Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2025 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 19: 5/1 - 5/8
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Happy Thursday!Last week of classes! Looking forward to having a summer off... and to going to Italy in a couple of weeks. Planning on taking my Kindle, though who knows how much time I'll have to read on the trip.
Books read this week:
My Grape Year -- cute read about a girl living in France for a year. Loved the bits about French culture and cuisine, though the romance was a bit tiresome.
Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II -- a fascinating book about the crash of a military passenger plane in an unexplored valley in New Guinea, and the mission to rescue the survivors.
Dungeons and Drama -- cute nerdy romance, though the female lead was a bit of a brat
Currently reading:
Vermilion: The Adventures of Lou Merriwether, Psychopomp
The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances
The River Has Roots
Eagle Drums
QOTW:
T. Kingfisher has THREE books still to come out this year! So looking forward to Hemlock & Silver, What Stalks the Deep, and Snake-Eater.
Happy Thursday! So glad I get to post today.
I'm doing better. Had a fall over the weekend that landed me in the hospital. I hit my head. Docs said it's normal for me to not remember the exact details. I just remember chasing my hat when the wind blew it off and sliding the way I see my infant nephew do on the carpet sometimes. After that I don't know what happened. The man who helped me said the wind was so strong that it pushed me so I lost my balance. For about 3 days my mom had to help me out a lot. So grateful. It hurt to move, open my eyes too much because of my head injury. Thankfully no broken bones or concussion. Now it's just soreness and a few abrasions.
Book News:
Due to my injuries from the weekend it made reading very difficult. I couldn't annotate because my fingers hurt too much. My head/eyes hurt as well making it hard to focus too long. At most I was able to get in only one page a day, if even that.
Now that I'm on the mend though I'm getting better. I was able to read 2 chapters from one book yesterday, another chapter from a second book. While annotating and journaling. The healing is a slow process but I'm getting there.
Currently Reading:
Bibliotherapy in the Bronx - I am loving this book! About to start chapter 5, but so far it's incredible. I've always wanted to find books on the topic of bibliotherapy but there aren't many and the ones I've come across have older publishing dates.
This book is excellent though. My favorite part is that it has reflection questions at the end of each chapter so I got a journal so I can do them. One of the coolest questions was in chapter 3 when it asked you to make a literary collage.
The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time - I got the paperback and this is another fun book. It's a history of our greatest treasure and I love the history.
Upcoming Read:
Volcanic: Vesuvius in the Age of Revolutions - Been in a natural disaster mood lately and this sounded like a cool one.
Question of the Week
Which upcoming 2025 publications are you still eagerly anticipating?
I love this question! I have pre-orders from next week all the way through November. LOL!
My most anticipated release out of all 2025 though more than any other 2025 book is this one right here:
Morphenomenal: How the Power Rangers Conquered the World
As an OG Power Rangers fan, it's so cool to see another book about it. It's 256 pages so it's a pretty decent sized book.
I think the last book on Power Rangers (non-comic/graphic novel) was back in 2018 with Power Rangers: The Ultimate Visual History . I have that one and it's awesome. But I'm looking forward to a regular-sized history/pop culture book.
This isn't the only Power Rangers book I'm looking forward to though....
Force of Chaos (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Book 1): A Novel - This is the first ever YA novel that's being published. About time! I'm surprised there haven't been these types of books around. And it's great for AAPI Heritage Month as well. This book focuses on the character of Trini so that's a great start.
Other books I'm excited for:
Welcome to Metropolis: The Prequel Junior Novel - While this is a junior novel, it's Superman!
Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading - Another book about bibliotherapy I'm excited for. Unfortunately the date for this book keeps getting pushed back. It was supposed to come out in February, then got pushed to March, and now won't be released until June. We'll see if that holds true though.
Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical Subculture - Sounded like a fun one.
The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb - I"ve become a fan of Garrett's work so I'm excited for this new release.
Girl Warrior: A Coming of Age Handbook - Been a fan of Joy's work since my old college days.
The Missing Pages - One of the few fiction books I'm excited about. It's about the Titanic and a book mystery so what's not to love?
Remain - Nicholas Sparks teaming up with M. Night Shyamalan? This should get interesting!
Then of course there are books that have been released in hardcover already but are getting the paperback treatment which I always look forward to as well.
Native Nations: A Millennium in North America - I got this in HC but I"ve been waiting for the paperback version because it's easier to annotate.
When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day - Another Garrett book. I have it in HC, but again excited for the paperback.
Mod
Last week of classes! Looking forward to having a summer off... and to going to Italy in a couple of weeks. Planning on taking my Kindle, though who knows how much time I'll have t..."
Enjoy your summer!!!
LOL today is also my younger daughter's last day of classes at our community college. As I dropped her off on campus I said, "enjoy your last day." She snapped: "why do you say it like that??" I asked, "like what?" She replies: "Like I'm about to be expelled!!" oh my. I guess she's feeling very nervous about her finals next week!
T. Kingfisher has THREE books still to come out this year! So looking forward to Hemlock & Silver, What Stalks the Deep, and Snake-Eater.
She's so prolific!!!! I did not know about Snake-Eater - looks weird and wonderful!
(and I have not read any of the Sworn Soldier books yet - I will, eventually - too many books, too little time!!!)
Nadine in NY wrote: "We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad 9/23/2025 - honestly I'm a little afraid of this one LOL I've loved everything from Awad, every one of her books is outrageous, but how can she write a satisfying sequel to Bunny???"
A Bunny sequel?! I sense a reread in my future!
Happy Thursday! 2025 Reading Challenges:
52 Book Club: 36/52 (May Mini-Challenge: 0/7)
ATY: 33/52 (ATY Anniversary Challenge: 6/10, ATY Spring Challenge: 29/30)
The Book Girls� Guide: 28/74
Booklist Queen: 39/52
Popsugar: 29/50
My Ever-Growing TBR: 50/265 � 18.9% (My goal is 33.3%.)
Recently Completed:
Funny You Should Ask: Elissa Sussman is quickly becoming a rom-com favorite for me. (ATY Spring Challenge #5 � EGGS: Elissa Sussman) ★★★★
Dateable: Swiping Right, Hooking Up, and Settling Down While Chronically Ill and Disabled: ŷ Giveaway. ★★★★
Wonder Drug: The Secret History of Thalidomide in America and Its Hidden Victims ★★★★
A Beautiful, Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal: ŷ Giveaway. ★★★★
The Good Part (ATY #34 � title could be a country song/BGG Lifetime of Reading #5 � 40-somethings) ★★★★
The Secret History of Sharks: The Rise of the Ocean's Most Fearsome Predators ★★★★
The Getaway (ATY #26 � author has a common noun in their name: Isabelle Broom/BGG Book Voyage #5 � Eastern Europe and Russia: Croatia) ★★�
Zetas Till We Die ★★�
The Staircase in the Woods ★★★★
DNF at 30%: A Great Marriage: I just didn’t care about any of the characters� I was so bored. I’m glad I wasn’t using it for a challenge.
Currently Reading:
Poor Richard's Women: Ben Franklin in Love: ŷ Giveaway.
By Any Other Name (52 Books #39 � has an epigraph/BGG Book Lovers #5 � about writers and editors)
Upon a Starlit Tide (52 Books #20 � a fairy tale retelling)
Rabbit Moon
Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter
Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success
The Idea of You (BGG ICYMI Backlist #5 � published in 2017)
The Woman with the Cure (ATY #50 � set in the 1940s/BGG Decades #5 � set in the 1940s)
Retreat
We Are Okay
The Infinity Particle: A Graphic Novel
Finding Tess: Highland Legacy Romance: ŷ Giveaway.
QOTW: Oh, so many! Here's a few I'm really looking forward to:
King of Ashes | S.A. Cosby
The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand | Various Authors
Atmosphere | Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Possession of Alba Díaz | Isabel Cañas
El Dorado Drive | Megan Abbott
Happy Thursday!Quick update from me because I am absolutely exhausted and have to leave in an hour for the cinema (Ocean? David Attenborough? Don't mind if I do!) and still have to have dinner.
I've been rejected for the benefits I SHOULD be on. Again. They didn't even invite me to talk to me, just straight up denied me for 'there being no proof I got worse, or the new diagnoses having been there since (before) 18th birthday'. Everyone is angry and baffled and I now have to do a bunch of things to be able to properly object to their decision but I'm just. So tired. I keep getting rejected, so what's the point? But then again, the thought of having to live off my current cut (because I still live at home/other adults) benefits with insanely strict rules is also not something I can handle so. Ugh.
Even my food lady check in was disappointing. I lost 0.2% of fat, so that's something I guess, but with all the exercising I've been doing it was a little anticlimactic.
On the upside, today I went to fit some pants (the ones I have are way way too big now) and I went down two whole sizes!! So at least the exercising seems to be having some effect. Now if only I remembered where I put my shorts, so I can try those on before looking for new ones.
Speaking of exercise, if I manage to keep going as planned, I'll have finished the first Hobbit challenge on Saturday! Been walking 5-6km daily since Monday to try and finish it. If I manage my second walk after the movie tonight, I'll only have 7.88km to go!
Read
Beauty Sleep
This completely took me by surprise! I started with this one because I was looking forward to it the least of this month's TBR, and I pretty much devoured it! The twist(s) I called pretty much from the get go, but I still had a really good time.
Currently Reading
The Invisible Library
I... am really struggling with this. Not sure if I'm just too exhausted to read or if this book isn't working for me.
Spinning Silver
Listening to this on audio while on my walks, and also a struggle. Maybe audio isn't the right format, or maybe it's just too short bursts for me to properly get into it.
QOTW
Ohdear, as if I am At All aware of stuff like this anymore, hahah! I have the third instalment of Cat's Café (I am blanking on the title because of course I am) pre ordered, and also the next Percy Jackson, and the next Robert Langdon. Beyond that I'm afraid I am truly clueless.
2 books finished this week. Apprentice to the Villain - which I read as the sequel to the first Assistant to the Villain (for the prompt books on the cover)�.see this is why the challenge creates problems, now I’m off task�
However, that answers your weekly question as I’m now looking forward to the third installment in that series.
Second book I finished this week was Three Dark Crowns (for snake on the cover). Again a series…merrrr. I didn’t dislike the book, but it didn’t grip me either. I may come back to the series, but I also don’t feel drawn to plow through them either.
Now that I am finished with my current available audiobooks, I’m on The Boyfriend. I’m not a big FMc, but the group I meet with once a month picked it, and I also don’t mind the author either. I kind of feel like the books all have a semi predictable style.
I selected my next “dabble a chapter here a chapter there book�. I grabbed my selection for “a book you chose based on the last sentence�. I think it’s a Book Club Faraway, but it’s not staring me in the face so I might have that wrong.
2025 Library TBR: 26/402025 Purchased TBR: 23/28
Gifted: 3/9
Finished: Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World
Lost in the Never Woods I enjoyed this. Peter was a lot more likeable in this spin off than the last couple of Peter Pan-inspired books I've read. I loved the use of the acorn!
Started: Homelessness Is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns Goes through all the traditionally accepted reasons for why some cities have more homelessness than others such as weather or housing and explains that the only real correlation is not enough affordable housing.
Is Peace Possible? This is a book reprinted by Maria Popova. I haven't gotten far enough into it to know what I think yet.
I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons
QotW: I'm VERY excited that the third book is coming out by Phillip Pullman. It's called The Rose Field I'm also excited about Katabasis and Traversals by Maria Popova, although that one is not coming out until next year.
ReadThe Mistletoe Secret
All the President’s Men
PS Challenge Progress: 36/50
Currently Reading
Who Invented the Bicycle Kick?: Soccer's Greatest Legends and Lore
Absalom, Absalom!
The Mystery of the Blue Train
You've Been Warned
QOTW
I don't track new releases as much as some of you. The prompts that require a book published in the current year can be difficult for me, as my library often doesn't get any until the latter part of the year and there can be long ILL hold times to get one from a sister library. Because of that, I just try to "luck into" a current year book by checking the New shelf each time I visit starting in the summer.
So, all that to say, I'm not tracking/anticipating anything specific.
Happy Thursday!Finished:
Iron Tongue of Midnight by Brittany N. Williams - 4 stars - for silver on the cover. I liked how everything turned out in this final book, although I wanted more scenes with the acting troupe as those were my favorite part of the first two books. Also, I love how the "love triangle" turned out.
Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - 3.5 stars - for a book that is considered healing fiction. Two of the stories made me cry. The last story felt too short and left too much unexplored. I'll keep reading this series when I need another emotional gut punch.
Comics & manga:
Fushigi Yûgi: VizBig Edition, Vol. 1
I am currently at 23/50 for Popsugar (20/40 and 3/10).
Currently reading:
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry - for a favorite prompt from the 2015 PS Reading Challenge: female author.
Upcoming/Planned:
A Letter from the Lonesome Shore by Sylvie Cathrall - I tentatively have this slotted for the unlikely friendship prompt, since there's the friendship from the first book between the brother of the male lead and the sister of the female lead.
Overgrowth by Mira Grant - for a book written by an author who is neurodivergent
Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - for a book featuring an activity on your bucket list (more accurately, a location I'd love to visit)
QOTW:
I'm still anticipating:
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Queen Demon by Martha Wells
The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong
Slayers of Old by Jim C. Hines
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
Hi all! I'm cranky at the medical profession and insurance, but it's long and stupid, so I won't get into it. I have my physical tomorrow for my upcoming SS hearing. I have to drive an hour and a half to get there, for a half an hour exam, so that's "fun". I'm also a bit sleep deprived because robins have been bashing at my bedroom window starting at 5:30!! (and at almost 1pm here, they're still at it!) They've done this before. They started about a month ago, but then left, but now they're back. And while I love nature... anyone have any good recipes for roasted robin??? (kidding... mostly)
I did join a local group that is aimed at protesting, protecting, and educating people on first amendment issues and banned books! Our first zoom meeting was last night, and it's a fun group!
I finished Bone, Vol. 6: Old Man's Cave over the weekend. I think it might be my favorite of the series so far.
I'm still kind of mentally foggy, so I think YA, GN, and picture books might be more my speed for a while.
I did read a chapter in Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber, and the Invention of Criminal Profiling. It was the chapter where the psychiatrist actually put together the profile of the bomber, so that was really interesting.
QOTW: Absolutely no idea what is coming out this year. I probably couldn't tell you what book I'm excited about that came out *last* year! lol
Carmen wrote: "Happy Thursday!Quick update from me because I am absolutely exhausted and have to leave in an hour for the cinema (Ocean? David Attenborough? Don't mind if I do!) and still have to have dinner.
..."
I totally hear you on the benefits thing. My upcoming hearing is 2 years after I first applied and 3 years after I first became disabled. And it's after I've been rejected twice already (if I get rejected at this hearing, I don't think I can apply again for 2 years). I don't know about over there, but here in the US, they intentionally make it hard so people give up (and don't even get me started on all the new cuts and scare tactics going on in govt here!!). If you're entitled to it, fight on!
And SUPER congrats on your walking goals and weight loss and all the hard work you've put into it!!
Ron wrote: "Happy Thursday! So glad I get to post today.
I'm doing better. Had a fall over the weekend that landed me in the hospital. I hit my head. Docs said it's normal for me to not remember the exact ..."
Goodness, Ron! Glad you're starting to feel better!
Happy Thursday! I'm enjoying my new freedom post-graduation by visiting my sister in L.A. for the week. The weather here is breezy and pleasant, a nice break from the hot humidity of the gulf coast. I brought a book along and downloaded some ebooks and audiobooks to get some reading done during my downtime. I managed to finish 2 on my flight with mixed results. I'm continuing to prioritize books by AAPI authors for May. I read 4 books this past week, and knocked a few prompts off my reading challenges.2025 Reading Challenges
Popsugar- 37/50
ATY- 50/52; Anniversary- 8/10
Buzzword- 5/12; Cover- 4/12
Asian Read-a-thon- 3/5
1001 Books- 5/10
Finished
I Am Not Jessica Chen- a solid coming-of-age tale that tackles teenage low self-esteem and the pressures that come with pursuing academic perfectionalism. Reminded me a lot of the people I went to high school with. ☆☆�
ARAT #1- read a book written by an Asian author that's a fantasy (magical realism) and/or best-seller
Good Girl- despite its lyrical prose, I did not enjoy reading this. A lot of self-destructive acts revolving drugs, partying, and domestic violence just got repetitive and difficult to read. ☆☆ 1/2
ARAT #2- read a book by an Asian author that is a retelling and/or features LGBTQ+ characters
How to End a Love Story- enjoyed this one quite a lot even though it was more emotional and dramatic than I expected. ☆☆☆☆
Buzzword- "to" and "too"
You are Eating an Orange. You are Naked.- read this one on audiobook on the plane and had to rewind it several times because I kept dozing off. I found it pretentious and pointless. ☆☆
ATY #5- a book with a weird or intriguing title
Currently Reading
We Do Not Part
A Room of One's Own & The Voyage Out
The Kite Runner
QOTW
I'm looking forward to Ali Hazelwood's Problematic Summer Romance, Lily King's Heart the Lover, and Oyinkan Braithwaite's Cursed Daughters
Question of the WeekWhich upcoming 2025 publications are you still eagerly anticipating?
Bad Moon by Jodi Taylor. I anticipate anything by her.
We had a solid four days of rain (on and off, so no flooding, thank goodness), and when the sun finally came out yesterday, it was like the world was brand new. You really don't realize how much you take a blue sky for granted until it disappears for half a week.My library is gearing up for the debut of a big change to our local book award program. The Nutmeg Book Award is chosen by the children of CT, so to encourage them to actually read the candidates, my library previously used a punch card/prize system, but this year we're making pins to go with each book. So between designing the pins and helping figuring out the promotion, I've been pretty busy. We plan to have everything ready by next Thursday, to coincide with the announcement of this year's winners.
Finished:
The Lost Library - This was a cute read, though I didn't find the solution to any of the mysteries particularly compelling. I did recognize one of the narrators from another audiobook I'd listened to this year, The Lost Year, which was a plus.
The Queen of Ocean Parkway - (RH Genre blending book) A true genre blender, as it mixes mystery, time travel, and a little bit of fantasy. While listening, the story flowed well, and I enjoyed following it, even if the initial mystery wasn't that interesting, but the more I think about it now, the more problems I find with the time travel mechanics.
Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek - (CL outdated technology) I enjoyed this, but there was too much going on! The characters were good, though, and the magic system was interesting. I think it would have been better served paring the story down and splitting the plot between two (or more!) books.
Saving Sunshine - (CL summer scene) This one was just okay. The sibling fighting was too obnoxious, and the reconciliation didn't feel earned. Plus, the turtle barely factored into that!
Currently reading:
The Sound of Music Story: How A Beguiling Young Novice, A Handsome Austrian Captain, and Ten Singing von Trapp Children Inspired the Most Beloved Film of All Time
The Book of Heartbreak
How to Win a Slime War
The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle
QOTW:
I have a number of titles I'm looking forward to, but the two biggest are The Enchanted Greenhouse and The Magician of Tiger Castle.
Happy Thursday, everyone! I am currently on a mission to try new things and meet new people, and this morning found me at my very first ballroom dancing lesson. It was a 40-minute private lesson, where I got to try the rumba, foxtrot, and swing (specifically the Lindy Hop). I had a really good time, and thought the instructor was great. I don’t yet know if I am going to pursue dance as a new hobby, because I do have a lot of other activities that I still want to try, but I am seriously considering the possibility of taking a few lessons per month.
This has been a fantastic reading week! I decided that I would spend the entire month of May mood-reading, and I’ve been having a great time so far. I’ve had a chance to read quite a few books over the past week, most of which were from my TBR list.
Here are my current challenge and TBR totals�
ŷ Challenge: 178/250
Mount TBR Challenge: 108/150
📚Physical TBR: 89/731
📱Ebook TBR: 11/218
Audiobook TBR: 8/12
TBR Checklist Total: 108/961
TBR Books DNFed in 2025: 3
I picked up several new books this week, including: The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption, by Robert Jackson Bennett; Lore Olympus: Volume Eight, by Rachel Smythe; Barbarian's Hope, by Ruby Dixon; Elusive, by Genevieve Cogman; Overgrowth, by Mira Grant; The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry, by Ransom Riggs; Shield of Sparrows, by Devney Perry; and Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein.
“New� Books Bought in 2024: 80
“New� Books Read in 2024: 70
“New� Books DNFed in 2024: 0
Here are the books I finished this week�
Finished Reading (Fiction):
This week I was in the mood for some middle grade fantasy, so I decided to start the How to Train Your Dragon series. This series has been on my radar for a while now, and with the new live action movie adaptation coming out later this year, I thought this week would be a good time to get started. I’ve had a chance to read the first 10 books, and I’ve really enjoyed the series so far. The stories are fun, and they are very quick reads. The books I read this week include:
~How to Train Your Dragon � 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~How to Be a Pirate � 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~How to Speak Dragonese � 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse � 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~How to Twist a Dragon's Tale � 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons � 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~How to Ride A Dragon's Storm � 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~How to Break a Dragon's Heart � 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~How to Steal a Dragon's Sword � 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel � 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~Volcano: Live, Dormant and Extinct Volcanoes around the World � This was a great collection of volcano photography, and included some interesting information about specific volcanoes around the world. I do have to confess that I was a little disappointed in the scarcity of scientific information about volcanoes in general, however, because that is why I originally purchased the book. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
~Nights with a Cat, Vol. 5 � This was a super cute continuation of the series! I absolutely love being able to recognize my own cat’s behaviors in a manga. It’s so much fun! 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None
DNFed:
None
Currently Reading:
~The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 2 � I am seriously considering DNFing this book for now. I'm just not interested in reading it at the moment. 📚
~Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix � This is the fifth book in the Harry Potter series. I’m currently about seven hours into this audiobook, and I’m enjoying listening to it before bed and while working on household projects.
~Dragons of Autumn Twilight � This has been a pretty good story so far, and I like the characters. 📚
~The Kill Bill Diary: The Making of a Tarantino Classic as Seen Through the Eyes of a Screen Legend � I’m currently only a few chapters into this book, but I think it’s going to be an interesting read. 📱
~How to Betray a Dragon's Hero � This is the 11th book in the How to Train Your Dragon series. I’m really enjoying the story, and will probably finish reading it this afternoon. 📚
QOTW:
There are a lot of upcoming publications that I’m exciting for, including:
~The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (May 13th), by Matt Dinniman
~Strange New World (May 20th), by Vivian Shaw
~A Tarnished Canvas (June 24th), by Anna Lee Huber
~Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki, Vol. 2 (July 1st), by Yû Watase
~Three Shattered Souls (July 15th), by Mai Corland
~This Inevitable Ruin (September 23rd), by Matt Dinniman
~Brigands & Breadknives (November 11th), by Travis Baldree
Happy Thursday!Finished
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us For book club, no challenge prompt. A lot at some different senses various animals use to explore and interact with the world. Basically, lots of cool animal facts. A fun read.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea I liked the prior book, but felt like this sequel was a little heavy-handed and preachy with it's messaging. Used it for the chosen family prompt.
The God of the Woods Also something of a let down, this one just based on the general reputation of the book. It was certainly a page turning read in places, but it was told in a very disjointed manner that just felt like an artificial way to build suspense. A couple of times a chapter ended on a cliffhanger, and then the next would change time periods or viewpoints, and by the time we got back to the cliffhanger, I'd forgotten about the situation. No PS prompt, but used it for ATY's digging up the past prompt.
In Progress
The Ever After of Ashwin Rao
Black Cake
The Extinction of Irena Rey
QotW
This wasn't a big year for anticipated books for me. I was hoping for Alecto the Ninth, but as it doesn't have a date set yet, I'm guessing it won't be this year.
I read two books this week, but for prompts:A Separate Peace --prompt from 2015. It is a much different experience re-reading as an adult (first read senior year in high school, a long time ago)
The Book of Lost Names---adult changes careers. I did not like this book despite the 4.43 average rating. This is why I didn't mind the less than 3 rating prompt, you never know when you'll disagree with the crowd (I liked the book i read for less than 3 rating way better than this dreck)
QOTW:
I don't really pay attention to release dates or anticipate books coming out. If they are released and look good I'll add to my TBR but I rarely rush out and buy a book or request it for loan when it's released. I have a $1 bookstore addiction so I have plenty to read, including books that were highly anticipated when they were released that I'm behind the curve on
Happy Thursday!Vacation/trip to Japan over. It was a very nice trip with a couple of bumps. I succeeded after a brief non-starter with Uber and began to get the hang of it all. I also had a couple of tours cancelled but I was able to negotiate other tours and managed to get one refunded.
And, what a wonderful time with my friends in Japan, although I almost did not get into the country since I did not know my friends� street address!
I was a bit nervous to restart my exercise classes after a month off and, after the first class, my fears were confirmed. So sore I could barely get up and down when sitting. Thankfully I live alone so bathroom issues weren’t observed by even a pet! And, it took a lot of courage and self-talk to get me back to class on Wednesday, but I did, and much less soreness was experienced when I got up today. So kudos to me for not giving up on myself! And, now, I get to relax and let my muscles recover before Monday!
Of course, the first thing I did after I got home was to put 16 books on hold between my two library systems! That was Sunday. So far I have picked up 5 from one library and 3 from the other with the last pickup this morning and now I have notice that 3 more have come in! Plus, at one library today, I bought 3 used hardbacks for $1: one by Ruth Rendel, one by Linda Lael Miller, and one by Stephen Hunter (a new author for me). The only saving grace is that a good percentage of the holds are graphic novels.
Finished:
After Alice Fell � PAS. Kindle. 3*. This was a bit of strange story. Setting in New Hampshire 1865. Family dynamics not really explained until near the end. Then the story finally made more sense.
Dolled Up for Murder � PAS. 4*. Cozy mystery, also set in New Hampshire. Antiques mystery.
Life � PAS. Kindle. 3*. I had a hard time settling into this book. It felt a bit overdone in description of the young man’s reactions, but that might have been a Western/Eastern cultural thing.
The Good Son � PAS. Kindle. 4*. It took me a while to get the feel for this book. The protagonist, who is the killer, is never named other than “the good son�. POV alternates between the police and the killer.
The Passion According to Carmela � PAS. Kindle. 3*. Another book that I never fully connected with. This one was set in Cuba during the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to the forefront. I did learn a bit about the revolution and how it affected people of different backgrounds.
Sweets and a Stabbing � PAS, PS #29. Kindle. 4*. This was my food truck book. Cozy mystery. Fun read.
Currently Reading:
The Beginner's Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera � 27%. Time to get back to this. Put aside while traveling.
A People's History of the American Revolution: How Common People Shaped the Fight for Independence - Kindle. 20%. Made a little headway.
Kate: The Journal of A Confederate Nurse � PAS. 15%
This Life or the Next � PAS. Kindle. 31%. Not really connecting with this story, although I am interested in his spiritual and cultural journey. Neither are in my knowledge base; so I am finding it a bit interesting, even though the writing style does not interest me.
Wild Rose � Kindle. 13%. Just beginning this one. Genres = YA, Romance, Mystery.
Just Starting:
Discover Your God-Given Gifts � No challenge. 7%
On Deck: (owned)
The Pony Wife � PAS
The Brass Verdict � PAS
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All - ATY #30 (monster), PAS, PS #44 (book I have avoided).
PS 18/50
ATY 11/52, Anniversary 7/10, Winter 11/15
GR 69/200
QotW:
I am not often a reader of NEW books due to long wait for them and short loan period. However, since we have a prompt for a highly anticipated 2025 book, I chose an author whose new book I knew would interest me: The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths, which was supposed to be out this month but has been pushed to July.
Hello all. I am sitting here reading this while a cake bakes in my oven. I decided I wanted to make my friend a cake for Mother's day. I know it is a few days away but, I have to go past her house for work today and I am gonna leave it in her kitchen as a surprise! I'm taking it today because she lives about 20 miles from me and since I'm going past already I'm taking it today.I had a so-so reading week. I haven't been in much of a reading mood. Which is why I got cookbooks last week. I've been reading through those and even made some really good chicken out of one of them and a cake, which was okay. I had to make a meringue for the cake and I had never done that before but, it came out so good I was really proud of myself. We also decided to have Cinco de Mayo at my dad's girlfriends house. I wanted to make enchilada's (from one of the cookbooks) and since it makes a lot and they are not a big hit in my house I asked if we could have dinner at her house, where her extended family is all staying with her right now. She made some nachos and I also made cornbread and it was a huge success. I came home with empty pans!!
2025 Challenges:
Popsugar: 29/50
ATY: 34/52 & 7/10
A to Z (Kindle edition): 2/26
ŷ: 55/150
GR WTR: 4/428
Physical TBR: 6/112
Kindle TBR: 0/127
TBR Goal: 6/239
Book Clubs:
PS Monthly: 27/66
Reese: 35/111
Oprah: 14/110
Jenna: 10/78
OSS: 7/39
Finished:
3 finished, 0 Completed Popsugar
Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends
This is the book I cooked the chicken, enchiladas and cake from.
All We Ever Wanted
ATY#61 (Annv. book on TBR more than a Year)
Magnolia Table, Volume 3: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering
ATY#36
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Currently Reading
While We Were Dating
Encanto: Nightmares and Sueños
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
Ripples & Waves: A Queer Retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid
The Language of Dogs
The Glass Castle
BAKE: My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics
Ghost
On the Backburner
Libby
Physical Library Rentals
The New Girl
All the Broken Pieces
Pride and Prejudice in Space
Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country
American Poison: A Deadly Invention and the Woman Who Battled for Environmental Justice
Aspca Complete Dog Training Manual
Puppy Brain: How Our Dogs Learn, Think, and Love
Rebellion 1776
My Passion for Design
May I Come In?: Discovering the World in Other People's Houses
Old Brand New: Colorful Homes for Maximal Living
Heirloom Rooms: Soulful Stories of Home
Magazines: (7/148)
Read since last check-in: 0
Question of the Week:
Even though I bought it a couple weeks ago I am still anticipating Great Big Beautiful Life since I haven't been able to read it yet!
I also just learned of a few new releases by author's I read.
Chef's Secret by Kelly Yang (Front Desk #6)
Return to Sender by CJ Box (Longmire #21)
Stuck by Kayla Miller (Click #7)
and Ron mentioned Remain which sounds interesting.
Mod
I did not know there was a sequel coming out!!
Mod
A list from ŷ! Readers' Favorite History, Memoir, and General Nonfiction of the Past Five Years (posted April 1, 2025)
The IRL book club I facilitate has just selected (by vote) our next 9 books to read throughout 2026! I always get so excited about this process!! We had 25 books nominated and I thought you might find it interesting to see the 9 selected�
1) After Life by Gayle Forman
2) The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski
3) East of Eden by John Steinbeck
4) Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis
5) The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
6) The Measure by Nikki Erlick
7) Orbital by Samantha Harvey
8) Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #2) by T.J. Klune
9) The Wedding People by Alison Espach
In addition to these, each member selects a book for the group to read during their birthday month. I added that in the aftermath of COVID once we began meeting IRL again. It has been a nice addition and seems to help each member feel more invested in the group overall.
ADMIN STUFF:
THE JULY MONTHLY GROUP READ FINAL SELECTION POLL IS LIVE!
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #5 A book with a snake on the cover or in the title
World Snake Day is July 16 2025 (I had no idea there was one of these!!)
There are five books from which to select:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games #0) by Suzanne Collins
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
A Snake Falls to Earth by ??
Stone Blind by ??
Sunrise on the Reaping (Hunger Games #0.5) by Suzanne Collins
VOTE HERE!
*** This poll will run through May 20th. ***
THE JUNE MONTHLY GROUP READ IS West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge!
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #12 A book about a road trip. Take a Road Trip Day is June 20, 2025!
West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
Who is the "tricky traveler" willing to facilitate this discussion? Please message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!
I adore this book! And such an unknown bit of history. Unbelievable what was attempted�
THE MAY MONTHLY GROUP READ IS Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis This book could be used to fulfill prompt #3 A book about space tourism. National Space Day is May 2, 2025! ...
THE LISTING OF 2025 MONTHLY GROUP READ TOPICS IS HERE!
***
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Which 2025 publications are you still eagerly anticipating?
Oh, my. I have thus far read only one book released in 2025. That was Wooing the Witch Queen (Queens of Villainy #1) by Stephanie Burgis that I received free of charge and had a break in my reading schedule so read it as soon as I received it in January. Most books included below have already been released! But that doesn’t mean I have them yet! 😉
FROM THE INDY BOOK AUTHOR LUNCHEON EVENT APRIL 25:
*The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis January 7
*Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray February 4
*A Girl Like Us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin February 11
*The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict February 11
*Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley March 11
All the Water in the World--Eiren Caffall January 7
Homeseeking--Karissa Chen January 7
The Three Lives of Cate Kay--Kate Fagan January 7
**More or Less Maddy--Lisa Genova January 14
Genova is one of my all-time favorite authors!
Water Moon--Samantha Sotto Yambao January 14
**Death of the Author--Nnedi Okorafor January 14
I loved Orkorafor's Binti trilogy!
Too Soon--Betty Shamieh January 28
**Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism--Eve L. Ewing February 11
Oh, yeah...definitely one everyone should read, I imagine!
**Three Days in June--Anne Tyler February 11
Confession! I have yet to read an Anne Tyler book. It is time!
**We All Live Here--Jojo Moyes February 11
Another favorite author!
**Black Woods Blue Sky--Eowyn Ivey February 11
I adored The Snow Child!
**Famous Last Words--Gillian McAllister February 25
I keep meaning to tackle her backlist!
**Dream Count--Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie March 4
Another author I keep meaning to read!
**The Martian Contingency (Lady Astronaut #4)--Mary Robinette Kowal March 18
You can tell how busy and stressed I have been. I have yet to purchase and read this 4th installment of one of my favorite series!!
**Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection--John Green March 18
It's John Green!!
**When the Moon Hits Your Eye--John Scalzi March 25
I finally obtained a copy of The Kaiju Preservation Society, but have yet to read it!!
**The Maid's Secret (Molly the Maid #3)--Nita Prose April 3
Another favorite series!
**My Friends--Fredrik Backman May 20
Fredrik Backman! 'Nuff said!!
The Memory Collectors--Dete Meserve May 20
**Atmosphere: A Love Story--Taylor Jenkins Reid June 3
Three more to read from her backlist! I am convinced I'll inhale whatever she writes and want more!!
The River's Daughter--Bridget Crocker June 3
**The Homemade God: A Novel--Rachel Joyce June 24
Another favorite author!
**Murder at Somerset House (Wrexford & Sloane #9)--Andrea Penrose
I can guarantee that no matter how poor or short on time, I'll own and inhale this one immediately!!
2025 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 39/50
Around the Year (AtY): 51/52
AtY 2025 Anniversary List: 10/10 FINISHED
Read Harder: 16/24
52 Book Club: 42/52
2024 Popsugar: 47/50
FINISHED:
*The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride ⭐⭐⭐⭐� was just as enjoyable a read as I had anticipated! After having read his memoir The Color of Water, I assumed that I appreciated his writing style enough to enjoy virtually anything he would write. This book proved that assumption to be correct. Such well-defined and diverse characters! Along with a mystery and complex interactions among the characters who experienced trauma but also in some instances had relatively ‘happy� endings� This is, IMO, an excellent example of “literary fiction� that is comprehensive, wide-ranging, and epic in its own way. Of our five book club members: two DNFd it very early, two enjoyed it, and I loved it! The use of other languages was confusing to all four of the other members and the two who enjoyed it wished they’d not had to “work so hard� to read it, though they didn’t feel there were too many characters. I just shrugged, ‘cause I didn’t have any negative reactions to it. (Upon reading Nadine’s review I was relatively assured of at least enjoying this, if not loving it! LOL That’s what is so lovely about reading and books! We each have our own unique reactions! No “right� or “wrong,� just unique and specific to each of us!)
POPSUGAR: #2, #6, #26, #28, #40, #43
ATY: #2, #3, #5, NEW #9, #15, #16, #23, #26, #32, #33, #37, #41, #44, #45, #48, #50
RHC: #5, NEW #8, #16, #21, #24
52 Book Club: #22, #33, #36, #43, #51-385 pages
CONTINUING:
*Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis for the Monthly Group Read
*The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis
*The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
*Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power by RebeccaSolnit
PLANNED: (for the Indy Book Author event in April)
*Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict
*The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
*The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
*The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict
Happy Thursday! I'm hormonal and stressed today. Sigh...Finished 16/50
Currently Reading
In the House of My Pilgrimage: Violence, Noetic Healing, and Personhood for "book with less than 3 stars on GR" Nearly finished! Hope to complete it this weekend.
The Brothers Karamazov for "book recommended by AI". I mean, what's not to love? I can barely put it down!
QotW
Brandon Sanderson should have a new Secret Project out this fall. I forget the title, but I'm looking forward to it!
Mod
Vacation/trip to Japan over. It was a very nice trip with a couple of bumps. I succeeded after a brief non-starter with Uber and began to get the hang of it all. I also had a coupl..."
WOW you are back already?! That went fast!! How lucky that you have friends living in Japan. Was it difficult to find your way around getting to their home? Are there signs in English? What was the most memorable thing you saw?
Alas, it's not been a happy week for me. On Monday I received a call that one of my oldest closest friends died suddenly last Friday. It appears to have been the result of a diabetic episode, a preventable one related to something with her insulin - she for some reason wasn't take the correct one. I'm still in shock, as are all who knew her. I also am her executor and find myself trying to manage long distance all the details for my dear friend (she has no next of kin) and trying to clear my work calendar to fly out to Santa Fe from NYC to deal with immediate items like finding her original will. Fortunately she has a solid reliable network of friends out there who have been fantastic. The loss has not been felt yet. She did not suffer at all which is a blessing and she lived a very full life, having done all and more that she wanted. I just can't believe she's not in this world any longer. Reading has occurred - mostly light and that trend will continue a bit.
PS 29/60 ATY 42/52 - only 10 left!
Finished:
Death in Saratoga Springs
Wishful Drinking
Star Wars: Razor's Edge - before she wrote Murderbot, Star Wars superfan Martha Wells wrote a Princess Leia adventure for Start Wars Universe. It is fantastic. I used it for PS - MC a politician because that's exactly what Princess Leia is. This and Wishful Drinking were honoring May the Fourth.
Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything - this was so very much fun! PS - Opposite in title - 'everything' which was opposite a book used entitled 'Nothing'.
Fatal Threat - #11 in a series I'm behind in.
Currently reading:
Killing Trail
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Sylvia's Lovers
QOTW: Not really. I don't really wait breathlessly for a book to be published. Like things to age a bit, mature, before reading, LOL. An exception of course will be when George R.R. Martin's The Winds of Winter has a publication date.
Happy Thursday!I finished another book. It was beautifully written about non-beautiful things. (view spoiler) Like Lullabies for Little Criminals, it is set in Montreal and it involves (view spoiler).
I finished the super-long chapter 15 and got half way through chapter 16 (of 18 chapters). I swear I'm finishing Ulysses this month.
Finished:
The Lonely Hearts Hotel
Popsugar prompt: n/a
ATY prompt:
Anniversary prompt: A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet (hotel and Quebec)
Series - 3/10
Reading Across Canada - 4/10
Nobel laureates - 2/5
PS - 16/40
Regular ATY - 14/40
Anniversary ATY - 6/10
Currently reading:
Interior Castle - 25%
Ulysses - 80%
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - 50%
Buddy Reads:
none at present
QOTW:
The Woman in Suite 11 - I love Ruth Ware
With a Vengeance - I also read everything by Riley Sager
I still haven't read Sunrise on the Reaping or Witchcraft for Wayward Girls (curse you waiting lists)
I'm hoping Dark Reading Matter and Villain publish this year. Given that neither have covers yet, I wouldn't be surprised if they are delayed.
Theresa wrote: "Alas, it's not been a happy week for me. On Monday I received a call that one of my oldest closest friends died suddenly last Friday. It appears to have been the result of a diabetic episode, a pre..."I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, Theresa. Sounds like she had some wonderful friends, including you, and a wonderfully full life. I hope your memories of her bring you much comfort and strength. Sending you and her other friends healing thoughts.
Mod
1) After Life by Gayle Forman
2) The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski
3) East of Eden by John Steinbeck
4) Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis
5) The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
6) The Measure by Nikki Erlick
7) Orbital by Samantha Harvey
8) Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #2) by T.J. Klune
9) The Wedding People by Alison Espach..."
Oh that's an interesting list, a lot of variety!! I'd never heard of Fundamentally so I looked that up, it looks really interesting, mixed reviews, seems that people either love it or found it disappointing.
I really enjoyed The Wedding People, I wonder if you will like it!
FINISHED:
*The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride ⭐⭐⭐⭐� was just as enjoyable a read as I had anticipated! After having read his memoir The Color of Water, I assumed that I appreciated his writing style enough to enjoy virtually anything he would write.
LOL on this one we remain consistently opposite!!! I definitely very much did not like his writing style at all. This book was a struggle for me.
Mod
I am so very sorry for your loss
Another week has flown by! I finished nothing and started several more books...because, of course, my holds are going to come in at the same time when I have multiple books already in progress! 🤣 I'm at 8/40 and 0/10 for this challenge, and 23/85 for my overall ŷ Reading Challenge. Finished:
* nada!
Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* How to Menopause: Take Charge of Your Health, Reclaim Your Life, and Feel Even Better than Before by Tamsen Fadal, which I received as part of the book launch;
* No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack, which is a NetGalley title;
* The Women of Chateau Lafayette written by Stephanie Dray and narrated by Tavia Gilbert, Emma Bering, and Rachel L. Jacobs, which is one of my book clubs' picks for May -- we decided to see how far we all get with this one since it's longer than we normally read and then discuss the rest in June if needed. The audiobook is nearly 24 hours long, so we'll see how much I can knock out between now and our meeting at the end of the month - I'm about 5 hours into it;
* The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel, which is my other book clubs' pick for May/June -- it is significantly shorter than the other book club read 🙃; and,
* First Lie Wins written by Ashley Elston and narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, which was recommended to me by a friend who isn't a reader but has started doing audiobooks recently and raved about it. I'd put a hold on it back in March...and it came in at the same time as The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession. I decided to just go with it even though I don't normally listen to two audiobooks at once.
QotW:
Which upcoming 2025 publications are you still eagerly anticipating? The three that came to mind were:
* Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman;
* The Black Wolf by Louise Penny; and,
* The Menu of Happiness by Hisashi Kashiwai.
Skimming through my TBR shelf, I'd add:
* Full Bloom by Francesca Serritella;
* The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves;
* Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz;
* People Like Us by Jason Mott;
* The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton; and,
* The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline.
I was going to add these two, but they both came out within the past week (hooray! 🥳):
* The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman; and,
* The Girl In Cell A by Vaseem Khan.
Nadine in NY wrote: "WOW you are back already?! That went fast!! How lucky that you have friends living in Japan. Was it difficult to find your way around getting to their home? Are there signs in English? What was the most memorable thing you saw?"Nadine, my friends met me at the airport and took me back to it when I left, which made it very easy! And, no...everything was in Japanese...even in the airport! I had to be vigilant to find my way around and, when we ate out, pointing to the dish worked fine.
Jack and Cathy are missionaries. Their church services are done in both English and Japanese, so I was able to follow along easily.
Lots of smiling and pidgin English.
I didn't do a lot of touring but we did go to a Japanese garden and a historic Samurai house. Both were truly Japanese and beautiful.
I finished Britt-Marie Was Here as my book about soccer. Has anyone else read a book that they half loved, half hated. Because that's how I felt about this book.I read Freddy and the Space Ship as my book about space tourism. They actually only ended up being in space for about 5 pages, but they talked about it a lot, so I'm still counting it, LOL.
And I've started The Shining as my book where an adult changes careers.
QOTW: I don't really pay attention to that, so no.
Well GR ate my last response sigh.I'm not having a good time of reading wise but I did finish one of my netgalley arcs Bodies and Battlements By
Elizabeth Penney which was a decent cozy mystery set in Yorkshire. I enjoyed it enough not to set it aside like most of what I've been reading.
QOTW
I'm super bad at keeping track so I guess I'll go with my arc tbr pile on Netgalley
We Can Never Leave by H.E. Edgmon which I'm reading now
With Friends Like These: A Novel by Alissa Lee
A Spell to Wake the Dead by Nicole Lesperance
Last Dance Before Dawn by Katharine Schellman
And not on my arc pile there's Oathbound
by Tracy Deonn but dang these books are SO LONG
Happy check-in!Finished Reading:
The Westing Game ⭐⭐� (ATY 2nd book different genre but connected)
It was good to read a classic that lead to The Inheritance Games. It also randomly fit my requirement for a book with a turtle connection.
The Haunted Blizzard ⭐⭐�
Short middle grade horror comic. I liked the artwork but the story was sparse.
Long Island ⭐⭐� (ATY Irish author)
I loved Brooklyn and I'm a little sad I read this sequel even though the characters are still well done and I liked the writing. This book is set 20 years after the first book and it sort of undid everything that happened in the first book.
Several People Are Typing ⭐⭐⭐⭐� (ATY anniversary debut)
This was hilarious. Set in a PR company's Slack app. The humour is dry, random and a little dark. You could maybe squeeze this into dystopian with a happy ending.
XOXO ⭐⭐⭐⭐� (PS Kpop redo)
This was adorable and I will be reading the sequel.
Mr. Villain's Day Off 06
Cute manga series but repetitive.
QOTW:
Saga, Volume 11
Hello hello happy Friday from Columbus and very excited for our new Midwestern Pope! There’s a really big rock festival happening a few blocks away from where I work, it’s 4 days and if today was any indicator the next few days are going to be very chaotic getting there and trying to park. My daughter turned 19 on the 4th, it’s crazy how fast they grow 🥹Finished:
The God of the Woods for my 12 friends challenge. I kept seeing this book everywhere, and with how long the hold was on Libby this must be a very popular book right now. I went into this blind and really enjoyed the journey. Books with missing kids or anything bad happening to kids causes me immense distress but this one I feel was a lot more gentle with the subject.
Sunrise on the Reaping for my book club. I’m torn on this one. On one hand I really liked getting more time with this series and a look at haymitch’s life. But on the other hand I really wish this had been about life after the games, the plot in this book just felt a little too much like a reworking of the original formula. The amount of cameos and people just coming out and spilling all their beans was kind of jarring. Idk I liked the book but it also annoyed me lol.
The End and with that, reading all of the series of unfortunate events books with my son is complete. There was a surprise return of my son’s favorite character and he was so excited for that. I think the book ended with a lot of room for questions so we’re going to read the other books that tie in to see what other mysteries get uncovered.
The Book of Doors for a book with book in the title. This falls into that magical adventure romance modern fantasy I’ve been reading a lot of lately. I enjoyed it but over time I think I’ll have a hard time distinguishing this plot from the plots of similar books.
The House of Dies Drear for my classics challenge. I saw someone lament that this started off so atmospheric and creepy and then ended like an episode of scooby doo and I fully support that description lol. It was going places and then just kinda, stopped. Fun book tho and I love reading things that take place in Ohio!
Currently Reading:
Medusa's Sisters
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible
Challenges:
Popsugar - 14/40; 0/4; 0/3; 2/3
Read Harder - 7/24
Classics - 4/12
European Tour - 4/10
12 Friends - 3/12
Yearly Goal - 38/180
QOTW:
Still waiting on that new Philip Pullman book,The Rose Field.
The Hallmarked Man
The Secret of Secrets
Lots more I can’t really think of right now
Theresa wrote: "Alas, it's not been a happy week for me. On Monday I received a call that one of my oldest closest friends died suddenly last Friday. It appears to have been the result of a diabetic episode, a pre..."I'm so sorry for your loss, Theresa. My husband and one of my sons are diabetic, and there have been shortages of certain types of insulin in the UK, so I am always anxious about something like that happening. I'm glad to hear that your friend didn't suffer, at least.
Life update: I had to take an unexpected day of unpaid leave this week to take care of my grandson after my granddaughter was unexpectedly taken ill. It seems like it was a latent internal injury from her wrestling gig at the weekend. She's going to be okay, but won't be able to wrestle for a few weeks, which unfortunately means she'll miss out on some paid gigs. And I'm exhausted and having a symptom flare-up, because I also did the childcare for the original gig and hadn't yet recovered from that when I got the call. Still, it could have been much worse.Reading update: I did a lot of reading on my Kindle while my grandson was watching his Minecraft videos - it helps to keep me sane! I promise I do try to get him to take an interest in other activities, but with his ADHD, it can be difficult, especially when he's stressed about something as big as his mum being sick. We did manage some baking, some gardening and a quick trip to the park over the three days that he was with me in the end.
I finished six books in total:
Playing for Keeps for a book about soccer - and set in Glasgow, where my grandparents and father were from. It's pretty well researched, and the sex scenes are unusually well written.
The Mixed-Up Summer of Lily McLean for a book that reminds you of your childhood - this one was so-so, although it was nice to recognise some locations that I know very well
The Emperor's Soul for a happily single woman. This was my first book of Sanderson's, and I really enjoyed it. I've joined a challenge on SG to encourage me to read more - I'll need the motivation, because most of them are much longer than I normally like.
Chouette for a nonverbal character. Very lyrical, and more wide-ranging in its themes than I expected.
Too Bright to See - not for the challenges, I just felt a need for a transmasc character
Practice of Vedanta - not for the challenges, but in honour of the birthday of Swami Chinmayananda, who founded the Hindu mission that I study with.
I also DNF'd two books:
A Daughter of Fair Verona - I'd originally planned to use this for a happily single woman, but about 25% of the way through it didn't seem like it was going to fit that prompt very well. This sub-genre (historical fiction with deliberate anachronisms) isn't really my thing, so it wasn't worth continuing.
Knowledge Management: Systems and Processes in the AI Era. This turned out to be a retitled version of a book I'd read previously. Although it's heavily updated, I didn't feel like re-reading it, especially after we decided to shelve the work project that originally made me pick it up.
Stats
Finished for PopSugar Challenge: 4 this week, 39/50 total
Finished for Star Trek Series Challenge: 0 this week, 10/18 total
Finished outside the challenges: 2 this week, 12 total
GR Bookmarks: Community Favorites 6/6, Seasonal 3/7
All books finished this year: 6 this week, 59 total
DNF or paused: 2 this week, 14 total
Currently Reading:
God's Phallus: And Other Problems for Men and Monotheism for snake on the cover. This is really interesting and well written so far.
The Invisible Wild for a highly anticipated book of 2025
The Change War for my current audiobook. I'm loving this; the narrator is perfectly cast, and Leiber's writing is as good as you would expect.
The Valmiki Ramayana Vol. 3 for spiritual bedtime reading
Timeboxing: The Power of Doing One Thing at a Time. Timeboxing is heresy from the point of view of the GTD method I've been using for years, but my head of department recently adopted it and is enthusiastic about it. After experimenting a little based on what he told me, I found that it seems to help a little with my ADHD. I figured I might as well read what the inventor says about it before deciding whether to adopt it permanently.
QOTW: Before signing up for this challenge, I didn't really pay much attention to upcoming releases unless I knew the author, but the prompts have got me excited about quite a few things. Currently, I'm really looking forward to these three:
Katabasis, for part 2 of two books with the same title
Ecstasy for a book set in a luxury resort (and it would also work for snake on the cover)
Metallic Realms, which I will probably use for interconnected short stories
Mod
This was hilarious. Set in a PR company's Slack app. The humour is dry, random and a little dark. You could maybe squeeze this into dystopian with a happy ending...."
maybe I need to give this book another try. I tried to read it when it was in the Tournament of Books and I was overwhelmed by having so many books to read on a deadline, so I dnf'ed this one. It wasn't bad, exactly, I just didn't feel like reading it at that time.
@Nadine I like epistolary books so the format was my thing too. Some of the humour comes from building on previous conversations/meetings so skimming through would make some things make no sense. If you go back to it I hope you enjoy it.
Jennifer W wrote: "I don't know about over there, but here in the US, they intentionally make it hard so people give up (and don't even get me started on all the new cuts and scare tactics going on in govt here!!). If you're entitled to it, fight on!And SUPER congrats on your walking goals and weight loss and all the hard work you've put into it!!"
It's such a disaster! They've been caught up having made mistakes for YEARS, denying people who should be accepted, and accepting people who should be denied, and here I STILL AM. It's so frustrating. Just because I'm smart? Just because they don't truly recognize how disabling my diagnoses are?
And to make matters worse, the whole thing is 'can you ever work again' (has to be no) and 'was this present on your 18th birthday' (has to be yes), BUT if you HAVE the benefits, you are allowed work???
Infuriating. I am now 30 years old. I've been trying this since I was 19. BUT, I've now sent off all the documents to my current benefits person who's gonna send it to a colleague specialized in this, and on the 19th we have a meeting to discuss. All there is left to do is for my dad (with me present) to call a legal advisor. And it's the weekend, so for now, I can rest and let it go.
AND THANK YOU!! I have 1,45km left today, so when my dad wakes up (he's had the night shift) we're walking it together (as he's been with me for the first challenge finish, and joined me for a longer walk to finish the second) and then it's my third challenge done! And then tomorrow it's Disney, so many steps as well, and then next week I am quite looking forward to a little crash and some biking, haha!
Katy wrote: "I finished Britt-Marie Was Here as my book about soccer. Has anyone else read a book that they half loved, half hated. Because that's how I felt about this book.Ohh I believe I got this book as a mystery buy yeaaaaars ago. If true, that might have this prompt settled for me! I kinda suspected I'd never get to it, but if this book truly is on my shelves that works out perfectly with my goal this year of reading more of my own books!
AND OHMYGOD ALL THE TIME. So often it's also 'love the idea, hate the execution'.
My tears for your loss, Theresa. Have a hug, if you like.
Thank you all for your kind words. It means a lot. As I notify others, from friends to even her tax advisor and the staff in the condo complex's managemant office, we are sharing such great memories and stories. It helps.Liz built great communities around her.
It's been a good two weeks of reading in general. I've added more audiobooks since I do a lot of walking and other household chores where I can't have a physical book in front of me. The weather's turned beautiful again in Switzerland after a sudden week of chill and rain, so I'm counting the days to the end of the school year now! Read in May:
The Bridge of San Luis Rey - compelling book. I've not read it before, so I can see how coming at it from an adult perspective means a lot more than reading it for school or reading it when you're younger. It was mentioned in Tom Lake, so I used it for prompt #11, a book mentioned in another book.
I finished Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection for prompt #34, a book written by a neurodivergent author. John Green reads it in the audio version. His depth of research and compassion is amazing.
Takeaway: Stories from a Childhood Behind the Counter - a memoir about a young woman growing up in the valleys of Wales behind the counter of her parents' Chinese takeaway restaurant. She is crisp in her writing about the issues of being the only Asian family in town, the thousand aggressions and micro-aggressions her family was subject to. Her growing up with a foot in both worlds - born in Wales but with parents from China/Hong Kong - is poignant. I teach a lot of third culture kids who also struggle in the same way, unsure if they are what their passport says, what their parents identify as, or, as a resident of a completely different country. I loved her descriptions of a village called Sai Kung in Hong Kong as I lived there for three years, and I could see a little bit of the changed village in the mid-2010s that she described.
The Librarian of Burned Books filled prompt #4 - book in the title and/or multiple books on the cover. It was an interesting dual timeline between three different women whose lives intersect over the issue of censorship, political change, and trying to do what is right in a world gone mad. Has A LOT of mentioned books.
Currently reading:
The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain: Lyrics for Stacey Kent for prompt #31 - a book where music plays an integral part of the storyline. Essentially, it is Kazuo Ishiguro's poetry/song lyrics for musician Stacey Kent. Even 'chapter' is song lyrics and just a beautiful read with the artwork as well.
There Are Rivers in the Sky for prompt #25.
The Library Thief for prompt #35.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Librarian of Burned Books (other topics)Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection (other topics)
The Library Thief (other topics)
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (other topics)
Tom Lake (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Philip Pullman (other topics)Catherine Mack (other topics)
Tamsen Fadal (other topics)
Tavia Gilbert (other topics)
Stephanie Dray (other topics)
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It's been rain rain rain this week - everything is wet, all the time - my grass is growing and so happy and I cannot mow. There was a brief window Monday early afternoon when I could have tried, but I wanted to wait for it to dry up a bit more. LOL big mistake.
Admin stuff
The May group read, which could fill "space tourism," is: Floating Hotel. Join (or start!) the discussion here: /topic/show/...
The June group read (which could fill "road trip") will be: West With Giraffes! Let me or Lynn know if you are interested in leading the discussion!
The final poll for the July group read (which could fill "snake on the cover or in the title") is open:
/poll/show/3....
This week I finished 3 books, all 3 for this Challenge:
Mabuhay! written and drawn by Zachary Sterling - I read this for the "food truck" category, and it definitely featured a food truck. I wasn't crazy about the art and I found the story kind of meh.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson- why are there multiple GR listings for this book, some just "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" and some "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde"? I don't mean multiple editions, I mean multiple listings, like when I want to link to the book I have to scroll through a few of them. Anyway, I didn't like the book. Everyone talks about how it's the original Hulk story, but I found it to be more of a story about addiction and the addict claiming his behavior is out of his control. The ending was poignant, however. This was my "classic you've never read" and it was my "monster book" in AtY.
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher - this was an absolute delight! Five stars! This is another one of Kingfisher's fairy tale retellings, this time it's Snow White. It is more inspired by than an actual retelling. I won't say more so you can discover it yourself. The book will be published in August. I checked off "silver in the title" but it would also work for "snake on the cover" or "author is neurodivergent" (or a "highly anticipated book in 2025" depending on your preferences).
Popsugar 66% 33 /50
Must Reads 20% 2 /10
AtY 67% 35 /52
AtY bonus 10% 1 /10
2025 pub 36% 18 /50
NetGalley ratio 83%
Question of the Week
Which upcoming 2025 publications are you still eagerly anticipating?
SO MANY! And my list keeps growing!!! Out of ALL the books I am looking forward to, I'd say I'm MOST excited about these:
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby 6/10/2025 - he's become such a sensation lately!
Villain by Natalie Zina Walschots8/12/2025 - it's been a while now since I read the first book (Hench), but I do remember being SUPER eager for this next book (and the publication date kept getting pushed off, which was frustrating, and I'm still worried that's going to get delayed again)
The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas8/19/2025 - I've only read one book by her, but I LOVED it, so I'm excited for this.
Nobody Knows You're Here by Bryn Greenwood9/16/2025 - I have LOVED every single book Greenwood has published, and I've been waiting years for a new book from her. I will drop everything to read this when I get hold of it.
We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad 9/23/2025 - honestly I'm a little afraid of this one LOL I've loved everything from Awad, every one of her books is outrageous, but how can she write a satisfying sequel to Bunny???