedom.

Currently reading
Keizerlijk geel by Lucas Zandberg
Crisis! by Beatrice de Graaf - I thought I would have finished it in a weekend, but I failed dramatically. Got lost in magazines instead.

QOTW
I have 2: the first is actually a quote in a novel: ‘If one has the will and persistence, one CAN do things��. It’s from An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew by Annejet van der Zijl.
The second one is from a German novel: “Wer nie den Himmel eines fremden Erdteils gesehen hatte, der konnte doch gar nicht ahnen, wie grenzenlos das Leben war. Wer nie Menschen erlebt hatte, die nach den Sternen griffen, der konnte wohl auch nie spüren, dass er Flügel besaß.�� I’ll try to translate, the German quote has some things in it you feel and are rather difficult to translate: "If you have never seen the sky of an unknown continent, you really can’t imagine how limitless life is. If you have never met people who have reached for the stars, you can’t feel you have wings." The quote is from Als der Himmel uns gehörte by Charlotte Roth.

@Kendra, that Starless Sea quote is so good! I’m itching for a reread, not gonna lie!

Theresa wrote: "Ellie wrote: "Bea wrote: "It will take forever for me to get through the cases of sparkling water as I have learned that it is not my preferred source of liquid...."

I do not see the point of spar..."

Thanks, Theresa. More good suggestions!

Theresa wrote: "Bea wrote: "Erin wrote: "Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language- I found this so interesting. Talks about how words go from neutral meanings to insults, how the ways women s..."

No, I haven't. But it is now added to my FRIENDS RECOMMEND list. Thanks.

Theresa wrote: "These are really gothic works more than horror. I personally dislike horror and I felt little sense of horror here."

Thanks, Theresa, for the encouragement to read Mexican Gothic. Yes, gothic is fine...horror, not so much.

Erin wrote: "You might also like her book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism- how people use rhetoric to manipulate."

I just read the description on GR for that book and noticed "In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day."

Now, I am old...and not particularly political, but I can remember noticing how President Reagan used words to influence decisions and thought. He had training as an actor, so he was very good at it.

That is what that paragraph reminded me of. I will add this book also to my list.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Welcome! And good luck in your job hunt. Looking for a job can be so dispiriting."

Thank you! Yes, it really can, and I see that I have to be good at finding community and routines and things to do to be able to stand it. Hopefully something comes along soon.

Doni wrote: "I love Momo! I haven't found many people who have even heard of it."

Me neither! I was introduced to Michael Ende (and Cornelia Funke) by my mother, and they were a big part of my childhood. I'm very fond of their books to this day!

Hello! The first week of January was not a reading week for me, though I finally got down to choosing my challenges and starting to create lists. December was too busy with holidays and families for me to get to all that. But now I feel ready for the new year, and only slightly over-committed, lol.

Read this week:
Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember by Lauren Graham - celebrity memoir prompt, fun read for fans of Lauren Graham (which I am!) with both life and career advice tossed in among the laughs

Snow Dog by Jim Kjelgaard - meant to read in 2022 prompt, Kjelgaard was a favorite author of mine growing up but I never read the Chiri series, and I found it secondhand last year. I enjoyed it - this first book is mostly from the dog's point of view, and shows how he grew into a cunning and loyal trapper's companion.

Wild Trek by Jim Kjelgaard - a book with a pet character prompt, for Chiri does become a pet for Link even if in a very untraditional way. This is book 2 in the duology, and a survival story.

QOTW: It would have to be either a horse-related or Wonderland-related quote!

“We shall all have to be judged according to our works, whether they be towards man or towards beast.��
�� Anna Sewell, Black Beauty

“Why, sometimes, I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.�� �� Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass

Hello! Late check-in as I am in Port Aransas, Texas, visiting family. It was three days of driving to get here from Minnesota, which was not fun, and why I didn't check-in on Thursday like usual. The weather here is gorgeous. We walked on the beach yesterday and went to our favorite seafood place.

We'll head to Dallas-Fort Worth tomorrow and see friends, then Kansas City next weekend to see more family.

Finished This Week:
Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire. The new Wayward Children. I was able to get my Kindle connected to the internet on Friday night to download the new release, and read it that evening. The Wayward Children books are always quick, and I liked getting to see Antsy's backstory. Somehow I hadn't connected that the "first thing Antsy lost was her father" meant that he died. I probably should have realized that. But very good book. Not for PS prompt (that I can tell).

The Witness by Nora Roberts. My mom got this book from the library and was going to donate it to the free books shelf here at her winter condo building, but I convinced her to hold onto it until I could read it. I had meant to read this from the library for a lot of 2020 and 2021, but never managed to. But with my mom's copy, I knocked it out in a day. Nice romantic suspense that wasn't actually all that suspenseful after time jump. Using for PS #46, With a Pet Character, as the main character has a huge dog named Bert.

PS: 2/50 RH: 0/24 ATY: 1/52 GR: 4/150

Currently Reading:
Watership Down by Richard Adams. Audiobook listening has been made easier with all of the driving. Just started part 4.

DNF:
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. Attempt #2 to read it. I got farther than last time (30% vs 7%), but still didn't grip me. The tree being a character keeps pulling me out of the story. Maybe I'll try it again later when the library waiting list isn't 100+ people.

QotW: What is your favorite quote from a novel?
My favorite quote is from Deerskin: "Even now, her body's wounds healed by time and Ash and snow and solitude and Moonwoman, and six puppies, and the friendship of a prince and a stable-hand; even now the memory of that act of violence would shatter her; she could not contain the memory..." Not a happy quote, but the chapter of Deerskin in the portrait room is very powerful.

I'm so so so happy to have a long weekend. My pup accidentally chewed through my Christmas tree wires while hiding and eating a bone under the tree. I'm so glad that it wasn't plugged in and only happened yesterday, but I have a pre-lit tree so now I guess this is going to the trash and I'll have to buy a new one for next year. Usually take down all my decorations this weekend, but I've really enjoyed having the lights up these first few weeks of the new year.

4/75 GoodReads Challenge
4/50 PopSugar Challenge

Finished:
1.) Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (#46-Pet) ⭐⭐⭐⭐��: LOVED this one so much, I loved these characters, loved the relationships and especially loved six thirty. Will be in my top books of the year.

2.) Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison (#15 Lyric) ⭐⭐⭐⭐: a wife goes missing, is her husband to blame? Good, twisty domestic noir.



Currently Reading:
1.) I Will Send Rain
2.) The Therapist
3.) Book Lovers



QoTW: What is your favorite quote from a novel?

Ooh, Nadine you picked such great ones!

What happened to Thursday? I can't believe it's Sunday, and I'm finally getting around to this. Thursday morning is "Story Time" at the library, and Elijah (and sometimes Seth) MUST go. Our multi-generational home is gloriously chaotic... schedules must be adhered to and also be extremely flexible. Ha!

Challenge Progress: 5/50

Completed:
Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention- and How to Think Deeply Again (P29: a book your friend recommended) ★★★★
Call Us What We Carry: Poetry about Covid-19 from Amanda Gorman. A bit uneven, but occasionally brilliant. (Q1-10: a book less than 230 pages long) ★★��
Fever: Historical fiction about "Typhoid Mary." ★★★★
All the Broken Places: Oof. John Boyne does it again. (P34: a historical fiction book) ★★★★��
Darkly Dreaming Dexter (P50: a book with alliteration in the title) ★★★★
We Were Never Here: Vacation, murder, gaslighting. (Q1-7: a title that starts with W) ★★★★
Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe (P33: a book about an athlete/sport) ★★★★
Heartstopper: Volume Three: I've really been enjoying this series, but this one didn't seem to advance the plot very much. ★★��
Can't and Won't: Short stories. I don't think I'd like the author very much in real life. (P40: a book by an author with the same initials as you) ★★



Currently Reading:
Just Like Home
Sankofa: (P30: a book that's on a celebrity's book club list - Reese's Book Club)
Raising Them Right: The Untold Story Of America's Ultraconservative Youth Movement-And Its Plot For Power
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Q1.1: a book involving genetics and/or genealogy)
Butts: A Backstory (P19: a book with a subtitle - 2017 favorite past prompt)
As Good As Dead
The Inheritance Games

QOTW: I'll give you three of my very favorite quotes from books I really love.

"Boredom is the mind's scar tissue."
All the Birds in the Sky, Charlie Jane Anders

"Sometimes I feel there are doors lurking in the creases of every sentence, with periods for knobs and verbs for hinges."
The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Alix E. Harrow

"Sometimes she craved a little danger. And that was why she had book club."
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, Grady Hendrix

Laura wrote: "What happened to Thursday? I can't believe it's Sunday, and I'm finally getting around to this. Thursday morning is "Story Time" at the library, and Elijah (and sometimes Seth) MUST go. Our multi-g..."

I never really thought of Heartstopper having a plot, but I did think in volume 3 some serious stuff was starting to happen. Volume 4 is quite a bit darker (though still mostly light) because of it. Hope you'll enjoy that one better!

Brandon wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Not much new today. I'm going with my parents to see William Shatner present Wrath of Khan tonight. I've somehow never seen it, so I'm excited! My mom is a HUGE..."

I'm happy to report that Wrath of Khan lives up to the hype! It's an excellent story (and if you've watched the series, you can see how it connects) and the acting is really strong.

Ricardo Montalbán as Khan was so good (and I now understand why my mom's always talked about how good-looking he was lol). Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan in Into Darkness was way more terrifying, but Montalbán's was a little more nuanced. I may be misremembering, but it seemed like Cumberbatch's was just pure evil, where Montalbán's has definite elements of humanity to him.

Also, William Shatner is a treasure! I can't believe he's 91--he was so energetic, wise, and funny on stage. He was definitely born to be an entertainer!

Carmen wrote: "I never really thought of Heartstopper having a plot, but I did think in volume 3 some serious stuff was starting to happen. Volume 4 is quite a bit darker (though still mostly light) because of it. Hope you'll enjoy that one better!"

I'm looking forward to reading Volume 4. I'm #2 on the list at the library!

Late check-in again. Maybe next time (in two days).

Finished
The Secret of Skull Mountain by Franklin W. Dixon, Hardy Boys #27 - 4 stars, PS #38 (book read more than 10 years ago)
This was my favorite of the four Hardy Boy books that my grandmother passed down to my siblings and me. And upon re-reading it as an adult, it is still my favorite one.

The Crisscross Shadow by Franklin W. Dixon, Hardy Boys #32 - 3 stars
This one was okay, if you don't mind the Native American stereotypes. Somehow, three of the four books I have are the ones considered racially problematic. I haven't turned into a raging racist, though, so I guess no harm done. This plot was pretty good.

And now my old Hardy Boys books can get buried again in my boxes since no one else in my family seems all that interested.

ŷ������: 6/90
Popsugar: 3/50

QOTW:
There are a bunch, but of course I can't remember them. So I cheated and looked up quotes to remind myself of some favorites.

"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?" - L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

"Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done." - Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

"And may the odds be ever in your favor." - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

I haven't read this book, but I've loved this quote for awhile:

"She reads books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live." - Annie Dillard, The Living

Laura wrote: "I'm looking forward to reading Volume 4. I'm #2 on the list at the library!"

Oohhh sooonnn!