Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Carmen wrote: "Nadine wrote: " Originally, "noir" fiction was dark and brooding crime fiction with an almost nihilistic attitude towards life, a lot of violent action, and a protagonist/detective who laughed in t..."

LOL your country does not suck!!! (Seriously, that made me laugh. I mean, just TAKE A MOMENT to look at the state of the USA's current President, then compare with what you've got going on, and I have no idea what that is because I'm a hopeless American who knows nothing about the rest of the world, but I know it's got to be better than our current shitshow. Ahem.)

I am certain that there are lots of native English speakers in this group who did not know what "Nordic noir" was.

Nadine wrote: "LOL your country does not suck!!! (Seriously, that made me laugh. I mean, just TAKE A MOMENT to look at the state of the USA's current President, then compare with what you've got going on, and I have no idea what that is because I'm a hopeless American who knows nothing about the rest of the world, but I know it's got to be better than our current shitshow. Ahem.)."

Yeah okay, fair enough hahah! But I meant in terms of knowing stuff like this, book genres and all. Honestly, I didn't even know what 'contemporary fiction' meant. I think over here we don't get much more in terms of genres than "thriller", "sci-fi/fantasy", and "romance" - not counting non fiction, of course.

Ohwell. Just means this challenge is extra educating for me!

(And that makes me feel a little bit better!)

Good Morning Friends from sunny St. Paul where I'm currently taking in some Olympic Ski Jumping and now SnowBoarding as I finish up.

A good week of reading for me as I completed three prompts:

For book made in to a movie you've already seen I finally read my first Nicholas Sparks- A Walk to Remember. I may be in the minority here but I actually like the movie a bit more than the book. I understand the slow pacing of the beginning of the book is to build up to the last 50 pages but it made it difficult for me to really get in to the book. I enjoyed the pacing/story development of the movie more.

My second book completed was The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister for next book in a series I started. The approach with this one was different from the first (focuses more on remembrances/rituals than food) which took me some getting used to but once I settled in to the story appreciated the characters from the first book it focused on and loved the new ones introduced as well as the new focus. This is one of my favorite series and I'm hoping this is not the end of it.

My final book of the week was The Red Headed League which is a Sherlock Holmes mystery for book with my favorite color in the title. An intriguing premise involving a stakeout ending made this a quick but fun read.

Books I'll be reading throughout the rest of this month:
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Radiance by Catherynne Valente
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote ( all 3 for Popsugar Challenge)
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo (for Modern Mrs. Darcy and Books and Chocolate Back to Classics challenge)
The Tiger Queens: The Women of Genghis Khan by Stephanie Thornton (for Play Book Tag Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Group)
Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin (for Read Harder Challenge)

QOTW:
I'm not part of any book clubs but would definitely like to be. I have a few friends who are hardcore readers like myself but I would enjoy having a group of people to discuss books with on a consistent basis.

Hayjay315 wrote: "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo (for Modern Mrs. Darcy and Books and Chocolate Back to Classics challenge)"

Ohhh someone else doing the Back to the Classics challenge! For what prompt are you reading The Hunchback, if I may ask? That is my favorite Disney movie, and that book has been on my TBR for so long! I might read it for the Popsugar prompt for a musical, but right now I've got Les Misérables slotted for that one, so if I can use it for the BttC that'd be great!

Trying out audiobooks for the first time. For the challenge, I've completed 10 prompts and 7 books. Also doing the Around the World challenge and Modern Mrs. Darcy.

Completed:
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson - I enjoyed it, but my mind wandered a lot trying to listen to it in the car. Maybe should have read it as a physical book.

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics - loved this book! Nonfiction but like a novel. And really great to listen to. I had a lot of driving to do over the week and I enjoyed listening to it for 2-3 hours at a time.

Currently reading:
All the Light We Cannot See - great story, it is living up to the rave reviews.

QOTW:
Not in a real life book club now, but used to be part of a great one of neighborhood friends. While our kids were in school, it was a great way to read excellent books and catch up on what was going on. :-) We haven't kept it going in recent years and I'm kind of looking for a new one. May start one at work. These challenges on GoodReads fill the book club need for me.

Carmen wrote: "@Anabell; same! My mom reads, or so she says, but honestly... My sister, I only got into reading quite recently. However, she may be 18, mentally she is 13 at most, with an even lower intelligence, so she is reading children’s books right now. Which I am so proud of! "

Wow that's great for her and brave to go for such a big book. Can imagine the excitement from her and what a great way to bond for you two. I love that!

I get that it's not for everybody and sometimes yeah I put on a movie instead of reading but mostly I just feel sad that they are missing out on so many great stories. Especially when you find one and you can just see that the person you are recommending it to would love it or they could relate to the theme/topic in the book.

And yes it can be a minefield with depression or anxiety etc. to choose a book. I have periods where I pretty much keep to the fluffy books as I just can't handle heavy topics. And thankfully in this group you can always find something that will interest you or help you not to pick a book. (Someone in here told me about a plot in a book I had no idea the topic would be in it and I don't like reading about. Safed at the last minute.)

Glad you got your reading mood back :-)

Anabell wrote: "I get that it's not for everybody and sometimes yeah I put on a movie instead of reading but mostly I just feel sad that they are missing out on so many great stories. Especially when you find one and you can just see that the person you are recommending it to would love it or they could relate to the theme/topic in the book."

Exactly this!

Yeah, this group is absolutely amazing like that!

Thank you. In that time I couldn't read anything but fanfiction, but ever since I've appreciated reading much more than I used to. I stopped taking it for granted. It's been almost 3 years now, and even on my worst days I am able to read even just a little bit, so yay progress! The rate I'm reading at now is something that has legit been like a decade ago, so I'm curious to see how many books I'll manage to read this year!

Shaylee wrote: "I got a little behind in my readings as I was waiting for a library book to become available. I just finished book 5 out of 52 and it was a doozy. I read [book:The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy|..."

Yeah, I like sci-fi and I normally even like British humor (at least Dr Who style), but I don't enjoy reading Hitchhiker's Guide. Some of quotes are a big part of my family culture, and I enjoy using those in conversation, but the book itself kind of felt like a bunch of good quotes strung together with no plot.

I suppose Hitchhikers Guide would feel like that to you. A bunch of quotes put together. There is a plot in there somewhere. Really there is. And I suppose British humour isn't for everyone.

My Mum was a big (massive actually) reader and we would go to bed early every night and read while Dad watched TV or finished his quotes for work (he was the Foreman in a panelbeaters and had to do the quotes to fix people's cars up for the insurance companies as well as do the actual fixing). I was an only child. Mum also read all day after she finished the housework if she wasn't sewing or going out with her friends. But it was mostly reading. She'd read at least 4 huge books a week. I would read one novel a night too. Sometimes a kids book or sometimes an adult book. Dad would read sometimes but not often but encouraged me to read all the time.

My husband didn't read much when I met him but started to read every night to slow his brain down before sleeping. 30 years later he still reads every night and has got a fair bit faster. He put his order in for exciting books last year for his birthday and Christmas and now he has a massive pile of Matthew Reilly, James Patterson and Stephen King books (along with a 5 book HG Wells book our son gave him) piled up beside the bed.

When the kids were young we did university courses and they learned the value of reading. They all still do it as often as they can.

My Husbands Family didn't read at all. They used to think I was weird. Probably still think I'm just lazy because I sit and read. His father started to read after his wife died 26 years ago. He loves it. Mostly historical stuff. Some of its pretty dry but he likes it. The really sad thing about Hubby's family was when his elder sister said, in front of her kids, that she wouldn't read a book to save herself. In front of her kids would you believe. After that Hubby made sure they had books for their birthdays and Christmas every year. The last present he gave (a massive basket filled with all sorts of bits and pieces for them) them included a copy of Eat Pray Love which I'm happy to say I recently saw on my nieces Insta account as her favourite book. At least someone read it. Probably doesn't know where to get new ones though.

Most of the people I actually associate with think that reading is an acceptable pursuit. When I told one of the guys hubby works with that I spent my summer reading he told me that you can never read too much and that it was definitely a good thing to be doing. He's ex military.

Another lot though (husband and wife) a couple of years ago thought they were people of the world but had no actual knowledge of it. Didn't read. They did like Survivor though. And went to arty farty and critically acclaimed type movies and made out they were better than everyone else for it. And if a prize could be awarded for looking down their nose they would get it. You should have seen the faces when I mentioned I was a big sci fi nut. Apparently that rubbish doesn't even register to them.

TL:DR my sister in law actually said in front of her kids that she wouldn't read a book to save herself.

Wow, that's awful. Everyone has their entertainment preferences but that's a really harmful attitude to display in front of children - at least they have other family who support their bookish interests.

Personally, when I was a kid, my mother took special care to make sure I appreciated and enjoyed books. I'm really grateful for that. She's not even a reader herself - says assigned reading at school ruined it for her.

Busy week, only finished one book: The Almost Sisters. It was a quick, fun read. I enjoyed it. The novel touches on issues of racism and Alzheimer, so I guess it can be used for mental illness and maybe for a society ill in the advanced list (9). Since then I've finished two more books and started another, but that will have to wait until next week. So, 9/62 so far.

And no, don't belong to any actual real-life book clubs.

Yeah it is awful. Hopefully we got them to read something but I doubt it other than Eat Pray Love. The daughter came to stay with us when she was 6 for a week. She's 6 months younger than our daughter. At bedtime we would put the kids to bed and they were allowed to read for a while. My kids settled down with their respective books and she started carrying on because she couldn't/wouldn't read. Wouldn't even look at a picture book. This was before the "wouldn't read a book to save myself" incident. I know reading isn't for everyone but you should at least encourage your kids to read so they can learn about the world.

But his family has always been asses about education. They belittle people who are better educated in the family. And they carry on about us getting handed everything on a platter. Excuse me but we put ourselves through uni (my mum and dad did help me a bit by buying textbooks even though I was married at the time with kids) while hubby was working full time and we had three kids. We worked hard to get where we are. Hubby is the CEO of a local government authority which is referred to as his "little job" in his family. Oh how's his little job going?" Honestly. They never wanted to be educated and work mowing lawns and in shops and when you actually do something you're put down. Arrgggghhhh...

Then there's my best friend who actually does read but who believes that an education isn't a right and was going to pay for a semester of tech college (about $300) for her daughter as an 18th birthday present. But only that semester by the way. She couldn't understand why we were making ourselves destitute putting our two boys through university 600km away from us paying for them to live and study. They also had part time jobs but that wasn't paying for much. I believe that my responsibility as a parent also extends to educating my kids at least up to the end of the first degree. The eldest (a rocket scientist) is currently doing a Masters in Finance but he can pay for that himself. We paid for the rocket science degree. Anything else is up to him.

Boxofdelights wrote: "... Nevernight would have worked for a time of day in the title, but I just didn't like enough to keep reading.
...
I also read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Make Your Loved Ones� Lives Easier and Your Own Life More Pleasant, which could work for a book about death -- a very cheerful book about death! -- but that slot is full already. ..."

I've noticed that Nevernight is one of those books that people decide pretty quickly if it's for them or not. I'm loving it and trying to savor it, but I get that the style could be a bit too much for a lot of people.

I'm trying to decide if I want to do Swedish Death Cleaning for my ancestry-related read.

Oh, and book club #14: The Book Was Better. We discuss the book and then meet again a few weeks later, after everybody has watched the movie, to compare them. Last night I started on The Princess Bride. I've already seen the movie multiple times, and I'm finding the book extremely disappointing. I may give up on it. The movie was definitely better.

This week I finished The Last Mrs. Parrish for a book by two authors.
I finished The Royal We for a book with characters who are twins.
I also finished The Woman in the Window

I'm not in a "real" book club as my small, rural town doesn't have one that I am aware of but I do text back and forth about books with a couple local friends.

Hi! I’m new here so I’m checking in with all the books I’ve read so far...

Regular: 6/40
Advanced: 0/10

�1984� by George Orwell for Book That Is Also a Stage Play: this was just recently adapted into a play. Dystopian stories aren’t normally my cup of tea but I think this one did a great job of making it close enough to real life that I could find a way into it. It’s a classic for a reason!

‘The Animators� by Kayla Rae Whitaker for Book that was Given as a Gift: This Book was not what I was expecting but I still really enjoyed it. It’s a wild ride from start to finish.

‘The Revolution of Marina M.� by Janet Fitch for A Book Set in a Country That Fascinates You: this takes place in Russia during the revolution. It was a long, quite brutal read with elements that I enjoyed but overall way too bloated. I can take a lot but there were parts of this that were very hard to read.

‘Little Fires Everywhereâ€� by Celeste Ng for A Past Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Choice Winner: I was very disappointed in this one. Thought the writing and characters were quite uninspired.

‘The Ninth Hour� by Alice McDermott for A Book You Meant to Read in 2017 but didn’t get to: Liked this just fine, not much to say about it.

‘The Miseducation of Cameron Post� by Emily M. Danforth for Book with and LGBTQ protagonist: Adored this book. The story and characters felt so genuine and specific.

Currently Reading

‘Fates and Furies� by Lauren Groff for A Book with Alliteration in the Title

Tricia wrote: "Also reading Moby-Dick or, The Whale (an allegory). I am just about finished (about 3/4 of the way done) but it is a hell of a slog to read. I am finding it hard work. Not sure if anyone else struggled with it like I have. It is almost as if it is becoming MY "white whale".
LOL. You are do not alone feeling that way! I STILL feel the same about Moby-Dick or, The Whale, and I read it summer 1973, between high school and college. Loved it up through the introduction of Queequeg (page 37 or so), then it became an exercise in endurance. Worst moment was reaching the section detailing harvesting blubber- it was over lunch while eating a tuna sandwich. A looooong time passed before I could even look at tuna again, let alone eat it!

Jacqueline wrote: "TL:DR my sister in law actually said in front of her kids that she wouldn't read a book to save herself."

I am so glad you and your hubby make sure her kids got some books, and that your niece read and loved (at least) one of them!

That is seriously a harmful attitude to have. My dad is not a reader, but he's never discouraged me, and he knows reading is important, for several reasons.

Apparently my parents read to me as a kid (I can't remember), but when I was about 4 years old I I started reading myself. I didn't need anyone to tell me to, I loved it. And it taught me so much, so I really am glad you do your best to make sure others in your family read too!

This week I finished A Dog's Purpose. Such a cute book. As a recent pet owner I feel like I got a whole lot more from this book than I would have before I got my kitten.

The love and devotion of the narrator was so heartwarming and I found the dog’s perspective really entertaining.

I borrowed this from a girl at my gym so fits this prompt well!

Also still plugging away at Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World on Audible. Mostly reading in the car and it’s a pretty long book. Interesting so far as a lot of his methods seem to be way ahead of his time but also let’s face it gruesome in places - war is war!

QOTW
I haven’t joined a real life book club but I would really love to. Just need to find the opportunity.

Hello,

Finished:
#36 A book set in the decade you were born: A Prayer for Owen Meany Until the last seven pages, I was ready to give this book three stars and be done with it. While this book is extraordinarily funny in a way that I can't explain, and extraordinarily sad, as life often is, it is not the least bit suspenseful. My copy is 617 pages long. There are two central mysteries. The first is solved on page 543 and, as the main character himself says, is anticlimactic. The second is not solved until the last seven pages. Why, when the central mystery is so close to being solved, does the main character take the time to describe a temporary men's restroom is such great detail? It made me want to scream. But, then it all came together in such a beautiful, sad way that I understand now why people love this book, so much so that someone would name their son Owen.

Currently Reading:
#19 A book about or involving a sport: Beartown

Question of the Week:
I have been in seven real life book clubs in the last 20 years. Three of them died natural deaths. Two were not a good fit for me for one reason or another. I've stuck with The Page Turners book club for about fifteen years. I started when they were reading The Da Vinci Code and I had just finished it and wanted to talk about it. I just started in another book club called Titles Over Tea, because I was invited by the leader. It seems like a great group that I will really enjoy. We just read Miller's Valley. I like being in book clubs, because they force me out of my comfort zone to read books that I wouldn't ordinarily chose for myself.

Because I had the flu for a good deal of time last week, I had to catch up on my life a bit this week. The result? Not much.

I did manage to finish one of the prompts: a book about feminism. For this prompt, I read Little Deaths. I started the book thinking it would be for the prompt about death or grief, but it surprised me: Flint was making a real feminist point here. Since I have a lot of murder/mysteries on my shelves and few about feminism, I thought I'd choose the feminist lens instead of going the death and grief route.

My Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ challenge this year is 175 books, so my goal is to cycle through the Popsugar prompts at least twice. When I come back around to the feminist prompt, I'll read the group's choice. I'll probably be out of sync with the monthly read as I plan to do that quite a bit (read from my own shelves first).

QOTW:
Yes, I just began a book club at my school. I'm trying to get more teachers to read YA Lit (to bond with their students over literature), so I'm beginning with Turtles All the Way Down this month and then I'm going to see what everyone wants to read next. I imagine, depending on the book, that I'll have different members each time. This month we have about 25 teachers/staff members joining in on the discussion, so I consider that a big success! Fingers crossed that the enthusiasm will build.

I'm in 3 face to face book clubs. Two meet from September to May and the other one meets every other month. One group is co-ed and the other two are ladies only. I have read a lot of books that I would never have chosen for myself. There have been very few that I did not really enjoy. There have been a couple of books that all three book clubs have read, depending on the popularity of the book.

Hi everyone! I'm using the cold, windy weather outside as an excuse for having a lazy Sunday.

This week I finished S.T.A.G.S which was OK but parts of it started to get irritating as it went along. I'll probably use it for book involving sport.

I also finished The Hike for an allegory. It was a fun read and made me LOL a few times.

I started ±á´Ç°ù°ù´Ç°ù²õ³Ùö°ù, a haunted house story set in an IKEA-esque shop. It's worth it just for the book design as it looks just like an IKEA catalogue. I don't know if it fits any prompts.

I also started Earth Inc. I'm hoping it counts as cyberpunk book.

QOTW
No, I'm not a member of a book club. I like the idea of them but doubt I'd enjoy it in reality.

@Rachael ohmygod I just put ±á´Ç°ù°ù´Ç°ù²õ³Ùö°ù on my TBR because how could I not with such a cover?? Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

Carmen wrote: "@Rachael ohmygod I just put ±á´Ç°ù°ù´Ç°ù²õ³Ùö°ù on my TBR because how could I not with such a cover?? Thanks for bringing it to my attention!"

Isn't it fantastic?! There are lots of nice touches inside too like the increasingly disturbing furniture descriptions for each new chapter :D

The flu hit me hard this past week. It's been 8 days since I got knocked down and I'm still working on gaining my stamina and appetite back. I can't stop coughing, too. I usually read extra when I'm sick but I kept falling asleep or my eyes were so sore and watery. I'm on the mend, though, so back at it.

I read The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939�45 by Władysław Szpilman for a book on death and grief. Another World War 2 book but this one felt different. He wrote it immediately after the war. I think this made it feel more vulnerable or raw. The first chapter set the tone for the whole book. It's a must read.

I'm not sure what I will read next. Nothing is in from the library for me, my daughter is borrowing the Kindle paperwhite, but none of my own books are calling for me.

QotW: I am not in a "real life" book club anymore. I don't want to be. I like reading what I want, when I want. I enjoy this challenge and these check-ins. :)

This week I read Iced for a book with a weather element in the title. It’s been 5years since I read the last installment of the Fever series. At the time, I wasn’t looking forward to reading a book about Iced’s main character, Dani, a snarky 14yo with super powers. I guess I just needed some time away as this book was a lot of fun. 4/5.

I ended up getting more reading in this week than originally planned, which is good because I had a bunch of library holds and a FirstReads win come in this week!

I finished:
* Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening and Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood written by Marjorie M. Liu and illustrated by Sana Takeda -- used them for the BookRiot challenge, but wasn't sure if they'd fit for any of the Popsugar prompts, so didn't slate them in for anything. I thought *maybe* the "different planet" prompt, but will keep that open for now;
* Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett, which I used for "a book with alliteration in the title" and checked off my first read in the Best First Novel category for the 2017 Agathas;
* I've Got Sand In All the Wrong Places by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella, which I may end up slating into a prompt later on. I have other books in mind for those prompts, so I'm saving this for a back-up if needed later in the year. I really want to use the challenge to get those other books read :); and,
* After Anna by Lisa Scottoline, which was a FirstReads win (woo-hoo!). I finished it earlier this afternoon and loved it; if I don't use something else, this will be my pick for "a book that's published in 2018" since its publication date is April 2018.

I'm at 10/40 and 1/10.

I checked out three books from my local library, and will start at least one of them today. All three are Agatha nominees, so I'm looking forward to reading a few more of the nominees:
* Take Out by Margaret Maron (best contemporary nominee);
* The Plot Is Murder by V.M. Burns (best first novel nominee); and
* The World's Greatest Detective by Caroline Carlson (best children's/young adult).

QotW:
Are you in a "real life" book club? Yes! I've belonged to it since 2009. We're fairly small -- four of us in the local area, one out of state, and one who is overseas (she's more of an honorary member at this point since her schedule doesn't allow her to read along every month). The local area ladies meet once a month, usually at a restaurant or museum that matches the theme of the book or at a place that serves afternoon tea. Each of us gets to nominate a book, so we normally have our reading list set for 4-5 months at a time. No overarching themes, so we have a good mix of genres and authors.

I also sometimes participate in a mystery then-and-now book club that is run by an indie bookstore near my parents' place; the club meets every other month and reads two mysteries (a classic and a modern) that deal with the same theme. Since I usually don't get to participate in person, I sometimes just read along when my Mom lets me know the titles that are picked, but don't feel pressured to finish the books by a certain date.

Rachael wrote: ...I started ±á´Ç°ù°ù´Ç°ù²õ³Ùö°ù, a haunted house story set in an IKEA-esque shop. It's worth it just for the book design as it looks just like an IKEA catalogue. I don't know if it fits any prompts.
..."

Immediately adding to TBR. It looks amazing! (though maybe too scary for me. I find IKEA almost scary on its own...)

This week I read: The Midwife: a memoir of birth, joy, and hard times. I loved it truly.

I can't decide if I want it to count for the prompt: book I meant to read in 2017 OR favorite prompt from previous challenge - book that was made into a TV show.

This week I read The Hate U Give for a past goodreads choice winner and Giovanni's Room for a book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist - really liked both of them, especially Giovanni's room. I have been away for work this weekend so didn't get a chance to read much, but hoping to be able to tick off a few prompts this coming week!

This Week's Reading

Challenge Prompt #1 - A book made into a movie you've seen
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

Challenge Prompt #3 - Next book in a series you started
End of Watch by Stephen King

Finished the Mr. Mercedes series, which I just found out was made into a TV series last year.

Challenge Prompt #6 - A novel based on the real person
Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict

A fictional speculation on why Andrew Carnegie decided to become a philanthropist.

QOTW
No, I am not in a real life book club. Though I would like to be, if I could find the right group.

Cate wrote: "This week I read The Hate U Give for a past goodreads choice winner and Giovanni's Room for a book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist - really liked both of them, especially Gi..."

So great to see some love for Giovanni's Room! What a masterpiece that book is.

Jacqueline wrote: "Yeah it is awful. Hopefully we got them to read something but I doubt it other than Eat Pray Love. The daughter came to stay with us when she was 6 for a week. She's 6 months younger than our daugh..."

It's so frustrating that people turn everyhing into an 'us versus them'. I love reading and contemplating 'intelligent' subjects, but I have a huge appreciation for people who are smart with mechanical things instead--partly because my husband and I benefit a lot from those people being around. :-) (My husband works in IT, though not directly with computers, and neither of us is great at home repair projects.)

I wonder if some of the attitude against education that they have is because they feel looked down on by more educated people and this is their way of pushing back, which of course only leads to more hard feelings on both sides. Sigh.

(To be clear, I don't disagree with your concerns about their attitudes, it just makes me sad that the world works this way.)

I'm not in a real life book club, unfortunately.

I just finished book 11/50, Bear Town by Frederick Bachman. (A book with an animal in the title). Wow. Too me a bit to get into, but once I was in, I couldn't put it down.

Starting When I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. (A book about our involving a sport)

Finished 3 books again this week, but it was down to the wire.

Finished: 20/50

Books read:

1) The Hate U Give for a book about a problem facing society today - Amazing book! This should be required reading for everyone, everywhere. Loved it.

2) The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy The Shocking Inside Story for true crime - yeah, I really didn't like this book. It was a complete slog and I just had no desire to learn about how charismatic Ted Bundy was. All in all, a bust for me.

3) Charlotte's Web for a childhood classic you've never read - a really lovely story and I can see why it's a classic. Obviously it's a bit dated, but I still loved it.

Currently reading:

1) Six of Crows for a book involving a heist.

2) My Best Friend's Exorcism for a book set in the decade you were born.

QOTW:

Nope, I'm not part of an actual book club - just the ones online here.

I think you misunderstood me Raquel. I have no problem with uneducated people or people who don't read. I have a problem with people who don't encourage their children to be all that they can be and who can't stand the idea of their children surpassing them and who have resolved to hold the children back. And who let their dislike of something influence their children.

I also have a problem with people who, when their children ask them to help fund a course at the local technical college (the girl wanted to be a dog groomer when she left school and her mother wouldn't give her the few hundred to pay for the 6 month course and decided that she would go halves with her ex husband for it instead of actually giving the girl an 18th birthday present and they could definitely afford it because uneducated doesn't mean poor and eventually decided against giving it to her and gave her a swimming with sharks at the aquarium present instead and the girl ended up being unemployed in a town full of unemployed people when if she'd done the course she would have had a job which she was offered if she had finished the course) they won't do it. And who, by the way, carries on about me living in the poverty line to help my kids get an education and tells me that they should do it all themselves. My responsibility to my kids doesn't end when they can feed themselves or finish school or whatever peoples ideas are.

I know many people who have not had the opportunity of an education. Including many of my friends. And all of the members of my own family. Both adopted and birth. In fact I am the only member of either (other than hubby and my boys) that has a University degree. Except for one of my birth cousins who is in the middle of a policing degree. And I think one of my nephews was starting uni this year. Doesn't make me any better or worse than anyone else in the family.

All men are created equal from the King down to the shit carter. The King must rule but he'd be pretty stuffed if his dunny overflowed. Each must respect the other.

It doesn't matter what job you do as long as you do it to the best of your ability. I know a girl who says that she "only works in retail". She works in a Menswear store. When a man walks in she can look at them and know exactly what size they wear. So can her co-workers. They are all exceptional at their jobs.

My niece (the daughter of the annoying SIL) is creative not academic. She's an amazing fashion designer. Her brother is good at contact sports. Really good footballer. And he's good with engines. I KNOW that not everyone is good at the same thing and some are academic and some aren't. BUT I'm saying that everyone should be encouraged to be everything they can be. Whether it's the CEO of a company or the best waitress if that's what they want to do. And everyone should be given the same opportunities to do it.

And in my Husbands family......it's them putting us down not the other way around. Actually it's not us v them. It's them v us. And it's all about jealousy. Tall Poppy syndrome. It's something about Australia. If someone has achieved anything of merit you must cut them down. People don't celebrate high achievers.....they put them down. Google it. It's a thing.

I just started the challenge and decided to start at the top!
#1: The time traveler's wife. I loved the movie, and then LOVED the book. I re-watched the movie and didn't love it as much.
#2: Confessions of a cartel hitman. Really interesting, I don't know if it was my favorite genre, but I learned a lot about someone who grew up in such a different area/lifestyle than I grew up in.
trying to decide on a heist one, but I'm going to do Speaker for the dead (sequel to ender's game) for prompt #3

A slow week for the Popsugar challenge though I read a couple of non-challenge books. I finished A Discovery of Witches for the "book featuring a library" prompt - the library is the Bodleian in Oxford. Ah, old haunts :) The book was great too. I'm not enjoying the next one in the series nearly so much, unfortunately (Shadow of Night) though it will do for the time travel tag if I want to use it. The characters are far less firmly drawn and tend to be sulky or act stupidly - all very frustrating.

QOTW: I'm not in a RL book club though I always think I would like to be. Just a question of time. I love my main GR book group though (Play Book Tag).

The Eye of Zoltar for the "body part in the title" prompt of the ATY Challenge. Third book in Jasper Fforde's "Last Dragonslayer" series, and it ends on an huge and very unwelcome cliffhanger, considering that Jasper forde is not exactly know for adhering well to deadlines and reliably coming up with a book a year. The wait for the next book in one of his series is always an exercise in uncertainty. I do hope he will eventually return to it, though, because like the first two, it was a great read.

Eiskalt ist die Zärtlichkeit (Don't Tell) for the "a problem facing society today" prompt (violence against women). The first book in Karen Rose's "Romantic Suspense" series of loosely connected books, and I could not put this one down. It was the perfect romantic thriller with authentic, likeable characters, genuine chemistry between the main couple, and a tight, suspenseful plot that always took precedence over the romance, not the other way round.

I have never been a member of any book club because I don't respond well to required reading. (The challenge prompts still give me a degree of freedom to choose my books.)

Hello everybody,

late check-in from me.

I only read one book this week, Im Wald (In the Forest), a book from a crime series I like reading, don't think I'll count it for popsugar, or maybe for next book in a series. It was ok, not the best in the series.

currently reading: Britt-Marie war hier, Matilda, and Geschichte des Osmanischen Reiches (history of the Ottoman Empire).

QOTW:
I'd love to be in a real life book Club, but so far, no luck. I am of the Impression, that in Germany, there aren't so many real life book clubs.
I tried once to found a new one with friends. But that didn't work well. We decided on a book suggested by one of the friends. I really didn't like the book, but read it anyway. At the meeting, it became clear, only one other person had actually read the book.

Hi everybody! Been a bit of a strange and bad week for me mental health wise. I haven't done as much reading as I might have liked but I guess some weeks are like that.

This week I finished Another Country by James Baldwin which was just such an incredible book. It was my book given to me by another person - I considered using it for my book by a person of another race to me but wound up using a different book for that.

I also finished The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye, which I hadn't been planning to use for the challenge but then realised as I was reading it that it fitted the twins prompt so that was a nice surprise. I really enjoyed it - I love all the books in this series and while this one didn't really give me anything new, I just enjoyed being taken back to this world again.

QOTW:

I was a member of a couple of book-club type groups when I was at school but nothing since that, other than university study groups during my degree but that seems a bit different. The people in my office keep discussing having a book club (which I think they used to do before I arrived here) but we've all been a bit useless about organising it. I'd love to be in one tho! It just doesn't seem to have come together for me yet.

Theresa wrote: "Tricia wrote: "Also reading Moby-Dick or, The Whale (an allegory). I am just about finished (about 3/4 of the way done) but it is a hell of a slog to read. I am finding it hard work. Not sure if an..."

Tricia and Theresa: Likewise! I had to read the book for college, and it constantly put me to sleep. I remember pinching myself to stay awake. By the time I made it through the book, I was all black and blue.

AF wrote: "The flu hit me hard this past week. It's been 8 days since I got knocked down and I'm still working on gaining my stamina and appetite back. I can't stop coughing, too. I usually read extra when I'..."



Oh yikes; such a bad flu this year! Hope you get to feeling better very soon.

Thanks for the book suggestion; just put it on my want to read list

Laura wrote: "Just started Henry V"

I've always wanted to read that. Do you have to have read the first four to be able to follow along?

Mirel wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Tricia wrote: "Also reading Moby-Dick or, The Whale (an allegory). I am just about finished (about 3/4 of the way done) but it is a hell of a slog to read. I am finding it hard work..."

This is hilarious because Moby Dick is one of my all-time favorite books! I read it for the first time as a teenager and I found it so suspenseful and fascinating and very funny in parts. Life is a rich, complex tapestry. :-D

Jacqueline wrote: "I think you misunderstood me Raquel. I have no problem with uneducated people or people who don't read. I have a problem with people who don't encourage their children to be all that they can be an..."

I'm so sorry that I made you feel like I was accusing you of being the one with the bad attitude. I obviously did NOT communicate very well in my post.

I'm frustrated with society in general setting up these unnecessary antagonisms, and that your husband's family is actively working on increasing the antagonism.

I hope that your appreciation for all different kinds of skills will eventually shine through in the situation and that if they start to feel respected for what they do, they might feel less need to tear down other people who are different in the future.

I apologize again for letting my frustration spill out carelessly in a way that sounded like it was directed at you!

Hey everyone!

Progress: 7/40, 0/10

Finished:
- A book from a celebrity book club - The Light We Lost Gobbled this up in a few hours!
- The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well

Currently Reading:
- A book I meant to read in 2018 - A Gentleman in Moscow
- A book about a villain or antihero - Lolita (audiobook)
- The Girl in the Tower

QOTW: I couldn't find one so I started my own! It's still just getting off the ground though, as in nobody has actually read any of the books yet before showing up to book club. Oh well! Baby steps.

That's OK Raquel. Sometimes I'm just so over it that I get a bit too defensive sometimes.

Only too often there is an us v them attitude though. The last town we lived in is a University town. People are judged on whether or not they have a degree. Hubby was asked what degree he had once at a function and he said he doesn't know and that he throws them under the bed. They were shocked that someone didn't judge people on their education. One person asked him if I was unskilled because I stayed home to look after my children. Ummm no I am not unskilled. I have many skills. They of course meant I obviously didn't have a degree. There is definitely a lot of snobbery associated with having or not having a degree. They all thought they were better than those that didn't.

One day in a shop at the checkout I was behind a woman who was talking loudly on her phone about how many degrees she had. Obviously trying to impress everyone. She was ignoring the girl serving her too. So rude. Anyway the Girl and I were discussing how rude it is to talk on your phone while being served (some places refuse to serve people who are on their phones) when it was my turn. She said she was studying for her second degree herself and working in the shop part time to pay for it and I said I also had a degree. The woman wasn't impressing anyone. She just made herself look like a rude fool. And she probably thought that a shop girl would be uneducated. She forgot that most of the people working in our shops were uni students struggling to pay their way through college.

Where I am now in a small town in the middle of nowhere you are judged on whether you are nice or not. Everyone seems to like me so I guess I'm nice. They don't have time for showboaters out here.