Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2019 Weekly Checkins
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Week 18: 4/26 � 5/2
I finished Firestarter as my book featuring someone with a superpower. I really liked it. I had to buy it because my library didn't have it, but it was well worth it.I have started Horse Heaven as my book with an astrological term in the title. I was wondering if Heaven would count, but then realized Horse is one of the Chinese astrological symbols. I do feel that maybe I am violating the spirit of the prompt.
QOTW: Once I found someone's driver's license. I figured he was reading while waiting at the DMV to renew his. I turned it it in at the front desk. In the book I just took out, there was one of those loyalty cards from the local bagel sandwich shop. It has 7 punches in it and 10 gets you a free sandwich. Wondering if I should turn that in. Probably, but it will have to wait until I go back. Other than that, nothing weird. Just bookmarks or grocery lists, etc.
I am at 50/50 for the challenge. I FINISHED!52 books for the year. I have a huge backlog of books that didn’t fit the challenges to read, and I’m going to try to fill in past challenges as I work my way through my backlog. 2019 was my first year completing the challenge, so I have my work cut out for me, but I’m going to stick to reading whatever I want to for a while and seeing if any of them fit (most seem pretty easy to apply to multiple old prompts).
This week I finished:
The Martian � A book set in space. This one ended up being better than I expected.
The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row � A book with an astrological word in the title. This book had me in tears, and I am not a big crier, so I’ll just say it was really special and leave it at that.
Verity � I wanted to love this book as much as everyone else. I saved it as my reward for finishing the challenge. I was very disappointed. I thought it was needlessly gross and that the author ruined a good thing with the ending. I won’t spoil it, but it felt super contrived and not at all in line with the rest of the book. I like a huge twist as much as the next, but only if it ends up fitting the story.
The Scholarship Boy � I got this as a giveaway from ŷ. It was poorly written, but really short. I wouldn’t have finished it otherwise.
Currently Reading:
The Night Olivia Fell � I’m just starting this one, so I don’t have an opinion yet.
Question of the week:
Have you ever found something unusual tucked inside a library book?
Generally just miscellaneous, unidentifiable stains that make me unsure that I want to touch it.
Sara, I used to live in Savannah and I miss it so much. I am glad you found it to be beautiful. The kiddos and I have plans to go back and visit, but it will probably be a couple of years.This week was not a great reading week for me. I had to get a few library books done, and since they were for my youth reading committee I wasn't very invested- so they took longer to read. This week I read:
The Season of Styx Malone- a 16-year-old boy teaches a couple of younger boys about the elevator trade. It was OK.
The Unteachables- Gordon Korman usually does a really good job, and this one is no exception. I did feel like it got a little bit long at the end.
Fadeaway- a freshman in high school is dealing with the grief of losing her best friend (the friend died). It was a good book for grief- I just wasn't in the right state of mind to really appreciate it.
The Breakaways- a graphic novel with clunky writing that didn't flow very well.
QOTW: Mostly the things I find in library books are pretty normal: lists, bookmarks, hair (which totally grosses me out). Twice in the last six months I have found library books absolutely saturated with cat hair, yuck.
Happy Reading!
Happy Thursday! I love that it is May now � more natural light for reading!Congrats Mary! That was fast!
27/50
Completed:
50.) Sister Eve and the Blue Nun from the e Library, but that’s only because the library closed early for the Easter holiday due to tornado warnings. I wish I had stuck to my plans and read a Father Dowling, since this was not good.
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner is also a Hoopla loan since the library was slow delivering The Witch Elm. We follow two women suffering from tragedies � Taryn, who lost her husband on 9/11, as she rushed to meet him for breakfast at Windows on the World to tell him she was pregnant, and Clara, a nurse on Ellis Island, mourning the loss of a sort-of beau (they were getting ready for their first date) when he perished in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The tone of the book appeared immature, but I enjoyed the message of the book. Mourning the dream instead of living the reality.
38.)Burial Rites by Hannah Kent follows the speculated life of Agnes who was the last person put to death in Iceland.
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho � catchy title, eh? Outstanding book on sanity and trueness to self. I needed a book set in Slovenia for my European reads this year and I have to say that this is a contender for top 5 books read in 2019 for me! Whispering City and Orhan’s Inheritance are in that running too.
Leaving Lavender Tides would probably better if I read the book before it. I need a book for another challenge with a color in the title.
In Progress:
6.) The Witch Elm by Tana French. It finally, finally, finally arrived from the library! It seems to be a bit slow in some places though...
Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist by MC Beaton is going to lighten things up a bit after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, 9/11, the death penalty in 1820s Iceland, Tana French, and attempted Slovenian suicides. Plus this will help out my European reads by taking me to sunny Cyprus.
QOTW Things found in a library book
Well, I almost entirely read library books. Fortunately, I haven’t found anything disgusting! The most interesting item was a bookmark designed by a small child for their grandma that incorporated a photo of the child. I made sure I brought that book and bookmark into the library (no book drop) and even though it was an interlibrary loan, the librarians at the two libraries were able to get the book mark back to the grandma.
It also bodes to some eavesdropping from yesterday. My job is in small government, so I do get sent to libraries periodically. The library I was at was having a staff discussion about throwing out a children’s book. Their rule of them is would you (the librarian) read this in bed knowing that the stain/crumbs/removed nastiness had been in the book. Love that policy!
I had a good reading week. I’ve made it to 54/56 books for Popsugar but it will be late September before I can finish it up. I have 2 books left for the prompt: read a book in the season it’s set (I’m reading one for each season) so I have summer and fall left. I’ll spend my time working through the ATY challenge and on past Popsugar challenges (this is my first). I do have 16 read for 2015 and 2 for each of the prior years from books I’ve read this year that haven’t worked for this years challenge. No pressure- I’ll see how far I get. This week I finished:
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business for the non-fiction growth challenge
The Trouble With Vampires for the prompt of a book about a family.
The Graveyard Book for a book being read in a movie or TV show (OITNB). I was originally going to use it for the ghost story prompt but realized it fit this one and I’d been struggling with this prompt.
ǰǰö for the prompt of a ghost story. I have to say I went into this book not expecting much and it was excellent. Probably my favorite from the week and one of my top 2 for the month of April.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking for the nonfiction growth challenge.
I am currently reading:
George for Readharder and for Ps 2015 a book you can finish in a day (should be able to do this).
Beartown for ATY and PS 2015 book originally written in a different language.
Wait, What?: And Life's Other Essential Questions for the nonfiction growth challenge.
QOTW- currently the only books I check out of the library are ebooks or audio books so hard to find something odd. I used to check out physical books but that got expensive so I stopped! (Late fees, lost books etc). I don’t remember ever finding anything odd when I was still checking out physical books.
Anne wrote: "Sara, I used to live in Savannah and I miss it so much. I am glad you found it to be beautiful. The kiddos and I have plans to go back and visit, but it will probably be a couple of years."Anne, I cannot say enough good things about my brief adventure in that city. We parked near the city market, walked down to River Street, shopped, ate dinner on a balcony (Tubby's) overlooking the river, walked all along the historic streets back up to Forsyth Park. We walked a total of 8 miles in and around the historic area in just one evening! And the weather was absolute perfection. I'm glad my first visit there wasn't in the summer heat or I might not have wanted to return!
Woo I'm half way through ATY (and very nearly half way with Popsugar). I've decided to dedicate May to getting through a bunch of NetGalleys so I don't think many of them will fit my remaining prompts.Finished:
The Happy Brain: The Science of Where Happiness Comes From, and Why for ATY (STEM): very fascinating popular science book about what makes us happy (from a biological sense).
Trail of Lightning for ATY (indigenous people): the plot was a pretty standard urban fantasy plot, but it's good to add more voices to the genre.
The Incredible True Story of the Making of the Eve of Destruction for ATY (two connected books): I wanted to like this so much but it had pacing issues, the serious stuff was rushed so it felt flippant and the official blurb has a spoiler in it. If something happens with less than 100 pages to go, don't put it in the book description! I was waiting for the thing to happen for the whole book and confused why it was lingering on normal life stuff.
The House of Binding Thorns for my potions O.W.L. Ahhh I love this series and can't wait for book three after having the first book unread for years.
Just started listening to The Flatshare and reading Wakenhyrst.
PS: 24/52 | ATY: 26/52 | 51/100
QOTW:
I'm not much of a library user these days other than digital audiobooks. In second hand books it's usually receipts (which can be interesting). I do get books from publishers with things hidden in the pages. I started reading one book last month and some creepy tarot cards fell out that I hadn't noticed.
34/50Finished:
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers for a book with a question in the title.
The Little Selkie by K.M. Shea for a retelling of a classic (Retelling of The Little Mermaid).
No Place Like Home by Morris Fenris for two books that share the same title #2.
Currently reading:
The Star of Kazan
QOTW:
Mostly stains, hair and also dead insects and food stuck to the pages.
Good morning! Between "Game of Thrones" and "Avengers: Endgame" I'm surprised I actually got any reading done this week.Challenge Progress: 29/50
Completed:
On the Come Up: I hope that many, many young people read this book. Rap, social justice, and having your own voice... Bri is such as strong character! "On the Come Up" is filled with positive messages, and it also offers a glimpse into a harsh life that many people never experience and can only hope to understand.
The Everything Guide to Intermittent Fasting: Features 5:2, 16/8, and Weekly 24-Hour Fast Plans: I used to be thin. Like, really thin. Skinny. What changed? My job. I taught high school for 25 years, inadvertently following a 16/8 fasting plan. I left 8 years ago and gained 50 pounds. Boyers' guide was just the kickstart I needed to rethink my eating habits. Lots of good, helpful information in the first 100 pages... the rest was recipes (that I'm not really interested in).
Sounds Like Titanic: Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman spent four years traveling around the country with an ensemble as a violinist... But it wasn't live. Each performance was done in front of dead mics while a CD was amplified throughout the venue. "Milli Violini," as Hindman puts it. Yet this is not an expose of The Composer and his ensemble. It's bigger than that. It's about fakery - fake performances, wars based on fake information, the falsity of reality television and social media - and its pervasive hold on American society. Well worth a read. (a book written by a musician)
Currently Reading: "Salty Dog" by Shayne Silvers and Cameron O'Connell (a book that contains "salty," "sweet," "bitter," or "spicy" in the title), How Long 'til Black Future Month? (a book with a question in the title), The Guineveres (a book that takes place in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent)
QOTW: No, I haven't ever found anything interesting/disgusting/surprising in a library book. However, my son (Seth) has occasionally checked out books with torn pages that have been reassembled in the wrong order. I always bring those directly back to the desk, so the staff knows about the condition of the book. (Seth is 26, and he has low-functioning autism. He loves to read picture books and checks many of the same ones out of the library over and over!)
Mod
AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Heritage Month snuck up on me, I have no books lined up to read!! I am currently reading Zen Cho but she's British, not American, so she doesn't really "count." Is anyone doing any dedicated reading for this?
I read 3 books this week, none for the Challenge, so I remain 36/50
Golden State by Ben H. Winters - I really enjoyed this odd near-future 1984-esque dystopian.
Wade in the Water: Poems by Tracy K. Smith - fantastic collection of poems by the US Poet Laureate.
Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers - I was hoping to use this for "set in a convent," but, alas, the characters are nuns (well, assassin nuns serving the God of Death), but they are not in a convent. The ending was a total non-ending, so I'm very annoyed with this book. If you're planning to read this, I suggest you wait until the next book is published so you can read them together.
QOTW
Nope! Almost all the books I read are library books, and I've never found anything more interesting than a bookmark or library receipt.
I feel like I finally got back in the groove with my reading this week. I didn't get in the full 25 hours of reading for the 25inFive readathon, but it did get me remembering to fit reading into the odd bits of my day whenever I could. Finished Reading:
Spy School Fun premise, but the book didn't grab me for some reason. I did recommend it to my 8 year old niece.
Morning Star I finished the Red Rising trilogy! I decided to hold off on the starting the second trilogy until the third one is out or almost out so I can more or less binge read that one too.
The Bridge I was in the mood for this childhood favorite, and it was still good. Not what I planned to use for 'reread of a favorite', but it works.
Tomorrow Will Be Better: A True Story of Love and One Family's Triumph over the Horrors of World War II Finally finished this one! It has some harsh parts because of war stuff and Russian soldiers, but if you can handle that and like history at all, I recommend this one. Getting WWII from a Czechoslovakian perspective was interesting, and they also did a bit of world travelling after that to escape the Communist takeover after the Nazis left.
Winnie-the-Pooh I didn't think I'd read the whole original book as a child, but almost everything in it was familiar, down the wording in most places. A charming book, and I think I liked it even better as an adult. (I was unreasonably traumatized by Eyore's birthday balloon breaking as a child...)
The Princess Diarist
This was okay--I listened to the audio book because I couldn't get to sleep a couple nights ago and this one was available for immediate checkout on the library app. I liked some of the perspective on Star Wars as it was being made, but while I respect the reasons she gave for sharing her story about her and Harrison Ford, I really don't know that it made my life better in any way to hear all about it.
Currently Reading (finally down to a reasonable number!):
The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time I'm still in the early 'look how important sleep is' part of this book, and while there are some interesting facts, part of my brain is just like, "Yes, that's why I was reading this book. Get to the helpful parts.".
Peter Pan and Wendy My first reaction was that this book was freaky weird (as I've heard mentioned before), but it is kind of growing on me. The best I can explain is that Peter Pan is pretty much the quintessential child, the best of the best parts of children and the worst of the worst parts of children. Not sure yet how to rate it overall, or exactly where the author was trying to go with that. Going to use for 'inspired a common phrase or idiom'.
Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life I decided this was a book best digested in small chunks. The few chapters I've read so far seem very good.
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York Another spontaneous library audio book. I always enjoy a good forensic science book.
DNF:
Three Bags Full Eventually realized that I hated the humans more and more the more I found out about them, and only cared about a couple of the sheep characters. I skipped to the end to find out the murderer and am glad I didn't read the whole book to get to that resolution.
QOTW:
Just the usual receipts, bookmarks and food stains, I think. I remember being intrigued by one library receipt I found in my early teens--it had a book on grief (something like Learning to Fly with Broken Wings), a book on starting your own craft business (the one I found the receipt in), and a kid's book or DVD. It made me so sad for this person I would never meet.
Laura wrote: "Good morning! Between "Game of Thrones" and "Avengers: Endgame" I'm surprised I actually got any reading done this week.Challenge Progress: 29/50
Completed:
On the Come Up: I hop..."
Dr. Kellyann's Bone Broth Diet: Lose Up to 15 Pounds, 4 Inches--and Your Wrinkles!--in Just 21 Days (or more specifically the book about the 10 day version of this diet) got me looking into intermittent fasting recently too!
I thought this article was *really* helpful, as most resources don't tell you anything about women react differently from men to any kind of health/medication/diet practices: Though if you've accidentally already done intermittent fasting, you probably don't need to ease into it like I do.
Hello from Idaho!So our library’s having a book sale this week. And despite the fact that I work at this library and thus have unlimited access to a wide range of books, I walked out with a bag of books. Because I have NO self-control at book sales or book stores� I even have a shelf on ŷ named that! (Though in real life only half those books are on a shelf � the rest are stacked up by my bed because I have no more room�)
Books read this week:
Between Mountain and Sea: Paradisi Chronicles � a Kindle sci-fi freebie, but surprisingly good. Apparently this is part of a “shared universe� that a lot of authors play in, and it makes me curious about checking out more in this literary universe. I just wish the main character’s family hadn’t been so transparently antagonistic�
The Princess and the Fangirl � sequel to Geekerella, and a retelling of The Prince and the Pauper that takes place at a sci-fi convention (so could fill in for the “retelling of a classic� prompt. VERY cute and a lot of fun, with an eye-opening look at fandom in the wake of some of the recent controversies in the Star Wars fandom (namely, the toxic fans chasing some of the actors off social media).
The Last Time I Lied � could work for “book involving a game,� as the game Two Truths and a Lie is featured throughout. I LOVED Riley Sager’s previous book, Final Girls, and this one was just as good and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. So many twists�
All the Blue-Eyed Angels � could work for “multiple character POVs� or “amateur detective.� Intriguing mystery story, though does leave some loose threads hanging.
Sshhhh! � graphic novel. I’m a big fan of the graphic-novelist Jason, and this short-story collection is absurd but oddly charming.
DNFed The Department of Sensitive Crimes, Far Far Away, and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. Why is it easier for me to DNF an e-book than it is a physical book?
Currently Reading:
Zoo Nebraska: The Dismantling of an American Dream
The Opposite of Everything
The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop
QOTW:
Working at a library, you won't BELIEVE the things we find in books when we check them in! I've found the regular stuff like bookmarks and library receipts, but also regular shopping receipts, bills, family photos, letters, postcards, CDs, paper clips, Kleenex (ew!), and once even a birth certificate! The things people will use as bookmarks...
Not personally me, but my sister has four kids and once returned a library book without realizing her kids had shut a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into its pages. Whoops! She was mortified and ended up paying for the book...
Kenya wrote: "Hello from Idaho!Not personally me, but my sister has four kids and once returned a library book without realizing her kids had shut a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into its pages. Whoops! She was mortified and ended up paying for the book... ..."
How does that even happen? How thick was this book? I don't get near a book with anything messier than popcorn and I try to keep cups away, too, but I do have to drink while I'm reading.
Hello and happy day!I'm checking in for the last two weeks. My reading has decreased which is fine as it brings some balance to my life.
Read:
Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb not for challenge just wanted to touch base with this series.
Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn for PS prompt #41 read a cli-fi book. This was interesting. It was a mystery that takes place in a society that was built in the aftermath of an environmental disaster decades before. I found the principles of the society interesting and want to read more in this series.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik for PS prompt #12 book inspired by folklore. I enjoyed how the author took aspects of the Rumpelstiltken story and created a woman centered story. I also liked the empowering Jewish aspect. It felt a bit long.
Lady Susan by Jane Austen for BTC prompt #11 - a classic novella. I didn't realize this was an epistolary novele. Fun and funny.
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff for PS prompt #20 a book set in space and RH prompt #6 A book in space by an AOC. I really loved the format of this book and the storyline but the teen lovers had me cringing. I will probably pick up the next book so etime down the road and hope for the best.
That brings me to:
PS 27/55. RH 13/24. RW 12/26. BTC 4/12
QOTW
I just started getting library books again but no real storoes to tell.
Katy wrote: "Kenya wrote: "Hello from Idaho!Not personally me, but my sister has four kids and once returned a library book without realizing her kids had shut a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into its page..."
I used to live with my sister and her family when she had five kids, eight and under, and I can totally see how that would happen... :-)
I get the question about how thick the book was, that no one ever noticed it in the packing up process, but if the kids were just old enough to pack up their own books but still in that not noticing anything stage... I could see it.
And I love eating while reading, so I get that too. I'm better about using napkins that I was as a kid, at least. (I try really hard not to be that person leaving the gross food stains on the library books! But I also don't want to have put my book down if I get hungry.)
Finished: Northanger Abbey (Posthumous Novel)
It was okay but I wouldn't recommend.
Cinder (Clothing on cover - Shoe)
This I liked better. The world building was good.
A Place for Us (Book Recommended by Celebrity)
This book really tore my heart out at the end. (In a good way) It was hard getting through the first part because the author goes from one period to another without a clear delineation between the times. I would recommend.
DNF
The Winter People
Currently Reading:
Emma (Book read in a movie)
The Winter People (Two books with the same name)
The Star Wars Trilogy (Nostalgia)
QOTW
I found one of those fake dollar bills that have bible quotes similar to below:
I finished 10 books this week, hopefully I can sneak in another one today, and 1 fit a prompt I still needed. That puts me at 179/365 and 37/50 for Popsugar. I finished:
The Farm
Once & Future
Jane, Unlimited
Surprise Me
Bedding the Wrong Brother
My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel A choose-your-own-adventure book
Desperately Seeking Roommate
Space Boy Volume 2
Firelight
Shades of Magic Vol. 1: The Steel Prince
The Witch Boy
Never found anything weird in a library book, just typical things like grocery lists or the checkout receipt used as a bookmark
The terrifyingly long book slump continues. The only thing I've read is for the prompt A book you think should be turned into a movieBlyd and Pearce by Kim Fielding. It's an LGBT fantasy and I enjoyed it a lot. I usually do enjoy her work.
QOTW I haven't found much (other than disgusting smudges of god knows what one pages) but I did recently find a winning lottery scratch off ticket worth a dollar.
This week I finished four books, and I'm just five away from finishing the challenge. Telex from Cuba This was a bit of a letdown since I'm fascinated by all things Cuba and the revolution, but the story was difficult to connect with. On a sentence and paragraph level the writing was fine, but I couldn't really follow the story or characters beyond that. It just barely made it to 3 stars for me because there were some memorable sections and I love the subject...
Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? I'm pretty sure I read this nine years ago for grad school, and most of it was familiar. There were a few parts that stood out as adding another perspective to common political arguments though, which I found helpful. And it covers a pretty good range of theories/philosophies/arguments. 4 stars
Dreaming in Cuban This one about Cuba was much more enjoyable. I read it on kindle and highlighted a ton of passages of beautiful writing. I liked the brief discussion with the author at the end as well. 5 stars
The Shape of Water I saw the movie when it came out and thought it was interesting. It followed the book pretty closely and I was pleasantly surprised by how strong the writing was. There were a couple of parts I wasn't wild about, but overall it exceeded my expectations. 4 stars
It looks like I forgot to include I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends a couple of weeks ago since I was on vacation when I started and finished it. This was a little more about contracts and things outside of the actual show, but it brought up some good points about the series and was easy to listen to as an audio book before bed. 3 stars
Currently reading: This is How It Always Is on audio and The Funeral Party on kindle.
QOTW: Not a library book, but when I bought a used book from Half Price Books a few weeks ago someone's bank statement was in it. It was years old, but had their account number so I tore it up and threw it away at home. Hopefully that was the right thing to do to prevent someone from trying to use the information? I didn't think there was anything the store could do about it...
Hi All!Checking in from California today instead of my usual Texas. My husband and I are on vacation until Sunday. I finished up just 2 books this week and probably won't finish too many more until we get home. Will keep this one on the shorter side. :)
Warcross was first and it was entertaining but I did have issues with it in terms of how much information we got about how things work. Things were described in fairly generic terms so it felt more like the solutions and mechanisms for the game were done 'magically'. Like she is a hacker and she just 'moves some lines of code' and fixes big issues. You never really hear what the actual problem was nor how her fix worked. It kind of feels like we didn't know enough of the rules so the author could solve all the problems by just saying 'oh yeah this exists'. Would make a great anime though (I'm probably thinking that because it's mostly based in tokyo and is about a virtual reality game which is reminding me of .hack//sign).
And then I read Daisy Jones & The Six which was good. I enjoyed the format as it felt like reading the script from a documentary. I think if you are the type who really enjoys the back stories of bands this would be a great choice. I've already suggested it to my dad.
QOTW
I have only found one unusual thing in a book before and that was from earlier this year when I read My Sister, the Serial Killer. I got about 100 pages in and someone put a post it note at the end of a chapter that said 'OK, now it's getting stupid". I didn't agree with the sentiment but found the post it amusing.
Mary wrote: "I am at 50/50 for the challenge. I FINISHED!52 books for the year. I have a huge backlog of books that didn’t fit the challenges to read, and I’m going to try to fill in past challenges as I work ..."
Congrats!
Hello, everyone! I've been making slow, but steady progress on my current reads. I managed to sneak in a few short audiobooks so I have something to talk about in my check-in.Finished
A Mind of Her Own by Paula McLain (based on a true story). This is a short story about Marie Curie when she was a student and how she met Pierre Curie. It was okay.
Have a Nice Day by Billy Crystal (takes place in a single day). I put off this audiobook for so long, but it was very good. An angel of death tells the President he was one day left to live and follows him around to see how he spends his last day. It had humor and heart. It was a delight to listen to.
Reading
Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth. I feel like I've been reading this book forever. It's a good book, but it's dense historical fiction and takes a lot of concentration for me.
A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World by Tony Horwitz. Similarly, nonfiction takes me awhile to get through. I've been trying to carve out more time for this book, though.
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. I've started listening to part two of the audiobook.
QOTW
I'm a librarian so I see all kinds of interesting things. I think my favorite is the time we found a Twizzler in a book. From the way it was stuck into the book, we speculate it was being used as a bookmark.
Hey all! I had a slow reading week - just one (not very good) short story.Finished reading:
Mama Bruise - Read this because of the cover (doggo!). It was all over the place, in a bad way. It's partly a story about a marriage in decline, with a bunch of pontification about relationships. It's partly a story about the couple's dog, who develops supernatural powers! (Which are never really explained, although the wife has some wild theories.) Then, in the last couple paragraphs, it becomes a horror story. The end!I'm usually all for genre mashups, but this one doesn't work at all.
Currently reading:
The Gutter Prayer - Epic fantasy starring three thieves: a ghoul, a cursed Stone Man, and a runaway. Super creative world, but it feels unfocused so far - I'm 25% in and there's no clear villain/objective. I'm sure it's going to come together eventually, but right now the plot threads are only vaguely connected.
My favorite lead so far is the ghoul. I'm imagining this as a 2020 Popsugar prompt - "Read a book with an undead protagonist"
QotW: Nope. If I read more physical library books, I think it would be cool to leave stuff for later readers - things like bookmarks (I have a million bookmarks that I will never use) or post-its with commentary/doodles of the characters.
I read another for the challenge this week, bringing me to 26/50:Beka Lamb by Zee Edgell - for the prompt #ownvoices, written by a Belizean author who grew up in the time after WWII, about a girl growing up during that same time and struggling to break barriers.
QOTW: I can't think of anything outrageous, just the standard receipts, book marks, etc.
Lisa wrote: "I had a good reading week. I’ve made it to 54/56 books for Popsugar but it will be late September before I can finish it up. I have 2 books left for the prompt: read a book in the season it’s set (..."Hmmm...I had not thought of reading one for each season...and just read one set in spring that is not fitting any of the few categories I have left... I might do that too! I am reading one for each Asia, Africa, and South America.
Great job essentially finishing the challenge!
Katy wrote: "I have started Horse Heaven as my book with an astrological term in the title. I was wondering if Heaven would count, but then realized Horse is one of the Chinese astrological symbols. I do feel that maybe I am violating the spirit of the prompt."That's totally in the spirit of the prompt! Chinese astrology is just as valid as any kind of astrology. My mom is born in the year of the horse and my dad always makes jokes about it, heh.
(Also my brother and I have signs that are NATURAL ENEMIES (pig/snake), but actually we get along great.)
readQuackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen which is pretty much exacly how it sounded. Funny, horrific... the lot.
I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella pretty typical for her. Light, easy read, funny in parts. Aggravating in others. 3 stars.
The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace some of the poems here amused me, some resonated deeply with me, some nearly broke me. Loved it. Would recommend. 5 stars.
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle which just happened to be on my phone when I finished listening to quackery while still 20 minutes from home on my workout. But it is the first in a complete works narrated by Sherlock Holmes super fan Stephen Fry and his introduction was delightful as was his narration. Still problematic with the morman interlude in the middle, but Holmes and Watson's begining is always delightful and I will probably continue on to a sign of four next.. I will at least listen to Fry's introduction of it. I've read a lot of Sherlock Holmes but I'm not 100% sure I've read this one. So, why not have Stephen Fry read it to me?
currently reading
At what point do you admit that a book that has stalled on your currently reading list is never getting read?
QOTW
Nothing that I can remember but as much as I would never write in a library book despite writing in books I own... I do very much enjoy reading other peoples margin notes...
Brittany wrote: "Hi All!Checking in from California today instead of my usual Texas. My husband and I are on vacation until Sunday. I finished up just 2 books this week and probably won't finish too many more unt..."
The post-it note remark in that book reminds me of a note we found in a copy of one of the "Percy Jackson" books -- basically a message to the next person who read it that "I know this book ends on a cliffhanger, but please stick with the series!" It was kind of sweet and we ended up leaving it in when we shelved it.
FinishedDead Sea - A fun and very fast zombie story. I really liked the protagonist (very important for me when reading a book in first person), and I was impressed at how the author was able to build relationships between characters who had only known each other a few days. My favorite element was probably the vivid description, especially of gross zombie-related violence. It rode the line perfectly between just enough and too much. Read for the two books with the same title prompt. 3 stars.
My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel - Similar to the above, actually - fun and fast. I don't usually read het romance at all, so that was certainly a change for me. This was pretty funny, and I enjoyed going through and finding different endings. I probably got about ten different ones before calling it read. Overall, diverting, but not something I would reread. Read for the choose your own adventure prompt. 3 stars.
Total complete: 22/50
Currently Reading
Into the Drowning Deep
The Price of Salt
The Monster Baru Cormorant
QOTW
I seem to keep finding plane and bus tickets in my library books. It's interesting to see where they've been before they got to me!
Hi, everyone!In the last week, I read A Man Called Ove. I had to accept mascara/eyeliner stains all over my pillow case, but I loved it! Started reading Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert, and it's fantastic. I actually think I'll use it for my re-read prompt and read it twice this year. My husband and I are exploring a creative project together, and it is definitely helping me to keep going and get/stay in the right head space.
QOTW:
Only checked out a library book once, and there was nothing in it. There's a lot of highlighted bits in Big Magic, because I bought it used. I love the highlighted bits!
'Till next time!
Mary wrote: "I am at 50/50 for the challenge. I FINISHED!52 books for the year. I have a huge backlog of books that didn’t fit the challenges to read, and I’m going to try to fill in past challenges as I work ..."
Congratulations! That's an amazing accomplishment to get it done in 4 months!
Rainy dreary day in NY... Actually, dreary week. And stressful week with clients. Some blowing me off, some needing more time and energy than expected. You'd think it would all balance out, but not always... sigh. I did finish Bless Me, Ultima. I was underwhelmed with it. I'll probably use it for a book you saw someone reading, from the PBS Great American Read last summer.
I'm about halfway through Corelli's Mandolin, really liking it, wish I had more time to spend reading it.
Just this morning I started listening to Burial Rites
QOTW: I once found a receipt or pamphlet for a zoo from an overseas country. That was kinda cool. I once left a $10 winning scratch off lottery ticket in a book. I realized it the day after I had returned it and the librarian was able to get the book from their carts and the ticket was still in there.
Evening/Morning (2am here),It was my FTF book club tonight so I had a couple of beers and then came home fell asleep on the lounge and woke at 1am all perky. Work should be ace tomorrow/today. No sign of the errant one.
One of my ex-students made my week by sending me an email with a preview attachment of his first published scientific article (his parents don't read English) on Monday. The article was published Wednesday. So honoured that such an amazing young man still thinks of his old Biology teacher.
Also got a like from the author of one of the books I read last week (or the week before?) for the first time. I went and looked at the other reviews and some people had actually rated the book higher but didn't get a like. Perhaps they missed something that the author considered key to the point of the book, who knows?
Only finished 2 this week but they were biggies:
Dracul which I have been avoiding since December so glad to have finished it. OK but not a patch on the original. Used for #52 as Bram is telling the story from an abbey (Whitby) which I will be visiting shortly.
The Poisonwood Bible For my FTF book club and ATY indigenous people. Really hated most of the core family in this which made it hard to read. Also since it is a family going from America to Africa it is kinda the opposite to my own life story where I grew up troppo and went to "civilisation" at 19 for uni. Probably made me less tolerant of the characters. I also have a thing about the harm missionaries did in some of the places I lived so this book brought a lot of that up.
Currently reading 25 books but only because I have about as much focus as a cut snake ATM. Fell asleep cuddling Life As We Knew It so I'll go with that. Enjoying it so far.
QOTW
Nothing too surprising since our library is attached to a school in a rural area which has a farm and nature reserve. Leaves, spiders, ants, fur, food that sort of thing.
I got a lot more reading done this week, but I did pick some shorter books! My 2019 goal was to read 40 books because I read 41 last year. As of April 30th, I hit my goal of 40 books! Finished:
The Sugar Queen I read this for prompt #10 - a book with "pop", "sugar", or "challenge" in the title. I thought this was a cute story. It's kind of a fairy tale for adults.
The Dispatcher I had gotten this as one of my free Audible Originals. It was an interesting concept, but I think they could have developed it more. It seemed rushed. I'm not using this for the challenge.
Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure - I'm using this for prompt #42 - a "choose-your-own-adventure" book. This was fun. I didn't get to go through all of the possibilities, but plan to read a different adventure each night.
Lucky Suit I got this as a free Audible Original as well. I thought it was a cute love story, and I actually wish it was a little longer. I liked the characters so would like to see more about them.
Challenge Progress:
Regular Challenge - 24/40
Advanced Challenge - 5/10
Currently Reading:
The East End - currently not for the challenge
Sovereign - for prompt #20 - a book set in space
QOTW - Have you ever found something unusual tucked inside a library book?
I haven't found anything interesting in a library book yet.
Hi everyone! I feel like I read a lot this week, which makes me super happy! I'm at 38/50 now for the challenge I think (hard to tell for sure since I post here while I'm at work, and my tracking sheet is at home). I read:I Capture the Castle: a book recommended by a celebrity you admire. JK Rowling and Jenny Han both endorsed this, so that's enough celebrity for me to count it! I really enjoyed this book, I thought the sisters' relationship was so realistic.
How Long 'til Black Future Month?: a book with a question in the title. I liked most of the stories in this book! The ones I wasn't into by the third page I skipped, and have no qualms about that (life's too short). There are some REALLY great stories in here, and it's cool to see the story that later became Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy as well.
Heidi: a reread of an old fave. Maybe I had an abridged version when I was younger? This had way more "be patient and God will fix your problems" messaging than I remember.
Non-challenge books:
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg: shorter than I expected, and could have used a little more line editing for clarity, but I was happy to learn more about RBG and the Supreme Court.
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating: I got this recommendation from a past weekly check-in thread, and want to thank whoever it was! This was beautiful and I like snails even more now.
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows: on audio. The de Luces do Christmas AND a film crew arrives AND there's murder. Basically everything I love.
Currently reading:
Tortilla Flat
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
Caraval (audio)
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
QOTW: I've found library receipts in books of course, but I think the strangest thing I've found is a book itself. There was a super old copy of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I'm not sure what edition, but the title page said 1843! it was about the size of my hand and had a beautiful red cover with embossed gold designs, and the cover page listed a publisher that no longer exists. It had the original illustrations and weird mid-19th-century typesetting and punctuation. It was so strange to think that my tiny little branch library had a book printed in the 19th century available for anyone to check out. I really wonder how it got there since California wasn't even a state when it was printed. Anyway, it was a wild existential moment and I hope more people find the book in the stacks and think it's as cool as I do :)
Hello all! This week has been a bit slow for reading for me between a migraine and denser books in general. I did manage to read a few, but none for Popsugar so I'm still at 27/50. The Moor's Account - a little slow in parts and definitely outside of my general reading comfort zone, but overall enjoyed it!
A Very Large Expanse of Sea - this was a quick read, good YA but with deeper messages.
Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake - this was my audio book for the week and I enjoyed it.
Children of Blood and Bone - definitely my favorite of the week!
High Strung - my first read of May and a little disappointing - it would work for a book about a hobby as it has jewelry making at its core which is something I dabble in, but currently I'm using it for a different challenge
QOTW: Nothing too unusual, just library receipts. I did get a book recently where someone had left in tabs with notes on the themes of the story - likely from a school report due.
Good Afternoon,I can't believe it's Thursday already!
I didn't get too far this week.
Finished Reading:
My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel - for a "choose-your-own-adventure" book. I liked it. I went through a few of the different adventures and plan on going back through to the last one or two that I haven't done yet.
Currently Reading:
Where'd You Go, Bernadette - for a book with a question in the title. I'm around 70% done with it and am really enjoying it. The Branch/Fox family is really interesting. I can't wait to see how it all pans out in the end.
Authority - for a "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book. I just started this on audio last night. So far, it's fine. I'm not loving the narrator but I need a new book to listen to during my commute to and from work so I'll stick with it.
QOTW:
I've never found anything unusual in a library book but when I recently checked out and read Redshirts it was probably the dirtiest library books I have ever gotten. It was like the person had read it will eating Cheetos. There were cheesy smudges and fingerprints all in it.
I finally finished The Knife of Never Letting Go. I thought it was good. Made it to 67% and almost dumped it (view spoiler) So not sure I'll continue the series. Has anyone read the whole trilogy? Should I keep going??Also I read about 30% of Will Grayson, Will Grayson last night. I got the notification from the library that these two are going to be snatched back in a few days LOL. So I was rushing to get them done.
I have a brand new kindle fire that I'm still trying to get used to. I need to download the overdrive app so I can borrow more. Also, I have a new chrome book that I need to bookmark my libraries catalog on. I spilled coffee all over my Mac and my old kindle in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. OUch! had to replace everything. :-(
I am way behind on my yearly numbers, so It's time to read some graphics or YA or thrillers or my childrens books now haha. ( then I'll be behind again in a few weeks)
QOTW: Cant think of anything strange I've found in a library book ... yet. I've been using the ILL's a lot this year though so I'm sure something will show up soon.
Happy May! I'm at 29/50 and finished three books, two for the challenge this week.The Uninvited Guests - I used it for the ghost story prompt, although it is a bit of a spoiler to say so. This was my second 2 star book in a row. The first 2/3 of the book was ok, a family living in their old English estate planning a birthday party. Although I did question a lot of their behavior, the plot really went off the rails in the last third of the book. I don't recommend this one.
The Rosie Project - I decided I needed something lighthearted and everyone seems to like this one. I liked, but didn't love it. I loved The Kiss Quotient, and many recommended this as similar but this one just paled in comparison for me. Looking forward to the The Bride Test!
The Great Alone - used as the past year's prompt - a ŷ Choice Winner. I liked this one an awful lot and see why it is popular. Kristin Hannah writes really engaging books, but I also find her emotionally manipulative. For a lot of this book I was just waiting for something really awful to happen so we could get on with the rest of the book. But I did like it.
I like the QOTW! I haven't really found anything unusual, but keep those stories coming!
Hi everyone. Its cold and rainy here today. Luckily I have two holidays booked for this month so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a little sunshine.I didn't particularly like either of the books I finished this week. First was The House of the Spirits. I just do not get why this book is so highly rated. It was horrible.
I also finished Goblin Secrets. This wasn't horrible but it really missed the mark for me. There were some interesting ideas but it was all really underdeveloped. If the book had been twice as thick it might have gone into enough detail for it to not feel rushed.
Currently reading The Winter Witch. I am enjoying this but I'm halfway through and the characters have only just realised something I'd pieced together a couple of chapters in. Get it together fictional people!
Also reading To Kill a Kingdom. I've only started this one today so I haven't got an opinion on it just yet but I loooooooooooove the cover
QOTW: Nothing strange in a library book so far but I did get a random newspaper clipping taped to the inside jacket of a book I got from a charity shop. I've never figured out the significance of it.
Happy Thursday all!I got alot of good reading in this week. It's been quite a rainy week for us here in Chicago so it's been great to cuddle up with a book.
Finished:
Just Kids by Patti Smith for prompt #3, a book written by a musician.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman for prompt #12, a book inspired by mythology, legend or folklore.
Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld Curtis Sittenfeld for prompt #15, a retelling of a classic.
The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher for prompt #2, a book that makes you nostalgic.
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton for prompt #24, a book that takes place in a single day.
Currently Reading:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon for prompt #5, a book with at least 1 million ratings on ŷ.
Also, I want to read The Power by Naomi Alderman but not sure what prompt it would fit for. Anyone have any suggestions for that one?
QOTW: I can't remember ever finding anything significant in a library book. With this group I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I rarely visit the library. I purchase all my books.
Happy Thursday all! I read 5 books this week, 1 for the challenge which brings me to 42/50.Read:
Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith, Deluxe Edition Vol. 1- OK but it's hard to care when you know that Vader will be successful...
Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol. 3: The Burning Seas- OK but not anything special.
Compass South- This was a fun middle grade adventure graphic novel.
Weddings and Wasabi- This was a cute romance but not as good as its predecessors since it was too short to develop the romance as well.
Romeo Juliet Vampires (A retelling of a classic)- This was way better than it had any right to be, especially considering the cheezy cover. Who knew it would make so much sense to make the Capulets vampires and the Montagues vampire hunters?! Also the narrator was super good so there's that too.
Currently reading:
The Story of Ireland: A History of the Irish People
Inkheart
Pride and Prejudice
The Warded Man (overdue at the library, whoops! Sorry person waiting for it, but being a library worker does have its perks...)
QOTW: I've just found the normal things in my library books- food stains, dead insects, receipts, bills. Once I found a pressed flower.
Hi all! I've been thinking so much about last week's QOTW. It was totally on my mind while I was reading and figuring out what I liked/disliked about a book.I did pretty well reading wise this week. I've been struggling with insomnia and a cold this week, so I'm glad I was still able to get some reading done.
First was My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, which was my book written by an author from Africa, Asia, or South America. The author lives in Lagos, Nigeria. I really enjoyed this book and its dark tone. It was really short though, so I definitely wished for a little more, but all in all I was really satisfied with it.
sidenote, I really wish the prompt of authors from Africa, Asia, and South America was three distinct prompts!
Next I listened to a performance of The Tempest by William Shakespeare, which was my advanced prompt of a book coining an idiom or common phrase. Obviously Shakespeare invented a ton of language, but this play uses "in a pickle" and "brave new world" which became popularized with the Huxley book. This was fine! Honestly it feels like something is missing from this play. I saw a live performance back in January and I did really love the comedic scenes. So as usual, Shakespeare is better performed than read.
Next was Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst, which was my OWLs read for Astronomy, a book with 'star' in the title. I didn't love this which was so disappointing. I really enjoyed the romance and thought it was written beautifully. Otherwise the world and characters were so underdeveloped that I never felt really engaged or any tension. I would still consider reading another book by this author though!
Then was The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine, which was my OWLs read for Ancient Runes, a retelling. I believe it was one of the admins, I think Sara?, who mentioned this book in a check in, which is how I heard of it. I loved this, so I'm thrilled for the recommendation! I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings.
Lastly I read On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, which was my OWLs read for Herbology, a book with a plant on the cover. This was a reread for me, and I still love it just as much as the first time. This is one of my most favorite books!
Currently I'm trying to wrap up An Ember in the Ashes which is my last OWLs book for Transfiguration. Yes April is over now, buuuut I'm gonna count it anyway if I finish by Saturday.
QOTW I've never found anything interesting. But I remember back when it was really popular to leave little Nerdfighteria notes in John Green novels, so my friends and I have done that a bunch of times. We were in Cleveland for a concert (we all live in Pittsburgh) and ended up visiting their library and leaving notes there. Hope it made someone's day!
Hi all! How is it May already? This year is going too fast! I've had a couple of bad mental health days this week and I've been feeling a bit slumpy, but somehow I managed to finish three books. I'm now on 17/50 for the challenge.Finished:
The Tattooist of Auschwitz - I read this for a novel based on a true story. I had mixed feelings about this one. The story is so important and I felt for the characters, but I found it really difficult to connect with the writing. Maybe I just don't like books written in the present tense.
The Lost Words - I read this for a book with a plant on the cover. This is stunning! I would definitely recommend this to anyone with kids, anyone who likes nature or anyone who just likes beautiful books.
Genuine Fraud - I read this for a book with unusual chapter numbers. This was ok, but I found it quite predictable.
Currently reading:
My Family and Other Animals - I've just started this, but I can already tell I'm going to love it! I'm planning on using it for a book about a family.
QOTW:
I don't really use my library much anymore, but I don't remember finding anything unusual in library books back when I used to borrow books more often.
Another 7 books completed this week. Lots of short ones!The Time in Between - I loved this one. Great opening line, great writing (even the bits about fashion and dressmaking held my interest), great setting (Spain, Morocco and Portugal during the Spanish Civil War and World War II) and great plot (girls from, humble beginnings, gets badly treated after an ill-advised romantic liaison, has to pull herself up by her boot straps, ends up as confidant woman making her own choices - and there is espionage thrown into t he mix as well) 5 stars
Holy Lands - was a quirky, epistolary novel about a New York cardiologist who has moved to Israel to become a pig father. There are humorous letters between him and a rabbi and poignant letters between him and his family letters who are mostly estranged from each other ,dealing with divorce, illness, homosexuality among other things, but working their way back to each other.
Prep Well-written but frustrating novel focusing on Lee and her four years at a boarding school. Frustrating because she was so passive during the novel, didn't really grow or change at all. Yet she had to have been more of a go-getter once since she made all the running to attend boarding school despite her parents wishes.
Does My Head Look Big in This? looks at an Australian teen who makes the decision to wear the hijab full-time. Lots to like about this. The fact that wearing a hijab was protrayed as a decision not a forced requirement, that both the negatives and positives of that choice were highlighted, that the Muslim teens were portrayed as typical Australian teens, and that the Muslim community was depicted as diverse and varied, not a monolithic entity.
Convenience Store Woman. Looked at Keiko a single woman happy with her life as a part-time convenience store worker despite her friends and family wanting "more" for her and society expecting more of her. I felt she was autistic and found security in the store environment.
Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure I was hoping for a fun light read but the language felt too-dumbed down and many of the scenarios seemed ridiculous rather than fun. In fairness I only picked this because of the challenge and I couldn't find my first two picks. This one just wasn't for me.
Sugar: The World Corrupted: From Slavery to Obesity An interesting, informative read which looked at the human and environmental costs of sugar and taught me lots I didn't know about the links between politics and the sugar industry. Who knew that Coca Cola was considered so crucial to the troops that the military paid for bottling plants during WWII?
As at the end of April my stats for various reading challenges is
ATY 52/52
Popsugar 43/50
Modern Mrs Darcy 10/12
Reading Women 17/26
Read Harder 11/24
Back to the Classics 6/12
As for the QoTW I mostly read library books so I see a lot. Bookmarks and receipts are common as are food crumbs? Once I found a $5 note. In terms of disgusting what looked like a toenail and a pubic hair! But I didn't investigate too closely.
Leaving behind dreary rainy Wisconsin this weekend in favor of warm (possibly also rainy) Atlanta because my sister is getting married! Yay! This week I read three books:
The Highland Fling Murders: not very good; not enough mystery or sleuthing. Also, only one murder, not murderS.
Plaid and Plagiarism: also not very good. The plot was kind of weird, and the characters all kind of ran together for me.
Trish Trash #1: Rollergirl of Mars: it's a cool premise, but it just didn't deliver for me personally; the only reason I picked this up at all was because on April 30th I still needed a book for my Divination OWL. So picture me at the library looking at the graphic novels desperately trying to find one that was set in the future.
QOTW Opened up a book at the library once and a condom fell out. In the wrapper, thank god, but still.
Finally I remember to check-in or more like this week I will make the check.in before I read through the comments. I have been working so much that I get to read maybe the first 2 pages and then I don't have time for anymore and never get to the point where I actually make the weekly update of my own. I am currently at 31/50
Read several books for non-challenge and hit somewhat of a reading slump in my challenge reads. But got a bit better this week.
These are some of the books I read the last couple of weeks.
A book with a title that contains ”salty�, ”sweet�, ”bitter�, or ”spicy� Bittersweet
A book set in Scandinavia Ravnenes hvisken
A cli-fi (climate fiction) bookLegend: The Graphic Novel
Two books that share same title (book #1) Thief
A book that's published in 2019 Your Love Is Mine
For the romance readers Word hunt mainly:
Throttle Me
Hook Me
Resist Me
Throttled
Resisting: Men of Inked Novella
Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes
QOTW: I've only found bookmarks and receipts. Nothing special. Well, maybe the occasional boogers, dried on the pages, but I would hardly call them interesting ;-)
Howdy folks! I hope you have all had a better day than I have...office suite is getting a new phone system, including reception and voicemail. My independent phone lines are completely screwed up. I'm a lawyer - we cannot function without working phone lines! To say it is frustrating...Thank goodness I'm meeting a friend for drinks soon!
Now to books! only 2 finishes this time around, as my reading pace seems to have slowed to a crawl. I think it is because I'm still under the influence of Sunday nights GOT episode - in truth! 🤣
And I'm busy...
The Leopard - 5 star read - superb historical fiction based on the real life of the author's grandfather in Sicily during the time of the revolution that broke Sicily away from France and led to the ultimate formation of the Italy we know today. Read for posthumously published prompt. Fits others too like based on real events/person. It's a static character read, not an event-driven or plot-driven novel. Gorgeous though and with a great dry wit. The translation is exquisite - by Archibald Coquhoun.
April Lady - Part of a group read for another GR group, I was severely disappointed. It was a re-read for me but I had remembered nothing from reading it in my 20s, not even the couple of entertaining side characters nor the whole cockroach diversion (which was hilarious). I cannot recommend this Heyer, unfortunately. Not even for the cockroach diversion.
Currently reading:
The Library at the Edge of the World - due back at the library in a couple of days so need to finish it already.
The Lost Love Letters of Henri Fournier - also need to finish this one -- although I own it so no pressure.
Sense and Sensibility
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk - at this point, I am going to need to restart this one.
Status: 33/52 PS, 41/52 ATY, and 57/173 for GR Challenge. I'm way ahead on PS and ATY, on track for GR. I'm actually considering expanding PS to include reading one book for each season (4 for that prompt), and 1 for favorite prompt from each PS challenge (adds 3 more). I still think that means I'll finish up PS and ATY by end of June...which is absolutely unbelievable!
QOTW: Well other than really bad formatting and editing, my library books contain nothing of interest because they are all ebooks! 😂😂
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
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New month, new group read. The chosen book for May (book about a family) is This is How It Always Is. Discussion can be found here: May Discussion. Discussion is being led by Lauren. I read this book a few years ago and really loved it.
We still have one open discussion leader position - August reading of The Wife Between Us. If you are interested please message myself or Nadine. Thank you to all of our members who have volunteered to lead discussion over the past few years! We appreciate you!
On to the reading check-in!
I have been in a reading slump since I came back from vacation mid-month. I have picked up and started several books, but I haven’t been hooked by anything yet. I’m really hoping that May will be a better reading month for me.
Currently reading:
Camille: The Lady of the Camellias by Alexander Duma fil � for those that aren’t familiar with this book, you may know it better as the Greta Garbo/Robert Taylor movie that Daddy Warbucks and Annie go to see at the theatre in the movie “Annie�. They only show clips of it, but I was intrigued enough as a kid to track down what movie that was and to watch it. Interestingly enough, my copy of the book has several pages in the middle with photos from the various film adaptations including a 1984 tv movie with COLIN FIRTH as the male lead! Now I need to track down a copy to watch�
Dear Mrs. Bird - Several of my friends have talked about how much they loved this book. I managed to snag a copy from the library so I'm reading it on my kindle (with the wifi turned off) and enjoying it so far.
On hold:
The Current by Tim Johnston � I read the first couple of chapters and really want to continue, but the library copy I got smells like it was in a smoker’s house, and when I flipped one of the pages I found some nastiness that may or may not be cigarette ash in the crease. Ugh…I took it back to my library yesterday and requested that the transfer a copy from one of the other branches in the system.
Question of the week:
I had a different question selected, but my comments above about the condition of a library book just begs me to ask this question: Have you ever found something unusual tucked inside a library book? Could be something interesting or something disgusting (just google "things found in library books" if you dare).
I remember this was a QOTW several years ago, but with so many newer members I thought it a good chance to revisit. I think my cigarette ash book is the only thing I've really ever found. Mostly I find library receipts, scrap paper or the occasional bookmark.