ŷ������

Happy Thursday!! The tree leaves went from: brightly colored, to: mostly on the ground. This means it's time for me to pay the contract to my snow plow guy, because snow is coming.




Admin stuff

Things are quiet in Reading Challenge Land, as we all work diligently at our reading and don't need to plan anything right now.

The group read of Anxious People is ongoing here:
/topic/show/...


Last year our new list came out on December 1st, and right now I have NO IDEA when the 2022 list will come out, but I'm starting to think about it. In an effort to make the process smoother and avoid the issues we had last year (when GR limited us to creating no more than three posts each hour), Lynn and I are going to start creating blank 2022 posts. These posts will be locked for now. Once the list comes out, we will edit them to add in the 2022 info, unlock, and wheeee away we go for a new year!




I finished some books this week! FIVE books! wow! One of them was even a Challenge book, so I am now 44/50. It's so satisfying to tick off those challenge categories.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty - I put this on hold for my "locked room mystery," but in the meantime I used a different book for the category. This was very entertaining and I'm glad I read it, but I don't understand why it's been showing up on "locked room mystery" lists, and I'm glad I had already filled that category with another book, because I wouldn't feel right checking the box with this book.

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins - This was entertaining, but a bit of a mishmash with some glaring red herrings that didn't even need to be there.

Left Out in the Rain: Poems by Gary Snyder - Snyder is a great nature poet, and he's fantastic at bringing a scene or memory or place alive with just a few words.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi - this was my book by a blogger, and it was also on my list of 21 books to read this year, so it's doing double duty. This was my first book by Scalzi, and I can see why he's so popular.

Animal by Lisa Taddeo - oh my goodness I really did not like this book. One star.





Question of the Week

What did you decide is your “dream job�� and what book did you / will you read for this? (Or did you choose a book featuring your current job?)


I've seen such a variety of dream jobs mentioned this year, I thought it might be fun to report on what we all finally chose as a "dream job" (or if you found a book that describes your current job - a much more difficult task, I think).


I used You Love Me for this category, because Joe is a rare book dealer and a volunteer at the local library and independently wealthy thanks to a deal with Love's family, so he can afford a nice home and not need to work if he doesn't want to. That seems like the perfect balance: a pleasant job that gets you out of the house now and then, but absolutely no pressure to keep doing the job if you end up hating it. (fyi: the book and the Netflix show have parted ways - I've seen the first few episodes, and I can see how they incorporated some aspects of the book, but a lot of it is different.)

I'm still working on The Far Pavilions. I don't think I have ever in my life taken so long to read a book. I only have about 120 pages left, so I should be done within the week. I hope.

QOTW: I chose as my dream job host of Jeopardy. I had assumed they were going to contact me to at least be a guest host and was quite shocked that they did not. But, anyway, of course I read The Answer Is by Alex Trebek for that. I've been watching Jeopardy since junior high and AT is one of the few (only?) celebrity deaths that really hit me hard. His book made me ugly cry in a few places.

This week I finished:

Cul-de-sac: I really liked this one. I'm sure things worked out a little too cleanly for some people, but I didn't mind that. I'm a sucker for good character development and lots of suspects.

We Are All the Same in the Dark: I don't think the plot of this book was special enough for this author's obvious talent. I can't really characterize it, but there was something just completely different about this book that made me want to read it. The plot just didn't take me anywhere.

Jackson: This was a perfectly acceptable, short romance, which I just want to read sometimes. There was nothing very special about it, but it did set up for a second book that I think might be more interesting.

A Solitude of Wolverines: Did the plot veer into the realm of the completely unrealistic at times? Yes. Were there problems with the character development of the main character that I found annoying for the first half of the book? Sure. Did the author miss an opportunity to really tap into the outdoors in the way that truly great authors make the setting its own character? Also yes. BUT I DO NOT CARE! The last 40% of this book was an action-packed, suspenseful thrill-ride straight from my nightmares and I was hooked. I stayed up until 1AM to finish this and if book 2 was available, I would have purchased it and started it immediately, so despite my issues with it, it was 100% a 5 star book for me, because it surprised me, took me on a journey, and made me yell out loud once.

Currently reading:

The Violent Season: This is not the kind of book that I usually choose, but for some reason this book kept calling to me. I'm not sure that it is my thing, but I'm not giving up yet.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life: I am 20% of the way through this book and I think I'm going to give it up, which I wouldn't normally do since it was a gift, but I think the overall message of the book is extremely diluted and less effective because of the forced use of the "F" word every other sentence, and I say that as someone who overuses that word a lot. I may just re-gift it instead of pushing through.

QOTW:

The book I chose was about a bookstore owner. I was a little generous with myself for this prompt.

Happy Thursday! We're supposed to get thunderstorms today, rain tomorrow, then rain all next week too. Just when hubby was planning on taking care of all the fallen leaves. Blargh. Ah well, more time for Inside Projects*. This is our closing weekend for Miss Holmes, and tonight will be our first venture with our cast member who came down with COVID during tech week (she's feeling better and has quarantined for the appropriate number of days). Bit nervous about that, but I'm sure it'll be fine. (Famous last words.)

*Reading

This week's books!
Certain Dark Things - DNF. The writing style felt clunky, which made me impatient, and by then I didn't care about any of the characters even though the concept was solid.
Imperium - 4.5 stars. This was well-crafted, with plenty of humor and accessible language, not dry in the least, and highly entertaining. Excited for the other two books in the trilogy!

PS 46/50

Currently:
A Game of You - Sandman Vol 5
The Historian - Back to this now that Imperium is finished. I'm halfway and likely giving it 3 stars, but I'm in it for all the traveling.
The Fall of the House of Cabal - Slow going due to Real Life and extended chapters (an unwelcome change from previous books), but Cabal's wit remains true.
The Bone Shard Daughter - Reread to prep for book 2 in November!
Fatherland - I may have picked this up yesterday after finishing Imperium, but the paperback was screaming at me from the shelf as soon as I got home. I couldn't help ittttt

Upcoming:
A Thousand Ships
The Pit and the Pendulum / The Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - some quick Halloween listens for next week!
Where White Men Fear to Tread: The Autobiography of Russell Means - Starting November properly
The Night Watchman
Split Tooth

What did you decide is your “dream job�� and what book did you / will you read for this? (Or did you choose a book featuring your current job?)
As part of my current job involves theatre, I used Amberlough for this category!

It's been a super mild autumn so far, with the temperature just starting to turn today. Had to get my slippers out!

Finished:
Far from the Light of Heaven by Trade Thompson for ATY (travel). This is a good addition to the "something bad happened while we were in stasis" sub-genre. It was refreshing to see an African space station and a colonised planet that had learned from Earth's mistakes, plus there's a bit about gazillionaires in space and the exploitation involved in getting them there.

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel for ATY (immigrant). Well this was shocking, but I can sadly see the UK adopting such a cruel system. Found this in the Audible Plus library, so was good to be able to listen to a shorter audiobook without feeling like I'm not making the most out of my credits!

Currently reading The Ex Hex and listening to The Dark.

QOTW:
A library assistant! In reality, I wouldn't be able to live off the kind of part time salary I would receive for that job. But if I didn't have to worry about money I think I'd like to work with books. Like could ŷ������ employ me remotely as a tester (current job) and then I can make sure none of you have to put up with their annoying bugs? 🤣

I think I’ve missed two check-ins, one of those weeks was a QOTW I suggested, and I’m hilariously far behind in the challenge. I’m laugh-crying. This year is The Worst. I thought that had to be last year, but no. My mom has been in the hospital/care facility following a very serious case of COVID. (Get your vaccinations! Wear your masks!) That’s kind of been the only thing on my mind for the past few weeks. She’s supposed to be released next week, so I’ll be staying with her to help out but also working from her home. So that’s going to be chaotic.

Maybe I will be able to catch up on the challenge during Saturday’s Dewey’s Readathon. It will be my last “off�� day for a while so I hope it’s a good readathon.

Finished
Dracula by Bram Stoker. I have seen many Dracula adaptations, but I hadn’t heard this story before. It was kind of boring? No wonder the adaptations changed things.

Reading
Hydra by Holly Scott and Jaimie Duncan (a random book from your TBR)

Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabalandon (the longest book on your TBR)

QOTW
I really want to answer my own QOTW from Week 40. I’m excited to read your responses too.

Do you ever read nonfiction books to find out more about a topic or time period mentioned in a novel?

Yes! I love doing this with historical fiction. After I committed myself to reading the Outlander series, I started to wonder how accurate the depiction of the time period was. I read several books about the American Revolution and the time period just prior. It helped me understand the politics in later Outlander books much better. Although the author has deliberately changed some historical events to make them center more around Claire and Jamie, I think she did her research too. I also read a few dinosaur books after reading Jurassic Park, and it became clear to me that Crichton wrote The Lost World only to make paleontologists shut up.

What did you decide is your “dream job�� and what book did you / will you read for this? (Or did you choose a book featuring your current job?)

My plan at the beginning of the year was to read 12 Poirot novels this year. My plan was thoroughly derailed. However, as I was looking for 12 prompts that could fit Poirot novels, I decided my dream job would be an independently wealthy, eccentric, private detective.

Katy wrote: "QOTW: I chose as my dream job of Jeopardy. I had assumed they were going to contact me to at least be a guest host and was quite shocked that they did not. But, anyway, of course I read The Answer Is by Alex Trebek for that. I've been watching Jeopardy since junior high and AT is one of the few (only?) celebrity deaths that really hit me hard. His book made me ugly cry in a few places..."

So funny and sad at the same time - Alex Trebek was a big loss, but love your take on scoring guest host. That would be a fun job!

Happy Thursday, y’all.

Wish me luck, everyone -- I've finally had enough with my current living situation and am hunting for an apartment. Of course, I'd choose to do this right as there's a rent/housing crisis in my area... I've never apartment-hunted before, so this is new and scary and stressful, but I'm hoping it'll be worth it.

Books read this week:

The Postmortal -- what would happen if a cure was found for old age? According to this book, absolute utter mayhem. A grim but fascinating read�� and oddly prophetic in some of the things it called for the future.

The Marsh King's Daughter -- a thriller very loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale. (I’d never heard of the story before this book either��) A little gruesome at points but still a good psychological thriller.

Shark Summer -- graphic novel, and while I wasn’t terribly fond of the art style, I still enjoyed the story about a group of kids and the summer a film crew making a shark movie (it’s all but stated to be Jaws) invades their town.

DNF:

The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights -- yikes, this has been painfully boring to get into. I can forgive the archaic writing style, but everything is just so boring and repetitive. There has got to be better writing out there about the Arthurian mythos��

The Monsters of Rookhaven -- just wasn’t holding my attention. The plot can’t seem to decide on a direction, and the fact that it feels like a knockoff of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (which I just found “okay��) doesn’t help much.

Currently Reading:

All Creatures Great and Small
The Ruin of Kings
Killer
Children of Time

QOTW:

I picked a book based on my current job -- librarian. I read Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks.

Thanks y'all for the kind words last week. Things are going OK, and I'm starting to feel like I have my feet under me, literally and figuratively. Both my daughters seem to be doing well. My 13yo got all the pieces for her Jason Vorhees costume and has made me jump twice by entering the room in it. So that's fun!

@Heather, I hope your mom continues to improve and it isn't too stressful. That is a lot to deal with!

-- Finished --

The Death of Jane Lawrence -- Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge (A Ghost Story)

@Katelyn wanted to hear my thoughts - well I have a lot of thoughts! I loved the beginning, but it turned into a real hate-read for me. It stopped being a Gothic romance and almost turned into a Chosen One story with magic or something? It was a chore to finish, sadly.

-- Currently Reading --

Nothing But Blackened Teeth -- A book you have seen on someone's bookshelf (in real life, on a Zoom call, in a TV show, etc.) -- Saw this on spooky Bookstagram and loved the creepy cover. It doesn't have outstanding reviews, and it has an odd writing style, but I reckon if it isn't great, at least it's short! Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy the good aspects of it.

-- QOTW --

I don't really have a "dream job" unless it's my current job - knowledge work at a good company with managers who give me tons of flexibility. They don't write books about jobs that are so stable and nice they're dull to talk about! :D

So I chose Hercule Poirot - in another life, I would love to travel around to various English villages, being fed cream teas, bantering with my pal Hastings, and savoring being the cleverest person in the room!

Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday, y’all.

Wish me luck, everyone -- I've finally had enough with my current living situation and am hunting for an apartment. Of course, I'd choose to do this right as there's a rent/..."

Good luck - hopefully you'll find what you need at a price you can afford!

Made some progress the past few weeks, I'm at 33/50 for the challenge with two more in-progress.

Finished this week:

Split Decision by Jack Tunney, Eric Beetner - short read, tense story, felt very real

Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park - I got tired of waiting for an X name to appear in books I was reading (for an A-Z character challenge), so I took matters into my own hands - this was a really cute book, and I love Pandas, so it all worked out. That was the last letter, too, so another challenge completed for the year.

The Surgeon's Family by David Hernandez with Carole Gift Page - such a beautiful story, and a true one at that, dealing with faith and generations of family, fulfilled my family tree prompt

Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday, y’all.

Wish me luck, everyone -- I've finally had enough with my current living situation and am hunting for an apartment. Of course, I'd choose to do this right as there's a rent/..."

Good luck! I hope you find a great place, even if it seems daunting!

Christine wrote: "... Nothing But Blackened Teeth -- A book you have seen on someone's bookshelf (in real life, on a Zoom call, in a TV show, etc.) -- Saw this on spooky Bookstagram and loved the creepy cover. It doesn't have outstanding reviews, and it has an odd writing style, but I reckon if it isn't great, at least it's short! Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy the good aspects of it. ..."



That cover is so creepy that I don't think I could bear to hold it in my hands!!!

Hi all,

Sleepy today, thunderstorms woke me up at 4 am or so, couldn't get back to sleep. Lunch nap will be satisfying! And the sun's out now, so I can even lunch walk first.

This week I finished:

Sanctuary - continued a re-read of the series

Aerie - finishing series

The Lightning Thief - audio re-read while drawing and such

Juliet Takes a Breath - this was a good coming of age story. Used for ATY related to the NATO alphabet, J- Juliet.

Freshwater - finally buckled down and finished this. I couldn't give it a rating. I found it a really uncomfortable read with many instances of sexual assault, self harm, suicide attempts. It's certainly powerfully written, but it was just a LOT to get through, even though it was so short. Also the way it was written was difficult for me, with the constantly shifting perspective, shifting in time, made it hard for me to really get into a narrative groove. I think this is more a personal preference than a ding against the book itself, I know plenty of people loved it.

The Night Circus- between the difficulty of Freshwater and the fact that Halloween is approaching, figured it was a good time to sink back into my favorite book. I know it takes place over years, but it feels like a good Halloween book to me. Not really spooky, but full of magic and mystery.

Currently reading:

Cinder - audio book re-read

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead - about to start this, haven't actually yet. It'll be my aty Warick Prize.

QOTW:

I had trouble with this one, because i don't really WANT a job. If I didn't have to work to afford to live, I'd spend my time making stuff. Painting, doing crafts, writing, making comics, doing home improvement. Maybe I'd have time to actually seriously garden instead of just dabbling. Volunteer places, maybe do a Zoo volunteer thing or work with an animal shelter. I went with owning a Cat Cafe, because i always joke that some day i'll quit my job and open one, and then I wouldn't be a crazy cat lady, I'd be a businesswoman. so I read Crazy Stupid Bromance. Was a little disappointed, because it wasn't a real cat cafe. It was a coffee shop that the owner brought her cat to and occasionally had adoption events at. To me a cat cafe is a distinct thing, a place you go to hang out with multiple cats. In my area, usually run by shelters and serve as a way to meet adoptable cats.

Katy wrote: "I'm still working on The Far Pavilions. I don't think I have ever in my life taken so long to read a book. I only have about 120 pages left, so I should be done within the week. I hope..."


Ugh! Long Book Agony!! That was me last year when I inexplicably decided to read The Count of Monte Cristo.

You will have SUCH a feeling of accomplishment when you finish!!

Happy Thursday! I finished nothing last week but finished 2 books this week! I am not as far along in the challenge as I would like to be (85% currently) but still chugging along.

POP: 43/50
ATY: 44/52
ŷ������: 47/52

Finished:

Anxious People by Frederik Backman. I had trouble getting into this one...well more accurately I had trouble focusing on reading at all these last couple weeks. But once I sat down and actually read it I really enjoyed it!

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. I really liked this one and will definitely continue this series. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that the author kept pointing out Ramotswe's weight.

Currently Reading:

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. I have been waiting for the fall to read this one. So far it is spooky and so well written.

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent. I just picked this one up and I am ready to abandon. The story isn't engaging me and the (view spoiler)[ The incest and rape does not do anything to help the story along either (hide spoiler)]

QOTW:

I used In Five Years as my "dream job" book. The main character Dani is a corporate lawyer for a firm who represents large companies.

My dream job isn't necessarily to be a lawyer but she was really good at her job and made good money and worked at a firm she had been dreaming about for most of her life. I was more thinking it would be a "dream job" to know exactly what you want to be when you grow up and actually do it and love it. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

Christine wrote: "Thanks y'all for the kind words last week. Things are going OK, and I'm starting to feel like I have my feet under me, literally and figuratively. Both my daughters seem to be doing well. My 13yo g..."

Thanks for the link to your review. I am so disappointed that this wasn't an instant love. I will try it any way and see what happens. I love these types of books - gothic with creepy houses and mystery.

We’re enjoying the fall foliage in the Swiss mountains. It’s really beautiful: those green-yellow-red-golden leafs to a background of fresly powdered mountains. The sun was shining all week (except for this morning and tomorrow: finally some reading time!) so we made a lot of hikes in the mountains. We still have a week to spend here, and probably see all the leaves falling down next week.

36/40
Finished
A Promised Land by Barack Obama ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
Prompt: #18, a book about a subject you are passionate about - I love politics, and American presidents is one of my favourite sub-subjects.

I really enjoyed the book: Obama gives an insider’s look into the presidency. The dilemmas, the political theatre/ games, but also the doubts, uncertainties and frustrations. Before sharing his dilemmas and decisions, Obama first sketches the historical timeline. It helps understanding his decision better. And yes, he is an excellent story teller. This first part of his memoires is like paradise for political junkies.

Currently reading
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

QOTW
Early this year I bought Content Design by Sarah Richards, the content designer of gov.uk (that’s quite the standard for government online services). I decided to read this book for the challenge as well. It’s my current job: I’m responsible for our municipality’s online services.

Just truckin' along this week! We *finally* had a slower week this week, so I was able to catch up on some projects I'd had to put off because we've been so overwhelmed with student appointments. Our first new-hire starts next Monday and I'm very excited, even if she'll be going out on maternity leave almost immediately. We opened the other spot again, so we'll see!

It's been surprisingly gorgeous outside. I still like fall the least of all the seasons, but this one's not too bad so far.

Also, I got my flu shot and my COVID booster this morning, so yay! I'm starting to feel a bit woozy, which is weird because I didn't really have any symptoms after the original shots...

Finished:
Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime by Ron Stallworth - A book on a Black Lives Matter reading list. This story was really interesting. A bit anticlimactic, but I really like that Stallworth is proud that it WAS anticlimactic because they were able to just...keep things in check. They prevented drama, which is a really good thing. There were some editing issues (a few places where things were unnecessarily repeated or the timeline suddenly jumped with no warning), but it was a quick read and an interesting story.

Dark Shimmer by Donna Jo Napoli - A book with something broken on the cover. Donna Jo Napoli has yet to disappoint me. I know all her books are based on fairytales/folklore, but it wasn't until about halfway through that I started to figure out what story this was based on.

Up Next:
Coraline by Neil Gaiman - A book everyone has read but me. I'll be listening to this on the drive to my parents' this evening and I'm looking forward to it.

Probably Eldest, too.

QOTW:
As someone else said, my dream career is to not HAVE to work. I'd like to volunteer, be a docent, that kind of thing. But I'd love to not have to work.

I read The Mysterious Benedict Society. I suppose being a child detective isn't really an attainable "career," but I guess I aspire to be creative and good at solving puzzles and help make the world better for others. Maybe it's a stretch, but oh well lol.

Harmke wrote: "We’re enjoying the fall foliage in the Swiss mountains. It’s really beautiful: those green-yellow-red-golden leafs to a background of fresly powdered mountains. The sun was shining all week (except..."

I listened to the audiobook of A Promised Land because I really enjoy the sound of his voice and it felt like he was telling me the stories. I couldn't even imagine being President and all the responsibilities that comes along with that. I felt Obama was a really good President but is also a good person, father, and husband. I can't wait for the second volume to come out!

Happy Thursday! The weather is getting odd on us. Warm then cold, warm then cold. Soon winter will win the war, and it'll get frosty! I'm hoping for some big snows this year!

Finished 42/50

The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom for "book with less than 1,000 reviews on GR". WOW this book was DEEP. I learned so much about life, the universe, and everything (seriously). It's not for the casual reader, though. Vey high level reading.

Currently Reading

Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures for "book about art or an artist". This book is wild so far! I can't believe this is really a thing!!

QotW

My dream job was to be a published author. Aaaand I accomplished that twice in the past year! So, now I guess my dream job is to be the lead singer in a rock band. I'd love to still write too. :)
BUT my current job is a stay-at-home mom, so I read The Lost Gospel of Mary: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts, which I had always wanted to read! Since she's the most famous mother of all time, seemed perfect. :D Learned a ton about her and the ancient world too!

Katelyn wrote: "Christine wrote: "Thanks y'all for the kind words last week. Things are going OK, and I'm starting to feel like I have my feet under me, literally and figuratively. Both my daughters seem to be doi..."

Honestly, I think if I'd gone in with different expectations, I could have enjoyed it for what it was and it would be maybe a 3-star rating. Just realize that it starts out quite Gothic, and then goes other, less organized places. Also be aware that it has quite a share of body horror and gross stuff. I'm interested to see what you think!

I got plenty of time to read on Friday while I was waiting for my tires to be replaced. And I read some last night. But other than that, I've had barely any time to read. I guess that's good because it means I'm living my life. But it also means, I don't have much progress to report.

Finished: None.

Started: Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself

Continued: Being and Nothingness (I spent most of Friday re-reading sections so that I understand his concept of Nothingness better.)

At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails

Qotw: I chose mail deliverer as my dream career job and Neither Snow nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service as my book for that prompt. I've always wanted to deliver mail, but I don't know how that's going to fit in the arch of my life. I also don't know if it would turn out to be such a good job if I have a hard time finding places to go to the bathroom. I talked to a mail deliverer about that and he said you get to know the places you can go on your route and it hasn't been an issue, even in the pandemic.

P.S. I'm very proud of myself for finally memorizing the html coding for bold!

Finished:

And Then There Were None
ATY prompt: 25. A book set on an island
Popsugar prompt: none applicable


Currently reading:

Dracula - about 3/4 done
A Slow Fire Burning - just started


QOTW:

What did you decide is your “dream job�� and what book did you / will you read for this? (Or did you choose a book featuring your current job?)

I haven't done this prompt yet. My dream job is to be a full time writer and none of the books I've read so far have had one.

Edit - thanks to a fellow reader's comment, I'm using And Then There Were None for this prompt because at one point in my life, my dream job was judge. But I wouldn't have been a hanging judge.

Katelyn wrote: "I listened to the audiobook of A Promised Land because I really enjoy the sound of his voice and it felt like he was telling me the stories. ... I can't wait for the second volume to come out!"

Me neither!! And quite a good capture of the book: he is telling us the stories. It felt the same while reading the book.

You have no idea how relieved I am that my vacation starts Sunday. I didn't get all the days off I requested, but whatever. I'm looking forward to audiobooks and jigsaw puzzles! Woohoo!

It's fun to see the threads for next year starting to get ready! I was just thinking the other day that I've reached the point in the year where I'm almost scared to read something in case it's literally the only book I would like to read for a prompt next year. Getting excited!

Hold on, kids, it's a crazy check-in.

Finished:
The Plot - If you are going to write a book where an author takes the perfect plot from someone, then it really should be far less obvious than this. The book was fine, just not surprising to me.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café - Is this a TV show? Because I would watch this show.

Frankissstein: A Love Story - The historical parts were OK but the modern bits made me uncomfortable, and not in a good way.

Then I read a ton of e-picture books from the library!
Wishes - Fleeing Vietnam, pretty illustrations.
B Is for Baby - Lots of B words in this Nigerian adventure!
Library Mouse - Cute story about writing books. Didn't see the twist!
Hannah and Sugar - Girl afraid of dog. Girl helps dog.
Hello Goodbye Dog - Excitable dog become reading dog. Wheelchair rep.
The Old Boat - Nice book with litter clean-up
The Old Truck - Surprisingly touching
Reading Beauty - Excellent sci-fi reading spin on the fairy tale!
Tiger vs. Nightmare - Loved this and the illustrations
Hiking Day - Meh. Nothing special.
Yellow Kayak - Pretty illustrations, but that is not a kayak.
How To Be A Lion - Be yourself! Also anti-toxic masculinity.
Whistle for Willie - It's OK.
Why? - Lovely illustrations, story fine.
¡Vamos! Let's Go to the Market - Richard Scary for the bilingual market
Abner & Ian Get Right-Side Up - Interactive story. Fun
The Big Umbrella - Metaphor for America: It's big enough for everyone.

Whew!

Currently Reading:
A Line To Kill - The new Hawthorn and Horowitz!

And Then You're Dead: What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are Shot from a Cannon, or Go Barreling Over Niagara - Dipping in and out between books.


QOTW:
I had to check what I used for this, and I picked Strangeworlds Travel Agency. You travel to other worlds by jumping into different suitcases. How fun!

Harmke wrote: "We’re enjoying the fall foliage in the Swiss mountains. It’s really beautiful: those green-yellow-red-golden leafs to a background of fresly powdered mountains. The sun was shining all week (except..."

Switzerland is totally on my bucket list. At the top. I want to go there so bad. It just looks so beautiful and mountainous. I'll probably never get there, but I'm going to keep the dream alive in my head until I do or until the bitter end.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend an Ibram X. Kendi event, just do it! I was reminded of the spiritual presence of Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison. He is so very genuine, sincere, and humble! I am so grateful he has made antiracism his life’s cause!

Other than that, just busy busy busy with work and working out! Celebrated a friend’s birthday with her this past Sunday and will do so with another in two weeks. I just find I have very little energy for other things on the weekend besides running errands, cooking, reading�� Oh, and some cleaning! *GAG*

Question of the Week:
What did you decide is your “dream job�� and what did you / will you read for this? (Or did you choose a book featuring your current job?)

How timely! After reading How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and attending his presentation this past Tuesday, I decided his job as a tenured faculty member and founder of an Antiracist research center is my dream job! How could anything be more important than spreading antiracism?!?

Some of the other possibilities I’ve listed for this prompt:
(1) Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals by Temple Grandin, Catherine Johnson
An expert advocate for humane treatment of all animals!

(2) Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
Wade works at filling his days since he is one of the richest human beings on earth. Ahhhhh...that is my "dream job"! I'm sure I could do that well! :)

(3) Magpie Murders (Susan Ryeland #1) by Anthony Horowitz
Running a small tourist resort on the beach in Greece.

(4) The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
They're all retired and that's what I want to do--RETIRE!

(5) The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Morais
Prize-winning chef.

Popsugar: 45/50
ATY: 48/52
RHC: 16/24
Reading Women: 13/28
Really need to make some more progress on these!
Admittedly, I still need to locate my copy of Gold by Chris Cleave or I’ll never finish POPSUGAR! LOL It is the book that has been on my TBR the longest that I own and really want to read. *sigh*

FINISHED:
Orson Scott Card did not disappoint with Children of the Mind! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wow. This was very philosophical and very imaginative. A rather nice way to end the series, IMO. And now I’m excited to begin the Shadow series, but that may wait until 2022��
POPSUGAR: #18-Acceptance, respect, and appreciation for all!, #21- Classic, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, #27, #34-Peaceful coexistence among species, #47-Card is one of my favorite writers and Ender’s Saga one of my favorite series!
ATY: #14, #15, #20-As usual, I really would like to know what happens in the future, #23- Classic, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, #24, #27-Death, Judgement, The World, #31, #34, #49, #51, #52-There was hope for a better future in the end.
Reading Women: #18

City of Silver: A Mystery by Annamaria Alfieri was excellent, IMHO! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Books set during the Inquisition are typically not my favorite. That system was, IMO, the ultimate in hypocrisy and nothing more than a ploy to fulfill people’s/countries�� greedy money-grubbing desires�� But Alfieri did a fine job of exposing exactly that while at the same time posing a seemingly unsolvable “locked-room�� mystery. Though I did guess the murder method, the perpetrator was still unknown until the end. I did appreciate the ending. Perhaps a bit “too good to believe�� in the time of the Inquisition, but it worked for me! I loved Alfieri’s writing. She built an atmosphere and environment that felt as if it was my own and I felt as if I knew all these characters personally. If you are looking for an action-action-action book, this isn’t it until about halfway through, but, if you appreciate detailed characterization and an environment/atmosphere that is basically a character in and of itself, I think you would enjoy this one!
POPSUGAR: #6, #13, #21-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, #22, #27, #30-Bolivia, #34-Those in control stealing money for their own enhancement, #36-66 reviews on ŷ������, #44
ATY: #1-I had no idea just how dark this might get in the beginning!, #8-Bolivia, #9-Spring/Easter, #10-definitely villains, #17, #19-Present crimes determined many people’s futures, #23-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, #24, #35, #42, #49
RHC: #1-Just wasn’t sure what to expect, #13
Reading Women: #18

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ is definitely one of those books every single person should read. And not just us white folks. He depicts his own experiences realizing his own racism so very well. His recommendations are so necessary! And if you ever have the opportunity to see/hear him speak, he is very sincere, genuine, and thoughtful. Definitely worth your time and effort! I am so thrilled he is a major spokesperson for antiracism! I will definitely be rereading this one, probably in January to get 2022 off to a great start!
POPSUGAR: #7- A tenured faculty member and founder of an Antiracist research center, #18-Antiracism!, #20, #21- Autobiography, Nonfiction, Politics, Psychology, Social Justice, Sociology, #27, #34, #37, #47-Social Justice and Antiracism!
ATY: #1-In the beginning, Kendi knew there was no way he was a racist!, #20- Using the past to realize the present and make changes for a much better future!, #23-Autobiography, Nonfiction, Politics, Psychology, Social Justice, Sociology, #24, #41, #44, #51
RHC: #2

CONTINUING:
Should definitely finish The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab this Saturday for the Dewey Readathon!
I may read a cozy mystery as well. I just need one every once in awhile!
And hopefully, The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

PLANNED:
Only one confirmed Buddy Read for October:
Pop Goes the Weasel (Alex Cross #5) by James Patterson
One group read for October (For two different ŷ������ groups!):
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

For my favorite used bookstore’s book club meeting October 24th October 31,
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman. I’m kinda glad this got pushed back a week!

And the others that are waiting patiently...
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #26 A book written by Isabel Allende.
Paradise by Toni Morrison to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #25 A book written by Toni Morrison.
And I’ve decided to probably move this to 2022, planning to read some at least every month:
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Ah, NYC is having the most beautiful autumn weather finally! I hope the trees in Central Park start turning now. I was there on Sunday and it was green green green, with even the most delicate flowers -- and roses! -- still in bloom. It's been so warm. The great news from Central Park though is that the vintage Central Park Carousel has reopened finally after being closed for 18 months due to pandemic. No I did not take a ride - but it was busy busy busy!

ALERT to fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - the special edition is out and my copy just arrived. Gorgeous book -- but I have yet to examine how it differs for original first edition beyond cover color, a golden ribbon page marker, and special intro. I have a thing for special editions that I indulge for special books.

I believe I only have 5 more books to go, including my longest in pages but I have started it and it's not a hard read.

Finished:

Neanderthal Seeks Human - if you like modern romance and especially if you are a statuesque curvy lady with a big brain and no confidence, you need to read this. Very quirky, but who can dislike a book that teaches you about slamps, Wendells, and my personal fave, twatwaffles?? Friends have been recommending Penny Reid's books to me for years. Totally fluff and entertainment.

Masquerade Murder: A Victoria Town Mystery Novella - don't bother. Great idea but terribly executed and the copyeditor of the ebook should be sent to Azkaban - worst copyediting job I have ever seen on an ebook.

Currently Reading:

Becoming George Sand
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text - this will be my anonymous author read.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - a reread. My pace on the series reread has slowed but I'm really enjoying it. There is so much wonderful stuff that was left out of the movies! I had not fully appreciated how much the movie adaptations have colored my memory of the stories.
A Suitable Boy - my longest in pages read
This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland - collection of essays I read a couple at a time.

QOTW: Well, my current and dream job are the same - lawyer. Plus how easy is it to find a book I want to read centered on lawyers????????

Happy check-in!
Not feeling too great today I think it might be a response to the flu shot, which has never happened before. Oh well, supposedly this year's flu season is going to be tough so maybe it's a stronger flu shot. 🤷‍♀��

To the books.

Finished Reading:

In a Badger Way ⭐⭐��
Entertaining, fast paced urban fantasy. This is the second book in a series and it takes place right where the last book left off so not so good to read this by itself.

The Party Crasher ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The newest from Sophie Kinsella. It was near impossible to put this down. This author stays in her lane and makes enjoyable reads for me.

Gods & Monsters ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Finally finished this one. The library has collected it from me so it's taken a while to get here. It was a good ending to the series.

As Good As Dead ⭐⭐
This series has been so addictive. The first half of this book was just as awesome as the first two books but then choices were made. I made myself finish this but I'm really not good with the way she ended this series even though it makes sense.

The Last Unicorn: The Lost Journey ⭐⭐
Probably should have read The Last Unicorn first but this was just kinda boring. It started off good but then nothing happened. This also just might not be the story for me because I definitely found the movie boring.

PS 2021 44/50
PS 2017 47/52
ŷ������ 226/250

Currently Reading:
City of Bones reread
Bird Box botm
Japenese Fairy Tales

QOTW:
I used Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores mostly because I loved this book and wanted to slot it in somewhere.

Nadine wrote: "Happy Thursday!! The tree leaves went from: brightly colored, to: mostly on the ground. This means it's time for me to pay the contract to my snow plow guy, because snow is coming."
Ugh. Really, Nadine! Can't we wait until the white stuff actually starts falling from the sky? 🙄😮

"Admin stuff
Things are quiet in Reading Challenge Land, as we all work diligently at our reading and don't need to plan anything right now."
You are so funny! This sounded like the beginning of The Night Before Christmas...

"Last year our new list came out on December 1st, and right now I have NO IDEA when the 2022 list will come out, but I'm starting to think about it. In an effort to make the process smoother and avoid the issues we had last year (when GR limited us to creating no more than three posts each hour), Lynn and I are going to start creating blank 2022 posts. These posts will be locked for now. Once the list comes out, we will edit them to add in the 2022 info, unlock, and wheeee away we go for a new year!"
YES! I'm so excited for next year's list, but really...as I mentally castigate myself: "Slow down, Lynn!"...I must concentrate on finishing up 2021 challenges first! I must! I must! I must! LOL And I just created three postings and it stopped me, so obviously ŷ������ didn't change anything from last year in that we can still only post 3 at a time for every hour. Sheesh!

"Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty - I put this on hold for my "locked room mystery," but in the meantime I used a different book for the category. This was very entertaining and I'm glad I read it, but I don't understand why it's been showing up on "locked room mystery" lists, and I'm glad I had already filled that category with another book, because I wouldn't feel right checking the box with this book."
Good to know. I'm considering reading it this year for a different challenge, but glad I didn't count on it for the "locked-room mystery" prompt!

"A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins - This was entertaining, but a bit of a mishmash with some glaring red herrings that didn't even need to be there."
I'm sure I'll read this at some point in time... I actually preferred her second book to the first, so I'll need to see how I feel about the third one!

"Left Out in the Rain: Poems by Gary Snyder - Snyder is a great nature poet, and he's fantastic at bringing a scene or memory or place alive with just a few words."
Another poetry win for you! YAY!

"Old Man's War by John Scalzi - this was my book by a blogger, and it was also on my list of 21 books to read this year, so it's doing double duty. This was my first book by Scalzi, and I can see why he's so popular."
I have this on my TBR listing, but am not necessarily excited to try it...

"Animal by Lisa Taddeo - oh my goodness I really did not like this book. One star."
Not on my list. Can't imagine I would enjoy it...

Question of the Week
What did you decide is your “dream job�� and what book did you / will you read for this? (Or did you choose a book featuring your current job?)
I've seen such a variety of dream jobs mentioned this year, I thought it might be fun to report on what we all finally chose as a "dream job" (or if you found a book that describes your current job - a much more difficult task, I think).

I used You Love Me for this category, because Joe is a rare book dealer and a volunteer at the local library and independently wealthy thanks to a deal with Love's family, so he can afford a nice home and not need to work if he doesn't want to. That seems like the perfect balance: a pleasant job that gets you out of the house now and then, but absolutely no pressure to keep doing the job if you end up hating it. (fyi: the book and the Netflix show have parted ways - I've seen the first few episodes, and I can see how they incorporated some aspects of the book, but a lot of it is different.)"
The independently wealthy thing is what I like most! I would love the ability to volunteer...

Hello! I took the day off (next Thursday too) so I'm checking in a little late. The weather has finally turned here - a local radio station declared it officially "Flannel Fall." It is four weeks to Endwalker, four weeks to Hugo deadline, and less than two weeks until NaNo. I got a lot of reading done this week, but still have so much left. And I checked out six new things at the library.

Finished This Week:
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich. I oddly enjoyed this. I picked it because it fulfilled prompts for a lot of challenges, but the story gripped me, and I'm glad I read it. I don't think I can count it as a genre novel, and it feels wrong to call it magical realism when the magic bits are religious, but Louise Erdrich is definitely an Indigenous author. Using for Read Harder's Set in the Midwest.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. Picked up for Reading Women's YA Novel by a Latinx Author, and I meant to read it during Hispanic Heritage month (missed by a few days). I enjoyed this one as well, and was glad to see how the main character grew through the cooking class. Also kinda think it counts as magical realism, because her cooking passes on emotions.

City of Jasmine by Olga Grjasnowa. My Warwick prize eligible novel for ATY. This was depressing. It's fiction about two Syrians and what they go through from before the war started until they're refugees in Germany, and it is grim. One of the characters is a doctor, and he becomes the only surgeon left in a town with a lot of fighting. The author lives in Germany and married a Syrian, so I'm guessing a lot of it is based on what her husband and his family experienced. The part I'll remember most from it is the comment of the characters said while crossing the sea to Italy: it's the middle class Syrians who are the fleeing refugees. The poor don't have the money to pay the smugglers, and the rich used their money to pay off the government, so it's the middle class Syrians who are making the dangerous Mediterranean crossings.

Chalice by Robin McKinley. I discovered another of my favorite books was on audio, and listened to it during work for the past week. It wasn't the narrator I was expecting, but this one did a very good job as well. Chalice is such a beautiful story. Not for prompt.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I found a paperback at the library that didn't have footnotes or translations or excessive explanations, and was able to knock it out in two evenings. I do not understand how this was one of my mother's favorite books. Everyone is a terrible person and the storytelling frame is so annoying. Using for PS #25, anonymous author. I hear Anne Bronte didn't have terrible taste in men?

PS: 45/50 RH: 19/24 RW: 22/28 ATY: 50/52 GR: 153/150

Currently Reading
Ghost-Spider, Vol. 1: Dog Days Are Over by Seanan McGuire. Realized my library had a bunch of the graphic novels/comic books nominated for Hugos, and picked this up today.

At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor by Gordon W. Prange. Still chugging along. Made it to February 1941.

Up Next:
Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution by Mike Duncan. My copy from the library just came in. Very excited to start.

QOTW: What did you decide is your “dream job�� and what did you / will you read for this? (Or did you choose a book featuring your current job?)
I never really had a dream job. I used to say I wanted to own a used bookstore, but my dad pointed out that was his dream, not mine. So I used the job I was going to be when I grew up: eye doctor. There are not many books about eye doctors at all. I used I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillan, where the main character is an eye doctor but wondering why she ever picked that career.

Happy Thursday. I've had a wonderful week and managed to read some really good books so I'm in a good mood.

Stats

Popsugar: 48/50
ATY: 52/52 🥳
ATY Rejects: 22/25

Finished

Cerulean Blue ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I've been meaning to read one of Drew Hayden Taylor plays and this one was available when I went to look. It was short and sweet and funny, although the 1 character that only talked in rhymes got old fast.

The Charm Offensive ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I saw this on ŷ������ and it looked fun. I don't like watching reality dating shows, but turns out romcoms set during them are my jam. This was sweet and funny, but the ending let me down a little.

Under the Whispering Door ⭐⭐⭐⭐�� - This wasn't better than The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it was still really good. It had me in tears by the end.

The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 & The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐�� - The artwork was decent, the story is ridiculous yet fun. I wish it had been in colour.

Well Matched ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the first book in the series but the second book wasn't as good, so I was a ittle worried going in to this one. I shouldn't have been. This was back to form, and so much fun. Plus now I know there is going to be a forth one.😀



Made Progress:

A Cup of Silver Linings

Anxious People

QOTW

I went with Yes Please for my dream job. Not so much for the acting, but writing and producing a TV show would be a dream job to me for sure.

Theresa wrote: "QOTW: Well, my current and dream job are the same - lawyer. Plus how easy is it to find a book I want to read centered on lawyers????????..."


you are lucky on all fronts!!!

Lynn wrote: "Things are quiet in Reading Challenge Land, as we all work diligently at our reading and don't need to plan anything right now."


You are so funny! This sounded like the beginning of The Night Before Christmas...
..."

hahaha yes I suppose it does!! especially when combined with my worrying about snow.




"Old Man's War by John Scalzi - this was my book by a blogger, and it was also on my list of 21 books to read this year, so it's doing double duty. This was my first book by Scalzi, and I can see why he's so popular."

I have this on my TBR listing, but am not necessarily excited to try it...

Give it a try! I think you might like it!




"Animal by Lisa Taddeo - oh my goodness I really did not like this book. One star."

Not on my list. Can't imagine I would enjoy it...


yes I don't think you would like this one at all.

Theresa wrote: "QOTW: Well, my current and dream job are the same - lawyer. Plus how easy is it to find a book I want to read centered on lawyers????????..."

You reminded me that when I was in law school, my dream job was to one day be a judge. So, I'm using And Then There Were None for the prompt. (I definitely would have been a better judge than the one in the book.)

Good evening! I'm excited because I have a day off tomorrow. I have some extra PTO to use up before the end of the year so I've got a variety of random days off coming up.

I've finished 4 books this week, which is the best I've done in quite a while.

The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History: such a good book but the audiobook is pretty long even on 1.6x speed. the first time I checked it out from the library I didn't finish on time and had to go back on the hold list. Thankfully I was able to finish it before time ran out again!

The Gilded Page: The Secret Lives of Medieval Manuscripts: interesting book about medieval manuscripts and the people who made them, but I think it would have worked better for me on audio. Or maybe I just needed some pictures.

Baba Yaga's Assistant: fun graphic novel perfect for the spooky season

Sheets: cute, sweet, but didn't live up to the hype for me. still a good halloween read

QOTW:
I went more loosely with a book where the main character has a cool job, not necessarily my personal dream job. My dream job would be to be one of the idle rich, haha. The book I ended up using was Safecracker: A Chronicle of the Coolest Job in the World which is a fun memoir.

Heather wrote: "Do you ever read nonfiction books to find out more about a topic or time period mentioned in a novel?

Yes! I love doing this with historical fiction. After I committed myself to reading the Outlander series, I started to wonder how accurate the depiction of the time period was. I read several books about the American Revolution and the time period just prior. It helped me understand the politics in later Outlander books much better..."

I did the same thing after Outlander, but I did it after reading the first two books. (I still need to read Voyager.) I sought out a book on that war, The Jacobite Rebellion 1745��46.

I think this is so funny... I'm reading The Reading List on your guys' recommendation and right at the beginning it says, "This wasn't her dream job-- was it anyone's?-- she was just working here for the summer." Referring to being a librarian. Seemed like that was the most common dream job from our thread today.

Lynn wrote: "And I’ve decided to probably move this to 2022, planning to read some at least every month:
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi..."

I'm planning to compare Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, and Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America once I've finished Being and Nothingness. Would be interested in comparing notes with you.

Lynn wrote: "If you ever have the opportunity to attend an Ibram X. Kendi event, just do it! I was reminded of the spiritual presence of Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison. He is so very genuine, sincere, and humbl..."

I always get a little jealous when I read about all the speaking events and author meets that you attend. Do you ever have an experience meeting/listening to an author speak that it makes you not want to read their work anymore?

Doni wrote: "I think this is so funny... I'm reading The Reading List on your guys' recommendation and right at the beginning it says, "This wasn't her dream job-- was it anyone's?-- she was jus..."



hahaha!!!

Oops - I missed this yesterday! I'm in the middle of a five-day workshop with Tommy Orange (eee! :) and haven't had as much time to check ŷ������. It's been awesome learning from him and getting to know him. The first thing he said in the workshop was that he had just learned the CIA was part of creating the first writing workshops (the famous Iowa ones), so it's been cool to approach what we're doing with an understanding of the problematic origins of writing workshops.

Anyway, this week I finished:

Cackle I was hoping for an easy, fun Halloween-adjacent book and this was exactly that! 4 stars

Bewilderment I think I get what the hype is about. It's heavy-handed politically, but I don't usually mind that. There were various moving passages that pulled me in. 4 stars

Last Night at the Telegraph Club I liked this, but wanted more... 4 stars

Under the Whispering Door This felt very similar to The House in the Cerulean Sea, which is fine. I enjoyed it. 4 stars

I'm currently listening to The Lost Apothecary and finishing up Ponciá Vicêncio in print (both for book clubs).

QOTW: At first I was planning to go with my current job, which is an organizer/activist, but this work is really exhausting so I'd ultimately like to be able to write full time. I went with The Mixquiahuala Letters for that.

I hope the 2022 prompts come out in late November rather than December 1st this year. Last year I was leading the monthly book discussion for December and everyone was too distracted by the new list to have a good book discussion that month. :/

I flagged the spam

Lauren wrote: "... The first thing he said in the workshop was that he had just learned the CIA was part of creating the first writing workshops (the famous Iowa ones), so it's been cool to approach what we're doing with an understanding of the problematic origins of writing workshops. ..."



whaaaat??


Wow I just read a bit on that. what's chilling is that the Iowa alums went on to found other writing workshops and find positions in publishing & editing & reviewing ... so that they continue to shape the style of literature that we can find published today. I am now feeling justified in MFA-y."

I keep forgetting to log in and reading is going slow but I did manage to do some.

For the prompt A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or ŷ������ I originally read Cassadaga Nights by Jana Denardo which is a LGBT paranormal novella that I really enjoyed but I also got Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee as anARC to review and it is a middle grade fantasy with a Hmong girl as the protagonist and is steeped in Hmong culture. It's part of the Rick Riordan line to showcase diverse voices and it was fantastic.

For the prompt A book from your TBR list you associate with a favorite person, place, or thing I read West Virginia Ghost Stories, Legends, and Haunts by Jannette Quakenbush as I love ghost hunting, that's a favorite thing (and WV is a beautiful state)

I also read two really good graphic novels Vinland Saga Omnibus, Vol. 11 by Makoto Yukimura and Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia

QOTW Sadly I went with my current job verses my dream job because it would have been a doctor which I was until an injury ended it so that would potentially make me sad. My other dream job would have been a magic user or other paranormal thing but since I had one with my current job (professor) I read Red Gold by Robert D. Kidera but didn't like it much

Lauren wrote: "Oops - I missed this yesterday! I'm in the middle of a five-day workshop with Tommy Orange (eee! :) and haven't had as much time to check ŷ������. It's been awesome learning from him and getting ..."

I hope you enjoy the workshop

Nadine wrote: "Lauren wrote: "... The first thing he said in the workshop was that he had just learned the CIA was part of creating the first writing workshops (the famous Iowa ones), so it's been cool to approac..."

Yes... very concerning. I learned a lot more about writing workshop issues in Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping - highly recommend!

Cornerofmadness wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Oops - I missed this yesterday! I'm in the middle of a five-day workshop with Tommy Orange (eee! :) and haven't had as much time to check ŷ������. It's been awesome learning from h..."

Thank you! :)

wow, I haven't checked in in... over a month... let's fix that

Won't bother doing a catchup post, too long. What have I finished in the last week...

Completed

Madam - Ugh, this was a massive letdown. I gave it 2 stars to be nice, but the further I get from the point at which I finished it, the more I'm thinking I might even downgrade it to a 1.
The whole premise is just so shaky. First off, your big scaaary concept is pretty much, "OMG, what if the English upper classes were a bunch of elitist bigots who didn't respect girls'/women's autonomy?" Honey, that's not a horror book, that's just the last thousand-plus years of history.
Then there's the incredible amount of power this one school apparently has. It's treated like it's the Illuminati or something. They can control anything, cover up anything, literally imprison or kill anyone who goes against them. There's even a bit where it's revealed the older students don't actually take SATs or anything, yet Caldonbrae is renowned as one of the most academically successful schools in Britain because "they have enough power to manipulate the league tables". HOW. This is A SINGLE SCHOOL. I don't care if they're a couple hundred years old and teach the daughters of royalty and government, that's just stupid. Even Eton wouldn't get away with "disappearing" former staff and (view spoiler)[directly causing the death of a pupil via botched medical procedure (hide spoiler)].
Then there's the ending. We know from the very start there's a massive fire that destroys the school building. (view spoiler)[At the end, we find out there were almost 400 casualties, including 100+ teenage girls. And it's treated by the narrative as if... it's sad, yes, traumatic, yes, but almost a necessary sacrifice, or "better this way" - not a quote, but that pretty much seemed to be the tone. And I was completely stunned and sickened. Those girls were brainwashed and destined for arranged marriage and severely constrained (though privileged) lives - it wasn't a happy future but to even insinuate that a horrific, agonising, brutal death by fire at the age of 18 was the lesser evil?! They can't choose their path in life, so it's somehow less tragic if they're not alive to choose anything ever again?! Absolutely abhorrent idea. (hide spoiler)]

And hey, minor nitpick compared to *gestures upwards*, but the book is set in the 1990s, and the sense of setting is established terribly. It's almost purely namedropping famous 90s media - for example, there's a quote wherein the protagonist thinks (paraphrased), "[other character] reminded her of Thelma from Thelma and Louise, which she had seen at the cinema the previous year". It feels like the author constantly interjecting to scream "HEY IT'S THE 90s", which is truly dire writing.

Wow apparently I had a lot of thinky thoughts. And yes, that one-star rating is happening.

The Screaming Staircase - I rated this one 5 stars! Honestly, not sure if it was genuinely 5-star amazing or if it was just such a great relief from the previous. It was excellent though, really what a middle-grade should be - didn't feel like it was talking down to the audience at all, nothing was toned down or held back, it was just a novel whose protagonists happened to be young, and which didn't contain anything outright unsuitable for kids, as long as said kids could handle the concept of ghosts.

The Bone Shard Daughter - This was just okay, very middle-of-the-road fantasy. Didn't dislike it enough to DNF but won't continue with the series.
Had a lot of issues with the main on-page romantic relationship though. Glancing at the reviews, it seems that aspect is getting a lot of praise... just because it's F/F? Honestly I found the couple's dynamic incredibly toxic. Character A is the daughter of nobility. She is obsessed with her girlfriend, Character B (who is a commoner), and has proposed to her approximately 10 times (this is not an exaggeration) over the course of their 5-year relationship. It's to the point where it seems the only way she knows how to interact with her girlfriend is via elaborate proposals. Character B has refused all 10 proposals, and most of her interactions with Character A are to criticise her for her extremely privileged position and outlook. Eventually, B recruits A to the setting's main rebel group, and at the end (view spoiler)[they stage a successful coup against A's father, who governs their island (hide spoiler)]. A few days later, in something of an epilogue chapter, A (view spoiler)[who has now taken up the title of governor (hide spoiler)] immediately proposes again for the 11th(!) time... and B accepts.
So, my impression of that is, a relationship that has stagnated, one partner that's "in love" / attached to an extremely unhealthy degree, and another partner who is using the relationship purely as a tool to achieve their desired political aim, with themselves in the role of both carrot and stick in order to drive the first person to do what they want.
Yet it seemed to be presented as a genuine love story? And, from what I can see, readers are taking it that way? I'm troubled.
(btw this relationship takes up only 6 chapters over the course of the whole ~450-pg book and is definitely not worth that whole paragraph I just wrote, but man, it bugged me.)

Currently reading nothing. Most likely will start The Absolute Book tonight, and then tomorrow The Saturday Night Ghost Club, because it's the closest Saturday night before Halloween itself, and on Halloween night I'm planning to read something different.

QOTW: My dream job is librarian or bookseller... except, the kind of bookseller who doesn't actually have to umm, talk to other humans.
I'm not reading anything specifically "for" Popsugar this year, I have majorly fallen off the challenge wagon, but I'm planning to read The Cat Who Saved Books later in the year, which will fit - the main human character being a boy who inherits a secondhand bookshop.


... um, hope y'all enjoyed my novella of a forum post 👋😬