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Happy Spring to my fellow Northern Hemisphere residents! The weather is finally turning here. I wish I could open my windows and let the spring air in, but my daughter has seasonal allergies which are now in full swing. Sigh�

**Admin notes: Nomination threads are open for the 3rd quarter monthly group reads. You can find them here:

July � a book set in space

August � a book by two female authors

September � a book set on a college or university campus

Nomination threads will close on Sunday, March 24. We anticipate polls opening mid-week.

We have all our group discussion leaders for 2nd quarter. Thank you to all who volunteered!

Moving on to the reading check-in!

Books finished:

Glass Houses by Louise Penny � book #13 in the Inspector Gamache series. Love, love, LOVE this series! I have one more book to read and I’m all caught up.

To Marry an English Lord: Or How Anglomania Really Got Started by Gail MacColl. This is the book that inspired Downton Abbey as well as the creation of the History Chicks podcast. It covers the American heiress invasion of England during the late 19th and early 20th century. Really a fun read, though it’s hard to keep all those names straight!

Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes � my favorite Shauna Niequist book. It’s a comfort read.

Currently reading:

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah � Just started this book about a girl “sent from the stars� who calls herself Ursa. She encounters an ornithology graduate researcher, Jo, who, along with her mysterious neighbor, Gabe, try to determine where Ursa is actually from. Really enjoying it so far! The audio narration is great. I plan to use this for a book with an astrological term in the title.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri � I adore this book. I’m not sure if I ever read it as a child (I do remember watching the movie), but two years ago I decided to read it. It is such a beautiful story. I recommend stocking your house with bread, butter, cheese and milk. Reading about Heidi’s time on the mountain, in the meadow with the goats eating bread, cheese and milk will make you want to indulge yourself!

Question of the week:

Book-to-screen adaptations have a reputation for being truly horrendous. I know we all have our lists of worst adaptations, but that’s not what I want to talk about today. There have also been some truly spectacular adaptations in the last couple of years (Netflix, Hulu, etc). What are some of your favorite recent book-to-screen adaptations?

And I apologize to our international members who may not have access to all of these. Please feel free to share anything you’ve found in your area that you’ve loved!

Here are some of my favorites over the last couple years:

-The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Netflix) � I adored the movie that Netflix released last year. I loved the book as well, but I visualize the lovely Lily James and the other actors in those roles now.

-To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Netflix) � this is one of those movies I liked more than the book. The book was good, but the movie was so charming and adorable!

-Crazy Rich Asians (film) � I read the book about a year ago, but I just watched the movie this month. It was so fun!

-The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu) � I’m way behind on this show, but I really thought they did a nice job on the episodes I watched. It doesn’t sound right to say I “enjoyed� them, but it was well done.

-Outlander (Starz) � I had to mention this one as it’s on my lifetime favorites list for books. While I occasionally have an issue with some of the changes the show writers have made, I think it’s a good adaptation. I love the casting.

-Dumplin' (Netflix)

-Anne with an "E" (Anne of Green Gables - Netflix) - I only watched a handful of episodes, but I plan to go back at some point

I haven't read or seen these yet, but I've heard good things:
-Bird Box (Netflix)
-A Game of Thrones (HBO)
-American Gods (Starz)
-Everything, Everything (film)
-The Hate U Give (film)
-Big Little Lies (HBO, I think?)

Others on the horizon:
-The Babysitters Club (Netflix, I think)
-Firefly Lane (Netflix)
-Rebecca (Netflix)
-Pachinko(Apple)
-All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix)

High School soccer season has officially begun at our house. My son swings for junior varsity and varsity- which makes for double the games. I love it! It is so fun to watch him play. That also means there is less reading time as I am spending three to four evenings a week at the fields.

This week I only read two books (which I think is an all time low) and both were for my youth reading committee, so they were targeted toward a younger reading group.

I read:
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise- this was a great book. A young girl lives with her dad in a converted school bus and discovers she needs to get home. Getting her dad there is a challenge, due to the circumstances in which they left. Along the way home they pick up a whole bus load of interesting people. I recommend this book for young (and young at heart) readers.
The Tomb- this book frustrated me. All of the sudden in the middle of the climax the book came to a full stop. I realize it was setting up the next book, but at least finish the action. I was not so enthralled with the book that I have to read the next one, besides the writing is on the wall. I have a fairly good idea what comes next and I'm not excited. It does work for a book set it space.

QOTW:
I loved the movie adaptation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Honestly, I never turn on the TV, so I miss most of the ones adapted for the small screen. Usually I see mention of a movie adaptation here and go looking for it.

This week seems to be going so slowly, but at least I've made reading progress.

I finished Do You Dream of Terra-Two? for question in the title. Really liked this character-driven astronaut story.

Also listened to The Everlasting Rose for ATY (ATY in author's name). I liked the concept of The Belles but this didn't feel like it had a lot of purpose, other than finishing off the story of the first book.

I read The Rosewater Insurrection for ATY (speculative). Nigerian-set science fiction which has a different take on alien invasion, this was as good as the first.

Currently listening to The Familiars for based on a true story (the Pendle witch trials). Makes me glad to be alive now and not as a woman in 1612.

Currently reading Happy Girl Lucky for plant on the cover and I'm a bit disappointed with it. I loved Holly Smale's Geek Girl books but this new character is ridiculous, like she's chosen to go the opposite direction and make her stupid, but also as socially inept as Harriet.

PS: 16/52 | ATY: 17/52 | GR: 32/100

QOTW:
Although not a direct adaptation, I thought The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix) was fantastic, and I'm not a huge horror fan. It was a good mix of emotional and scary.

I found The Handmaid's Tale to be very good but so depressing, I didn't get very far into it. The Bird Box adaptation was good, I was bit worried they'd make the "monsters" visible and ruin that feeling of unknown terror.

I liked Dumplin' and All the Boys, more fun/happy films please! I don't really keep up with films at the cinema, so if it's not on streaming, I am unlikely to have seen it.

I do watch Game of Thrones, but I only read the first book and I'm ready for it to be finished. The earlier series were better but I want to know how it ends.

Happy Thursday!
15/50

Completed:
The Whispering City by Sara Moliner is my #39, involving a puzzle. It’s a Spanish novel translated to English. A female journalist, normally limited to the society pages, has been given the opportunity to write a news article on the murder of a society dame. This occurs in 1952 Barcelona � 13 years into the oppressive regime of Francisco Franco, so the power of the police coupled with the intense censorship of the press adds to the challenge of solving the crime! Additionally, dictator Franco was a women in their place kind of guy. So the journalist and her cousin, a professor of linguistics who has been banned from teaching after writing a piece that did not support the government, chase down clues that lead to a killer. The Professor is especially interesting to me in this murder � I would have preferred hearing the story from her POV. Loved this one!

The Boy: A Novel by Tami Hoag is the second in her Broussard and Fourcade series. I’m listening to it through an Audio book. I can’t tell if I don’t like the story or the narration, but I think it’s the profanity laced story. I have loved other works by Tami in her Kovac and Liska series.. The subject matter isn’t light-hearted. A child is dead and the police are having to question the 12 year old babysitter (who had palmed the child off onto her brother, a smut loving bully) while she runs off with her best friend. There is a sub-story involving the media savvy Chief, his fiancée, and her son, the frequent victim of the bully referenced earlier. What I would give for Kovacs!

Pumpkin Picking with Murder by Auralee Wallace is a cozy mystery. I didn’t care for the first one, but this one was a bit better. I still don’t like that every single character must be quirky (except the Sheriff who is regularly ogled and seems to be written for his impeccable looks only). Quirky, you say? Well, we are either dealing with Erica’s mother miming things as her holistic retreat center is on a silent retreat (handheld whiteboard would have resolved) or Freddie running a new security company that required him to dress as Ponch of CHIPS, buy a speedboat, and make plans that involved using his own personal backhoe. That said, the mystery was solid. Sometimes you just need an E-book while in line.

In Process:
Reasons to Believe: How to Understand, Explain, and Defend the Catholic Faith by Scott Hahn to celebrate Lent. This isn’t something I can whip through in the evenings before bed, so it’ll take a while.

I picked up The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller for an audio read (not PopSugar related). Do you ever start reading something and instantaneously think the protagonist is a Narcissistic jerk? Everyone loves her she says. (That’s only until she borrows money from them, runs out on her rent, or doesn’t support a friend in need.) Let’s keep our fingers crossed that she is able to grow as a person in the book. Based on what I’m seeing, we’re supposed to just adore her and sympathize about her bad luck in love (um, a married man twice your age isn’t bad luck � that was a conscious decision.)

I just started my amateur detective read #30 � The Body in the Fjord by Katherine Hall Page. So far, in this one, the amateur detective has stayed home and a friend, who is even more amateur, is travelling to solve a mystery! Loving it!

QOTW Movie adaptations
I’m not a big movie watcher, so I’ll pass on answering.

I had a big reading week and finished four books this week. It was pretty great! And today is my birthday, which I am enjoying.

This week I finished: The Pisces which was my book with a zodiac/astrological term. It has mixed reviews on goodreads. I loved it. It was super weird, but also had something very interesting to say.

Also finally finished Bringing Down the Colonel: A Sex Scandal of the Gilded Age, and the "Powerless" Woman Who Took on Washington which is filling my prompt for past goodreads prompt (last year's read a book about feminism). It was a very interesting book, but the writing didn't always do it for me. It took a long time for me to read this book.

Over the weekend, I read A Woman Is No Man, which is my book published in 2019. It could also be a debut novel or an own voices novel or a book about a family. It had some good moments, but overall was kind of meh.

And yesterday I finished The Test which was interesting. I'm not currently using it for the popsugar challenge. I'm wondering if it could stretch and be a litrpg? Anyway, it was fine. I'll probably give it 3 stars.

After all that, I am currently reading War and Peace (halfway!), The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World, and New Moon.

One of my favorite book to screen adaptations was Cloud Atlas. I know that it had its issues and there are people who didn't love it. But I feel like it really captured the book without being identical and I loved that.
I am really looking forward to the Amazon Wheel of Time series that is supposed to be coming.

Hey guys, I'll check in later because I am currently absolutely fried after trying to get tickets for Jeremy Jordan for 2,5 hours, with many wrongly pending payments on the credit card. At least I got them though! Saturday night and Sunday afternoon! Wooohh!

So I'll just focus on the QOTW for now:

Okay so unpopular opinion, but I thought the Bird Box movie was terrible. It made me appreciate the book a thousand times more.

The ASOIAF adaptation is great, as long as you're okay with seeing the show and books separately at one point, because it does diverge a lot. But not in a bad way, you know, even if I'm disappointed some things are left out while others are added. But yeah it's good.

I also thought THUG was well done, and The Hunger Games as well. AND AMERICAN GODS. YES. I've never read the comics, but I've heard Preacher also does a wonderful job. Honestly I can't even think of things. Sherlock, I suppose, if you ignore season 4.

I can't wait to see more of everyone's suggestions so I can shout OH YES THAT ONE TOO

It wasn't a great reading week for me. I didn't finish any books. But it was a pretty good week otherwise, so I'm not complaining! I've been enjoying the warmer weather and sunshine.

Reading
Cibola Burn (The Expanse #4) by James S.A. Corey

A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World by Tony Horwitz

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. I've chosen this as my next classics audiobook. It's narrated by Bill Homewood, who narrated The Count of Monte Cristo that I listened to last year. He's an excellent narrator.

DNF
Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes. Nope. I didn't realize this was a slapstick comedy. I cannot stand that genre, not even for a classic. I really tried. I listened to 5 hours of the audiobook, but there were 30 hours left, and there's no way I would have made it to the end so I DNFed.

QOTW
When it comes to books-to-film adaptations, I tend to either read the book or watch the movie, but not both. Book-to-TV adaptions are a different story. I'm reading and watching The Expanse and Outlander. I think they're excellent adaptations. The Expanse books/show are equal in quality, in my opinion. I think I like Outlander better as a TV show. The writers tend to "fix" a lot of the things I didn't like in the books.

I have mixed feelings about adaptations extending the story beyond the book. I'm thinking about The Handmaid's Tale and Big Little Lies. They were both intended to be limited series, but now they're multiple seasons. I'm not sure they need to be. Too much story can be a bad thing.

I finished Harvard Yard as my book that takes place at a college or university. Very good.

I've started The Secret Gardenwhich I 'm reading for a favorite prior year prompt-a childhood classic you've never read. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this book. I don't know how kids with short attention spans made it through the beginning because it was truly awful.

QOTW: I don't watch a lot of movies, so I'm going to open this up past recent. I liked the adaptation of My Sister's Keeper. There were parts I liked better about the book, but I think the movie did a good job, of what it cut, what it kept, and what it changed.

I actually liked the movie of the Lovely Bones more than I did the book. the only thing I liked better about the book was the timeline Everything seemed to happen in too short of a span in the movie.

Anne wrote: "I picked up The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller for an audio read (not PopSugar related). Do you ever start reading something and instantaneously think the protagonist is a Narcissistic jerk? Everyone loves her she says. (That’s only until she borrows money from them, runs out on her rent, or doesn’t support a friend in need.) Let’s keep our fingers crossed that she is able to grow as a person in the book. Based on what I’m seeing, we’re supposed to just adore her and sympathize about her bad luck in love (um, a married man twice your age isn’t bad luck � that was a conscious decision.)"

I don't recall loving her at the outset. If I remember correctly she gets humbled a bit as the story progresses and does grow. Whether it's enough to make you like her I can't say, but I did enjoy the book! :)

22/50

Finished:
Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie. Not for the challenge.

Kerala Kerala Quite Contrary by Shinie Antony. Not for the challenge.

Currently reading:
Third Girl

QOTW:
I've watched only a few episodes of The Handmaid's Tale but it was very good. I also liked Sherlock a lot.

I am at 36/50.

This week I finished:
Two Can Keep a Secret: A book told from multiple POVs. I didn’t like it as much as I like the first one, but it was still good.

The Lying Game: The second of two books with the same title: This one pissed me off. It was a waste of time with a ridiculous cliffhanger

May: A book set in the season you read it in: I was waiting for the first day of spring to buy and read this book. Bought and finished it yesterday. A lot of people don’t like this series and think its trashy, so I guess it’s a guilty pleasure read, except that I feel no guilt haha.

Currently reading:

Beartown: This book is hitting me in a million ways that I didn’t expect, so I have to keep taking breaks to read something else. I haven’t had the time to give it my full attention, which it obviously deserves.

Then She Was Gone: Haven’t gotten too far into this one yet. Feeling hopeful.

Observations so far:
I have noticed that I’m so tired after work I haven’t been able to read much, but I have been tearing through books on the weekends.

Question of the Week
What are some of your favorite recent book-to-screen adaptations?

I think I enjoyed the first season of 13 reasons why more than the book. I don’t watch a lot of tv anymore. Mostly there are just screen versions that visually added something to my mental pictures. For example, the performance of Gary Oldham as Sirius Black in the Prisoner of Azkaban made that whole book/movie more enjoyable for me and visually seeing the arena in Catching Fire added a lot to the imagination for me.

Heather wrote: "I have mixed feelings about adaptations extending the story beyond the book. I'm thinking about The Handmaid's Tale and Big Little Lies. They were both intended to be limited series, but now they're multiple seasons. I'm not sure they need to be. Too much story can be a bad thing. "

This is part of the reason I haven't picked The Handmaid's Tale back up. When I stopped watching I hadn't gotten to the end of the book plot yet, but as I see them releasing more seasons it has to be either that they are dragging it out waaaaaaaay too much OR they are adding in more story. Either way, I'm not sure I want to go down that road.

Two week check in:

Books by a musician:

Gmorning, Gnight! Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manual Miranda and Jonny Sun. Cute little book.
Books that don’t tick off prompts

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. If I didn’t already have the next one, I would have stopped this series with this book. I feel like it was a lot of nothing until the last couple of chapters.

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas. Better than the last one. But I also didn’t read any more of the series because I really didn’t care about the other world the book was going into.

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott. A life-changing secret destroys an unlikely friendship. This book was a lot and not enough at the same time and I’m not sure how I feel about it. But I feel that way about a lot of Abbott books.

Cress by Marissa Meyer. YA sci-fi/fairy tale retellings. Still quite enjoying this.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. Didn’t really enjoy this. I couldn’t get into the story or the characters.

Ten Kisses to a Scandal� by Vivienne Lorret. This took me a bit to get through. There wasn’t anything majorly wrong with it except the heroine taking to her bed for days and crying after being “betrayed� by the hero. Blargh.

QOTW:

I'm normally a book is always better but there are a few where I think the movie might be better

Annihilation: I couldn't figure out how they would do it because it's not an easy book but the movie was beautiful.

Love, Simon: This was a book I had trouble keeping on my classroom bookshelf and the movie was delightful.

The 100: I stopped watching after season three because I just got super far behind but I think at least the first couple of seasons was actually better than the book

Happy Thursday y’all.

Slowly getting adjusted to the new system at work. Still not entirely fond of it, but I can live with it. Though our library is also joining an area-wide consortium of libraries this spring, so there’s even MORE changes on the horizon. And I don’t really like change. I guess I just learn to deal�

Books read this week:

Night of the Living Trekkies � for “book that takes place over the course of a day� (the entire book save the prologue takes place over the course of a single night). Extremely goofy and rather gory but still entertaining account of a zombie apocalypse at a Star Trek convention. If you’re a Star Trek fan, this book is absolutely brimming with references and jokes regarding the series.

A Man Called Ove � for “book that takes place in Scandinavia.� I usually avoid much-hyped books like this one, but I actually really liked this! It was funny yet bittersweet, and I fell in love with Ove as I read. Now hoping the upcoming Tom Hanks movie does this one justice�

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp � for “book with the words pop, sugar, or challenge in the title.� Two raccoons and a twelve-year-old boy must find and awaken a Sasquach-like creature known as the Sugar Man to save a local swamp from greedy developers. A charming and delightful read.

Regular Challenge � 32/43
Advanced Challenge � 5/10
Non-challenge books � 12

DNFed Crown of Feathers (not for the challenge). A book about warrior-mages who ride phoenixes into battle? Epic! But it just wasn’t holding my interest, and I didn’t like how blatantly it telegraphed which of the two sisters was supposed to be the “good� one and which was supposed to be the “bad� one. Maybe this changes later on in the book, but� meh.

Currently Reading:

The Glass Town Game � for “favorite prompt from a previous challenge,� in this case “novel based on a real person.� This is a YA fantasy involving the Bronte siblings, and while I’m woefully unfamiliar with the Bronte writings this is charming so far.

Creatures of the Rock: A Veterinarian's Adventures in Newfoundland � for “book with an article of clothing or accessory on the cover�

Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City � graphic novel, not for the challenge

QOTW:

I haven't seen a book-to-screen adaptation in a LONG time, so it's hard for me to answer this one. By far my favorite book-to-screen adaptation is The Last Unicorn, which was AMAZING. For a more recent one, I enjoyed the film of Holes more than I did the book.

Good morning from Columbus and HAPPY SPRING! Oh, I am so excited for everything spring brings. It’s a bit muddy but the weather has been very forgiving. I’m hoping this year we’ll get a decent spring instead winter winter winter, one day of spring, and now it’s time to sweat until October 😑

The Professor a lesser known Brontë novel for a book published posthumously. This was no Jane Eyre, that’s for sure. So much shorter too. But it was a solid story, though I didn’t find myself particularly attached to any of the characters. I can see why this book doesn’t get talked about much at all, it’s only been a week and I’ve already let a lot of details slip from my mind lol

The Red Tent for a book you saw someone reading on tv. I think I found this on the Rory Gilmore list. I’m hoping this was seen on the show and not just mentioned, but I don’t really care enough to check and/or pick a new book for this spot. This is a retelling of Dinah, from the book of Genesis. Daughter of Jacob, sister of Joseph (and the many colored coat, I feel like most are vaguely aware of that story). In the Old Testament Dinah is such a minor character, but in The Red Tent, you get such a powerful story about an ancient woman’s life and relationships.
For some reason, I was so tense this entire book thinking it was going to be Tess of the d’Urbervilles levels of tragic and was so tense the entire way through, so I don’t know who needs to hear this, but relax! There’s a decent amount of tragedy but overall this book is a positive story.

Cat's Cradle for Book Riot’s humor prompt. I love how funny Vonnegut is without being really heavy-handed with the obvious humor. I know it’s so cliché to say that Slaughterhouse-Five is one’s favorite book, but it really is in my top five. The former wasn’t quite as wowing as the latter but I still really enjoyed it. His writing style is delightful and the story is just so ridiculous that it works.

I’m currently at 18/40; 1/10 for popsugar, 2/24 for book riot, 1/12 for the classics challenge, and 5/37 for Marisha Pessl’s challenge. 42 books read this year so far.

QOTW: I actually enjoy almost all movie and television adaptations. American Gods is the first one I can think of recently that was particularly amazing.

So my harddrive went and I need to go pick up a new one ( again) today... no computer = no links because I’m on the app.

Just finished this horrid book : Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson. I can’t BELIEVE I read 80% before I finally skimmed the rest. It was utter trash and I gave it one star but maybe I’m just pissed because I promised myself I would DNF this year.

Ordinarily I love me a book about books with lots of book lists. The problem with this one was that the synopsis failed to disclose that I would be reading ALOT of Christian sermons ( every chapter) because this is a book written by a � book girl � who is an evangelical Christian. Which is fine but not my thing and certainly not right now. I would have preferred a heads up and an informed choice.... anyhooo shoulda read the reviews.

Here’s what you can expect to read in this gem... � a book girl is....� and � a book girl does� and a book girl reads� and a book girl dreams� and � a book girl knows� . Also the preaching. And also she went to Oxford ( mentioned fifth times each chapter). As for the lists, I stuck it out because I LOVE book lists but basically you’ll get the same recommendations in each chapter: Jane Austen, Tolkien, CS Lewis, Elizabeth Goudge, Middle March and a ton of Christian theology books devotional and prayer books.

Moving on to There There ( thank God)

QOTW: fav recent adaptations are Big Little Lies, Guernsey, Bird Box was fun, Haunting of Hill House, Outlander and not recent but currently binging the adaptations of Charlaine Harris and rewatching all of True Blood.

Carmen wrote: "Okay so unpopular opinion, but I thought the Bird Box movie was terrible. It made me appreciate the book a thousand times more...."

I do still prefer the book but I was expecting so much worse from the film. The book was not an easy one to translate into film, as otherwise most of it would have been in darkness. I try not to compare books and films too much, they are such different media. So I try to watch the film as if I'd never read the book.

I might have felt a bit differently if I'd read the book recently, but I'd forgotten most of what happens. I'm not one of those people that reads a book in preparation to see a film, I don't want it fresh in my mind!

I thought that I was going to be busy nearly every night this week, so I snuck in some 'sit down with a book' reading time yesterday afternoon instead of just sticking with my 'audio book during chores' that I usually do during the day. Then this evening opened a bit and I'll probably have reading time tonight too, so I can get moving a little faster on the stack of holds I just picked up from the library. :-)

Finished Reading:
The Awakening of Sunshine Girl I used this for the 'ghost story' prompt. I didn't like as much as the first book, but more than enough to keep going and finish out the trilogy.

Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon a Project, Read Samuel Johnson, and My Other Experiments in the Practice of Everyday Life Audio book. In a way it was repetitive after having read the first Happiness Project book already, but I'm always interested in how people intentionally craft their home environments, so that made it worth reading.

Miss Pickerell on the Moon I enjoyed this vintage children's sci fi, and picked up the kindle 'mega pack' of the first four books in the series for about 50 cents. I had this down for 'book that takes place in space' but such a small amount of it is actually in space that I'll think I'll hold it in reserve in case I can't find something that fits better.

Franz Joseph Haydn The Story of the Choir Boy who became a Great Composer A very short free kindle book aimed at children. Very well done, I thought, focusing in on anecdotes that give you the feel of his life, but a little annoying that it's apparently part of a series and so other people you're supposed to have already read about are referenced in ways that don't fit in the flow of the book.

Currently Reading:
A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World Still reading a couple chapters every Sunday afternoon. Didn't like the beginning as much but it's really growing on me.

The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl Third book in the YA trilogy. As long as she gets together with Nolan at the end and neither of them dies I'll be satisfied with the series.

Dodge & Twist: A Sequel To Oliver Twist Got this for free as an Audible original audio drama. The story is just okay, but as an audio drama it's really well done. Haven't figured out if it fits a prompt yet.

The 10-Day Belly Slimdown: Lose Your Belly, Heal Your Gut, Enjoy a Lighter, Younger You Once I got past the super annoying beginning where they made it sound as scammy as possible and implied that you can never think you look great until you're thin (I already look fabulous, thank you, I'd just like to ALSO lose some necessary fat) it seems to have some solid, interesting information.

Everything else I'm 'currently reading' is on temporary hiatus either because of library due dates or just because I haven't been in the right mood. I tried to start The Happiness Dare: Pursuing Your Heart's Deepest, Holiest, and Most Vulnerable Desire as an audio book, but moved it back to my TBR because I felt like it was too close to Gretchen Rubin's books and I needed more time in between so I didn't just try to keep comparing them in my head.

QOTW:
The Hunger Games- One of the best book-to-movie adaptations in terms of taking a book that was already good and making a good movie out of it.

Sherlock- Not recommended if you're a book purist, but as a modern adaptation I thought it was fantastic.

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland-LOVED this movie. Eventually need to try reading the book again as an adult, but currently stands as one of the few movies I liked better than the book.

The Fellowship of the Ring--The movies go downhill after this one as far as faithfulness to the book goes (though obviously they're still epic).

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe--These movies go WAY downhill fast after the first one, and even the first one had some issues, but I forgave it because I feel like it gave me a real glimpse of Narnia.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies--Controversial opinion in several ways, but the movie fixed the one part that bothered me about the book, and I thought it was a lot of fun.

And these aren't recent, but--
Several of the BBC classics adaptations--the 6 hour Pride and Prejudice, Bleak House, North and South (I also enjoy Wives and Daughters and Cranford, but haven't read the books on those yet)... Probably others, but those are the ones that stand out.

The Princess Bride--Great movie, didn't enjoy the book at all, so it's another of that handful where I actually think the movie is better.

PopSugar Challenge-18/40
Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Challenge- 23/60

Finished this Week:
Educated A book set on college or university campus I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. Once I really sat down to read it uninterrupted it took me away and I could not put it down. It was sad and shocking but it also showed the perseverance in the human spirit. I strongly suggest you read this memoir.

Shiver A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature Features werewolves. I am listening to this as an audio book and at around 90% so I will finish it tonight. Its alright but not my favorite by this author. Still undecided if I will continue the series.


Currently Reading:
To Kill a Kingdom A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore Reading as an ebook. This one is a take on the Little Mermaid just a bit more murderous. I am at around 50% it is a very interesting take on the siren/mermaid legend. Can't wait to see what else is in store.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven Author with both names starting with the same letter I will listen to this book starting tomorrow so no opinions yet.

Sun Warrior A book told from multiple POVs Picking up from the library tonight.

I think sickness has flowed directly into extreme allergies for both my daughter and me! Disappointing, but at least I’m feeling well enough to tackle some Beat Saber tonight! (My current FAVORITE form of exercise!)

Finished

The Visible Filth- A book becoming a movie in 2019 - Ooh, this gave me the shivers! A bartender in New Orleans breaks up a fight and winds up with a phone someone left behind. Before he can try to return it, he notices a couple texts come in. He has a choice whether to avert his eyes, or try to respond . . . I don’t want to say much more. Just that I loved this even though the bartender is a selfish jerk (or maybe because he is - seeing someone kind and generous go through this would be too rough!)

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - A book told from multiple POVs - I can’t deny that this drew me in - I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. However, the author is clearly new and makes lots of grammatical mistakes that are minor but annoying. A lot of his metaphors land with a dull thud as well. So that reduced my enjoyment. Also the gratuitous fat-phobia and subtle but pervasive sexism (thanks Nadine - didn’t really register with me until I read your review, but is so true!) detracted. Add in the fact that the frame tale or ultimate explanation crumbles under the slightest logical probing, and this would up with a 3-star rating from me that I felt was generous.

Still, I would read more from this author if there are indications he can learn from his mistakes. The complex plotting and inventive mashup of genres were worthy of praise.


Currently Reading

Ghost Stories: Collected with a Particular View to Counteract the Vulgar Belief in Ghosts and Apparitions- Two books that share the same title -Found this using the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. There’s TONS of collections called “Ghost Stories,� so good for this prompt. I found the subtitle hilarious and endearing, and the stories are amusing if insubstantial. They might get old by the time I get to the end, but this is definitely worth sampling from some fun Scooby-Doo style “ghosts�

My other book by this name will be Ghost Stories: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense, an anthology edited in part by Leslie Klinger, who I like a lot - it’s coming out in a couple weeks, so perfect timing!

QOTW

I’m really enjoying American Gods - a novel that was born to be adapted into a long-form series.

Park Chan-wook’s adaptation of Fingersmith (The Handmaiden) is amazing - gorgeous to look at, emotionally compelling, and captures the squicky elements perfectly.

I think Crazy Rich Asians took a vastly overlong, boring book and perfectly gathered all the funny, romantic, and charming elements to create a much stronger story. And the visuals and music added SO much.

I haven’t read A Simple Favor, but I can’t imagine it being any better than it is when acted out by Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. What a wickedly funny, preposterous, melodramatic ride!

Oh, and I can't wait for Wounds (based on the aforementioned Visible Filth) and GOOD OMENS!!!!! I saw the trailer and I'm already ded. It looks perfect.

Greetings from the Top End.
Town is super busy as people are coming in under mass evacuations from the expected path of Cyclone Trevor. He's a big un Cat 4 so all the towns in his path are being fully evacuated by government. Hopefully the predictions are right and he doesn't hit the city where all the evacuees are camping. Expecting a weekend of wild weather all over the Top End. At least the garden should be well watered.

This week my reading has been pathetic as I have been unable to focus worrying about that errant friend. Not sure why this week has been so bad, just wish I knew if he was OK.

Only read 1 book:
This Is Where It Ends which I have used for ATY because I misread the PS prompt. Oh well, it was worth the read and kept me occupied over the weekend.

Currently reading a whole heap of stuff because I can't seem to focus on any of them. About to start The Poisonwood Bible for my FTF book club and see if that hooks me more. Have been meaning to read it for years so I'm glad it was picked. Any ideas for prompts it may fit welcome (family is already done).

QOTW
Waited on each installment of the novella series that the Green Mile was originally published as and loved every bit of it. Went to see the movie with 2 South African rugby players and we all sat and blubbed like babies. Love the book (novellas) and love the movie just as much. Michael Clarke Duncan as Coffey was a large part of that and I can't imagine anyone else doing that role justice. So sad he has passed, what a loss of talent.

The Bird Box movie was OK but the book was better IMO. I would agree with Chandie that The 100 was good as a series or 4 too. 13 Reasons Why is super popular with my students too.

The Walking Dead surely has to have a mention since those Graphic Novels have become a TV series which most people I know (young and old) have watched at least at some stage. Seems to have phased out a bit now though. Andrew Lincoln's accent is a bit dodgy at times but there is more than enough going on to forget that and his roles as Simon (Teachers) and Mark (Love Actually) just don't compare.

Happy Spring! I'm still 22/50 for the challenge, but I did read a couple of books this week (non-challenge).

Books Read:
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy - I randomly grabbed this from my library and it is really eye-opening (and terrifying). I highly recommend it.

The Walking Dead: The Heart's Desire by Robert Kirkman - I'm reading the first 6 or so volumes of the Walking Dead so that I can read the novels that were put out. I am a big fan of the TV series but this is my first attempt at the comics... leading to the

QOTW: The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman is a great screen adaptation - in fact, as it turns out, I like it much better than I am liking the comic series as it unfolds. In particular, the women are much better written and more involved on TV than on paper.

Other recent favorites of mine:
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury with Michael B Jordan - an epic screen version of this classic, Jordan makes a fascinating Montag.
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
It by Stephen King - even though I continue to be more scared by King's writing than his film adaptations, they are always spot-on
The Martian by Andy Weir - there were some big differences, but I was ok with it, honestly what they changed for the film worked better on screen than what was in the book would have
Paper Towns by John Green - I loved the movie, but I haven't read the book yet

Some of my all-time favorites have been:
The Lord of the Rings - I loved all 3 movies
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - I remember being visually stunned the first time I watched it, in theaters, on screen
The Hunger Games - the whole trilogy was among the best I've ever seen going from book to movie
Harry Potter - again the whole series was very true to the source material, and were instant favorites
The Godfather - I actually prefer the movie in this instance, it was so good

I finally got caught up on some reading this week! I'm a little behind my pace this month so hopefully can get a little more reading in this weekend although it's supposed to be beautiful here on Sunday so we shall see!

Finished:
Beautiful Bad I got this from NetGalley and didn't love it. All the back and forth between time periods was too much and made the story a lot longer than it needed to be. I gave it 3 stars.

An Anonymous Girl I really liked this book. It kept me guessing and interested which isn't always easy to do with psychological thrillers. I'm using it for prompt 21 - a book by two female authors and gave it 4 stars.

Five Feet Apart I got this on kindle and absolutely loved this book. I didn't want to put it down so finished it in two days. I'm using it for prompt 1 - a book becoming a movie in 2019 and gave it 5 stars. I hope to see the movie this weekend.

The Lying Game I just couldn't get into this book. It felt so drawn out, and there were times I just wanted it to end. I liked the Woman in Cabin 10 so much better than this one. I gave it 3 stars, and I'm using it for prompt 48 - Two books the share the same title.

Challenge Progress:
Regular Challenge - 16/40
Advanced Challenge - 2/10

Currently Reading:
No Exit I just started this last night so no opinion yet. I plan to use it for prompt 46 - a book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters.

The Mother-in-Law I have an advanced copy from NetGalley, and I'm looking forward to starting this one today. I don't think I'll be using it for a prompt.

The Hate U Give I will be starting this on my commute home this afternoon, and I'm using it for prompt 43 - an own voices book.

QOTW - Book-to-screen adaptations have a reputation for being truly horrendous. I know we all have our lists of worst adaptations, but that’s not what I want to talk about today. There have also been some truly spectacular adaptations in the last couple of years (Netflix, Hulu, etc). What are some of your favorite recent book-to-screen adaptations?

I actually saw the movie first then read the book, but I think that the movie Crazy Rich Asians was much better than the book. The book was long and drawn out, and the movie took the best parts and made them really fun to watch.

Good morning all! I haven't updated in a few weeks. Been very busy and I feel like I'm really far behind on my reading goals. Since the last update 2 weeks ago, I've finished 3 novels and 3 graphic novels. Total for the challenge is 21/50

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness for Includes a Wedding- 2 stars

Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman
A Game of You by Neil Gaiman
Both of these for ATY

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain 4 stars- Not for the challenge
Klaw: The First Cycle by Antoine Ozanam for ATY
Stardust by Neil Gaiman -4 stars- for Makes me Nostalgic. My husband made me watch the movie when we first moved in together.

QOTW:
My absolute favorite movies are the Lord of the Rings movies, so I'll have to go with those. I do love the books too, but this is one of the few instances where I think the movies are better. (Note: The Lord of the Rings movies do not include The Hobbit movies no matter how hard Gen Z or whatever we are on now tries to make that happen. The Hobbit movies are also enjoyable, but just not the same magic is there.)

Game of Thrones is probably my favorite book series and my favorite show. I like that the show starts to split off from the books around season 3 so some things were a surprise. Although, they could have made the show last an extra season if they hadn't left out so much from books 4 and 5. Now, of course, everything is a surprise because Jon Snow (view spoiler)[was still dead last time we saw him in the books (hide spoiler)].

I finished one book. 99 Percent Mine. I thought I was going to like this more than I did. I will give her work another chance because I really liked her first one. This one just fell flat for me and I really didn't like the main character. Filled my book published in 2019.

Currently listening to Confessions of a Murder Suspect. Its an ok book - its something to listen to during the commute to work. I think I'm going to use it for featuring an amateur detective because the young girl is trying to figure out her parents murder but its too early to tell if I'll stick with it in that category.

11/42 regular, 1/10 advanced, 2 non-challenge reads.

Sara wrote: "This is part of the reason I haven't picked The Handmaid's Tale back up. When I stopped watching I hadn't gotten to the end of the book plot yet, but as I see them releasing more seasons it has to be either that they are dragging it out waaaaaaaay too much OR they are adding in more story. Either way, I'm not sure I want to go down that road."

Season 2 of The Handmaid's Tale is a great story. But I kept asking myself, "Is this really The Handmaid's Tale?" (Spoiler tag is for the book's ending.) (view spoiler)[We never find out what happens to Offred after she's taken. That's a really powerful, meaningful, thematic ending. So all of this story about what happens after that, (hide spoiler)] in season two, while a really great story, feels like it's straying from the theme of the book.

Sara wrote: "Happy Spring to my fellow Northern Hemisphere residents! The weather is finally turning here. I wish I could open my windows and let the spring air in, but my daughter has seasonal allergies which ..."

Good to know that Firefly Lane and All the Light We Cannot See are being adapted to film! Both are favorites of mine! And I just read Rebecca last year and will read Pachinko for a book club meeting in May! Cool!

Happy Spring to those in the Northern Hemisphere! Only read (listened) to 2 books this week due to sickness and travel, but both were for the prompts, which brings me to 33/50.

Finished:
Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly (Read a book during the season it is set in)- This book takes place during Lent (March-April) which was a nice surprise because this was not planned for that prompt. I continue to highly enjoy this detective series set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and I love both the historical bits and the characters!

Bog Child (A book published posthumously)- Another book set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, this time during the 1981 hunger strikes which I'd actually heard of previously thanks to the above series! I found it interesting though the parallel stories (the bog child and the hunger strikes) didn't mesh together very well in my view.

Currently Reading:
The Black Lung Captain
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding
The Emerald Enigma

QOTW:
The most recent book-to-movie adaptation I enjoyed was Annihilation. I found the book a bit slow and confusing, but the movie made it easier to understand. That and I love me some Oscar Isaac, which is why I agreed to watch it with a friend!

Other less recent adaptations I've enjoyed are:
The Hunger Games
The Lord of the Rings
BBC's Sherlock
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian
The 2004 Frankenstein mini-series. This was super faithful to the book and was amazing!!! No one ever gets my poor Victor right, but this series did.

Hi all!

Missed check-in last week as my work got crazy busy and I hadn't finished any books that week so didn't really have much to say. I have also been in a bit of a slump for the past month or so but I finally think I am pulling out of it! I finished up 4 books this week.

I finally finished A People's History of the United States which is a hefty beast. This was harder than I thought it was going to be to get through but in hindsight...it's a history book. I've never tried to just read (or in this case listen) to a history book in one go before. There is only so much momentum I can maintain with that kind of topic even when it's covering something that I really care about. I'm still kind of proud I made it through, this is not my normal kind of book.

Next I finished Lady Chatterley's Lover which I've also been working on for a while. I should really just stick with the fact that I am not a fan of classics. I keep trying them and I'll struggle through but they just are not my jam.

I had picked up Mortal Engines on a whim as I'd seen the trailers for the movie a few months back and the premise sounded really cool. I mean, mobile cities which drive around consuming other cities sounds so awesome and it was! I loved that aspect of it. I just didn't care for the main characters until just about the end of the book. I do want to see the movie now to see how they have adapted it to film and think this could potentially be a good answer for today's QOTW.

And lastly, I finished off The Westing Game which is going to be for the prompt based around a puzzle or a game. I did figure out the puzzle given to the heirs (view spoiler)[ but definitely didn't get the main puzzle solved although I did suspect it a few times. (hide spoiler)] I wish I had read this as a kid. It was fun and fast paced and although it was confusing having so many characters they are all so different that it ended up being easy to remember who everyone was.

QOTW: This might be controversial considering all the changes that were made (including adding completely made-up characters and a romance plot-line which was entirely absent in the book) but I am a much bigger fan of the Hobbit and Lord of the Ring's movies than I am of the books. And I actually quite liked the books before the movies came out. I just think Peter Jackson did a great job making those books actually entertaining. I reread them once all of the movies were out and I could definitely see why he chose to make the changes that he did. My husband and I have a marathon of all the extended editions at least once a year.

Finished reading

A Girl Like That for a book about a family

Love From A to Z for a book with unusual chapter heading

Currently reading
A Room of One's Own with my local bookclub since it's a women's month

QOTW: My favorite has been The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I watched it last year and I think it's adaptation into movie was difficult and they did well

Happy belated Ostara/Mabon to my fellow Pagans,

@Sarah Do you happen to know who the translator was on your copy of Heidi? I read a free akindle version and there was no mention of the translator. I feel I would have enjoyed the book much more with a better translation.

Overall, a good reading week. I completed 4 books.

My totals are PS 14/50 RH 10/24. RW. 7/26 BTC 1/12

The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey for RW challenge promt #1 a mystery or thriller by a woman of color - This was a 4 star read for me. I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. I will read the next in the series.

Wild Embers: Poems of Rebellion, Fire and Beauty by Nikita Gill for RH challenge promt #24 a collection of poetey published since 2014 - Wow! 5 stars for me. I loved the language, the imagery the strength in these poems. Will be reading more of her books.

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom For Our Shared Shelf book club and RH prompt #18 book by a trans or non-binary author - I had mixed feelings about this book. I don't really like unreliable narrators. This is tild in the form of a fairytale and uses some of those themes. 3 stars

The Book of Dreams by Nina George for Netgalley - I just finished this last night and wow, what a ride. It's a story of a man in a coma and the places between awake and death. It's told from alternating POVs. We hear from He ri who while in the coma visits critical times in hsi lkfe and sees different possoble outcomes based on making different decisions at key points in jis life. We also hear from Sam, who is his son whom he has never met. Sam has a condition called synaesthesia a "neurological trait or condition that results in a joining or merging of senses that aren't normally connected. " So he sees emotions and numbers as colors. And lastly we have the POV of Eddy, a former lover who has spent the last two years trying to get over Henri and has fianlly moved on to another relationship. Only Henri has named her his health care power of attorney. The author creates this tremendous tension between these three characters. Eddie ans Sam waiting/hoping for Henri to return from the between while still trying to interact with their lives. Henri drifting inbetween awake and death, trying to find his way back. 4 stars and highly recommended.

Comkng up: I have a few biographies of women I'd like to read. Definitly We're Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union for my IRL book club.

QOTW

Generally I don't like movie adaptations. The farther between when I read the book and when I see the movie the better it is.

This week I finished Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, which took me a little time to get into, but then I really enjoyed it. I loved the weaving of a city's history and a woman's life in that city. It makes me want to write something similar that takes place where I live...

I also finished Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living, which was decent. Unfortunately Hoopla didn't show the label that it was a Christian book unless I scrolled way down on the description, so I missed that. While those Christian-specific sections didn't work for me, I was able to connect with other parts.

I got through this much-dreaded book for the "choose your own adventure" prompt. I could have spent more time looking for one that matched my interests, but I just wanted to get it over with, and this one was available on kindle through my library. I didn't rate My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel because it felt unfair to rate a book I had zero interest in. It lasted longer than I expected and was annoying that the main character saw every person she encountered as a potential sexual partner, but maybe some people enjoy these types of books?

I'm currently reading The Overstory, I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, and am about to finish Everyone Knows You Go Home for a book club event on Sunday where the author is joining us. :)

QOTW: Great question! I agree with the good adaptations of Crazy Rich Asians, Dumplin', Everything, Everything, Big Little Lies, etc. I had a hard time with the narration of the audiobook The Handmaid's Tale, so the show really brought it to life for me. I thought The Hate U Give film adaptation, wasn't 100% on, but still worth watching. I also remember really liking The Book Thief as a film, and I watched the movie The Giver before reading the book, and thought it was a bit stronger than the book. I also watched Bird Box first, and didn't think the book added much more to the story. I remember the book "Thirteen Reasons Why" didn't get to me as much as I expected, but the show really destroyed me. I found myself bawling in a fetal position at the end of both seasons of that show, and it took me about a week to recover. They clearly did a good job of showing the horrors of suicide, sexual assault, and teen violence that the book didn't paint as vividly for me.

This week I finished 4 books, 1 for this Challenge, so I am now 32/50.

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman - meh. Maybe I should give up on reading Hartman in future, I've become progressively less interested in her books.

Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman - actively disliked. I read this for the AtY "wedding (something blue)" prompt, but it also fills our "author with same first & last initials."

The School Among the Ruins - poems by Adrienne Rich - "luminous" would be a fair description. I read two books by Rich back to back, one from the beginning of her career and one close to end; it was very interesting to see how she changed and how she stayed the same.

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin - wow this series is crazy and I love it!! 5 stars!


QOTW

Tough one! I really like movies but I don't watch that many, so the number of movies I've seen that were based on books I've read is small.

I did really enjoy To All the Boys I've Loved Before (in fact I liked the movie more than the book), and I thought Lifetime did a good job with You (if series count), although the book was better.

I thought Annihilation was amazing - I can't believe they made a coherent movie out of that book, but they did, and they faithfully captured the weirdness of it.

I didnt even know that THUG had been made into a movie, let alone that it had been released already!! Apparently I live under a rock ...

Ellie wrote: "Carmen wrote: "Okay so unpopular opinion, but I thought the Bird Box movie was terrible. It made me appreciate the book a thousand times more...."

I do still prefer the book but I was expecting so..."

I legit watched it the day after I finished the book and I was like 'they changed everything. why.'

Jen wrote: "Greetings from the Top End.
Town is super busy as people are coming in under mass evacuations from the expected path of Cyclone Trevor. He's a big un Cat 4 so all the towns in his path are being fu..."

Ohyes, The Green Mile is wonderfully done! I love that movie. I always sob.

I don't watch The Walking Dead (I meant to, but I realized I can't handle the noises the zombies/walkers make. Autism is fun.) but my mom does, and loads of friends, and I've heard that this season is loads better than the last few!

I just can't seem to find time to read like I'd want. I did read one for the prompt a book that's published in 2019 The Murder Pit by Mick Finlay. He's the antithesis of Sherlock Holmes (who he rails against in the novel). I'll be honest, I had to read this one for review having won it from GR. If I hadn't I would never have finished it. I found it dismal.


QOTW Hmm recent? I don't watch a ton of movies. I mean I liked the Harry Potter and LoTR adaptations but recently? Well there was The Passage on TV that was enjoyable but I can't tell you if it was a good adaptation of The Passage by Justin Cronin since I've not read it (I'm betting not since I heard it was a prequel to the books but it was an interesting show)

There's Deadly Class based off the graphic novel Deadly Class #1 by Rick Remender but it's very violent and not going to be everyone's cup of tea


ETA - Actually The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs wasn't bad at all. In fact I think I liked the movie a hair better because the book is very eager to tell you how fat the young protagonist is and that's half the reason he has no friends. The movie bypasses that

Look at me being back and actually checking in!

I feel like the past week was a disaster reading wise, because I've just been so restless. Sitting down to actually read was just not happening. Then there was Ferb going on a coupling holiday after her divorce from Roger and her coming back with a new husband (Ezra) and a concert on Monday (Panic at the Disco!) and a shutdown on Tuesday night (why is eating such a necessity).. Soyeah. It's been a wild ride haha!

At least the sun's shining today! And Ezra has already made some binkies, so yay!

Read
A Christmas Carol on audio for a Ghost Story, and a Classic Novella for Back to the Classics. I listened to this in March. Yes. I have no regrets. I didn't want to wait until December to finish Popsugar and I needed a classic for this month to stay on track for BTTC. Besides, the underlying message is a message we need to/can be reminded of no matter what time of year it is. Really quite enjoyed it.

Never Mind on audio, for two word title (unplanned) and ATY author (unplanned). This was a lot. Poor Patrick. I will definitely read the next book, because this was mostly his father. I've got trigger warnings in my review.

See You in the Cosmos on audio for astronomy/astrology in both PS and ATY, unplanned. Would also work for unconventional chapters (they are recordings) and Asian author (Shanghai). Once I got used to the recording format, I really enjoyed this. I love Alex and will do whatever it takes to protect him. It also went a lot deeper and darker than I had expected.

This brings me to 21/50, 15/52 (ATY), 3/12(BTTC), 37/75 (GR)

Currently reading
The Orphanage of Gods, physical form. Not for a challenge (as of yet). This was Illumicrate's February book, and I tried to join the buddy read. I failed. I've only read the first 7 chapters/first part, and even that was finished after the buddy read was over. It's good, I enjoy it, but there are so many continuity mistakes. And close together too! It really pulls you out of the story. The next parts have different POVs so we'll see how it goes. When I can sit down and read.

The Princess and the Fangirl ebook, ARC, not for a challenge (as of yet). The ARC format is terrible- no breaks anywhere, but I am loving this story. Jess isn't my favorite, and it's predictable as fuck, but I don't mind. It's good and riddled with fandom references. When David Tennant was mentioned, with Daleks shouting EXTERMINATE, I literally squeed and my parents thought I had lost my mind haha! But as much as I am loving it, I can't sit down and continue. Damn my brain!

There There (can we talk about how there there doesn't show up if you search for it???) on audio for indigenous people. I'm not too sure yet, tbh, but the prologue was very intense and horrifying. I've only listened to like an hour yet, though, so there is still lots to go!

Traveling really messes up my reading schedule, but now I'm home so I can get back to reading. Yay! (However, I came home to find that FIVE of my holds at the library have come in! I really have my work cut out for me.)

Finished
Rush: Cliched, shallow characters... And don't even get me started on the ending. Really??? So many problematic things in this book. (A book set on a college or university campus)

Killing Adam: This was a really satisfying sci-fi (near future dystopian) thriller, and I think it would make a pretty great movie! Beann didn't waste time getting right into the story and kept the pace up throughout... If you like Daniel H. Wilson's novels (Amped, Robopocalypse), you'd probably enjoy this too. (A book I think should be turned into a movie)

Becoming: Loved it! I listened to the Audible version, and it was great listening to Michelle tell her own story. I miss the Obamas so much. (A book I meant to read in 2018)

I also listened to A Mind of Her Own and was underwhelmed.

Challenge Progress: 22/50

Currently Reading
Station Eleven
Another Day in the Death of America: A Chronicle of Ten Short Lives

QOTW
"The Shawshank Redemption" is a stellar adaptation of Stephen King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A Story from Different Seasons. I love this movie!

Cornerofmadness wrote: "I just can't seem to find time to read like I'd want. I did read one for the prompt a book that's published in 2019 The Murder Pit by Mick Finlay. He's the antithesis of Sherlock Ho..."

I agree about The Passage. I liked the show (despite my dislike of the actor that plays Wolgast), but most of that stuff was not covered in the books at all. I am curious about next season and how that will compare to the book.

Laura wrote: "Traveling really messes up my reading schedule, but now I'm home so I can get back to reading. Yay! (However, I came home to find that FIVE of my holds at the library have come in! I really have my..."

Oh Shawshank YES!

Hi all. I didn't managed to check in last week, but I hadn't read a lot, so here's a double.

I finished and enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, and I've swapped it into 25. Debut novel and moved The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle to 24. Single day, as I was stuck for any ideas for that one.

I also finally read The Diary of a Young Girl, which has been on my TBR for far too long, and works for 13. Published posthumously, as well as last week's ATY.

Running totals: Basic, 21/43; Advanced, 3/10.

Other than that, in the last couple of weeks I've got through a couple of books of Hawaiian Mythology for a project: Hawaiian Myths of Earth, Sea, and Sky, and
Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes .

I've also devoured a handful of cozy mysteries for a couple of other challenges, as I generally find them to be quick reading: It Happened One Knife,
Tightening the Threads,
The Fast and the Furriest,
The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café, and
Murder of a Sweet Old Lady.

I also read the play Betrayal, as I was going to see it on stage, but it only took about forty minutes (the run-time was 90mins, which came down to the timing and expressions on the part of the cast!).

Currently, I'm doing a reread of All the Weyrs of Pern, which works for this week's ATY.

QotW

I'll admit, a lot of the time I get disappointed in movie adaptations of books. I did like the LOTR ones, the Harry Potter ones were okay - great as films, but better if I didn't try to think of the source material.

On the other hand I though the Hobbit "trilogy" was just Peter Jackson being greedy (seriously, you can read the book in less time than it takes to watch the movies), and I'm really fed up of the final book in a series being split into two, to generate extra cash, which seems to be the case with every recent Young Adult adaptation

Same on the splitting up though! With both Breaking Dawn, Mockingjay and the Deathly Hallows the first part was just dreadfully boring.

We're on spring break in Rocky Point, Mexico this week, and I'm enjoying time with family and getting a lot of reading done, and eating a lot of shrimp and tacos.

27/50 challenge books completed

Finished
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day This is my book that takes place in a single day. It was a fun read about a dowdy governess who is sent to the wrong home for an interview and ends up really living it up for a day. It didn't blow my mind, but I did enjoy it.

The Brothers Lionheart I had never heard of this Swedish children's classic before until it was introduced to me in one of Fredrik Backman's books (I think it was My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry) and I became intrigued. I don't typically love fantasy novels or adventure stories, but this one also had a lot of heart and moved quickly and I really liked it. I was planning to use it for a book set in Scandinavia, but it actually takes place in a magical kingdom not on Earth, so that didn't work. But the author is a woman as is the translator, so I'm using it for a book by two female authors.

The Blue Castle This was only my second ever L.M. Montgomery book and I really loved it. It was actually kind of similar to Miss Pettigrew in that the main character, Valancy Stirling, was an "old maid" (at 29-years-old) and living a boring, miserable life, until something unexpected happens and she makes a decision to finally start living. It was funny and charming and beautifully written. I loved it.

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street This is the second in the Penderwick series. I read it with my 8-year-old daughter and we both enjoyed it.

Murder on the Orient Express This was my first beach read this week, and it was a perfect beach read. I just this year became a mystery reader, and I love how Agatha Christie keeps me guessing the whole time, but I'm always wrong. I love that.

Currently Reading
Where the Crawdads Sing (book you meant to read in 2018)
The Portable Dorothy Parker (book that makes you nostalgic)
Gift from the Sea
On the Come Up on audiobook

QOTW
I haven't watched many movies or shows in the last year, but I did watch and love the adaptations of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and Crazy Rich Asians.

Carmen wrote: "Same on the splitting up though! With both Breaking Dawn, Mockingjay and the Deathly Hallows the first part was just dreadfully boring."

They're just money-spinning filler - as if cinema ticket prices weren't already getting silly. They don't get far in the first half, so you really want to see the second, and double the revenue.

Karen wrote: "@Sarah Do you happen to know who the translator was on your copy of Heidi? I read a free akindle version and there was no mention of the translator. I feel I would have enjoyed the book much more with a better translation."

Actually I don't! I have three copies of the book in my house (one is a library book), and none of them list the translator. I did find that rather odd. I think between the three books I have two different translations.

Also, did you know that Heidi was actually published in two volumes originally? It seems like most of the modern printings include both volumes into one book, but the library book I have (I got because it's part of the "whole story" series) only included part 1. When I realized that last night I switched over to my B&N leatherbound edition to read the rest.

If your book ends with Heidi coming back to the mountain after her time in Frankfurt then you only have part 1. If your book includes Clara's visit to the mountain they you have both parts.

Happy Thursday! I got approximately 3 hours of sleep last night, so today is going to be long, since I feel exhausted. But at least I had a good reading week! I finished 3 books, and two of them counted for the challenge!

First was Tiny Pretty Things by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra, which was my book written by two female authors. I liked this a lot! It's described as "Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars" which is truly the most perfect description.

Next was Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity by Iliza Schlesinger, which didn't count for the challenge. I like Iliza's comedy a lot so the audiobook was really fun for me! But I think the print version would have been lackluster.

Finally, I finished 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne, which was a book published in 2019. It seems like this book has disappointed everyone, which is a shame because I really liked it! It was not match against The Hating Game, but I love that book so much it's not a fair comparison. But this book was a nice reminder of how much I like Thorne's writing.

QOTW: I definitely used to be self-righteous about book to movie adaptations, but I've since learned to be a lot more open minded since you have to take a piece of art and transform it into another medium. It's certainly a gift! I loved To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Pride and Prejudice (2005), The Hunger Games, and of course the Harry Potter films. Two adaptations that I think are leagues better than the book are Stardust by Neil Gaiman and the Princess Bride by William Goldman.

Brittany wrote: "Next I finished Lady Chatterley's Lover which I've also been working on for a while. I should really just stick with the fact that I am not a fan of classics. I keep trying them and I'll struggle through but they just are not my jam."

Ugh, I struggled through that one too. It just seemed pointless. I do read a fair number of classics, but there are a ton that I just can't get into. Maybe you'll find your niche someday!

Trish wrote: "Carmen wrote: "Same on the splitting up though! With both Breaking Dawn, Mockingjay and the Deathly Hallows the first part was just dreadfully boring."

They're just money-spinning filler - as if c..."

Movie tickets are currently �11 ($12.50) for a regular 2D movie, �12,50 ($14.20) for 3D, �15,50 ($17.60) for IMAX 3D, and �18 ($20.45) for 4DX 3D. I mean. I'm glad I have a subscription for �29,50 a month ($33.50), which has been raised due to the new 4DX theatres, because I can go as often as I want, without extra fees for the non-2D movies (my mom has a cheaper subscription and has to pay extra) and with huge discounts for special occasions and events. I need to go more often again, but I haven't had the time/energy. It's insane.

Happy almost-Friday! I've been getting back into a good reading routine this week now that work has calmed down a bit. I finished two books, which puts me at 12/50 for the PopSugar challenge. I've read 13 of the 18 Tournament of Books contenders (some I counted for PS, some I did not) and 24 books total for the year.

Finished

Washington Black - I liked this but didn't love it. I read it for ToB.

Circe - An entertaining, mostly light read that dabbles in some meatier topics. For prompt #12, a book inspired by mythology.

Currently reading

How Long 'til Black Future Month? - For the prompt of a question in the title. I've only read the author's introduction and the first three stories so far, but I am loving it.

Question of the Week

I find good adaptations often deviate sharply from the book, which makes sense to me because they are different mediums and we can't expect them to do the same things. I think adaptations of Philip K. Dick books are a prime example (Blade Runner, Total Recall, The Man in the High Castle).

I've enjoyed a lot of the adaptations others mentioned - Handmaid's Tale, Bird Box, American Gods. I also liked the Hulu miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's 11.22.63.

I didn't finish any books this week as I am doing a bit of a clean up after War and Peace before I start choosing new books for the challenge. So I'll just answer the QOTW.

I'm so glad that many adaptations are going the mini-series route rather than the film route as it allows so much more of the plot to be kept intact.

Adaptations I love
A Game of Thrones - A least at the start. The more thy diverged from the plot the less plotted the series has been and it shows what makes George R.R. Martin such a great author to be able to create and keep on top of such a vast world

Les Misérables - The recent BBC adaptation was fantastic. Now that I've finished War and Peace I'm going to seek out the mini-series by the same director (Andrew Davies) because he did such a wonderful job

Anne of Green Gables (Anne with an E) - This series really captured the emotional highs and lows of the book although I was a bit disappointed that they felt the need to add more 'action' but I suppose that's to be expected

American Gods - I really enjoyed season 1. I've not seen season 2 yet but I'm interested to see where it goes as there's really not much book plot left to adapt.

Fingersmith - The Handmaiden. This one is a bit different. It's a Korean/Japanese adaptation that changes the setting of a book to a different place and time (from Victorian London to 1930s Korea) while maintaining the tension and twists and turns from the original novel. I highly recommend.

Sharp Objects is an adaptation that I've not seen yet but I've heard good things about. Not sure if I will watch it as I know how it ends.

Future adaptations that I'm looking forward to
The Goldfinch - Film
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch - TV series. I already loved this book and to see that the adaptation will star David Tenant and Martin Sheen. Yes please!