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Happy Thursday!

I’m still at the beach, power is back on, but the weather has not been entirely cooperative. The day before, we were lucky enough to see dolphins (LOTS of dolphins!!! One even leaped into the air, which is unquestionably the coolest thing I’ve ever seen), brown pelicans, and a horseshoe crab, along with all the usual critters (gulls, terns, sandpipers, osprey). We are able to social distance at the beach, but everywhere else is crowded, so we mostly stay home (other than walking the dogs to the bay).


Admin Stuff:
We still have openings for discussion leaders for our Oct & Nov reads!



This week I finished 3 books, one for the Challenge, which I think brings me to 41/50.

Dim Sum of All Fears by Vivien Chien - I’ve really been enjoying these “Noodle House Mysteries.�� I toyed with the idea of using this book for “pun in the title�� but my mother and daughter both gave me a thumbs down on that idea.

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski - this is a new series that is a continuation of the ��The Winner's Curse�� series. I really enjoyed this. I’m a big fan of Rutkoski’s writing and I cannot wait for book 2!!!

Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich - it’s been a while since I read a book in this series. It was a lot of fun! Fun was enhanced by reading it at the NJ shore. This was my “twenty in the title�� book.

I’m about to start reading:
The Haunting of Tram Car 015
And then:
Eight Perfect Murders
... so it’s like I’ve got a “numbers in the title�� theme going on at the moment!

And apparently August is Romance Month - I like reading romances, and I just started Beach Read last night! (Based on the first chapter, I’m going to really enjoy this book).



Question of the Week

What do you like to use as a bookmark?

I get most of my books by putting them on hold at my library, and my library puts a slip of paper in each hold book with my name & ID # on it. I use those slips of paper. They are the perfect size and weight (because I tuck the bookmark between pages while I’m reading - those heavier weight bookmarks won’t bend with the pages), and when I want to mark a page so I can go back to a quote, I just tear off a bit to make a mini-bookmark.

This week I finished:

The Silent Wife:Woah! Wow! and WTF! I absolutely love all of Karin Slaughter's books, but I was not prepared for this one. There isn't a character in the series that I don't care about, so there were elements of this book that were very hard for me. I am emotionally attached to the Grant County series, so to see some of the flaws of many of those characters highlighted the way they were here felt honest, but I still wanted to cover my eyes and pretend it wasn't true. Having said that I love Will. I love Will and Sara together. I think Faith is an underutilized character. Hell, I even like Amanda. This one was a tough blast from the past, but so worth it.

Currently reading:

Britt-Marie Was Here: I started this one and then realized that I needed to leave it for the weekend, so that I could just read it straight through. I sense that I'm going to fall in love with it.

If You Did What I Asked in the First Place: I don't read many books like this, but this one is simple and enjoyable to read during my break at work.

The Scarlet Letter: I am listening to the audiobook of this one for the past prompt of "book you were supposed to read in high school but didn't." I find that I am able to appreciate it more now than when I tried to read it then, because I can understand the emotions and concepts better. Perhaps I just like to be read to.

QOTW:

I will use any scrap of paper as a bookmark, but I have several "fancy" bookmarks that I enjoy using, but I always seem to misplace them. I also like to use chocolate frog cards as bookmarks.

Slow week, I only finished one book, Wuthering Heights, for the advanced prompt (a book written by an author in her twenties). Made me think of the QOTW from a few weeks back about books with characters that you hate, even more so after reading a one star review (and the comments) from someone who absolutely trashed the book.

While I didn't love the book and didn't think much of any of the characters, I can't say that I agree with the negative reviewer. Despite the twisted characters, (or because of them?) I found the book to be a compelling read. I did find Joseph's dialogue hard to translate into actual English (sorry, limited exposure to more obscure British accents, I guess), but I got the general drift. Another positive: it's actually a classic that I've never read before, not quite sure how that happened!

QOTW

bookmarks? Absolutely no doggy ears (my one stipulation when I lend my books to friends), but I'll use whatever is at hand: shopping receipt, piece of string, a bill, an invitation, a flat magnet, a toothpick, a recipe scribbled on a loose piece of paper, etc. Occasionally, I'll adopt my mom's habit of using a paper clip, but generally I'm too lazy for that...

It's been horrible sticky heat here the past week. They keep promising thunderstorms but they never appear. I know some places have had flash flooding so I shouldn't complain. It's feeling a bit cooler already.

Finished:
The Glass Hotel for ATY (Abe list). I thought I wasn't going to like this at first, it felt like there were lots of tenuously connected characters with separate stories, but as soon as the Ponzi scheme broke I was sucked in and most the characters made sense after that, the ripples of the fraud affecting people in different ways.

Midnight Sun not for any prompts. I wouldn't recommend unless you're a massive Twilight fan, it's way too long and waffly. Would have been fun at 200 pages.

The Pull of the Stars for ATY (horsemen of the apocalypse). I thought it would be interesting to compare reactions to the Spanish flu to the current pandemic. There were some ridiculous slogans going around then too and some of the same advice. It focuses mostly on several women in labour, who also have flu, told from their nurse's point of view. Interesting in a medical history aspect, but I would have liked a bit more outside the hospital ward, as it hints at some of the social issues at the time in Ireland. I learned that influenza means "the influence of the stars" though, makes it sound pretty!

PS: 30/50 | ATY: 30/52 | GR: 67/100

QOTW:
I have approximately ten million bookmarks, so I use them.

Mirel wrote: "Slow week, I only finished one book, Wuthering Heights, for the advanced prompt (a book written by an author in her twenties). Made me think of the QOTW from a few weeks back about books with chara..."

I just read Wuthering Heights earlier this year, for the first time as well. I can't say I especially enjoyed it, but I do want to try it again at some point.

Bit of a rough week here work-wise, but books make everything better. Husband is going to town on his home project (he's fixing up the garage) and I finished... technically one book this week.

DNFs:
Spin the Dawn - I had hope for this one. It started out strong, and I liked the Mulan/Project Runway pitch. Unfortunately that only carried it through the first section. Section two turned it into a "quest" storyline and fell flat.
Josephine Baker's Last Dance - Historical fiction about Josephine Baker should be a win, right? Fictional biographies, on the other hand... not so much.

Finished:
Kindred - 5 stars. I LOVED this book. And it was much shorter than I thought it would be! This was my first Octavia E Butler book and it definitely won't be the last.

Finishing today:
Silent on the Moor - Book 3/5 of the Lady Julia Grey series. These are great stories for when I don't want a heavy topic *gestures at the world*

44/50 - I seem to have stalled on the challenge, but I've got books in mind for the other 6 prompts I need to fill. We'll see if I get to them in time!

Currently reading:
Assata: An Autobiography - I found this as a free PDF and it's excellent so far.
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame - Slow progress on the audiobook thus far; Hugo rambles as is his wont, and I'm glad I read Les Miserables last year to prepare. As with the former, this book isn't so much about the story of the hunchback as it is about the architecture of the cathedral and the history of Paris, etc.

QOTW: What do you like to use as a bookmark?
I keep a pile of bookmarks but only use about half of them - I try to cycle through so each gets some love, but a bunch of them are signed so I don't use those ones. I've also been known to use anything from Pokemon cards to my phone (and ended up "losing" my phone for several hours in the process - never again).

Things are getting hectic as we get ready to move my dad into his new house. We had to go down and help him pack, and next weekend we'll be unpacking. Then there's all the stress of closings and schedules between the two weekends. We're halfway there, so there's a light at the end of the tunnel, but it's been really stressful.

I did manage to finish three books this week, though. First, The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, which I read as a book that won an award last year. (It won the ALCS Gold Dagger for nonfiction.) I enjoy spy books and this was pretty good. I felt like the author was a little biased for the home team, which is to be expected, but overall it was a very interesting read.

Then I finished Nana, Vol. 1. I read this as a book set in Japan, which finishes the advanced prompts for the year. I don't read a lot of shojo series, but I loved the movie of Nana and I have the first few volumes but had never actually read them. It was fine. Exactly what you would expect from this sort of thing. I still love the movie more, though.

Finally, I finished ��ǰ����ǰ�����ö��. I love horror novels and this one was really fun. I read this for the summer challenge for a summer-set thriller. I figured that, since it happens in June, it counts. I'm going to make my husband read this one and see what he thinks.

QOTW: I generally use bookmarks. I have a big pile and I rotate through, but I tend to end up using the same few over and over because they're my favorites.

I finished The Fury as my book with a character in his 20s. It was ridiculous.

I'm still working my way through Deep Space as my book on a subject I know nothing about. I think the reason I know nothing about space is because I'm uninterested. LOL.

I'm reading The Taming of the Queen as my book by an author who has written more than 20 books.

QOTW: A bookmark.

Hi everyone! North Carolina continues hot and sticky, and just as we were organizing a way to add my daughter's best friend to our bubble and ease my kid's isolation considerably, friend's dad came up presumed positive. This whole pandemic is made of frustration and uncertainty! (Luckily he has mild symptoms - frustration and uncertainty are still a more fortunate situation than so many are dealing with.)

I . . . am feeling OK? I feel like March-July my brain was grinding gears, and now maybe I got the clutch pushed all the way down and managed to slip into a "new normal" gear?

Last week was senior portraits for my older daughter, and it was a little weird but nice. She wanted to wear the tux top rather than the drape, but she didn't want to make a fuss. I asked (nicely, ready to take no for an answer), and they were more than happy to do it. I can't wait to see the final product - she was slaying!

So, books.

I've definitely recovered from my slump!

Finished

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - ⭐⭐�� - A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name - This started out so strong and with such important ideas, but kind of undermined itself by getting bogged down in blame-y language. It did spark a lot of thought for me, but I was already pretty familiar with unconscious bias and getting used to the knowledge that my ape-brain produces some horrendous off-the-cuff reactions, and the morality part is recognizing them and not expressing them in word or deed. But this book is ostensibly aimed at people who are like "I'm a good person, not a racist," and saying stuff like "I believe that white progressives cause the most daily damage to people of color," isn't a skillful way to achieve her objectives, in my opinion. So yeah - I have feelings about this book! Overall I would recommend - just read it keeping in mind not to get defensive.

The Printer From Hell - ⭐⭐ - A book you picked because the title caught your attention - I thought this would be goofy and tongue-in-cheek. It's sooo not. That doesn't make it a bad book, it just made it not great for me. What I do think is an objective fault is that the main character is such an idiot he's not believable.

Currently Reading

Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis - A book by or about a journalist - GenX goes through perimenopause. Highly relevant to me! 😁

The Collapsing Empire - A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader - got this for free, and two chapters in, I'm ON BOARD. I should have known, Scalzi is super readable for me!

Mexican Gothic - Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge (Book recommended by a POPSUGAR participant) - I wanted something spooky. When I found out the author is a Lovecraft scholar and named a racist character after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I was IN!

QOTW

I do have some official bookmarks. The cardboard ones are pretty good, the fancy leather ones are lovely but work less well.

Honestly I tend to use orphaned playing cards a lot, and my favorites are probably theater tickets. (I'll be able to amaze my grandchildren with that one. Gramma, what's a "theater ticket?" Did you just put your phone in the book?")

The week after vacation is always rough. It's so hard to get back into an office routine after a week of doing whatever I wanted all day. I miss being at my mom's house. I finished one book since getting home.

Finished
Goldilocks by Laura Lam. I liked this, but I’d recommend other character-driven sci-fi over it. There were a lot of gaps in the timeline. I would have liked to know the rest of the crew as well as Naomi and Valerie. I also really wish it didn’t involve a surprise pandemic.

Reading
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The Fifth Season by NK Jemesin

QOTW
Bookmarks! I have a literary mug full of bookmarks sitting on my bookcase. I prefer magnetic bookmarks, but I have plenty of the traditional rectangular ones too. I also made my own corner bookmarks using an origami pattern.

Hi everyone. We've had crazy heat here and a few thunderstorms this week too.

This week I finished Spellwright. I loved the premise but I felt like the book meandered a lot. A good editor would've improved it tenfold. Not bad for a £1 book though!

Currently reading: I started The Worst Journey in the World but I haven't been able to concentrate on it. Maybe I've been too hot for an Antarctica book?

Also reading Spiral. I started it for a book set in Japan but it has been more of a medical thriller rather than horror so far so I might move it to that spot.

QOTW: Either the library slip or a train ticket usually. Sometimes a postcard but I've lost a few postcards that way!

I recently loaned my Dad a book and I found it splayed out on the table at his spot. I popped a slip of paper in it and closed the book. I didn't see it left open again so I think he took the hint

Finished:
-The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Currently reading:
-Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Well I finished the regular challenge last week, and have three left for the summer challenge, so I'm almost done for the year. I'm also at 150 books for the year already - the pandemic played a significant role in that, so I'm only half celebrating... There was a post in the Facebook group with a poll about a fall challenge, but I'm not sure if I would participate. I have a super long TBR without any more challenges...

This week I listened to We're Going to Need More Wine which I enjoyed, but one part made me really sad. 4 stars

I listened to The Road which I liked more than I expected, since I don't feel like I need post-apocalyptic stories right now. I have a few more Tournament of Books reads left to get through before the Super Rooster starts in a few weeks. 4 stars

I finished Disappearing Earth and it was decent, but a little too disconnected between the different characters. 3 stars

I listened to the new novel Blacktop Wasteland and it had me on the edge of my seat! A bit too much violence, but the writing was strong. 4 stars

I finished my print copy of A Song Below Water and I'll admit I wasn't really in the mood for YA fantasy, but I really appreciated the themes. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I'm currently listening to A Visit from the Goon Squad and reading The Murmur of Bees on kindle.

QOTW: I have a stack of bookmarks from bookstores and festivals (so heartbroken the Texas Book Festival isn't happening in person this year) and they're covered in those little sticky bookmarkers so I can keep my books in good condition, but still mark passages I'd like to refer back to.

Good morning all! The Colorado wildfires are not near my area, but it’s very, very smoky. The air quality is so poor. Hoping those brave folks fighting the fires stay safe.

Once again, I haven’t finished anything. I am enjoying the books I’m reading, just slow going about it.

Currently reading:
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

The Goldfinch

QOTW
I have a favorite bookmark, which is always in one of the books I’m reading. I got it years ago in Mexico. Other than that, it’s usually a receipt, piece of mail, cut out card, scrap of yarn, etc.

Okay, let's try this again. I got all the way to the QOTW and accidentally clicked out of my browser tab. Nooooooo!

We had a great trip last week to Missouri to see family, driving straight through and only stopping for gas and takeout. I was so happy to see my grandson Eli and celebrate his 3rd birthday. I hadn't seen him since Christmas! He's getting so big and really chattering up a storm.

Today is my son Seth's birthday (he's 28 and has autism), and he's really excited about it. I wish we could do his favorite things today - go to the library, the movies, Dave & Buster's - but at least he'll get his favorite meal. Steak, mashed potatoes, and cheesecake for dessert.

Challenge Progress: PS 49/50, PSS 16/20

Completed:
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History: Brutal but engaging. ★★�� (PSS1 nonfiction - A book with summer in the title)

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre: Okay, it's not a masterwork like World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, but it's still gripping and original. And, despite all the horror elements, the best part of the story is Katie's development and the devolution of the community of Greenloop. ★★★★

March: Book Two: Focusing on the Freedom Rides and utilizing stark black and white illustrations, March: Book Two continues John Lewis's saga of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. I wish more people would read these books. ★★★★

My Dark Vanessa: Oh, my. Disturbing, uncomfortable, nauseating... I can't say I enjoyed this book, but it was compelling even when it made me cringe. ★★★★

Currently Reading:
Beach Read (PSS9 - A book classified as a "beach read")
Pieces of Her
Beautiful Geometry
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (PS19 - A book that has a book on the cover)
The End of White Politics: How to Heal Our Liberal Divide
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (PS29 - A book with a bird on the cover)
Antigone Rising: The Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths (PSS17 nonfiction - A book with sunglasses on the cover)
Witchmark

QOTW: I use quite a few actual bookmarks that I picked up from the library or were included with a GR giveaway, but most of the time I use Post-It Notes. I tear off little strips and mark interesting passages as I go; I use a lot of sticky notes!

Sarah wrote: "...I recently loaned my Dad a book and I found it splayed out on the table at his spot. I popped a slip of paper in it and closed the book. I didn't see it left open again so I think he took the hint ..."

I've done that to my kid...

I haven't checked in in a while, but have less than 10 books to go for the regular reading list. I started on the summer one, but I am tired of reading books to try to fit a prompt, rather than reading them for enjoyment, so I have let that challenge go.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: read this for the summer reading challenge and was quite disappointed. Believe me, I am not one for scary stories, but this book didn't phase me in the least.

On Turpentine Lane: read this for the upside down image prompt. It was o-k. It was a cute story and I liked the premise, but there was so much packed into it that really wasn't relevant to the story. I felt that those ancillary story-lines were just kind of abruptly done, rather than nicely resolved.

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine: This is my sleeper hit of the summer! I LOVED this book, and read it just because I feel I need to increase the diversity of my reading. I just started a bookstagram (@johannas_bookshelf) and this is the one and only book on it so far!

Still have to do the analogy (ugh), banned books (I'm waiting for the right week), journalist (on waiting list at library), western, and a couple of others to complete the challenge.

QOTW
I would love to say I ALWAYS use a bookmark because I have TONS of them. I am partial to the little magnetic ones that fold over the top of a page. However, I most often use the slip of paper with the return date from the library as my bookmark. Hey, it's already there in the book!

Heather wrote: " I also made my own corner bookmarks using an origami pattern."

My son did this once with little animals with googly eyes. They were so cute!

Lucky you! I'm dying to travel somewhere but that's hard to do with A) a pandemic going on and B) a toddler who's only half potty trained. She'll go at home now, MAYBE at Grandma's, but anywhere else? Nope. As soon as it's safe and as soon as going to the potty becomes a regular thing, road trip here we come!!

Finished 28/50

Becoming for "book by a WOC". LOVED this book. Michelle Obama has a fabulous voice and her story is so fascinating and powerful. Hugely recommend!!

Currently Reading

Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth for "book with a pun in the title". It's a PA Dutch mystery, apparently. Complete with recipes!

The Wilderness Journal: 365 Days with the Philokalia for "book whose title caught your attention". It's solidly a 3 star at this point, and I highly doubt the next few months are going to change that for me, but you never know .

QotW

I have a collection of bookmarks in a broken mug on my bookshelf. Some bookmarks are very nice and fancy, some were handmade for me by friends, and some are flimsy promo things. But I have a LOT. So I try to choose a different bookmark for each book I read that sort of goes with the theme or feel of the book. For example, I'm reading a mystery right now, so I'm using a Sherlock Holmes bookmark. It's fun!

Despite the absolute plethora of bookmarks I have, my husband uses literally whatever scrap is closest to him for his bookmark (envelopes, receipts, business cards, post it notes, etc). And if, by chance, he DOES use one of my bookmarks, chances are he'll either not finish the book or he'll LEAVE the bookmark in the book for me to find YEARS later! I have a LotR bookmark from when the movies came out that I loved and used in high school all the time. Almost two DECADES later, I find it in one of his old textbooks!!! I didn't even know it was still in the house! Sigh....

Its staying cool here in the Pacific Northwest...much better than the 80 degree + weeks.
Finished:
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson for "Book that has a book on the cover" . This book was really good. I usually read fast-paced-page-turners and this is not that kind of book and I liked that. It was nice to just read a slower paced book and it still kept my attention. The story was well researched which made it a fun read too.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows for "A book with more than 20 letters in the title." This may be an unpopular opinion but I did NOT like this book. I found myself skimming the wordy (ie: boring) parts of the book and still finding myself keeping up with the story as a whole. Not the worst book I've ever read as there were some laugh-out-loud moments.

House of Glass: The Story and Secrets of a Twentieth-Century Jewish Family by Hadley Freeman "Book with "20" or "Twenty" in the title" ok, technically it is "twentieth" but oh well. I really enjoyed this story of a Jewish family navigating their way through German-occupied France. My grandmother's family did the same thing - jumping the border from Italy to France to escape Mussolini. Reading about Freeman's grandmother paralleled my grandmother's similar experience, though my family isn't Jewish, was a great insight into what my grandmother must have gone through. Trying to pass as French though fully Italian (Italy was a German ally so you can tell how well that went over with the French) and then to move to America after marrying a soldier and being called an "alien" and made fun of for her accent. This is a well researched book and explains a lot of what was happening in France before and during WWII.

Currently Reading:
Whiskey When We're Dry by John Larison

QOTW
This is funny timing for this question because just the other day I picked up the book my boyfriend was reading and flipped through it to find $1 bill to mark the spot he was on. He said he likes to use a $1 bill as a bookmark and then puts the dollar in a jar when he is done. At the end of the year he has as many dollars as books he has read and then buys something with the money. My bookmark is a boring "old school" with a tassel that hangs from the top (which is long since been destroyed since they fall apart so easily) and it reads "Reading is my arm workout"

Happy Thursday, y’all.

Still helping my mom recover from her broken wrist. Life has been hectic, but I keep plugging along...

Books read this week:

A Quiet Afternoon -- A collection of low-key science-fiction and fantasy stories. I mostly read it because one of my favorite webcomic artists (Melissa DeHaan a.k.a. WaywardMartian) had a story in it, but it was a cute and relaxing read after reading so many high-stakes fantasy and sci-fi stories.

The Marrow Thieves -- I have mixed feelings about this one. Read as a mere dystopian story, it’s pretty flawed�� but read as an allegory, it’s a raw and powerful statement about the treatment of Indigenous Americans.

Ray Vs the Meaning of Life -- A teenager has to uncover the meaning of life in order to earn his grandmother’s inheritance. Goofy and funny, but also surprisingly meaningful and emotional in ways I wasn’t expecting.

Bookish and the Beast -- Third in the “Once Upon a Con�� series, fairy tales told in a modern setting with a geeky twist (the first two books are Geekerella and The Princess and the Fangirl). This retelling of “Beauty and the Beast�� is quite obviously more heavily based on the Disney film than the original fairy tale, but it’s still just as great as the first two!

Dreamsnake -- 70s post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel about a healer who uses snakes to deliver medicine. Better than it sounds, I swear... Also fits the "passes the Bechdel test" if you need something else to fill that prompt.

The Midwinter Witch -- Graphic novel, sequel to The Witch Boy and The Hidden Witch. Not quite as good as the first two, but still enjoyable.

Currently Reading:

Four Past Midnight
Black Beauty
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden

QOTW:

I have a pack of bookmarks I got as a gift -- they say "Yes, I'm Actually Reading This" on the part that sticks out of the book. XD The rest of the bookmark has space for taking notes and writing down words to look up later. They're super-neat.

I used to use a couple of Transformers bookmarks I got at a convention (made by the aforementioned WaywardMartian), but sadly they've fallen apart.

Morning,

It's been a busy week at work. We had a new employee start and almost continuous computer/internet issues...so, it's been real fun.

Finished:

People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up for a book set in Japan, host of the 2020 Olympics. This was fine. It had a lot of interesting information about Japan that I didn't know going into it. It was also about a case that I had never heard of. I didn't love the info dumps about the suspect/killer. I didn't really need to know his entire life in a long drawn out section.

Queenie for a book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club. This was a like but not love for me. I thought the writing was great. I thought Queenie was an interesting character. But I just felt so sad for her and how she treated herself. She really does grow throughout the book (very slowly). It's for sure worth a read.

Currently Reading:

Changeless for a book by an author who has written more than 20 books. I really loved book one and I'm very much enjoying book two. It's such a fun series.

How to Be an Antiracist - I'm listening to this on audio and am enjoying it. It's really making me self-reflect, which is the point of reading a book like this.

Boyfriend Material - I'm not super far into this one but I'm really enjoying it. It's fun and both Oliver and Luc are adorable and awkward. Uggg, all I wanna do is just stay home and read this.

QOTW:

I have a pretty good size stack of bookmarks. I do Book of the Month almost every month, so I have a lot of those. I've done the bookmark exchange on Reddit gifts a few times and I've gotten a few as gifts. I try to cycle through them to use a different one every time. If it's a library book, I use the receipt I get when I check it out. Makes it easier to keep track of when it's due back.

Katelyn wrote: "This is funny timing for this question because just the other day I picked up the book my boyfriend was reading and flipped through it to find $1 bill to mark the spot he was on. He said he likes to use a $1 bill as a bookmark and then puts the dollar in a jar when he is done. At the end of the year he has as many dollars as books he has read and then buys something with the money"

That is an AMAZING idea.

Hi all! Hot and sticky during the days in NY, getting cool at night. Ugh, fall is coming, isn't it? I refuse! I'm glad to have a couple of days off work, it's still stressful. People are getting tired of restrictions, but are also getting nervous about college kids coming back to town.

I did finish a book this week, All Systems Red which I'm using as a book about a robot. Preparing to duck and cover... I liked it, I wasn't completely enamored with it as many of my groupmates here are! I felt the plot was a little too straightforward (view spoiler)[I kept waiting for Mensah to be revealed a traitor! And if not her, I expected someone in the party to be working for the enemy. That twist never came, and I was kinda bummed. (hide spoiler)] It's funny, I grew up watching Star Trek and other sci fi shows and movies, and I love them and can binge them, but when it comes to books, I don't really like outer space science fiction.

Otherwise, chipping away slowly at Charlotte's Web and The Dutch House. I might DNF Dutch House. I'm not in the mood for an evil stepmother right now. It goes along with that QOTW about hating characters... I'm only a chapter in, and I already think I hate her. It's going to be a question of if I like the other characters enough to tolerate her bad behavior. And I just may not have the mental energy for that at the moment. Plus, I'd like to get back to The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

QOTW: I love bookmarks! But mostly I use library receipts. I do have quite a few real bookmarks. My favorites are handmade ones. One of my other goodreads groups did a bookmark swap years ago. Each of us who wanted to participate made 10 bookmarks, sent them all to 1 person who then distributed 10 different ones randomly to each of us. I've lost a few over the years, but I still have and use most of them. I have a braided ribbon one, a knitted Harry Potter scarf one, a paint chip one one, and several thick paper ones.

Still so behind in reading. I did manage one for the challenge

For the prompt of A book with a bird on the cover I read Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater. Absolutely loved it but since it's a sequel to the Raven Boys series, it might not be entirely stand alone.

I also read the graphic novel A Calm Before Storm by Peter David. It's supposedly written by Richard Castle from the Castle TV series. Unfortunately it was utterly forgettable.

QOTW I have a large bookmark collection but if I can't find them I'll put in any old strip of paper.

I don’t think any fit any prompts I have left.

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson. YA mystery. Boarding school full of kids who have random talents, a mystery spanning decades, students missing and/or dead. 2nd in the series. I really enjoyed the series. This one was better than the first.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. One of my Book of the Month picks. I almost did not pick it but needed a “debut darling�� for the book of the month challenge. And I’m glad I went ahead and got it.
Sci-fi. Diverse characters. Great world-building. I would watch the heck out of a tv series.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin. My other book of the month pick. Thriller about a true crime podcaster covering a trial and the cold case that pops up. It was just okay with me. Content warning: (view spoiler)[multiple instances of gang rape. I normally don't read something and think "oh, this will trigger someone". But I trust when someone says something is triggering. The rapes weren't graphic but when I was reading, I did think "this will be triggering for some people". (hide spoiler)]. I think the content is what got to me.

The Honey Don’t List by Christina Lauren. Contemporary romance. This is probably my least favorite Christina Lauren book I’ve read. I didn’t particularly like either main character (didn’t hate them either).

And

Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey. Contemporary romance. The main character kind of drove me crazy at times but it was a cute rom com.

QOTW:
I have a whole bunch of Book of the Month bookmarks. I usually use those but I’ll use basically anything as a bookmark. I’ve also been known to just leave the book splayed open, face down on the page I’m on and I also dog ear on occasion. #noshame

uuuugh, it's been frickin' weeks since I checked in. Somehow I just haven't had the spoons. Let's see then, what did I finish...

The Sealed Letter - I thought this was better than most of the other Donoghue I've read, but it's not left a lasting impression. Found it a bit plodding and didn't much like any of the characters.

Days Without End & A Thousand Moons - Apparently I've been in the mood for Irish writers. These two almost-novellas are masterpieces of language. Between them I made over 100 Kindle highlights. Sebastian Barry's a potential favourite author, I just have to read some more of his work to be sure.

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Nnnot quite sure what I thought of this one, but I did really enjoy the setting of Afghanistan, I'd love to read more books set in that part of the world.

The Unexpected Return of Josephine Fox - I thought this was going to be, if not a cosy mystery, at least not dark dark. Unfortunately there are strong themes of child abuse, which really put me off - probably would not have read it if I'd been warned beforehand. It wasn't a bad book otherwise, but I just can't handle certain topics in novels, especially if they come as unpleasant surprises.

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line - Another one I enjoyed but haven't really marshalled my thoughts on. I felt that it was a little inconclusive and ended almost in the middle of the story, but the author's note at the back clarified that was intentional and gave the reasoning behind it, which was interesting and totally understandable once I took a second to think about it.

The Bookseller of Kabul - Mm. I... had some issues with this one. Mostly it's to do with the style of writing. The book is based on the author's experiences living with an Afghan family, but she writes herself out of the story completely. Yet her perspective still rather colours the whole book. It seemed obvious to me that this was an "outsider" writing about a subject, maybe particularly a white one. Don't know how much my opinion on that is worth, though, since I'm also white and have never even been anywhere near Afghanistan.

Currently reading This Is Happiness. Another beautiful Irish book! I'm savouring it - started it on Sunday and might take the whole week to finish. It's a book that demands a leisurely pace, not only to fully appreciate how good it is but because it's set in very much a backwater sort of place, where history itself seems to move slower or leave the inhabitants behind altogether.
It's so wonderful. Feels like a bed or a bath made of prose.

QOTW: Just regular old bookmarks. I have an owl-shaped mug overflowing with them, mostly from Book Depository or freebies from bookshops or book festivals I've travelled to.
My main bookmark is an old black pleather one I got about... maybe 10 years ago? Whenever the "Keep Calm and Carry On" thing was a big trend. It used to have "Keep Calm and Read a Book" printed on one side and "Keep Calm and Don't Lose Your Page" on the other, but the letters have long since worn off.

In a pinch, I'll use just about anything - scrap paper, tickets, trading cards, price tags, Kit-Kat wrappers. A couple of times I've even used a smaller book to keep my place in a bigger one.

Hi, everyone!

I hope things are going well for everyone. I stalled out reading-wise after checking in last week and didn't feel like picking anything up. I think it's because I had started a book that I wasn't interested in and that I hadn't realized was 900 pages until I was about 50 pages in. I officially DNF'ed it earlier this week and that brought a weight off my shoulders. It's funny how some books can do that to you.

I did end up finishing A Gentleman in Moscow, which I liked. I should have hated it frankly, but I enjoyed the Count as a character - enough for me to look past the fact that not a lot goes on.

After that, I found Once Ghosted, Twice Shy was available on Overdrive. It is the only novella that I had yet to read from the Reluctant Royals series and I used it for the Bechdel prompt. Like all of the other books in the series, I thought this one was great. They are my light, fluffy, beach read type of books.

My hold for Felix Ever After came in next. This book was my first book written from the perspective of a Trans character. I've read a few books with Trans characters but they were all secondary characters so this was a new perspective for me. Overall, the book was cute but the romance aspect of it was a little too instalove for me. I think I have just read too many first love storylines recently. It's a great read for the younger crowd and it's bound to be a really important book for people who are struggling with their identity or anyone who wants to understand some of the struggles that the Trans community goes through.

Lastly, my hold for the third book in the March: Book Three series came in. This was such a well done graphic memoir series. I'm embarrassed by how little I know about the Civil Rights Movement and how much people went through back then.

QOTW: Like Nadine, I also use the little slip of paper my library gives me when I check books out. It's probably the only thing I reliably use as a bookmark. I tend to lose actual bookmarks when I have them, so if the little slip isn't around I'll use whatever scrap of paper is nearby.

Ashley Marie wrote: " I've also been known to use anything from Pokemon cards to my phone (and ended up "losing" my phone for several hours in the process - never again)."

Oh, my! A word to the wise, I sometimes use my phone when I'm home. Better stop doing that, 'cause I can easily imagine me thinking I've lost the phone! Yikes! :)

Finished: The Lightning Thief Fun to read again.

Started: Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done This book is horribly written, but I love it so far anyway.

Culture Shock! Chile

QotW: I like to collect old bookmarks from the donations we process at the library. My favorite are Waking Owl bookmarks from a local bookstore that no longer exists.

Hi all!

This week I finished Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis and The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Steve Brusatte. I loved both!

Currently Reading

Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer. I was a huge Twilight fan in high school, and then I turned on it. While I no longer think it's the greatest story ever told, I have a ton of nostalgia for the series. That said, this book is DENSE. It could be a lot shorter and I don't think it would suffer. Then again, I was always Team Jacob, so maybe I'm just being mean lol

The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained by Colin Dickey. I just got this from the library and I'm really excited!

Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith for my book on a topic I know nothing about. I'm looking forward to this one!

QotW

The bookmark I use all the time it a big paper clip-shaped one with a little button on top--I got it in an Owlcrate box a few years ago and I've always loved it. Another one is the bookmark my mom bought me at the Grand Canyon--gold with a little cactus charm. Its super special to me and I've had it for over ten years!

Chandie wrote: "I don’t think any fit any prompts I have left.

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson. YA mystery. Boarding school full of kids who have random talents, a mystery spanning decades, students missin..."

For some reason, the links weren't working for me. :(

Hi All, Humid today & looks like it could rain at any time. I completed 2 books for the week. I have finished Pop Sugar but I enjoy checking in & reading everyone’s post. I read Four Puddings and a Funeral (Oxford Tearoom Mysteries # 6) by H.Y.Hana. Not my favorite in the series. I may be getting tired of it. I read The Topeka School by Ben Lerner. I read it for book club. I didn’t like it. I couldn’t tell you what the point of it was. I may be too harsh.
QOTW: I have a lot of book marks so I use them. I also use the paper the library uses.

Good afternoon all,

Uh-oh! I didn’t hit ctrl-a-c !! ŷ������ ate my post. And my “s�� key is dying. Argh.

Finished:
An Unwanted Guest OK, I DNFd this. Twice. The first 100 pages were bone-achingly boring. But I LOVED The Couple Next Door! Ploughed through again, and the last two thirds were much better. The final killer reveal was a little deus ex machina. Then again, I did feel that that character was a little “off�� from the beginning, maybe a high-functioning psychopath. Glad I finished it!
PSS prompt: book set in a hotel


The Sun and Her Flowers : Wow, this book lived up to the hype. There are whole poems, as well as fragments and turns of phrases that are staying with me. Rupi Kaur is a talented poet and artist. Treat yourself to this book when you can!
PSS prompt: book with “sun��, “sand�� or "waves�� in the title

We Should All Be Feminists: I enjoyed this book, but honestly... It reminded me of the feminism of the late 70s and early 80s I embraced. It did not live up to the hype for me, but I liked her writing style a lot, and the walk down memory lane was nice.
This could be a brand new viewpoint for someone else.
PSS prompt: book released in June, July or August of any year -- June for the book

QOTW:

I have lots of bookmarks from events and libraries. A favorite that a friend made for me from pressed wildflowers and palm leaves gets a lot of love.

That said, I have to go carefully through each book when I return them to libraries. I’ve found: bills I need to pay, letters, postcards, post-it notes, receipts, not to mention currency. Yup, found a $5 bill, a £10 note, (glad I found them!), and a 5000 bolivares note. Next to worthless but I like it. I’ve also used a leaf and a flower that I eventually pressed.

Finished:

Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl (book by or about a journalist)

This is proof that nonfiction writing does not have to be dull. She writes some of the best prose I have seen. I learned a little bit about the magazine business, but mostly, I got to read about interesting people and food.

QotW:

I have a couple of proper bookmarks that I use. My Kindle app has a bookmark feature, and I will use library hold slips or other paper if I don't have a real bookmark close by.

Lynn wrote: "Chandie wrote: "I don’t think any fit any prompts I have left.

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson. YA mystery. Boarding school full of kids who have random talents, a mystery spanning decades,...



For some reason, the links weren't working for me. :(

"


They don’t work for me either. I always figured it was just my phone. Chandie, how do you make your links? I think yours never work for me!

Survived a super heat wave this week (for our standards). Too hot to do anything, just staring at my screen doing absolutely nothing. Or almost nothing. Which means yesterday and today were busy days at the airconditioned office to make up for it. A cooling thunderstorm with some buckets of rain just passed over. Just opened all windows and let the cooling breeze in. Yoohoo!

Finished
Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms. Expected a little bit more. The author explaines why you should not blindly trust A.I. It is the closely working together of humans and A.I. that creates the best results.
Prompt: A book with a robot, cyborg or AI character

Currently reading
Daughter of Fortune - a re-read of one of my favourite authors, Isabel Allende. Surprised how much I remember while reading it!

The Earth Is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West

Qotw
A magnet clip! I have three of them and use them to mark my progress, track interesting quotes, etc. They are very small, about the size of a large paperclip. And they can’t fall out of your book if you accidentally drop it on the floor.
And if I don't have my magnet clips, I use some newspaper-paper or whatever is at hand.

Currently Reading: I’m going back and forth between 3 books - Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, Killing England By Bill O’Reilly (audiobook) and A Life Without End by French author Frédéric Beigbeder. They are all really good and I will probably finish all 3 next week, maybe this weekend. It’s still really hot (but dry) here in NM. 99 for a high today! I’m excited to start something new this coming week. 😀

QOTW: I mostly use real bookmarks and postcards. Sometimes I resort to whatever is nearby like a candy wrapper, a comb or a small pad of paper. I’ve been decluttering and finding new items to use for bookmarks.

Lilith wrote: "That said, I have to go carefully through each book when I return them to libraries. I’ve found: bills I need to pay, letters, postcards, post-it notes, receipts, not to mention currency. Yup, found a $5 bill, a £10 note, (glad I found them!), and a 5000 bolivares note. Next to worthless but I like it. I’ve also used a leaf and a flower that I eventually pressed."

That made me laugh! :)

This week I finished 2 books so far. 1. Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat which is for the prompt a subject I don't know about which would be how women are treated in the Haitian society. It could also be read for WOC if you would like to try it. I found it a little disturbing so I read 2. The Theta Patient by Chris Dietzel which is like a sci-fi/medical thriller.
I'm in the Caribbean and it is crazy HOT!

Qotw:
I fold the top corner of the page! HAhahahahah
My daughter says she writes the page number in pencil on the first page of the book. I have children at home so my bookmarks usually fall out of I missing when they run around the house.
Once in a while I use a sticky page tab to mark the page.


Happy reading!

Hi everyone

Had my books & brew book club this week, discussing Lovecraft Country so that was fun. We're still on Zoom so did my call from the patio with a lovely breeze and a B Nektar mead!

They're doing emergency work on my water line today, so been without water since this morning, that's less fun. No clue when it'll be back on too, so might be eating out for dinner and having to go to parents for a shower in the morning. Was able to go there and fill up a few gallons of their water for hand washing and flushing and such, and got some drinking water too.

This week I finished:

A Blade So Black - Really enjoyed this, fun retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Kind of ended on a cliffhanger though, so I clearly need to finish the rest.

The Boyfriend Project - counted this for my woman in STEM, the main character is a woman computer engineer. It's a romance, but her career and work was pretty central to the plot and story. I liked it, fun story.

Peace Talks - I liked this overall, but was kind of annoyed that it's really just a set-up book rather than a story in it's own right. I'd honestly rather read one extra long book that has a complete arc than a placeholder set up and then have to wait several more months to finish. I had zero sense of "ok i finished a book" i kept thinking "I need to finish that book so i can...oh right."

Also did some comic reading, trying to clear out some of my backlog.

Currently Reading:

Ninefox Gambit - this will be my Read Harder debut novel by a lgbtq+ author. It's a little heavy going to start. I tend to prefer a bit of a happy medium when it comes to speculative fiction. I want enough explanation of the world so i'm not TOTALLY lost, without having pages and pages of long winded explanation, or. a placeholder character that knows nothing that has to have everything explained to them to serve as the audience. This one kind of throws you in the deep end with all sorts of unfamiliar terminology and factions and technology and the reader just has to kinda figure it out on the fly. I'm getting enough into it that I'm starting to figure it out, but not going to be a brisk easy read by any means.

The STEM prompt was my last one I was waiting on, so that means I am FINISHED! Wooo! Still a few more prompts for Read Harder, waiting for holds to come up for most of them.

QOTW:

I do mostly ebooks anymore, so not a lot of bookmark use. I do have a pile of bookmarks that are dedicated. And if I think about it, I'll TRY to grab one to use. But more often than not I wander around the house with my book and forget to bring the bookmark with me so whatever piece of paper or semi-flat object I can find becomes my bookmark.

Hah, the currency-as-bookmarks thing reminds me of my gran. You know the stereotype of old folk stuffing money under the mattress, well she hid wads of cash inside a particular set of books that were fancy editions and kept in a cabinet. Heaven forfend anybody wanted to read one of them, because a small fortune would come raining down.

She passed away several years ago. I have the books on display in the living room now, though of course I don't keep money in them. 😄

Hi all!

It has been ages since I checked in. Annual vacation plays a bit of part in that. First week back at work now so suitable to check in here as well. I had thought that I would read a lot during vacation but that has not happened either so I am not in phase with the challenge but enjoying picking the books. So we will see how far I get.

So since last check in:

Finished reading

Wuthering Heights for the buildungsroman
Average read for me, I liked parts of it.

����ä�����ǻ����� a Swedish book (title translated is The Mother-in-Law). Four out of five stars from me. This book had me thinking and also sometimes had to turn it off (I listened to it) because I knew the main character would do something that would not turn out well. We will discuss this book in a book circle I am in by the end of the month. The book is mostly told from a woman´s perspective, she has raised a son and how the family constellation changes when he and his girlfriend becomes parents.

Currently reading

White Teeth for book by WOC

Still Life for book set in a country beginning with "c"

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire still reading aloud for my daughter. Probably will use this for the book with more than 20 letters in the title

QOTW

I usually use what is available around me when I need a bookmark. The library receipt if it is a book from a library, a bookmark, a store receipt, a shopping list or something like that.

Hello! I'm anxiously awaiting three separate shipments of books from Powell's after spending my birthday gift card (and then some) on delightful reads. I just love unpacking books and stacking them up and gazing upon my new treasures.

Finished this week:
The Priory of the Orange Tree: I like this one, but didn't love it. I don't know if it's me or the book, but it never fully swept me away.
A Curious Beginning (will finish tonight): I'm a little conflicted on this one. It's really fun, but I would not enjoy meeting Veronica Speedwell in person. She's very my way is the right way and your way is the wrong way because I said so, and that's a big nope from me, fam. I find myself enjoying her boldness and being irritated by her in turns. Not sure if I'll keep reading the series.

Currently reading: Clouds of Witness
about to start: Annie John

QOTW: My mother had a big sheaf of bookmarks and she would shuffle through them for one that perfectly suited in color, mood, or provenance the book she was about to start. It was so charming. I have like four bookmarks I got for free, and whichever one is closest to my hand when I start reading gets selected.

Christy wrote: "My mother had a big sheaf of bookmarks and she would shuffle through them for one that perfectly suited in color, mood, or provenance the book she was about to start. It was so charming."

I do this too! It's so much fun. :D

Happy Thursday. I finally got to watch Hamilton on Disney Plus this week so I finally get the hype.

Books I finished:

On the Edge & Bayou Moon - I love this series, and I haven't been in the mood to read anything new as of late.

They Called Us Enemy - This was well done.

Books I made progress on:

The Empire of Gold

QOTW

In a pinch, I will use any bit of scrap paper at hand because I am constantly misplacing my actual bookmarks. Most of them are just free giveaways from books stores and other places, but I do have a couple of nice Nightmare Before Christmas ones that I really try to keep track of...

Hey all happy Thursday!

Finished Reading:

They Called Us Enemy 5 stars
Wow did I learn a few things. I knew about Japanese internment camps in Canada but I didn't know much about what happened in the states. If you've never read a graphic novel and want to give one a shot this is the novel.

The Surgeon 4 stars
Book one of the Rizzoli & Isles tv show inspiration. This was a great medical thriller that wasn't ruined because I had watched the tv show. It is a bit gruesome so be warned.

Shades of Magic Vol. 2: Night of Knives 5 stars
I enjoyed this more than the first because it is a better story arc.

Otherworld Chills 4 stars
Got this off of the tbr finally. I had only read one of the novellas/short stories before and it improved upon rereading. The other stories were great except for one that follows a character I can't stand, she's just so boring.

Burn for Me 4 stars re-read
So this series has a new book being released at the end of the month so I'm rereading the series.

PS 2020 47/50
PS Summer 19/20
PS 2016 33/40
goodreads 136/175 (had to bump up the goal because of lockdown)

Currently Reading:
White Hot
The Near Witch
The Darwin Affair (started reading this for a challenge and then I completed the challenge with a different book so I may dnf this)

QOTW:
Do I own books marks? Yes.
Do I still read physical books? Yes
Do I use bookmarks? No, they are on the bookcase far far away across the room, or worse yet, in another room. ;)
What I actually use: used up gift cards, ribbons, Pokémon cards, reciepts, clothing price tags, other books, socks, remotes, my phone, my laptop, my coffee cup basically whatever is closest.

Hi Reading Friends,
I'm at the point with all my challenges where I can no longer read exactly what I want, but have to be more specific with matching books to prompts. This isn't much of an issue since my goal of trimming my TBR was given up on a month ago as it is now larger than when I started this year but is requiring me to be more strategic with what I read.

Completed:
Almost American Girl- In this graphic novel memoir Robin Ha depicts her childhood in the rich and vibrant city of Seoul. Her world is turned up-side down when her mother announces she is getting remarried and they are moving to Alabama. With no opportunity to say goodbye to her friends or pack many of her comic books, which are her solace and escape from the world, she finds herself thrust in to a family she doesn't fit with, a school where she doesn't speak the language and a culture she struggles to understand. Highlighting the huge changes a young person goes through when starting life in a new country this memoir shows the importance of finding new connection points and continuing to pursue passions even when in a new setting.
Prompt: A book by a WOC (Popsugar)
Prompt: A Graphic Memoir (Read Harder)

Three Day Summer- Cora is a bright, ambitious girl of 17 who has a dream of becoming a doctor and is volunteering in the medical tents at the Woodstock music festival being held on a farm in her tiny town of Bethel. Michael knows he lives for music, but is searching for direction in other areas of his life: go to college? Enlist in the military? Break-up with his girlfriend? Their paths cross when Michael requires medical attention and they catch each other's attention immediately. As they begin spending more time together and pursuing self-discovery Cora becomes less cautious and Michael becomes more grounded. In a brilliantly described setting that transported me right to Woodstock the pages pulsed with music and the abandonment of youth!
Prompt: A book that takes place during the summer before high school or college (Summer Popsugar)
Prompt: A book that takes place in a rural setting (Read Harder)

Currently Reading:
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Mill on Magnolia Lane
Selected Poems
Imperfect Courage: Live a Life of Purpose by Leaving Comfort and Going Scared
Well-Behaved Indian Women

QOTW:
I have a set of tiny square bookmarks that clip to the pages with coffee images and types of coffee on them and then I also use a set of tie-dyed blue fair trade felt bookmarks.

Lynn wrote: "Chandie wrote: "I don’t think any fit any prompts I have left.

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson. YA mystery. Boarding school full of kids who have random talents, a mystery spanning decades,..."

Ugh. I type in a doc and copy and paste and I forget to fix the quotations marks because the html doesn't like the docs quotations marks. But I fixed them.

Nadine wrote: "They don’t work for me either. I always figured it was just my phone. Chandie, how do you make your links? I think yours never work for me!
"

Nope. It's just me forgetting to fix the quotation marks. But they are fixed now.