Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Weekly Checkins
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Week 24: 6/5 - 6/11
We had a nasty storm tear through Ohio last night, so our power's been out since 9:15pm and unsure when it'll be back on - prayers for our freezer and my husband's blood pressure are greatly appreciated. [Update: Power came back on just before 8am! Yay!]In book news, I finished Wolf Hall yesterday and that's been it for the week. 3ish stars, I found it bland and it felt like a retread of most Tudor historicals I've read. No worries, I probably read it wrong ;)
Currently reading the same other three from last week, Black Leopard, Red Wolf, The Return of the King, and Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race along with Hild, a fascinating look at Dark Ages Britain.
I seem to have stalled on the PS challenge at 36/50, but I'm not too worried about it. So much to read, so little time.
QOTW: What was your last unputdownable book?
Oh gosh, probably Little Fires Everywhere and Court of Fives.
My internet died this morning and I have an important Zoom today and I was getting restless but here it is back up in pleanty of time.I read a huge amount last week and this week I felt like I read a lot but I only finished one thing, I think.
Complete
The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben. Harlan Coben to me is usually like popcorn. Really great while you are eating it an then sort of forgettable after (and I love popcorn!) this one wasn't as enjoyable while I was reading it but has stayed with me longer.
Currently Reading
Spindle's End by Robin McKinley. I've read some of her work previously but not this one. It was highly recommended a couple of weeks ago on the fairy tale QOTW and I'm pretty wrapped up int he world which I can't say has ever happened to me before with a Sleeping Beauty story. So far so good!
QOTW:
I've read a lot of good books this year but for the last one I couldn't put down and keep endlessly recommending to people:
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob which is a really great graphic memoir featuring many, many talks had by the author with many people over her whole life about race and culture and the american experience as a first generation american and more than that. It is smart and funny an sad and inspiring and I really recommend it to everybody.
Hi all, have a great time at the beach Sara! Very jealous!! We also have strong winds hereFinished
I've managed to finish 10 books this week which has got to be some kind of record for me. 2 of these for the challenge
Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors by Matt Parker - pun in the name - Really easy read explaining the funny (and sometimes horrific) consequences of basic maths mistakes in the real world
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater - made up language (the assault victim invents new languages for a hobby) - a book about a non-binary individual who was set on fire on a bus, the black man who committed the crime, and the consequences for both of them and their families. It had a strange style with very short chapters and wasn't particularly well written but I did like hearing more
Highlights of non-challenge books:
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane - beautiful book about a family, their mental health challenges and the echos down the generations of issues not addressed
The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz - the author has written himself into this detective story which was really different
Currently Reading
The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart by Margarita Montimore
Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver - I love reading fiction books about cults, pleased to have come across this one in my (online) library
The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh (not my thing but for a book club)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I've actually never read this before and am reading a couple of chapters a day which I think works really well for classics
QOTW
Ooooh some books just really suck you in don't they. I had to ration myself reading Ask Again, Yes this week. I also read How to Walk Away by Katherine Center (a reread) in one day
Hi everyone! I found out this week that I've developed anemia, and I feel weirdly vindicated, like, "Hey, I'm not just getting old or unable to face life or something - I have something that can be fixed!"But I'm still going to go to bed pretty early and read each night. :)
Finished
Nothing - my bookslut tendencies have taken over and I just keep adding more books that I'm reading, finishing none.
Currently Reading
In a Lonely Place - Reading "Sticks" made me eager to see what the rest of the stories have in store.
Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster - a horrible disaster, but I'm so fascinated. This tells the story really well, and if you liked the HBO show, I highly recommend this for filling in/expanding a lot that got condensed, modified, or left out of that dramatization!
The City in the Middle of the Night - Wow, this is incredibly inventive and has sucked me right in. Anders does my favorite thing - worldbuilding that she clearly worked hard on, but without any infodumps. The main character reflects on her world in the context of her knowledge about it, and you find out slowly that words may have very different meanings, her government/society may look very different from a different perspective, etc. I love it so far!
QOTW
Network Effect for sure! It's a mystery adventure in a series I love - of course I couldn't wait to see what happened next!
I finished the last of A Column of Fire, a book with a map.I'm now reading the Portable Medieval Reader, the World of the Middle Ages as my anthology. Not entirely sure whose stupid idea that was.
QOTW: I've read a lot of good books this year. I would say top 3 for being engaged and wanting to know what was going to happen would be: The Golem and the Jinni, The Map of Salt and Stars, and The Book Thief
This week feels like it's really dragging. I think because work is still really slow. We keep thinking things are going to start picking up and then they just don't. At least I have been enjoying my reading.I only finished one book this week, which was my BOTM pick for this month: One to Watch. I used it for the social media prompt, since the main character is famous on instagram and some of the story is told in tweets and online articles. I thought this was a really fun book, particularly if you enjoy the Bachelor.
I am currently reading:
The Girl Who Played with Fire, which is a book both by and about a journalist. I have read it before, but it's been a long time and I felt like doing a re-read. I'm loving the books just as much as I loved them the first time around.
The Secret History, which I'm reading because I want to read Eight Perfect Murders but I wanted to read all the related books first. This is the last one and I'm loving it. It's probably my favorite of the eight books.
QOTW: I read One to Watch in two days because I was enjoying it so much.
Things are still slowly opening up in Santa Fe. We actually went out to dinner last weekend! My son (27, autism, mostly nonverbal) really wants to travel. He keeps asking to see his grandmothers in Missouri; he also asks about going to Canada and to the beach. Oh! And his birthday! He wants to have a party with all his cousins... who are scattered across the country. Sigh.Challenge Progress: 45/50 I'm reading a lot, but hardly any of it's for the challenge. I'm still breaking the challenge out into smaller bits - reading both fiction and nonfiction selections, all seven deadly sins, multiple countries that start with C, etc.
Completed:
What If It's Us: I wanted to love this book... but I didn't get the chemistry between Arthur and Ben, and their voices were so similar (even though they were penned by different authors) that I had to keep flipping back to the beginning of the chapter to see whose story it was. It's also problematic when the secondary characters are more compelling than the leads (Dylan is the real star here), but if Albertalli and Silvera release a second volume I'll probably read it. ★★�
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: I didn't realize this was aimed at young adults when I started, but knowing that now I appreciate how Reynolds was able to make a serious, important subject relatable and understandable. I hope that its intended audience finds it and learns from it. For myself, I'm looking forward to reading Kendi's original volume Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. ★★★★
Girls Made of Snow and Glass: Interesting feminist twist on the story of Snow White. Mina's story arc was excellent, and I appreciated Lynet's growth; Nadia's part of the story, however, felt a bit forced. Overall I regard this as an admirable debut for Melissa Bashardoust, and I look forward to reading more of her work. ★★�
K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches: "The pitcher is the planner, the initiator of action. The hitter can only react. If the pitcher, any pitcher, finds a way to disrupt that reaction, he can win. You need a little luck and relentless curiosity." Thoroughly fascinating to a baseball fan. I wouldn't recommend it to people who only casually follow the game, but for those who relish the history and stories behind the game this is a must read. Go Cards! ★★★★
Gun Love: "My mother called anyone or anything that seemed alone, or ended up in the wrong place, a stray. There were stray people, stray dogs, stray bullets, and stray butterflies." Odd but poetically, gorgeously written. Jennifer Clement introduces us to Pearl, a young girl raised in the shadow of Florida trailer park, and gives us a glimpse into the lives of its residents and the gun culture so many of them tragically seem to embrace. ★★�
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption: Powerful and inspiring. Bryan Stevenson shares his work as an attorney fighting against our seriously flawed justice system in a truly eloquent way. One of the best books I've read this year. ★★★★�
In Five Years: If you're expecting a light and fluffy romance novel, you'll be disappointed... so set that aside. Enjoy the story that unfolds and appreciate the growth that Dannie experiences, the relationships she savors and those she discards. ★★★★
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism: While this book gave me plenty to think about, I wish there'd been more about what to do. However, it was definitely worth reading - and occasionally uncomfortable. I will try to keep these lessons in mind as I continue to read, to pay attention, and hopefully be open to recognizing (and confronting) my own prejudices. ★★★★
Currently Reading:
Girl Gone Viral
Front Row at the Trump Show
Fools and Mortals
The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo
The Fire Rose (A book published in the 20th century - 1995)
Lit Up: One Reporter. Three Schools. Twenty-four Books That Can Change Lives. (A book that has a book on the cover - NONFICTION)
Red, White & Royal Blue (A book that won an award in 2019 - ŷ Best Romance and Best Debut)
Watch Us Rise
QOTW: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption was my last "must read." It's rare that a piece of nonfiction can bring me to tears.
I haven't found much fiction lately that's been really, really good, but The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires was gory and great (if you like that kind of thing), and I'm really enjoying The Fire Rose so far.
Good Morning! It's been a busy week at work and I'll be happy the the weekend is here.
Finished:
The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics for a book about or by a woman in STEM. This was okay. It was highly recommended by the When in Romance podcast and for me it didn't live up to the hype. I really liked the two main characters. I liked the actual story/background of what each of them were doing but I didn't love the execution of it. I wont be reading the next book in this series.
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires for a book about a book club. I loved this one. I'm a fan of Grady Hendrix, so I was pretty sure I was gonna like it but man, I flew through this. It really is about so much more than a book club trying to "slay" a vampire. Hendrix does a great job of inter-mingling something deeper with the horror and creepiness of this book. I'm so glad I didn't put off reading this one for too long.
Currently Reading:
Rich People Problems - Not for the challenge but I wanted to finally finish up this series and my library hold on the audiobook finally came through. I'm really enjoying it so far.
How Long 'til Black Future Month? for an anthology. I've had this one on my shelf for way too long and decided to finally start reading it. I'm reading a story a day. I've never read N.K. Jemisin before, so she's a new author for me. I'm really enjoying it so far.
One to Watch for a book about or involving social media. This was one of my BOTM picks for June and it worked out perfectly since I didn't have anything for this prompt yet. I'm not super far into it but I'm enjoying it, it's pretty fun for the most part (but Bea girl...Ray...). I have a free night tonight, so I'm probably going to get through a few sections.
QOTW:
It's The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires! I read pretty much the entire book in a day (I read the first 30 pages last week). It's soooooo good.
Happy Thursday, y’all.Books read this week:
Night on the Galactic Railroad & Other Stories from Ihatov -- for “book with a book on the cover.� I have NO idea how to classify this story collection. It’s obviously aimed at children, and it’s definitely whimsical and surreal, but there can be a nice charm to that. However, the final story (the title story and by far the longest) ends on such a shocking sad note that it left me reeling.
Roadside Picnic -- for “favorite prompt from 2017 (book by an author from a country you’ve never visited).� Fascinating premise, and makes me want to watch the movie that’s based on it -- though that movie goes by a different name, “Stalker.� Hmm� maybe “book that was made into a movie that was given a different name� can be a prompt, there’s actually quite a few of those...
Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer -- not for the challenge. I love fairy-tale retellings, but this one fell flat for me. It didn’t help that the big twist in over half the stories was “and Cinderella/Snow White/Rapunzel/whoever is actually a Satan worshiper!� No, seriously. The last story in the collection, a science-fiction retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,� was the best one, though the characters were dull as ditchwater.
Burn -- not for the challenge. Started off as an “alternate history with dragons!� that actually delved into race relations� then halfway through the plot took a weird swerve into alternate realities and just completely forgot about the race-relations bit. I seem to have a love-hate relationship with Patrick Ness, and sadly this book was a miss.
Adulthood Is a Myth -- graphic novel, not for the challenge. I’ve seen quite a few of Sarah’s Scribbles floating around online, so it was nice to see them in a collection. The simple art and the funny yet so-true-it-hurts observations made for a quick but laugh-out-loud read.
Regular challenge -- 43/44 (split the last prompt into five)
Advanced challenge -- 8/10
Not for challenge -- 48
Currently Reading:
Erebos -- for “favorite prompt from the 2015 challenge (book originally published in a different language)�
The Golden Apples of the Sun -- not for the challenge
Echoes of an Angel: The Miraculous True Story of a Boy Who Lost His Eyes but Could Still See -- not for the challenge
QOTW:
Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee. Great characters, and a very nice balance between humor and emotional depth that kept me reading.
Ashley wrote: "QOTW: It's The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires! I read pretty much the entire book in a day (I read the first 30 pages last week). It's soooooo good."Hooray for The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires! I loved it so much. It's like The Stepford Wives + Salem's Lot. My favorite quote? "Sometimes she craved a little danger. And that was why she had book club."
I’m at 41/50 for the challenge. I have my next several books lined up. They’re almost all library ebooks, though, and I won’t be able to get through them before the loans expire. I guess my Kindle will be on airplane mode for a while? Finished
Persepolis Rising by James SA Corey (a book with at least a 4 star rating). The Expanse series is so good! I’m so ready to read the next book.
The Barque of Heaven by Suzanne Wood (a book with a character who has a vision impairment or enhancement). This was a really fun SG-1 adventure story. I always planned on reading one of the Stargate books for this prompt. I’m glad I picked up this book for it. Daniel’s glasses get knocked off, taken off, fall off, are lost and found, and are mentioned at least once a chapter. As a wearer of glasses, I think this author nailed what it’s like.
Reading
Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie (a book published in the month of your birthday - June)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (read a banned book during Banned Books Weeks). It’s not Banned Books Week, but I have time to read this now, so I’m reading it now.
QOTW
The last book I couldn't put down was The Familiars.
Mod
My new (well, it’s “refurbished,� but it’s new to me) computer arrived last night! So we will be getting that set up later today - woohoo!
This week I finished 3 books, one for this Challenge, so I am now 35/50.
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown - I finally got around to reading this classic, my first book for Pride Month. I’m glad I read it, but it was not amazing, just good.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain - this was my “book set in the 1920s� - I found it to be tedious and I had to force myself to finish. This is the second book I’ve read by McLain and she’s really popular but I’m wondering if she’s just not a good author for me.
Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson - I read a lot of poetry, mostly modern, but sometimes it’s good to go back and read a classic. Some of these were awesome but some of them were so twee and fussy.
QOTW
Last unputdownable book is a tough one for me!! It’s been a long time since I read a truly unputdownable book. Because I always have several books in process, I tend to switch back and forth though the day, and maybe that gets in my way. Or maybe real life has just been too distracting. Of the books I’ve read recently:
The last book I read that was really really good:
* Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland - an alternate history zombie book; I happen to love zombie books, but this one also does a great job at relentlessly pointing out microaggressions and macroaggressions that black and indigenous people deal with every day, so that was quite timely.
And the last book which kept me awake and reading late into the night was
* Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi, which I actually didn’t love, but it was still a page turner. Or maybe I was just wide awake that night.
Nadine wrote: "* Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland - an alternate history zombie book; I happen to love zombie books, but this one also does a great job at relentlessly pointing out microaggressions and macroaggressions that black and indigenous people deal with every day, so that was quite timely."I LOVED this duology!
Only managed to finish one book this week, and I can't quite work out why because the last 7 days have been rather less fraught, work-wise, than I was expecting them to be (ergo, I would have thought I would have read more!). Although this afternoon all the work servers have had a power outage, which is limiting a lot of tasks (and this really wasn't a good day for it to happen!), so I might get some reading done this afternoon if I can't do anything else!Finished:
The City in the Middle of the Night for A book by a trans or nonbinary author. This just really wasn't my cup of tea in the end - after the halfway point I found myself wishing for it to hurry up and end...
Started:
Followers for A book about or involving social media. This is a pretty decent read so far, with enough suspense to keep me interested. It's not blowing my mind or anything, though.
QOTW:
For the challenge so far this year I've had a couple of 5-start books (which is a sign of 'unputdownable'!): The Ten Thousand Doors of January and Red, White & Royal Blue. Outside of the challenge, I read The Song of Achilles at the back end of last year, which I loved and raced through!
Second week back at work, and spent a lot of the week also looking at books I want to buy...Finished reading:
Children of Virtue and Vengeance (a book featuring one of the seven deadly sins): Really enjoyed this, it was slow paced but I liked the slow battle between the two groups. I loved the short chapters too.
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor (a book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics): So glad I read this, it was challenging but vital reading.
Currently reading:
The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone (a book you picked because the title caught your attention): Didn't realise this was include so much art, but I quickly got into it and I'm loving the writing style and the exploration of loneliness.
QOTW: I'm going with Girl, Woman, Other for this one as I just wanted to keep reading it all the time, such beautiful, addictive writing!
Happy Thursday. I finished two books for the week. None for this challenge. The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. I really liked it & gave it 4 stars. I felt the ending was rushed but other than that liked everything about it.
In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad #1) by Tana French. This is my recent couldn’t put down read.
I have completed 35/40 prompts for the regular challenge. I completed 10/10 for the advanced challenge a couple of months ago. I’m just waiting on library books to come in.
I’m currently reading Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang.
Hi Everyone, Was a pretty swelteringly hot week, was nice to get some rain yesterday to cool things down. We just got the edge of the storm system in Michigan, I think. So we got a big deluge of rain, but no thunder or lightening, and our power didn't go out. I always work from home so life continues to be the same. My husband's office has declared everyone can stay working from home through the end of the year.
This week I finished:
The Price of Paradise - book set in a country that starts with C, Cuba. This one was weird for me. The writing was engaging and i got through it quickly, but i ended up not really liking it because I thought Patricio was kinda terrible. I felt bad for Gloria and thought she deserved much better than she got all around, and that includes Patricio.
The Count of Monte Cristo - I FINALLY FINISHED THIS. Didn't actually count for any prompts I have left, oops. Oh well. I liked it ok, but it really had the feel of "got paid by the installment" for it. It was extremely long, but I felt that it could easily have been edited down into something more manageable. Most the action happened in the last 3-400 pages, and it was 1200 long. Still glad I read unabridged to say I did, but certainly wouldn't try it again.
This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work - this was on sale, and I needed a book for read harder, YA nonfiction so figured it was a timely option. It's aimed at teens and younger, but I think it has some good building blocks for anyone new to anti-racism work. There were good exercises for people thinking about their identity and finding areas where they are privileged and where they might not be. Even as an adult there were some history parts that I hadn't actually heard about, though they were unsurprising. I'd 100% recommend it to anyone with kids/teens to work with them on becoming anti-racist.
Dumplin' - counting this for read harder book set in a rural are. I think it counts, it's set in a small town in Texas. I was a little disappointed, I think it's a case where the movie actually improves the book. I'm sick to death of unnecessary love triangles, and Willowdean is really a kinda terrible friend to almost everyone until the very end. Enough so that it's hard to buy that everyone's just ok with it at the end. It was an easy read, at least. But I wouldn't bother with whatever the second book was.
Currently reading:
Lovecraft Country - This is going to be the august book for my books & brew, but I'm jumping on it early because I want to have it finished before the show comes out. I've never actually read proper Lovecraft, mainly because I know he was super racist so never bothered. But I do tend to like things that reference it. This will be interesting, layering on Lovecraft over Jim Crow era historical fiction. Not for the challenge.
QOTW:
This is kinda a funny question for me. A lot of the books I love, I don't necessarily stay up all night reading. When I start getting sleepy, I cant concentrate so I'll put it up so i can sink into it in the morning. But I stayed up way too late reading The Bookseller and Euphoria even though I didn't really like either of them. Mainly because I was so mad I just wanted to know how it was going to end/get them over with so I could move on to something better. Or something like a cheesy romance I'll accidentally lose track of time because it's such an easy read I just fly through it and suddenly it's way past my bedtime.
however The City We Became was fantastic and I did find it pretty absorbing. Also Gideon the Ninth
Sheri wrote: "Lovecraft Country - This is going to be the august book for my books & brew, but I'm jumping on it early because I want to have it finished before the show comes out. I've never actually read proper Lovecraft, mainly because I know he was super racist so never bothered. But I do tend to like things that reference it. This will be interesting, layering on Lovecraft over Jim Crow era historical fiction. Not for the challenge.."This is an EXCELLENT book! And it does stop to call out Lovecraft for his racism at one point. Apparently there's a Netflix series in development? Or was at one time?
I'm doing a local challenge IRL set up by my capital library, I figured I'd just set aside PS for a while. But.... some books may count for both. We'll see....Finished:
Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto by Vine Deloria Jr.. Not for a challenge. For helping me cope and get out of bed in the morning! Solid 5 stars from me.
Although it counts as book with 4.0+ ratings on GR.
The Pervert by Michelle Perez. Alternated between moving and funny. A trans girl and her life in Seattle -- seems pretty accurate per a couple of trans women friends of mine. Not for everyone: it's open about sex work and the question as to who is the pervert, but I loved it! For IRL challenge.
Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O'Brien. Just fantastic! Not only about biology and animal behavior, but a deep read about love and trust and interdependence between species. Caution: Have a couple boxes of tissues towards the end!
Book by and about a woman in STEM.
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. I had a really hard time getting through the first half of the book. I'd read a page and fall asleep. I can buzz through 650+ page of political history, but 80 pages of fantasy took an age? The second half was better for me. Kinda meh for me, but if you like fantasy, this could be for you.
Used for book with character with vision impairment.
QOTW:
I lucked out with unputdownable books this year!
The Holdout
The Arrangement
Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories
I literally took these books *everywhere*, in Zoom meetings, on the phone, brushing my teeth, cooking, doing veterinary injections. Yup. Unputdownable.
GREAT question!
Hi everyone. Lockdown is continuing for me with no sign of my work opening up any time soon.This week I still didn't finish anything but finally picked Highfire back up.
QOTW: It feels like forever since I've read an unputdownable book! The last one I can think of is The Goblin Emperor. I highly recommend it to any fantasy fans out there who want a change from the same repetitive story lines.
I might be in the minority here, but I really wasn't a fan of Dread Nation. Is the second one any better?
Kenya, It's going to be on HBO! And it's directed in part by Jordan Peele, among others. Looks like it should be good. I'm liking the book so far, but not too far in. It's a hoopla borrow so it's hard to judge but my progress bar isn't too long haha.
Mod
So glad you have a diagnosis and it is somewhat easily fixed! Yay!
"Nothing - my bookslut tendencies have taken over and I just keep adding more books that I'm reading, finishing none."
OMG! You made me laugh! So that's the term that applies to me a well--bookslut! Who knew?!? ;)
"QOTW
Network Effect for sure! It's a mystery adventure in a series I love - of course I couldn't wait to see what happened next!"
I really must get started on the Murderbot series! So many love it!
Two-week check-in.One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London. Contemporary romance based on The Bachelorette with a plus-sized heroine. I really wanted to love this but it was unrelentingly negative and the “romance� was not really there.
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager. I gave it 2.5 rounded up to 3 (I really wish we could do half stars). It really felt like too blatant of a rip off of the Haunting on Hill House series. And I’m side-eyeing the ending.
The Last Flight by Julie Clark. Enjoyable thriller.
The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham. Another book I wanted to love. Historical romance with a heroine who is ruined and leans into it. It just fell flat for me.
His Until Midnight by Reece Ryan. This is a silhouette Desire and I haven’t read any of these in many, many years but this one was quite enjoyable.
Beautiful Stranger by Christian Lauren. Contemporary romance. I got this in my care package from The Ripped Bodice and at first I was blech. But I read it and really like it and then I realized that I’ve been mixing these books up with Beautiful Disaster which was just a huge box of red flags. So, I went ahead and ordered a couple more of these books.
The Five: The Lives of Jack the Ripper’s Women by Hallie Rubenhold. Historical non-fiction about Jack the Ripper’s victims and how they all weren’t sex workers. It’s a great read. Highly recommend.
Sheri wrote: "Dumplin' - counting this for read harder book set in a rural are. I think it counts, it's set in a small town in Texas. I was a little disappointed, I think it's a case where the movie actually improves the book. I'm sick to death of unnecessary love triangles, and Willowdean is really a kinda terrible friend to almost everyone until the very end. Enough so that it's hard to buy that everyone's just ok with it at the end. It was an easy read, at least. But I wouldn't bother with whatever the second book was."
I liked Dumplin' but didn't love it so I didn't pick up the second book but the movie reminded me how much I liked the character of Millie and I read Puddin' and I liked it a lot. And I would've love to see Netflix greenlight this sequel instead of a sequel to The Kissing Booth which was incredibly problematic.
Hello all! So I guess it's becoming a pattern for me to check-in every other week. I completely spaced last week given everything that was (and still is) going on. I read through last weeks posts just now and just want to say how much I appreciated Lilith's reminder about how it's a privilege to be able to step back and do some comfort reading when a lot of people are unable to turn off and step away from the current situation. It was a very thought provoking comment for me.
One unexpected thing that came from last week is that my cousin's wife started a social justice themed book club and invited me to it. I don't actually know any bookish people in my current location so it was nice to be able to connect with them and I'm looking forward to it. The only thing that I'm less thrilled about is that the next two reads seem likely to be books I've already read and I don't usually care to reread stuff. I'm hoping though that by rereading them at this later point in my education that I'll pick up on things I missed before and will be able to digest the information more thoroughly.
On to books! Rogue Protocol was my continuation of the Murderbot Diaries and like before, I loved it. I'm really enjoying these little adventures he has and the next book in the series just arrived from my holds list this morning. I'm only a little bummed as it's not set up for my kindle and I hate reading on my computer/phone.
I followed that up with Queenie which I did end up liking but mainly only when I got towards the end of the book. I think this is one of those books which probably would have benefitted from being organized a little differently. Loved the mental and sexual health aspects of it though.
The Bromance Book Club My hold for this book finally came in and I had been hoping it was going to be better than I found it. I had a weird issue with the fact the protagonist was a major league baseball player and I really didn't like that the author included how much money he makes (15 million a year). I kept finding things that would happen and I'd find myself thinking about how much money this couple should have and how that would impact the scene. Like they deliberately chose a house in a non-fancy neighborhood but for some reason it's not paid off yet. And there was a line about how they may have to get the wife's sister to watch their kids or 'they might have to get a babysitter' and I don't know why but in my mind that sounded like it was going to be a hassle or something and all I could think about was...you make 15 million a year, surely you have like an on-call babysitter or something. And the wife just now deciding to go back to school and restarting her work as an artist. Like, surely that could have been figured out earlier? It was a silly thing but one of many I had trouble ignoring.
And lastly, I finished The Vegetarian. I am honestly still processing this one. I grabbed it mostly on a whim and it was not quite what I was expecting. Very different from my usual read. I think I liked it? I ended up telling my husband all about it and am still thinking about it this morning so if nothing else it gave me a lot to ponder.
Currently Reading:
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life might DNF this one until later
QOTW: What was your last unputdownable book?
Carry On! I adored this book and was really excited to read it especially from the previews of the premise of it from Fangirl.
Chandie, Oh that's good to know! I do like Millie way more than Willowdean, so maybe I'd give that a try after all. I didn't actually look at it, I just knew there was a second and I wasn't really enamored of the first.
I finished one book this week, which I used for another challenge. A couple of the books that I'm currently reading should work for open prompts, so I should have some movement next week. I remain at 21/40 and 8/10 for this challenge, and am at 65/100 for my overall ŷ Reading Challenge. Finished:
* The Amen Corner by James Baldwin
Currently Reading:
*Vanishing Falls: A Novel by Poppy Gee, which I should be finishing up today or tomorrow;
* Mother Land by Leah Franqui, which I should also be finishing up soon-ish;
* Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas, which should work for the advanced prompt "a book written by an author in their 20s;" and,
* What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha, which I'm planning to use for "a book about or by a woman in STEM." This is one of my book club's picks -- we were supposed to read/discuss it last month, but everything shifted. We don't have a June meeting date scheduled (this was supposed to be an "off" month for us), so I'm not sure if we'll actually get a chance to discuss. It was one of the books I recommended, so I've been wanting to read it and decided to start it this week. It was the 2019 One Maryland, One Book pick for my library system and was recommended to me by my Mom :)
QotW:
What was your last unputdownable book? My latest ŷ Giveaways win - What You Don't See by Tracy Clark. This was the latest entry in a new-to-me series and I can tell that it's a series that I'll keep in my "must read" rotation. I really liked the characters, setting, and pacing of the mystery. This was the third book in the series, but I found it easy to dive in. I always love a good female p.i. novel and liked this one so much that I purchased the first book in the series (Broken Places) to find out how it all began. I was also excited to see that my library has this series in its holdings, so I'll be able to pick up the second one as soon as I finish the first one :)
Well I only read one book this week: The Fellowship of the Ring. It's one of my all-time favorite books and it just felt like time for a reread. Not sure what I'm going to read next. Maybe I'll do curbside pick up from the library; I'm not feeling any of the books currently available on my kindle. QOTW: Probably My Sister, the Serial Killer.
Heather wrote: "I’m at 41/50 for the challenge. I have my next several books lined up. They’re almost all library ebooks, though, and I won’t be able to get through them before the loans expire. I guess my Kindle will be on airplane mode for a while?I never though to put it in Airplane mode. So frustrating when books disappear.
Christine wrote: "Hi everyone! I found out this week that I've developed anemia, and I feel weirdly vindicated, like, "Hey, I'm not just getting old or unable to face life or something - I have something that can be..."I was diagnosed Anemic about 4 months ago as well and I agree I was happy that it's not just old age getting to me.
Thursday again! Yesterday I was allowed to go to the office for just one morning. And it was still there! Like I haven’t been away for 3 months!! It was amazing, so good to see people without a screen in between. Can’t wait to go again next week. It’s not that remote working doesn’t work for me, I just like working at the office better.Finished
Jacobs vlucht: Een familiesaga uit de Gouden Eeuw. I thought this was historical fiction, but it turned out to be non-fiction. Harline has reconstructed the lives of 3 generations of a protestant reverend's family in the Netherlands, roughly from 1560 - 1670. It shows the struggles, the disputes and the almost sectarian beliefs in the early days of the Reformation in the Netherlands.
Prompt: a book with "gold", "silver" or "bronze" in the title
Currently reading
Homegoing
Qotw
What was your last unputdownable book?
Actually the book I finished last week: The Eighth Life.
Finished:Fear Itself by James Swallow
Vulcan's Glory by D.C. Fontana
I recommend both books for Star Trek fans and give them 4/5 and 5/5, respectively.
Currently reading:
Desperate Hours by David Mack
Child of Two Worlds by Greg Cox
QotW:
The last book that I really propelled myself to finish quickly was Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.
Hi everyone! I've never posted in this group before but I decided to start being more active :)I'm at 20/50 for this challenge, and 32/52 for my overall ŷ challenge. I'm a teacher on summer break now, so I'm hoping to make a lot of progress on my Popsugar challenge soon.
Finished:
Only finished one this week but it was a great one. I'd highly recommend it.
So You Want to Talk About Race
Currently reading:
Somehow I ended up choosing 3 600+ page books at the same time, so I'll be reading all of these for a while!
The Goldfinch
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
Alexander Hamilton
QotW:
I think the last book I couldn't put down was Red, White & Royal Blue. I loved this story and had to see what happened to Alex and Henry!
Hello EverybodyI finally finished a book Only took me 3 months.*Happy Dance* I don't think I have EVER spent this much time to read a book. But my mind seems to be returning to some what normal. Work is still busy but we are starting to see a bit of a slow down to normal pace so manageable. So I may be able to get down to 5 days a week again soon.
My garden spring clean up/planting is still on going. I will be happy when I get it to the point that I just have to water and pull a few weeds. Till fall harvest.
Yesterday my daughter had her modified graduation. The principals from the school have taken it upon themselves to visit each grad (380) and do a front lawn ceremony. They bring a cap, gown and the documents in a bag that has been quarantined for 10 days. They ask that the grad put it on and they do a little speech and then take social distance selfies with each student and post them all on Instagram. After they left we went to the back yard and she popped her first bottle of Champagne.
As you read I finished one book this week The Silver Stag " for prompt bronze silver gold in title" it was okay, I read a really good series from this authour and have been trying to recapture the magic but after 4 other books by her. It seems to have disappeared. She is a very prolific writer (over 60 books) but the new ones just seem to be missing something.
Still reading The Green Mile with my daughter really enjoying it I have seen the movie but she has not. So exploring the story with her is really neat. We are reading it out loud and of course I get the part where one of the characters starts swearing so reading Mother F C**ks out loud to her was a bit uncomfortable.
QOTW
I know I have read quite a few books like this but my mind seems to be drawing a blank right now.
Love reading all the other answers gives me more material for my to be read shelf
Happy Reading everyone.
Happy Thursday! Even though I'm working, I don't know what day it is so almost forgot to post! Finished:
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - this book was so much fun. It was creepy and funny and gory all at the same time. It was my first Grady Hendrix book, but definitely won't be my last. I used it for prompt #4 - a book about a book club, and highly recommend it for this prompt. It's one of my favorite books I've read this year. 5 stars
Her Perfect Life - I had an ARC of this and quite enjoyed it. It wasn't a thriller as I saw it listed as on here, but had a bit of a mystery. That wasn't the main part of the story though. It was very well written and the author did a great job with the characters. 4 stars
Challenge Progress:
Regular Challenge - 25/40
Advanced Challenge - 7/10
Total - 32/40
Currently Reading:
The Help - I'm reading this for my facebook book club and should finish it this week.
Stardust - I just started this yesterday. It's my first book by Neil Gaiman so I'm excited to get further into it.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - I will be starting this tonight.
QOTW - What was your last unputdownable book?
It was honestly The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires which I mentioned above. It was so good.
Hi everyone!This week I finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers, and I'm currently reading the third book, Record of a Spaceborn Few. I LOVE this series. It's so good!!! I'm using them all for the challenge (past prompt, AI character, and 2019 award winner).
I'm also listening to the audio version of Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney. I'm not following everything that closely, it's just nice and relaxing to listen to. It kinda fits a prompt for the Read Harder challenge, but I'm not trying as hard with that one.
QotW Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson! It was great, and I just had to know what was going to happen. It was a sad read, but absolutely unputdownable.
I'm going to be tuning in for TorCon this weekend. If you're a sci-fi/fantasy fan, you might want to check it out too! It starts tonight, and it's going over Crowdcast. I'm mostly excited for the V.E. Schwab/Neil Gaiman panel tomorrow. One good thing to come out of this lockdown: free online book conventions! I couldn't normally afford to do things like this, but I've gotten to listen to quite a few panels because they've all moved online.
Hey everybody. Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. I restarted college for the summer semester (online). Taking two courses right now which is a little tiring but better than boredom.23/40 Regular
4/10 Advanced
Finished
This was pretty good.
5. Set in a city that hosted the Olympics
Fun, supernatural cozy mystery
Advanced 9. A book series with more than 20 books
Currently Reading
QotW:
What was your last unputdownable book?
Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love, the memoir of JVN of Queer Eye fame was so good. I listened to the audio book. I imagine the written book would be harder to get into because of his penchant for half words. Totes. Not super easy to read but insanely amusing (and heartbreaking and informative) to listen to.
Mod
I'm at 20/50 for this challenge, and 32/52 for my overall ŷ challenge. I'm a teacher on summ..."
Welcome!!
Wow, I barely finished anything this week. I think that's probably bc while I thought the book I was reading was good, I wasn't enthralled. And my current read is so-so(which will probably cause gasps by some). So with each there have been some days where I didn't read at all.Finished:
-A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Currently reading:
-The Princess Bride by William Goldman
I have read 60 books this year so far. 1 of those was for my book club, the others were about 50/50 split between the PopSugar challenge and the Around the Year challenge.
QOTW: The last book I couldn't put down was The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I even put her book, Concrete Rose, on my tbr as soon as I was finished.
Happy Thursday.Books I finished:
Firefly: The Magnificent Nine - I finally finished this! The first book had a bit too many unnecessary references to the TV show just for the sake of referencing the show. This was much better about just being a continuing story, but it was SOOOO predictable. Every plot point could be seen coming a mile a way. Still I love Firefly and the characters so much it still got ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World - It was interesting and well written. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Network Effect - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love this series. I still think 4 is my fav, but this one did have the return of ART.....
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors - This was really good. I was not expecting it to be so topical though. The unfair treatment of people of colour at the hands of the police makes me so mad, even a fictional account like this can leave me fuming for days.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Books I made progress on:
Attachments
The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - I hate the current controversy going on, but I still love these books. QOTW
Well beside the whole Murderbot series, the last book I couldn't put down was Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.
Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!So...I did almost no reading all week which I wasn't terribly surprised by. On the bright side, I did take some time for bookish things like updating my TBR spreadsheet and checking out a lot of new booktube videos to decide who I actually want to subscribe to or remain subscribed to. It feels nice to have that a bit more curated now that I've gotten to know more of their tastes. :) I'm starting to be in more of a reading mood now so I should have something to talk about next week!
Current Progress
My progress remains at:
PS: 39/50 | HP: 47/56 | ATY: 43/52 | GR: 58/100
Finished This Week
Absolutely nothing xD
Currently Reading
I'm about 50% through White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin Diangelo - This is fairly US-centric but there are some important things being brought up that apply of course. So far, the first chapter has been the best part.
QotW
Great question! I'm excited to see what everyone else has to say because I love books that I want to just keep reading! For me personally the last few books that fit this were Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) by Neal Shusterman (*I started feeling this way around chapter 14/15 I think?) & A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas (felt it throughout). Unsurprisingly, they both wound up being 5 star reads for me. :)
This week, my town had a freak hail storm that totaled 100's of cars and damaged many houses in my very small town. My car was seriously messed up, but my insurance company thinks they will probably fix it. My garden was destroyed, my gutter covers were all blown off, and my doggie gazebo was injured beyond repair. 2020 is really something else.This week I finished:
Educated: A book that won an award in 2019 - It is hard to find words for a book that is powerful in all the ways that this book manages to be. This book was a lot darker and more painful than what I thought I signed up for, but once it got it's hooks into me, I was a goner. I'm pretty blown away honestly. Like a lot of reviewers, I admit I was hoping for a happier ending or a bright moment of vindication for the author that never came, but I'm reminding myself that the best thing about this type of nonfiction is that the story hasn't ended.
The Final Scene: A book published in the 20th century - I figured I would read a book that I enjoyed in the 20th century, so I just grabbed a Nancy Drew. Love them still!
Everything is Fucked: Ein Buch über Hoffnung: A book with no pictures or graphics - I don't normally like self-help style books, because I think they are really preachy, but I found this book to be thought-provoking and intelligent without being judgmental. I found my attention fading during certain parts, but I think that has a lot more to do with my attention span than the quality of the book. It was structured in a way that kept it from being too one-dimensional.
Currently reading:
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry: I know I'm going to love it so much, but I keep having to put it down for a while.
QOTW:
Be Not Far from Me (audiobook) - I couldn't listen to if fast enough. I even listened to it at work.
The Holdout: (physical book) - I was tearing through it to find out what happened.
Mod
I have Rosemary and Rue, the first in her October Daye series here to read. I am very hesitant about it but after several people I follow and usually agree with recommended it I figured I'd give it a try. Now I'm anxious to see just how it works (or not) for me!
"QOTW:
I lucked out with unputdownable books this year!
The Holdout
The Arrangement"
Wow. Both of these look pretty intense, but I do have them on my TBR listing...
Still another awful week. Managed one bookA book you meant to read in 2019 Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
QOTW Actually the above listed book was pretty close to being unput downable. Also this year my page turners have been
A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
Who slays the wicked? by C.S. Harris
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse
The Spectral City by Leanna Renee Hieber
The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang MD & Nate Pederson
And I'm reading Bonds of Brass right now and it's very good so far
Mod
I'm at 20/50 for this challenge, and 32/52 for my overall ŷ challenge. I'm a teacher on summ..."
Welcome, Lindsy! It looks as if you have some really good reading ahead of you with those three books! :) Enjoy your summer break!
Hello all! I only finished one book this week:Gideon the Ninth: hooooooly shirtballs this is the best thing I've read all year. I'm already planning my necromancer Halloween costume. I cannot think of any other book that aligns so perfectly with my tastes. No one in the book club I read it with liked it at all, so discussion was fun! And I haven't really read anything since finishing it. Nothing will be as good. I am well and truly book-hungover. I might just pick it back up and read it all again, honestly.
Currently reading:
Anna K: A Love Story
The Count of Monte Cristo
"Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity
QOTW: Oh for sure Gideon the Ninth. I tried to pace myself. It didn't work. At all.
Mod
This week I finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers, and I'm currently reading the third book, [..."
Thrilled to see someone else as excited about Chambers' writing as I am! :)
This is my first check-in, I hope I am doing this right.Finished
Bridge to Terabithia
Charlotte's Web
While I love both these books and highly recommend them, I do NOT recommend reading them simultaneously. I was reading both to my class and ended up reading both the endings on the same day. Terrible idea, so much sadness.
I did have a palette cleanser ready to go and finished this manga
Ultra Maniac, Vol. 04
Finished Audiobooks
Sovereign
Currently Reading
Rated
Current Audiobook
Second Hand Curses - listening for a second time because it was so good the first time around
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
My most recent couldn't put down book was actually an audiobook, Second Hand Curses. It is an audiobook done right with multiple voice actors. It was witty and adventurous. I loved every minute of it.
Mod
I evidently live under a rock. Could you please fill me in on the "current controversy"?
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Third Angel (other topics)The Dovekeepers (other topics)
The Third Angel (other topics)
The River King (other topics)
The Third Angel (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Karen MacInerney (other topics)Seanan McGuire (other topics)
Sarah Addison Allen (other topics)
Mary Robinette Kowal (other topics)
Mary Robinette Kowal (other topics)
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Admin Note:
Nothing this week
FINISHED:
The Last Flight by Julie Clark - this was my BOTM choice for June. I enjoyed it.. I'm not sure hot to classify in - Suspense, Thriller?
CURRENTLY READING:
The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal. I am liking this book, but i don't anticipate it being a reread in the future. The author does write interesting characters, but I am just not feeling a connection with them.
Question of the week
What was your last unputdownable book?
A couple of my recent reads where pretty hard to put down:
Only When It's Us - frenemies romance
You Were There Too - t Two strangers have reoccuring dreams featuring the other. But what happens when the run into each other in real llife.