Å·±¦ÓéĄÖ

Rochelle wrote: "Greetings from NYC! I've read a bunch of books not related to the challenge (if this continues, completing the challenge might be a challenge-haha)
Books I've finished:
Final Girls ..."

I have the same habit. Library holds have a deadline, books I own have to be patient.

*clears throat*
*deep breath*

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBAALLL!!!!!

That's right, NFL preseason has begun. I am using this free evening to curl up in front of the game with my husband instead of reading. Sadly, we are in the Bengals broadcast area... time will tell if we get the hoped-for Colts game later this evening. Let's have a brief moment of prayer for Andrew Luck's throwing shoulder, aaaand... break.
With that out of the way, this is my first post-vacation check-in. Somehow I managed to read two books in between beach time and binge-eating lobster rolls:

Burnt Offerings - For the "ugly cover" prompt. Since this takes place in upstate NY, I thought it fitting to start while we were in Syracuse. Although not terrifying, it was just unsettling enough to make me sleep with the TV on! I can definitely see the influence for The Shining, which is one of my favorite books of all time. It's too bad the author didn't write any other horror.

Outlander - For the "time travel" prompt. I see others in this group have also finished Outlander recently and didn't like it--I don't necessarily disagree with the criticisms, but found it diverting enough. Personally, I like to hear about day-to-day minutiae in historical novels, so this was right up my alley. For some reason I have Dragonfly in Amber in the bookcase already, so I might read that next and see if I continue to enjoy the series.

QOTW:
I do enjoy getting books as gifts. Usually the only people who buy me books are my mom and my husband (who know my tastes) or my grandma (who asks for requests.) If someone does get me something I'm not familiar with, it generally hangs around for a few years--sometimes I read it when I'm in the proper mood, sometimes I try it and don't finish. Worst case scenario, it gets donated.

Hello everyone. No books finished this week for me (the shame!!!!!)

DNF Monkey: The Journey to the West. I can only think that I must have had a terrible translation of this because there is no way what I was reading could have lasted the test of time.

Currently reading: White Fang. I totally thought I had seen the film of this but nothing is familiar. It must have been The Call of the Wild instead. Luckily it fits the childhood classic prompt instead.

Also reading: Spinning Silver. This is one of eight books I have from the library which I have no prompt for. D'oh!

QOTW: From my parents and one of my brothers, yes because they ask me what I want and then go buy it. From my other brother, no because he leaves his wife in charge of gift giving and she never asks and never gets anywhere close to something I would want to read.

I've already gotten through "Who is Vera Kelly?" for book club this week, and only have 100 or so more pages in "You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone." i'm reading that one for the challenge including twins.

qotw: in theory I like getting books, but my family isn't good at picking books for me, so only if I ask for something specific. I actually am subscribed to a monthly book subscription where they send me a fiction book every month, based on things I've said I like and don't like. I've gotten some books already on my - to do list, and a couple I've never heard of.

Learned to crochet recently and have been watching a lot of tutorial videos, but I still managed to complete three books, so yay for a productive week and a new crafting hobby!

Completed
Hurricane Child - 12. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist
Beautiful story. It's great seeing LGBTQ+ representation in middle grade. I look forward to reading more from this author.

The Poet X - Read for ATY's book from a Å·±¦ÓéĄÖ book of the month list prompt
I think the audiobook would have been a better choice for me, but still a fantastic read.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Read for Book Riot's female protagonist over the age of 60 prompt
I did not expect to love this book, but I wound up finishing it in about two days because I could NOT put it down. Had me nearly sobbing in public. I'm sad to see this one go back to the library. It's definitely on my top of the year list.

Progress
Regular: 35/42
Advanced: 6/10

Currently Reading
Green Grass, Running Water
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

QOTW
YES! Book gifts are some of the best gifts. I usually only get books from my grandmother and usually not ones I heard of or not books I would normally read, but I've enjoyed them.

Hi everyone!

Monsoon season has officially hit in the southwest - it's been storming like crazy in AZ this week. Dust storms, rain, 80mph winds, lots of really crazy desert lightning... we're getting some kind of storm almost daily at this point. Oddly, I don't mind, as it's cooler when the storms hit, and the lightning is fun to watch. Not so much fun when you lose power for 12 hours in 100+ degree heat, though, but hopefully that won't happen again this season.

I just finished up some summer classes, so I was able to get back to reading and finish one book, at least. I'm at 44/50 for now.

I finished Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. I'm a big fan of Mary Roach generally, and I did enjoy this one. I had always thought I'd read it, but turned out I'd never finished more than the first couple chapters. So it was good to finally finish it! But I expected a bit more humor. I wound up glazing over and skimming in a few places, but I'd still recommend it and felt it was overall worthwhile.

Currently reading: Frog Music and Neuromancer (still!!).

QOTW: Yes, but probably because the only people I exchange book gifts with are my spouse and sister. My spouse and I will gift things like signed copies or first editions of a favorite book or author to each other, and I love getting gifts like that. My sister knows my taste incredibly well (and vice versa) so she and I send books to each other all the time - so far, we've gotten hooked on whatever the other has sent. Otherwise, no one else has really gifted me a book since I was a kid. I'd probably appreciate it, but would appreciate gift cards more from those who don't know my tastes or my collection as well (unless they're going off of an Amazon wish list).

Haven't really done anything exciting this week. Went to see Incredibles 2 last weekend, that was fun. Had a meal in a restaurant afterward and tried avocado for the first time, so I guess I'm now a card-carrying Millennialā„�.
This upcoming wee while is going to be fun though - the new season of Voltron: Legendary Defender comes out tomorrow morning - well, today really, it's the wee hours of the morning! Then on the 11th the Edinburgh International Book Festival is starting and that's always lovely. Very excited about that.

---
Only 2 books finished this week. Hm. Disappointing.

Temp-DNFed Giovanni's Room. Just wasn't grabbing me, I'm afraid. I was also reading it pretty disjointedly, just a section here and there in between doing other stuff, so each time I picked it up I'd usually forgotten what was going on. I will definitely go back and read it from the beginning some other time though.

Finished:

12 Years a Slave - prompts: Popsugar #1, "a book made into a movie you've already seen" - I... don't know about this. It's one of those books that is very obviously important and of great historical significance, but... huh. Hm. Yeah, I don't really have many coherent feelings or thoughts about it. I'm not supposed to enjoy it, obviously. It was just a very dry statement of facts concerning what had happened to Solomon, almost like a court document. Not sure how to talk about it.

The Future is Blue - prompts: Reading Women Challenge #6, "a book published by an independent press" - Now THIS I enjoyed! This is a trip and a half through Catherynne Valente's bubbling, fizzing brain. It's glorious. Glorious pure nonsense, mostly. Spun my mind turn-about and ring-a-rosy and showed me beautiful things - watercolour unicorns and a child with a tower for a body and the afterlife called Nowhere where bird-headed beings keep order.
(Some of this loopiness is attributable to the stories and quite a fair portion is attributable to the fact it's 4 a.m. in my timezone.)

Currently reading:

Provenance - Enjoying this, though I'm slightly lost with some of the terminology and fictional politics, since I haven't read Leckie's Imperial Radch series in a while. (Provenance isn't directly connected to that series but they are set in the same universe.) Minor annoyance, the font size in my edition is enormous, I keep wondering if I bought the large-print edition by mistake but I don't think so.

Mythos: the Greek Myths Retold - Still technically listening to this though I don't get many opportunities to do so.

QOTW: I don't really get books as gifts, except at Christmas or my birthday, but on those occasions I either pick them out myself or make an online wishlist. My mother stopped buying me surprise books when I was pretty young because she couldn't keep up with my tastes or what I already had. Good call - any book gifts I've received from random people since have either been duplicates or things I have absolutely no interest in whatsoever.
So, I suppose I would say I don't like getting books as gifts.

Finished 5 books this week- 2 audiobooks, 2 childrens, 1 mystery. Only 1 counts towards the challenge.

The Lost Planet- A lot of running around going on here, but I enjoyed the character oriented MG sci-fi, which is more than I can say for many adult sci-fi, where the characters come second to the science.

Oliver Twist - (A book that is also a stage play or musical)- I found this a bit boring. Dickens was paid by the word and I noticed! The story felt like it spun its wheels a lot halfway through, only to rush through the last hour or so for the conclusion. Maybe the play version is better!

Cockroaches- Still not caring about Harry Hole, but reviews claim the series gets better and I have the next one borrowed, so I'll keep reading.

A Closed and Common Orbit- Loved the narrator and the worldbuilding, even if it is thin on plot. I was hoping to listen to Record of a Spaceborn Few next as it's a group read for one of my groups, but alas! It seems audio edition doesn't come out in the US until September 25th.

Dragon Keeper- A bit slow but I enjoyed the Han Dynasty setting and the Chinese dragons- both elements I haven't encountered before in MG fiction.

QOTW: I would have said yes a few years ago, but I've been trying to weed my books lately as my collection has gotten out of hand! Already donated a few that were gifts... shhhh...

I can't believe it's Thursday again. For a little while longer anyway. Today, I sent my eldest son (age 8) off to his first ever away from home summer camp. That was harder (on me) than I expected. I'm quite sure he'll be too busy having fun to miss me much.

I finished two more books this week, but neither are from my challenge list. I've been on a non-challenge kick lately, though I'm not sure why.

I finished Assassin's Apprentice this week and I loved it! I've been wanting to read Robin Hobb's books for awhile now, but finally started this series along with another GR group I belong to. I'm looking forward to the next book!

I also finished Secondborn, an ebook I think I picked up from Bookbub. I've been trying to work my way through my suddenly excessive backlog of ebooks, and this was the next one up. I liked it okay. It felt like it lacked a bit of depth in the characters and story. Some things felt like they happened way too fast. Like trusting a complete stranger immediately. I liked it well enough that I've picked up book two, so I guess it wasn't too bad.

QotW:
I think I enjoy receiving books as gifts. I don't get too many other than from my book club. Most of the ones who would buy me gifts don't seem to have the same love for books that I do. Either that, or they are intimidated by my overflowing bookcases.

Sara wrote: "Hello everyone! It is hard to believe that summer is winding to a close (northern hemisphere)! My daughter goes back to school in just a few short days. I am counting down to cooler days where I ca..."

perhaps one of these Shakespeare reimagined ones should be on the 2019 challenge list?

Monkiecat wrote: "I can't wait for the colder weather, but I do get sad every year when the kids have to go back to school.

This week I finished:
Cerulean Sins (favorite color in the title)
this was th..."

Can Cerulean Sins be read as a standalone? My favourite colour is not fixed, but cerulean, turquoise and emerald green are pretty constant favourite colours. I may also just go with something blue or green, but thatĀ“s kind of boring I think.

Heather wrote: "I finished the challenge this week!!! I joined the challenge to read more broadly, and I think I've done that. I probably would not have read half the books I did if not for the prompts and group r..."

Your family sounds like mine. My mum now gives me tampons for birthday and Christmas so I don't have to buy them and can spend my own money on books.

Greetings from the Top End.
As usual a very busy week. On the home front I finally got the irrigation in (which was a new task for me so took a bit of time to figure out and measure up).
My Y12 psych mob had their essay on the personality of a media figure in so that was quite interesting to mark, so I got to see what makes this group tick. 13 Reasons Why series and book both rated highly. I have also been organising an excursion for the year 10 extension class to a presentation and discussion with NASA staff for next Monday, and the preliminary titration competition rounds for my y11 and 12 Chemistry students for next Wednesday. Send positive thoughts for these amazing kids who are voluntarily doing analytical chemistry for 3 hours after school.

Finished:
Nordic noir The Snowman (Harry Hole #7) by Jo NesbĆø /review/show...
Really hope that Harry Hole is never trying to solve a crime committed against anyone I care about. The perpetrator was obvious by pg 50 but that would have made a short book so they got it wrong 4 times before they figured it out. Duh!

Currently reading:
"Darlingest" Milverton in the War. This is for my ancestry prompt and I thought I would like the pictures of my aunts and uncles as kids but not really like the rest. So far it is a hidden gem. The start is in the form of letters written by a woman who was evacuated with her students during WWII. They were fascinating in that her view of the kids would probably get her fired now. Horrid, spoilt woman. She was nasty about those who took in the evacuees (it must have been really hard for them too) and nasty about the children in her care. I may be slightly biased since she dedicated one letter to dissing my uncles for pulling a clock to pieces. Wonder what she would think if she knew inventing various machines became a lucrative career/business for one of them. The second part of the book is more history about the lives of those in Milverton during WWII. I am loving it because it presents a side of life you don't usually get to see in war books (the bit not fighting) and because I get to learn about some of my uncles and aunts as kids a bit more. Plus I got to see a picture of grandpa as a youngish man for the first time. Looking forward to reading the rest this weekend.

QOTW:
As with most people it depends who buys the books and how well they know my reading tastes. I got the box set of Game of Thrones from my y9s as a gift for sticking with them even when they were naughty (think the y9 coordinator may have organised it) which I am planning to binge read over the Christmas break. Mum tends to get me resources which might help with whatever subject I am teaching that year if she gets me books. My sister sends what she likes if she gets me books.

Teri wrote: "I loved this book and spent a lot of time thinking about what it would be like to lose the memories of a chunk of your life. Hang in there - it is worth it."

Stacey wrote: "I have this on my TBR! My sister leant me a whole stack of books and said this was her favourite out of the bunch. I'd stick with it! She gave it 4 stars and the GR avg is over 4 stars as well so I'd say something worthwhile happens!"

I'm really enjoying the book. It's like peeling back layers. My mind is so attuned to think of romance tropes and amnesia tropes while I'm reading, but every time Alice suspects she's forgotten something along those lines, it turns out to be something quite different. Thank goodness it's almost the weekend and I can stay up reading all night to find out what happened.

Jen wrote: "Your family sounds like mine."

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because there are no gifts involved. I put a lot of effort in selecting and buying gifts. I'd rather get nothing than a thoughtless gift. Raquel mentioned love languages. Mine is definitely quality time, but I think gifts is a close second. A thoughtful gift implies the giver spent time thinking about what I'd like, which also a very nice way of saying they care.

Thanksgiving is also my fav holiday - all the great food of Christmas minus the stress of gifts and slightly better weather. I love it so much, I use the excuse of our familyā€™s dual nationalities to celebrate it in October and November.

I can't believe that in two days I have to get back to the universe and prepare for a new batch of students. I didn't get a lot of reading done this week and none for the challenge.

I read Sticks & Scones by Diane Mott Davidson which was okay and ćƒ‡ćƒ“ćƒ«ć‚ŗćƒ©ć‚¤ćƒ� 7 by Ryo Hanada. I'm really enjoying this manga.


QOTW Absolutely. Since I was a little girl, everyone knew that's all I ever wanted for Christmas. Back in those days, I made lists on paper and handed them to Mom for distribution to gift buying relatives. These days I use Amazon and other website wish lists. It's rare that I get a book I wouldn't read.

Jen, I recently watched the film of The Snowman and guessed the killer the first time they were on screen. I haven't read the book (and have zero plans to!)

Raquel wrote:"I think it has more to do with your personal temperature/metabolism than where you live. I know a lot people here in the midwest who hate the winters and wish our summers were longer, and I love winter and wish our summers were cooler. :-) Even I get tired of the gray slushy part that drags on at the end of winter, but I barely get to wear long sleeves or sweaters even in the winter, because I'll overheat once I go in someone's house, whereas a lot of my friends live in woolen underlayers for several months of the year"

I feel like this is true but only to a certain extent! It's definitely true that some people enjoy some snow and some cooler temperatures like -20C/-4F ish. There are tons of people who look forward to winter so that they can enjoy winter hobbies & sports and a white Christmas and for the cooler temperatures!

However, if you still enjoy winter when it gets to the point of snowbanks taller than you, -46C/-50F, out there shovelling snow off your vehicle/steps/driveway for the bajillionth time while numb and still have snow after 6 + months.... I will question your sanity!!! XD Even winter enthusiasts are always tired of winter by the time it's over here!

Tina wrote: "qotw: in theory I like getting books, but my family isn't good at picking books for me, so only if I ask for something specific. I actually am subscribed to a monthly book subscription where they s..."

What is this subscription called & do you know what countries it's available in??!? :)

Jenn wrote: "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Read for Book Riot's female protagonist over the age of 60 prompt
I did not expect to love this book, but I wound up finishing it in about two days because I could NOT put it down. Had me nearly sobbing in public. I'm sad to see this one go back to the library. It's definitely on my top of the year list."

I was in the same boat on this one! Didn't expect to love it but really enjoyed reading it. It didn't move me to tears but I finished it in a day or 2 as well! :D

I used it for the PS challenge but to say where is a pretty major spoiler so if you haven't read it and want to, DON'T CLICK > (view spoiler)[ 12. A Book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist (hide spoiler)]

It's still full fledged summer heat here in Alabama and yet I've done zero pool reading this week! This might be the partial reason why I still haven't finished anything this week. I'm still one book ahead on my GR challenge for the year so I'm still making good time.

Currently reading: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and enjoying it so far, about 41% through. This series is notoriously grim for a reason but it's so well written and the layers of the story always make it great.

QOTW Yes! The people who give me books are usually friends and family who know what I like and so I tend to enjoy the books. However I have SO MANY unread books that I hope I don't get anymore for my upcoming birthdays or holidays.

I absolutely prefer summer over winter, but that's more because of the winter darkness were I live (Denmark) were the sun sets at 4pm so it's dark when you go to work and dark when you go home. I love the endless light summer nights. This is the exact same reason why my husband prefers winter, so at least someone's happy about the season at any given time in our house. Also the temperatures are not extreme in dk either way.

Chinook wrote: "Thanksgiving is also my fav holiday - all the great food of Christmas minus the stress of gifts and slightly better weather. I love it so much, I use the excuse of our familyā€™s dual nationalities t..."

It's one of my favourites too when my family bothers to get together for it. I love making the meal for everyone too & I totally go overboard!

My brother-in-law is American and he and my sister live in the US so I occasionally get to celebrate it twice as well if I get together with them in November!! =D

I was watching a TV show last night about a railway line in Russia that goes up above the Arctic Circle. At one of the stops there were guys wandering around in tshirts and shorts and sandals. There was snow everywhere. The presenter had his best winter puffy jacket with fur hood on. They told him that it was just normal and they were used to it. It wasnā€™t winter so I suppose youā€™ve got to wear your summer clothes sometime lol

Hahaha in February, anything above freezing feels warm to us in NY. So long as it's not single digits, I think nothing of going outside in just a T (for short periods, not a long hike.) Ten degrees above freezing means shorts! Of course in August I have a much different opinion :-)

Sarah wrote: "Jen, I recently watched the film of The Snowman and guessed the killer the first time they were on screen. I haven't read the book (and have zero plans to!)"

The problem is you have to keep reading to check if you are right or not. Sad when you are.

Nadine wrote: "Hahaha in February, anything above freezing feels warm to us in NY. So long as it's not single digits, I think nothing of going outside in just a T (for short periods, not a long hike.) Ten degrees..."

So it is 26C right now here (winter) so I an in tracky daks and hoodie and will wait till lunch ish to bring out the shorts (meant to be 33C). Went down to 18C last night (really cold winter this year) so the dog and I were under 2 doonas. Bring on the warmer weather as this cold is playing havoc with Zeli's (dog) hips.

Itā€™s currently 17C here (remembering itā€™s winter). Supposed to be 23C I think. It got down to 4 overnight. Iā€™m in flannelette pajamas. Itā€™s colder in the house than it is outside. Donā€™t have the heater on though. Itā€™s going to be snowing a few hours south of us tonight. Weā€™ll probably get a bit of cooler wind off that. But I donā€™t know...the wind seems to be coming from your way Jen (which is north and here the north wind is hot and the south wind is cold) and itā€™s not that cool.

Oh my goodness it's late summer here, it's been 31-32 C most of the week (with high humidity, around 90% on avg) and I am dying from the heat!!! It feels oppressive! My mother won't even walk the dogs during the mid day, too hot for them. We've had the a/c on non-stop.

This is one reason I could never live in the southern US: way too hot down there. This is all I can take.

Hello from toasty Chicago! We've been stormy and hot this week, so it's air-con and reading for me. I long for the days when I can pitch a blanket in the backyard and read in the grass without sweating onto a book!

This week brings me up to completing my Å·±¦ÓéĄÖ challenge for the year (52/50 total)! I'm excited to have met that goal. I have 6 books left for the total Popsugar Challenge.

This week I finished Sugar: The World Corrupted: From Slavery to Obesity. It would count as a micro-history book (in case anyone wanted that for their PopSugar challenge!). I enjoy micro-histories, particularly about food, but this one seemed to keep repeating itself in many of the chapters. I almost put it down halfway but persevered. The last few chapters were the best.

I also read Red Clocks. It would also fit for the feminist lit prompt on PopSugar. I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed The Power for this same category. Red Clocks seemed more timely. It can be a bit hard to connect the dots between the different narratives, but I enjoyed the character growth throughout and the contemporary issues it raises.

Lastly, I FINALLY finished listening to The Beast's Garden on Audible. It took me two months to finish it, mostly because I couldn't find the listening time I used to have on walks and commutes to/from work. The ending was a good one, relatively speaking. For a book that hits the scope of WWII in Berlin, touching upon the plight of many different groups - along with the elevation of others - I recommend it. I just wish I had finished it sooner so I didn't have to remember so much of the finer details by the end. I used it for the prompt "book tied to your ancestry" as I'm a good part German, though my grandmum left just before WWII for the US. I can imagine the part of the family left in Germany would experienced the horrors of the war.

On next: The Room on Rue AmƩlie and The Boat Runner for more WWII historical fiction (I will admit that it is my preferred time period to read about) along with Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right (as after 6 years living in China/Hong Kong, I'm finding my hometown and the politics hard to understand), and Becoming Belle. Just came in at the library!

QofW:

Do you like to receive books as gifts?

Simply put, I usually don't get them. People would say I have too many already, and my tastes are so eclectic at times that they wouldn't know what to pick up for me. I do love book store gift cards, though.

Nadine wrote: "Oh my goodness it's late summer here, it's been 31-32 C most of the week (with high humidity, around 90% on avg) and I am dying from the heat!!! It feels oppressive! My mother won't even walk the d..."

I was in LA at the end of May a few years back and they were all in shorts and t-shirts I was in boots, jeans, t-shirt, jumper and a full length winter coat. Kept me warm and everyone else amused thinking I was mad.

Itā€™s perfect weather to lay around the backyard here today Nadine. Pity itā€™s so windy. I canā€™t handle the wind. It gives me a headache. Static electricity.

We went for a drive to the next little town further out into the Outback. The car was getting blown all over the road. Interesting trip. Nearly got wiped out but 6 kangaroos and an emu. Ahhh the joys of living in Australia lol

I had a very productive week, with three and 2/3 books read!

- Finished Starfish, for my book with an animal in the title for PopSugar
- Finished Those Other Women, for my book set somewhere I've never been but would like to visit for Modern Mrs. Darcy 2017
- Finished Letters to the Lost, for my book about death or grief for PopSugar
- Read 2/3 of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, for my coming of age novel for my ATY Top Picks challenge

QOTW:
Yes and no, honestly. I love to get books as gifts, but for some reason it rarely happens. It's really only in the past year where I even thought to add some books to the wishlist I give my family, and I got some great books as birthday gifts!

The reason I say no is because I only like to get books that I already want to read. I've received a few books in the past that I'm only mildly interested in, but then I feel pressured to read them right away so the person who got it for me sees that I'm reading it. I've also had someone buy me a book I already owned once, which was a bit annoying. There was no way she could have known, and it was by a favourite author, so at least she was along the right lines, but the closest bookstore isn't that nearby, so it was a bit of a hassle to go and switch it.

Last week I finished reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and started reading Wings of Fire: An Autobiography by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. This book is not a part of the reading challenge but I picked it up because Mr. Kalam is a role model and an inspiration for many Indians and I really wanted to read his autobiography.

My current reading progress is 20/40 books completed.

QOTW: I love receiving books as gifts! But since very few people manage to gift me books I would really love to read, I prefer getting gift vouchers instead, which I can use to buy books of my choice.

I haven't checked into a weekly update in a few months! My reading has definitely slowed down during these summer months, but hopefully it'll pick up a lot more with the coming of fall! I'm a little behind on the challenge - only 25/50 completed.

I found an in-person book club!! I discovered them through Instagram: Girls Night In. They have meet ups nationwide (USA) every month! I haven't been to a meeting yet, since I'm so behind on my reading, but I plan on attending one soon!

This week I finished:

This is How It Always Is It was easily one of my favorite books I've read all year long! It covered the prompt for an LGBTQ+ protagonist.

Currently Reading:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix I have finally managed to get better at listening to audiobooks! Increasing the speed has made such a difference and I will be able to finish this week!

An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness After years of having this book on my shelf, I finally picked it up to read and so far so great!

QOTW:
I haven't received a book as a gift in a really long time. I don't think I would mind it if someone did, but like others have said before, I would much prefer a gift card to a local bookstore.

Christy wrote: "Hello everyone! I've had a pretty enjoyable reading week, and I'm on track so that's nice. Unfortunately, California is on fire, which is not exactly chill. I'm waiting for summer to end so it will..."

Try King Leopold's Ghost for non-fiction about Congo.

I haven't commented in ages, because somehow or the other between work, computer issues, and general summer overload, I've been reading less and have had no time to check in. Still, although my rate has gone down, I have finished all but one of the challenges (the Halloween prompt. Have a book for the prompt in the house, but debating whether to read it, or wait for the October group read). In the meantime, I've finished Cinder (by Marissa Meyer) for the cyberpunk prompt, Green Darkness (by Anya Seton) for the year I graduated High School, Bear Town for the sport prompt (Backman) and finally, finally, I found a book written by someone with the same first or last name as me. After going through Amazon and Good reads couldn't find much of a selection for my name, so my son went to the local library and found one author with our last name (actually, the author shares my niece's exact name!). So I read the book in Hebrew, (Petsa (Wound), by Ady Abeles) and can finally check that one off the list! Luckily, the book was better than I expected. No English translation, though.

As for books as gifts, other than my monthly free book from Amazon Prime, I can't remember the last time someone gave me a book as a gift. And I do love the Amazon Prime free books, but I agree that if someone gifted me a book that I had no interest in, it would be pretty pointless. Now a voucher for my favorite bookstore (currently bookdepository.com, hint, hint), that would be really cool!

I finished two books this week (one was a challenge read; one was not), and am just about done with the third book I had in progress. If I don't finish it today, I should have it done by mid-week at the latest. This brings my challenge totals to 35/40 and 5/10 for this challenge; and 96/100 for the Å·±¦ÓéĄÖ Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman, which was my book club's pick for August. I'll rate/review after our meeting later this month; and,
* ā­ļøā­ļøā­ļøā­ļø Song of the Lion by Anne Hillerman, which I'm using for "a book with an animal in the title." I was a fan of the original series started by Tony Hillerman and have enjoyed the direction it's taken since his daughter picked it back up. I'm looking forward to reading the latest, Cave of Bones, soon.

Currently Reading:
* The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pƶtzsch, which I'm using for the advanced prompt "a book tied to your ancestry." One branch of my family came from southern Germany, so I figured a book set in 17th century Bavaria written by a German author was a good fit for this prompt.

QotW:
Do you like to receive books as gifts? Yep! When I was a kid, I enjoyed receiving books as gifts, which were typically surprises. As an adult, I'm usually asked for a list of titles to select from before my birthday or Christmas, so I'm sure to get a book I want to read. I do still receive surprise titles, which I love and have discovered new authors and/or series that I've ended up enjoying.

Christy wrote: "Hello everyone! I've had a pretty enjoyable reading week, and I'm on track so that's nice. Unfortunately, California is on fire, which is not exactly chill. I'm waiting for summer to end so it will..."

I just picked up King Leopold's Ghost on Amazon Kindle for $2.99. It is a hard look at colonialism in the Congo, and the dual personas of King Leopold - philanthropist to people who read the papers, colonial monster in the Congo. I'm interested in reading this as well.

Finished:

Visible Empire - The title was clever. Unfortunately, itā€™s the only thing in this book was clever. It covered no knew ground nor did it put forth any fresh thoughts. The plane crash was simply a jumping off point for a different topic. The stories were disjointed and lacking in development, much less conclusion. Piedmont was the only likeable character. Lulu drove me nuts. I wanted to skip over all the dialogues between her and the Mayor. I felt duped. I almost skipped this oneā€¦wish I had trusted my instincts on this one.

What We Were Promised - here has been so much hype about this up and coming author. I was disappointed. The story plodded along. None of the characters were particularly likeable. The author took too long to develop the characters but little time on telling the story and bringing it to a conclusion. Just when she finally started telling the story, the book ended. This didnā€™t read like book one of a series, but if it turns out that is the case, I wonā€™t bother with book two.

Messenger of Truth - I appreciate this author and the way she has framed this series. WWI is such an interesting time in world history. Using a young, single, working class female as a heroine in this series allows the author to explore so many facets of that time period in a way that is entertaining and spell-binding. I wish I had discovered this series years ago and didn't have to play catch up on it. These books are un-putdownable!

The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery - I discovered this book by listening to Anne Bogel's #whatshouldireadnext podcast, episode #141. She and Ian Morgan Cron were talking about the Enneagram #s of various authors and characters in books. I had already taken to test to determine my Enneagram type, but I still wasn't sure. I listened to the audiobook first, narrated by the author, then purchased the book. I needed to go through it in detail. This book really helped me to narrow down my type. I like that he shared the h isotry of the Ennegram. He explains it and gives examples that shows the reader that it isn't just your actions by the motive behind your actions that determines your type. I'll be referring to this book often.

Totals for challenge: 34/40 and 4/10 = 38/50

Currently Reading:

Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions - I am enjoying this book. It takes place in Sicily which is interesting, and it's funny.

Next Year in Havana - I wish I could have seen pre-Castro Havana. I always enjoy books that take place there especially if they concern people who had to flee but still have connections there.

Up next:

Middlemarch - MMD group read that started last week. I'm already a week behind. sigh...

QOTW: I use to have a friend that I enjoyed receviing books from because she knew what interested me. Unfortunately, we have lost touch after she moved.

Sherry wrote: "Hello,
I would take summer year round as I live..."

Hi Stacy, We are beside the BC fires. As there is 450+ fires burning right now, they are just letting most of them run their course, if they are not threating any homes and such. Make for some pretty smoky days.

Ok, I wasnā€™t sure! Both provinces have been hit hard with forest fires this year! So far Ontario has seen 1,041 forest fires in 2018 which is about double our average (Iā€™m not sure how many are currently burning). The majority of them arenā€™t in areas that will threaten any homes/communities etc. so thatā€™s a positive at least! At this point, there are only 3 areas that are still evacuated but it should be going down to 2 fairly soon!

The largest in the province (and a few more) are right on the coast of the great lakes so it wouldnā€™t be a surprise if Manitoba got the smoke anytime there was a south or east wind. When there was a north wind it was extremely smoky in communities south on the water hours away from the fire...so much that tons of people were calling 911 to report new fires that didnā€™t exist and animals were freaking out acting strangely. Smoke can travel over the open water so easily! šŸ˜†

Charlsa wrote: "The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery - I discovered this book by listening to Anne Bogel's #whatshouldireadnext podcast, episode #141. "

This books is on my TBR. I love personality typing systems. I know a little about Enneagram (with help from some friends I have typed myself as a 2), but I really need to read this book to get better acquainted with the entire typing system! What type did you decide was yours?

I am in such a reading rut and can't seem to get past reading only one book a week! I was on vacation last week and instead of reading, we ran all day and I was too tired to read. LOL I finished The Procedure for the medical thriller prompt for ATY challenge. I did not finish any for this challenge.

I am currently reading My Sister's Keeper and finding it such a task to read. I like the storyline but the different points of views and changing to different periods in time make this much longer than it needs to be.

QOTW: I like getting books as a gift. I haven't for a few years but my best friend has bought me a couple from my Amazon wish list so they were ones I wanted. I am going to use one for the prompt.

Monkiecat wrote: "Johanne wrote: "Monkiecat wrote: "I can't wait for the colder weather, but I do get sad every year when the kids have to go back to school.

This week I finished:
Cerulean Sins (favori..."

Thanks :) IĀ“ll see what I end up with. I just found out I had Decelerate Blue in my TBR pile (yes, there are so many books that I forget whatĀ“s there...)

Monkiecat wrote: "Johanne wrote: "Monkiecat wrote: "I can't wait for the colder weather, but I do get sad every year when the kids have to go back to school.

This week I finished:
Cerulean Sins (favori..."

I can't imagine jumping into Anita Blake at that point, I think I gave up around book 13 because it had descended into the vampire porn that you described it as and not much else! I really liked the earlier books where Anita had a job, did detective stuff and wasn't too keen on consorting with vampires.

Ellie wrote: "Monkiecat wrote: "Johanne wrote: "Monkiecat wrote: "I can't wait for the colder weather, but I do get sad every year when the kids have to go back to school.

This week I finished:
[book:Cerulean S..."

Thanks for the input. Your comment made me laugh :) So many series start out good and slowly starts lacking in quality. ItĀ“s like a "yeah the readers are hooked, we donĀ“t have to make en effort"-effect. IĀ“ll probably read something else then. And maybe at some point read the series from the beginning :)

Read this week Princess Plot and An unkindness of magicians both were really good!!! Also read Ready Player One and Kings Cage!!!

Sara, I apologize for not responding sooner. The Enneagram is a great way to determine your type. It is easier to use than the other personality type test. I'm still undecided as to whether I am 7 or 5, but I think I'm a 7 with 5 and 8 wings. The Road Back To You will be a great resource for you.

I don't know if you follow Anne Bogel on Modern Mrs. Darcy, but on a recent #wsirn podcast, she and the author of this book went through all nine personality types and talked about characters in well-known books and authors of well-known books and what their types probably were. It was hilarious! Ian Morgan Cron does a great job at explaining how to determine what your type is. The podcast was WSIRN, episode #141.

Sara wrote: "Charlsa wrote: "The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery - I discovered this book by listening to Anne Bogel's #whatshouldireadnext podcast, episode #141. "

This books is on my..."

Stacey wrote: "Ok, I wasnā€™t sure! Both provinces have been hit hard with forest fires this year! So far Ontario has seen 1,041 forest fires in 2018 which is about double our average (Iā€™m not sure how many are cur..."