ŷ������

Welcome to JUNE!!  Time flies.  

We are having a HOT week here in NY state, temperatures in the mid 80s F and we actually NEED rain at this point.  It's supposed to go up to 92 F today, which is quite unusual for us in early June!  I better make sure to water all my pansies to help them get through this heat!!  It's actually been more than twenty degrees hotter up here north of Syracuse than it has been down on the NJ coast where my mother is.  Of course being right next to the ocean is always an unpredictable microclimate, but this is dramatic and unusual, and it's lasted all week. My mom is happy, she's getting perfect gardening weather.


Admin stuff
Our group read for JUNE is Red, White & Royal Blue.  Our very own admin LYNN has stepped up to lead the discussion!  You can join here:
/topic/show/...

The Final Poll to choose September's group read (for "retelling a classic") is here:
/poll/show/2...

If anyone is interested in being Discussion Leader for any of our group reads, step right up and let us know!

And I've got ***QUESTIONS*** for you all!! 

Participation seems to be dropping in the group reads, and it might just be the annual doldrums of summer, or maybe our format is not working for  you all.  Discussions don't seem to happen organically when there is no discussion leader, and yet there has been a lot of reluctance to volunteer as a discussion leader.  So LET US KNOW, either right here in the check-in discussion, or by private message, whatever you prefer:  
* Have you participated in one or more of our group reads?
* What do you like about the current set-up?
* What would you like to CHANGE?

(Think about the discussion format or the selection process or the monthly themes or the group of books we select from or something else.)   Of course different people prefer different things, so I can't guarantee we will make the changes YOU want, but we will take it all into consideration.  These are YOUR group reads, so they should be set up the way YOU want them.

Some past changes we've made based on group input have been: changing how we announce the voting (we moved the announcements into this weekly check in post, to try to focus voting from only the people who will participate in the discussions), changing the polls we use (this was more for ease of use of the admins!), adding discussion leaders, and setting the rule that past group reads are not eligible.




This week I finished 4 books, 3 for this Challenge.

A Nail the Evening Hangs On poems by Monica Sok - meh.  These poems were very political, and I am perhaps too ignorant to understand.

Flux by Jinwoo Chong - how cow this was WEIRD and I loved it!  I need to read it again because I know I missed a lot.  The protagonist is bixexual, so I used this for "book with a queer lead."  (If anyone is interested, the author wrote a great article about books with "Endearingly Messy Queer Characters"  )

The Album of Dr. Moreau by Daryl Gregory - I picked this audiobook up on a whim to fill "takes place in one day" and I LOVED IT!!  This book had not been my first choice for this category - that was Mrs Dalloway, which was not immediately available to borrow as an audiobook, so I chose this instead - and I am SO GLAD I ended up reading it. I have had a zombie book by Daryl Gregory lingering on my TBR for years now, and I can see I need to get to that and start reading all his stuff. If anyone is wondering about gore: this IS a murder mystery, so some bloodshed occurs, but it is not described in excruciating detail. This book is shelved as "horror" just because it's an off-shoot of the original Moreau books, and books about animal-human hybrids are always "horror" - but the hybrids are endearing and wonderful.

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade- this had been my first choice for "romance with a fat lead" and at first I loved it but then it completely fell apart in the middle, and annoyed me TO NO END and I now vow to never again read another book by this author..  


Pop: 30/50   
Winter:  4/10   
AtY: 24/52   
2023 must-reads: 5/12






Question of the Week
Have you ever gone into a book hoping it will be bad? When are situations where you go into a book feeling one way or another about it, rather than neutral?

I saw this question somewhere and it struck me as so funny!  Like, why would you hope a book will be bad?  I guess there could be a lot of reasons.  If any of you have felt this way, I'd LOVE to hear about it!!
I have certainly "hate read" many books, but I've never started a book hoping it would be bad.

Finally, it’s Thursday! And what a weekend it was for me!

Saturday found me attending a free showing of ��80 for Brady�� at the local library with my friend, Sharon. We used to go to a library lecture series as well as movies before Covid. I really enjoyed not only this very funny LOL movie but sharing it with her.

Sunday, I drove to Columbia (about an hour away) to help another friend to move. It was just four of us: me, her, and her mom and her mom’s companion. Oh, and a dog (my friend’s) and tiny puppy (only days old �� her mom is a foster mother for rescues). I was there about 5 hours and was truly beat by the time I got home! I even slept as soon as I got in the lounge chair for about 2+ hours!

Monday was rest day for me. I spent it (the whole day) on my bed reading, watching TV, and napping! I even ate in bed! What a luxury and necessity!

I am delighted to report that I have nearly finished cleaning the front porch of dirt and grime and an old bird’s nest. (I still have to wipe down the rockers.) Still it feels good to finally get that chore so far along and to feel comfortable with the way I present my home. Now to get some plants that will thrive with west-facing light and shade.

Finished:
The Night of Fear - Ebook. Wow! I usually find old mysteries dated, but this one kept my attention throughout! Well-written. And, a new author to pursue. Originally published in 1931. 4*

A Question of Belief - ALCM, PAS. This book turned out to be a more serious read than I expected. It is about a man who was falsely accused of rape and whose life is totally destroyed by that accusation. He runs away from his family, thinking he is doing the right thing…and the story is about those consequences. 4*

Undead and Unemployed �� Old challenge. A fun, impossible and absolutely ridiculous premise that is just right for a breather or a summer read. 3.5* (rounded up)

Oh Danny Boy �� ALCM. Ongoing series. I am enjoying this series. Usually, though, I dip into and out of series rather than continue reading from month to month. 4*

Currently Reading:
Dreams and Shadows –Kindle. 13%. Weird book. On hold.

The Beginner's Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera �� PS #2. 8%. On hold.

On the Road �� ATY #20. Decided to skip the intro. I just could not face it and kept putting off reading the book because of it. 17%.

The Filigree Ball �� RwS. Just starting. Not sure of my reaction just yet. 16%.

Confessions of a Bookseller �� RwS. Plan to start today.

Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening �� Plan to start today. Part of my goal to read Manga and Graphic Novels for a while.

Currently Reading (Buddy Read):
The Three Musketeers �� 75%. I can see the end!

On deck:
Trail of Lightning
I'm Not Scared
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

PS 16/50 and 6/10 for Nadine’s Challenge
ATY 18/52 and 11/12 for Q1 Challenge, 4/12 for Q2 Challenge
GR 111/200
RwS starting a new season: 0/30

QotW: Have you ever gone into a book hoping it will be bad? When are situations where you go into a book feeling one way or another about it, rather than neutral?

Hate read...does that mean that although you hated the book you finished it? If so, I've done that but I try to do better in selecting now so that that phenomenon is rare.

Otherwise...no. I have expected to really like a book and been disappointed, but I tend to choose books that I am rather neutral about (like the genre but no expectations of the book) or expect to like. Books, that I think I will not like...or will be bad, do not make my choice list.

Bea wrote: "Finally, it’s Thursday! And what a weekend it was for me!

Saturday found me attending a free showing of ��80 for Brady�� at the local library with my friend, Sharon. We used to go to a library lectu..."

Husband and I found 80 for Brady on one of our streaming platforms and enjoyed it much more than we thought we would - such a charming film!

Bea wrote: "Now to get some plants that will thrive with west-facing light and shade...."


Well done on finishing that big job!!

I'm assuming you mean annuals to put in planters? If they get morning shade with afternoon sun, I suggest petunias - they are tough plants that will thrive in adverse situations. Bonus: some petunias (especially the dark purple ones) are fragrant! (downside: they smell a lot like those japanese beetle lures) If they are in full shade all day, I suggest begonias and impatiens. Of course, all are very common plants, and maybe you're looking for something a little more special, but they are common because they are easy to grow.

Happy Thursday!

What a wonderful feeling to get back to my normal downtime now that the show has opened! We had some good-sized crowds for opening weekend last Friday/Saturday, and I'm hoping to see the trend continue, but in the meantime it felt amazing to know I could get back to my normal weeknight routines this week. Snacks and reading time before bed! Catching up on tv! Spending more than half an hour outdoors with the cats on these gorgeous days!

And check it out, I managed to finish three books this week:
Jane Eyre - 2.5 stars. This was lovely in spots but overall not to my liking - I wanted to love it as much as the rest of the world seems to, but perhaps in the next lifetime. Her sister's Wuthering Heights wasn't my favorite either, so maybe it's just a Bronte thing. Book with a love triangle

Yellowface - 4 stars (maybe even 3.5), a slight bump down from my original rating. I loved the fast pacing and sharpness in the writing. Good to see RFK tackle thrillers.

The Three Musketeers - 3 stars. Another classic scratched off my list, and another one I'm glad to have read!

PS 24/50
ATY 28/52
Mount TBR 21/60

Currently:
Detonation Boulevard
Rivers of London

QOTW: Have you ever gone into a book hoping it will be bad? When are situations where you go into a book feeling one way or another about it, rather than neutral?
When I picked up The English Patient, all I could remember was people saying how boring the film had been, so I confess I went into it with the hope of the book being equally boring so I could toss it aside and move along to the next; it was short, and I'd owned it for years, and had the feeling of just wanting to get it out of the way. To my astonishment, I found the book to be magnificent!

Memorable hate-reads include The Cruel Prince, The Winner's Curse, and An Ember in the Ashes - books I ought to have DNF'd but for whatever reason decided to hang on purely for entertainment's sake and see how ridiculous things got (spoiler: very).

Happy Thursday, everyone!

After last week’s update, I finally broke down and signed up for the Discovery+ streaming service. I’ve spent the past week obsessively binge-watching MythBusters, which has been awesome…but has also caused my personal productivity to drop significantly.

The only area where my productivity does not seem to be suffering is my reading. I ended up doing a ton of reading again this week, and managed to make a decent amount of progress on both my TBR and “New Books�� lists!

I did do some math this week though, and it turns out that if I want to make my goal of completing 40% of my TBR before the end of 2023, then I need to read 20 TBR titles per month through the end of December. I think it’s do-able, but I will really need to stay on top of my reading (and my book buying).

In other news, the SciFi Summer Readathon started this morning! This is the second year that I have participated in this particular readathon, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how many SciFi titles I can finish before the end of June. Apart from finishing my buddy read of The Three Musketeers, my current plan is to read only SciFi titles this month. I might stretch that out to a tiny bit of nonfiction, since do I have a couple of Pop Culture and Philosophy books that would fit in well with this readathon’s genre, but we’ll see how the month goes.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals��

ŷ������ Challenge: 487/400 (Challenge Complete!)
Mount TBR Challenge: 150/150 (Challenge Complete!)

📚Physical TBR: 198/634
📱Ebook TBR: 7/236
��Audiobook TBR: 11/13
TBR Checklist Total: 216/883 (24.4% complete)

I did pick up a few new books this week, including: The Savior's Book Café Story in Another World (Manga) Vol. 5, by Kyouka Izumi; Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games Vol. 5, by Eri Ejima; and The Ghost Goes to the Dogs, by Cleo Coyle.

My dad also got me a copy of Queen Charlotte, by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the book compares to the Netflix series!

I currently do not have any SciFi titles on my “New Books�� list, so I will be focusing exclusively on my TBR list until the end of June. Overall, I’m feeling really good about where I’m at in relation to my 100% completion goal, so I’m not worried about falling behind on my new books at this point.

“New�� Books Bought in 2023: 294
“New�� Books Read in 2023: 264/294 (89.7% complete)

Here are the books I finished this week��

Finished Reading (Fiction):
~A Treacherous Curse �� I have really enjoyed all of the Veronica Speedwell books, but the third is definitely my favorite! I loved the plot! 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Wind in the Willows �� This was such a fun read! I loved the story and characters, and the illustrations were fabulous! 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~A Dangerous Collaboration �� The fourth book in the Veronica Speedwell series was really good! The plot was clever. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~A Murderous Relation �� I really enjoyed the fifth book in the Veronica Speedwell series! This book does take place during Jack the Ripper’s 1888 murder spree in Whitechapel. Even before reading the author’s note at the end of the book, it was clear that Deanna Raybourn had read The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, because of how she referred to the victims. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~An Unexpected Peril �� The sixth book in the Veronica Speedwell book was really good! I had a very hard time putting this one down. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~An Impossible Impostor �� I really liked book seven of the Veronica Speedwell series! The book had a very interesting (and twisted) plot, and ended up being a very quick read.📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~A Sinister Revenge �� This is the eighth (and currently last) book in the Veronica Speedwell series. I really enjoyed this story, and actually read it in a single evening! I don’t know if this will be the final book in the series, but if it is, it was a great ending. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
~Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth �� I really enjoyed reading this biography. Mrs. Brown’s real life was so much more interesting than Hollywood’s portrayal of her. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Recreating Titanic and Her Sisters: A Visual History �� This book was fascinating! Not only did it discuss the sinking of the Titanic in depth, but also her construction. The book also discussed her two sister ships, Olympic and Britannic. It is also one of the most recently published books about Titanic that I have found (published in 2022), so the research is up-to-date. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~James Cameron's Titanic �� This was a great behind-the-scenes look at the filming of Titanic. The book included a lot of really interesting information about the production, as well as some amazing photographs. My only complaint about this book was its organization... There are numerous paragraphs throughout the book that are interrupted mid-sentence, only to continue after several pages of pictures (and their accompanying captions), so I did have to do quite a bit of flipping back and forth as I was reading. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
~Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games Vol. 5 �� This volume was a fun continuation of the series. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Savior's Book Café Story in Another World (Manga) Vol. 5 �� I thoroughly enjoyed the final volume of this series. It was really cute! 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Showcase Presents: Ghosts, Vol. 1 �� I did enjoy most of the stories in this comic book collection, and it turned out to be a pretty quick read despite its size. That being said, there were some stories that I did not care for due to their content. Several stories included problematic content, most likely due to when they were written. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Although I am still taking a break from the Pokémon Adventures series (because the third book of Pokémon Sun & Moon still hasn’t arrived), I did decide to go ahead and read my other Pokémon manga series this week. This manga is based on the anime (rather than the games), and I really enjoyed it!
~Pokemon Graphic Novel, Volume 1: The Electric Tale Of Pikachu! �� 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Pikachu Shocks Back �� 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Pokemon Graphic Novel vol. 3: Electric Pikachu Boogaloo �� 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Pokemon Graphic Novel, Volume 4: Surf's Up, Pikachu �� 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~The Three Musketeers �� I am continuing to thoroughly enjoy this book! 📚
~Doctor Who: The Stone Rose �� I’m currently about five chapters into this book, and really enjoying it. 📚
~Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Alien Species �� I’m planning to start this book a little later today. 📚

QOTW:
I have gone into read a book assuming that it was going to be bad, but I can’t say that I’ve ever hoped for that.

I finished The Satanic Verses as my book I should have read in high school. Glad we didn't. Didn't understand any of it.

I'm about 3/4 of the way done with 'Salem's Lot as my book becoming a TV show or movie. So good. Stephen King is hit or miss for me, but this one's a hit.

QOTW: I can't think of a reason I would hope a book was bad. I mean, I guess if I were feeling mean-spirited towards the author, but that's not really my thing. But, in any case, if I hoped it were bad, I don't know why I would read it. I have had assigned reading in the past that I assumed would be bad. sometimes I was right, sometimes I was wrong, but I always hoped to be wrong, because why would I want to slog through a bad book?

Speaking of feeling mean-spirited. My favorite book is Lonesome Dove. I mentioned it at work in the lunch room one time. Not sure if somebody asked or what. Anyway, there was this guy who was always giving me a hard time, spouting off that it was the worst book, blah blah blah. In the middle, I think I said, "It can't be that bad. It won a Pulitzer." So, then he went off on Pulitzer winners in general and brought it back to Lonesome Dove. Finally, I just said, "You realize I didn't write it, right? I don't really care if you hate it."

Happy Thursday!

Had a bit of a crazy weekend at my sister's. Went there to watch my niece's graduation, stayed for a Mario-themed 40th birthday party (my own). It was a lot of fun, but my introverted brain is still trying to recover from spending the weekend in a house with six adults and seven kids. Whew.

Did get to watch the new Dungeons and Dragons movie, though. It was a LOT of fun. People who complain that the movie is too lighthearted and full of shenanigans have never played an actual DnD campaign, though.

Group Read Question

I'll be honest, I've only participated in a couple of the group reads, mostly because they usually cover books that I've either already read or that I have no interest in reading. Just my two bits.

Books read this week

In the Land of Invented Languages: Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Loglan Lovers, and the Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build a Perfect Language -- for the Extreme Book Nerd prompt “non-fiction from the 400s section of the Dewey Decimal System.�� A fascinating look at constructed languages (also called conlangs), humanity’s quest to create a universal language that “fixes�� the problems of natural languages, and even languages created for fictional worlds, such as Klingon and Tolkien’s elven languages.

The Know-It-All -- for the Extreme Book Nerd prompt “non-fiction from the 000s section of the Dewey Decimal System.�� Surprisingly entertaining read about a guy who decides to read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica in order to expand his knowledge.

Fake Blood -- graphic novel, not for the challenge. Predictable but surprisingly cute book that playfully pokes fun at the Twilight/vampire craze.

DNF:

Stoneheart -- for having such an interesting premise (statues coming to life), it sure refuses to explain anything along the way. Also, why is it that every YA book with a male protagonist has to have a female secondary character whose only personality traits are “independent�� and “will punch the male lead if he’s nice to her��?

Currently Reading:

Death on the Nile
Peter and the Starcatchers
Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife
Zombie Day Care

QOTW:

I fully admit that I went into Twilight expecting it to be hilariously awful -- the type of awful you can just sit and make fun of, like a fun bad movie. I got halfway through it and quit. It's not bad-movie-night awful, it's just more boring (to me) than awful. I felt like I was reading a teenage girl's diary.

My attitude on "Twilight" has since softened, though -- I don't like the book, but it got teenage girls reading again, and that has to count for something.

It's been hot here too! We went to another food festival and had a couple of beach days over the long weekend. It's lovely to feel the sun but I do worry about another drought. The ground is so dry already.

I'm really rubbish at reading to other people's schedules so I don't tend to do the group reads. I think participation in these check-ins is down this year too though? Do you think it's because a lot of people didn't like the lackluster prompts and didn't stick around for our delightful company?

Finished:
After That Night by Karin Slaughter for ATY (author has more than 7 books). I feel like the main characters are much softer and kinder then they used to be, which is no bad thing, I'm not sure I would continue if I didn't like the main characters since the crimes she writes about are so horrid. This one links back to one of the main character's rape of 15 years ago.

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher for ATY (a book that is dark). I loved this, what a good idea to have an archeo-entomologist as a main character in a horror as there are several incidents where she does not have the normal reactions. Swarm of insects? Interesting! Mysterious object in rosebed? Let's excavate it! T. Kingfisher is fast becoming a new favourite author.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt for ATY (3rd of 3 centuries). The octopus bits elevated an otherwise generic up-lit story. I would have happily read a novella of just Marcellus without most the humans.

Nothing for Popsugar again...

Currently reading Beach Read and listening to Clytemnestra.

PS: 24/40 | ATY: 32/52 | GR: 49/100

QOTW:
What?! Hah, no, I only read books hoping I will love them. Sometimes I read books I suspect are not for me, mostly due to challenges or a book reaching a certain amount of popularity that I start getting FOMO, but I never want them to be bad.

Ashley Marie wrote: "When I picked up The English Patient, all I could remember was people saying how boring the film had been, so I confess I went into it with the hope of the book being equally boring so I could toss it aside and move along to the next; it was short, and I'd owned it for years, and had the feeling of just wanting to get it out of the way. To my astonishment, I found the book to be magnificent!


Oh I LOVED that movie!!! I was lucky enough to see it before it became fashionable to bash it (thanks in no small part to Seinfeld, I'm sure), so I was not influenced by general opinion. I've been afraid to read the book. Now that you say it's short and magnificent, welllllll I should give it a try!!




Memorable hate-reads include The Cruel Prince, The Winner's Curse, and An Ember in the Ashes - books I ought to have DNF'd but for whatever reason decided to hang on purely for entertainment's sake and see how ridiculous things got (spoiler: very). ..."


LOL!!!!! Well, I LOVED The Winner's Curse, and I thought Ember in the Ashes was good enough to keep reading the rest of the series (heads up: the series gets more and more ridiculous, to the point where I have not yet been able to bring myself to read the last one ... I will, someday. I've GOT to see how Tahir wraps up that insanity).

So this means I really need to read Cruel Prince!!!

Last week of our Tour d’Alps. Amazing to see all of those different parts of it, every country has it’s own ‘couleur locale��. When we crossed the Italian-Swiss border, we didn’t have to see the signs. We saw the landscape changing. Like nature knows there’s a border :smile:

We stayed 1 night in Davos (no reset-button found, just tourists taking selfies in front of the congress center :smile:) and now we have our last day in Central Switzerland. We’re going home tomorrow. Lots of Americans over here by the way, has holiday season started yet? In Europe it is pre-season, so only couples (no kids) or seniors are traveling now.

PS: 24/50
Total 2023: 27

Finished
Die Wintergarten-Frauen. Der Traum beginnt: Roman (Die Wintergarten-Saga 1) by Charlotte Roth ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not for PS.
Enjoyed this book of one of my favorite authors. Roth writes enchanting historical fiction.

De Zwijger: Het leven van Willem van Oranje by René van Stipriaan⭐⭐⭐⭐��
Not for PS
Prize winning biography (History Book of the year 2022) on the Dutch equivalent of George Washington: Willem van Oranje. This book tries to split ‘legend�� from facts: what were his real motives to start a rebellion against the Habsburgian King Philip II ? Was it religion? Or ancient family jealousy? Well done, well written and very interesting.

Currently reading
The Winners by Fredrik Backman. I think this is going to be a 5-star too, love it.

Group read question
I have done a group read once a couple of years ago. I enjoyed the book (never would have picked it up, so thanks!!) and the discussion. I don’t usually participate in group reads since my taste is a bit different than most group reads. Or the reads aren’t available in Dutch/ city library (language barrier).

QOTW
I never hope it will be bad. I don’t want to waste my time on a bad book.

Group read thoughts - I've done several since I joined the group, although I've never done every single one in a year (or even half, I don't think). I tend to join group reads for books that are already on my TBR, and the group read is then a larger impetus for me to read it.

I didn't finish any books this week. I'm a mood reader so sticking to a book or two doesn't work for me. I tend to jump around. I'll be reading one book and then on to the next so I can't stay consistent when it comes to weekly reading.



For the month of May though I did read a total of 7 books:

The Princess and the Scoundrel

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future

Release the Snyder Cut: The Crazy True Story Behind the Fight That Saved Zack Snyder's Justice League

Every Brain Needs Music: The Neuroscience of Making and Listening to Music

Skywalker: A Family at War

The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History



Question of the Week

Have you ever gone into a book hoping it will be bad? When are situations where you go into a book feeling one way or another about it, rather than neutral?

I don't think this has ever happened to me, at least I do not recall. Certainly an interesting question though. I don't get a book unless I have high hopes for it. There's no point in going into a book with low expectations.

Happy Thursday and Happy Pride Month!! I'm absolutely excited about the start of Pride and all the fun events and just being happy to be Queer and celebrated.

I read one book this week. I've been starting and stopping books and nothing is holding my attention very much.
I finished Camp Midnight Volume 1 It's a cute graphic novel about a teenish girl getting sent to the wrong camp and hijinks ensure. I'm pretty sure it's middle grade but I was cracking up in a few parts.

CURRENTLY READING:
All Boys Aren't Blue I started the book this morning. I'm listening to it. It's being read by the author. And I'm even more excited because he will be coming to my city to have a talk at one of the local libraries and giving out signed copies!!

Camp Midnight Volume 2: Camp Midnight vs. Camp Daybright This is the second book in the series. I'm almost finished but it's not as funny as the first one.

Soul of the DeepI picked this back up after a few months. My interest has came back.

Question of the Week

Have you ever gone into a book hoping it will be bad? When are situations where you go into a book feeling one way or another about it, rather than neutral?
I don't ever go into a book hoping or thinking it will be bad. If I thought that I wouldn't even read it. I go into every book with high hopes.

That's right, it's Pride Month. Going to the bookstore later and so I'll see what I can find. I don't read many LGBTQ+ books, but that's what breaking out of my wheelhouse is for I suppose. I'll give it a try if I can.

It's also BLM Month as well so I'll see what books I can find on that subject.

Jai wrote: "All Boys Aren't Blue I started the book this morning. I'm listening to it. It's being read by the author. And I'm even more excited because he will be coming to my city to have a talk at one of the local libraries and giving out signed copies!!"

I just started this one today as well! Have a good time at the talk, Jai!

As always, I'll be trying to find nonfiction books related to LGBTQIA+ material, preferably ones that are not memoirs.

Ron wrote: "As always, I'll be trying to find nonfiction books related to LGBTQIA+ material, preferably ones that are not memoirs."

Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community

Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color

Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex

And the Category Is��: Inside New York’s Vogue, House, and Ballroom Community

Some nonfiction (not biographies/memoirs) from my TBR!

Ashley Marie wrote: "Jai wrote: "All Boys Aren't Blue I started the book this morning. I'm listening to it. It's being read by the author. And I'm even more excited because he will be coming to my city to have a talk a..."

Thank you Ashley!!!

Happy Thursday!

Holy crap! I'm being bombarded by webinars for training on the new system for the library. It's so freaking time consuming. I'm already sick of hearing about the new system.

Anyway, other than the complete rant session i want to have about work, It's been stormy here for the last week as well. I haven't been able to open a window at night for the last week because it's rained on and off for the last week. last night was a downpour for about an hour.

This morning I took a great picture of the fog bank. it was so cool. it only lasted about an hour dawn.

I can't walk anywhere in my back yard in my flip flops without getting drenched in the mornings. everything is dew-covered and sopping wet. The weeds are loving it. The salt grass is growing taller than my dogs!

Popsugar:9/50
Finished: None

Reading:

Aty:10/52
Finished:None

Reading: None

ŷ������ Challenge 332/400
Finished:
Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug!
The Tyrant's Etiquette Tutor: Volume I
The Unwanted Undead Adventurer: Volume 8
The Unwanted Undead Adventurer (Light Novel): Volume 9 (The Unwanted Undead Adventurer
The Abandoned Heiress Gets Rich with Alchemy and Scores an Enemy General!
Only the Villainous Lord Wields the Power to Level Up: Volume 1
The Game Master Has Logged In to Another World: Volume 1
The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring Vol. 2
The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring Vol. 3
The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring Vol. 4
Diablo: Dirty Sinners: MC Instalove Romance
Stepbrother Summer: Filthy Dirty Summer
Protective Beast
Knocked Up by the Jerk
Steplover

Reading:
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 1
The Tyrant's Etiquette Tutor: Volume II

Nadine's Mini Challenge 7/10
Finished:None

Reading: None

Mount TBR:
31/150 Ebook
22/150 Physical

QOTW:

I don't think i've ever wanted a book to be bad before. Usually I am more disappointed that a book hasn't lived up to my expectations. Or that the content was different than what I thought it was going to be by the synopsis.

I did think Cemetery Boys wasn't going to be as good as it was, but I didn't want it to be bad.

Low expectations isn't the same, I think.

Shockingly weather in NYC has been lovely for the last couple of weeks. I have friends upstate and in Massachusetts talking about high temps that are usually what we get. I'm not complaining! It could stay like this all summer and I'd be happy.

PS - 34/50. ATY - 44/52

Finished:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - ATY full name in title
The Equivalents: A Story of Art, Female Friendship, and Liberation in the 1960s - ATY school subject in title - art.

Currently Reading:
Where the Crawdads Sing

QOTW: can't say I have ever picked up and started a book hoping that it was bad. Light, fun, smutty, escapist - any number of other descriptions, but not bad. Perhaps it has something to do with someone's definition of 'bad"? As in not literary fiction?

Harmke wrote: "Last week of our Tour d’Alps. Amazing to see all of those different parts of it, every country has it’s own ‘couleur locale��. When we crossed the Italian-Swiss border, we didn’t have to see the sig..."


Wow that is really cool!! I wonder if the border was set there BECAUSE of the natural geographic differences? Or if the differences developed over time because of two slightly different cultures living there?



The USA does not have one set time for school to end and start, which is weird. In a lot of places, school is out now, so for them the holiday season has started. In New York and New Jersey, school ends at the end of June.

(And when I say "school" I mean for kids ages 5 through 17 or 18 - most colleges end in May and start in August. So right now my college kid is home but my high school kid is still in school.)

Mandy wrote: "Happy Thursday!

Holy crap! I'm being bombarded by webinars for training on the new system for the library. It's so freaking time consuming. I'm already sick of hearing about the new system.

Anywa..."



WOW you are getting all my rain!!! where are you?

Happy Thursday! An earlier than normal check-in for me!

This week has been rough. Last check in I was talking about how excited I was for the three day weekend, because work had been nonstop. And then the next morning I found out that my company needs to make drastic spending cuts- and my job is one of the things they cut. So that sucks. I'd had an inkling that something like this might happen- I think I actually mentioned it here back in March- but I had so much work lined up I thought I was good for at least another month. I took the weekend to be sad about it, and angry, and now I'm focusing on getting my resume cleaned up and ready to send out.

On the upside, I've taken a lot of nice walks this week. Some people have beautiful front gardens I get to admire. I've got a lot of reading in. Made some banana muffins. And later today I'm going to the SFMOMA- they have free entry the first thurday each month. First time I'll be there since covid.

Finished:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes- this started strong, I think it's really interesting what she did by showing the future big villain's thought process, but I feel like it dragged on towards the end
-20 A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2023

The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories- really interesting collection of Chinese SF/F short stories all written and translated by women or nonbinary writers. There's also some interesting essays about the art and challenge of translation. Definitely worth checking out if you like fantasy- there's some sci-fi but leans more towards fantasy/magical realism
-no prompt

Bunny- when this first came out, it did not sound like something I would like. I definitely didn't love it, but I found it more interesting than I thought I would.
-24 A book with a rabbit on the cover

Currently reading:
A Promised Land- my audiobook loan expired, so I'm finishing the last 200 pages with my physical copy. You know, I listen to a lot of political podcasts, but god politics are depressing

Down to two short story collections: Gods of Want: Stories and Exhalation

QotW:
No, if I think a book is going to be bad, or something I hate, I stay away. Time is short, there are too many good books to get too. The only time I'll pick up a book I don't think I'll like is if I've heard enough good things about it that I'm willing to see if my initial impression might be wrong.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Happy Thursday!

Holy crap! I'm being bombarded by webinars for training on the new system for the library. It's so freaking time consuming. I'm already sick of hearing about the new ..."

Nevada!

Mandy wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Happy Thursday!

Holy crap! I'm being bombarded by webinars for training on the new system for the library. It's so freaking time consuming. I'm already sick of h..."




wow NOT a place I associate with a lot of rain!!

Erin wrote: "Happy Thursday! An earlier than normal check-in for me!

This week has been rough. Last check in I was talking about how excited I was for the three day weekend, because work had been nonstop. And ..."




I'm so sorry! I always have a lot of anger. In fact I'm currently working at a place I'd previously been laid off from (twice!) and I STILL resent the guy who laid me off. I'm sure he's completely forgotten who I am. he's off in another state, another division, no danger of running into him.

Personal: 42/50
Library: 29/31
Nadine's: 10/10

Finished: Umm... apparently, I haven't finished anything this past week! How is this possible?

Started: Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways Interesting design experiments. Some of them are too far out of my comfort zone to do them.

Why We Forget and How To Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory Is anyone else losing their memory as they age?

A Philosophy of Madness: The Experience of Psychotic Thinking This one is so good so far! Instead of treating psychosis is something to be remedied or "explaining" it through neurophysical means, this book explores the relationship between philosophy and psychosis. The intro is written as a very reliable narrator, which helps as the book progresses into representing psychosis.

Questions: I have never done a group read, but I've always wanted to. I've wanted to lead a discussion too, but I wanted to at least participate in a discussion as a not a group leader first. However, the books that are selected are not ones that particularly appeal to me. So I'm still waiting to participate..

QotW: I don't think I've every gone into a book WANTING to hate it. What comes to mind is Twilight. I heard about Twilight before it became all the rage. I was in a bookstore in Montana and a teenage girl was talking to her father about what a good book it was. I thought it sounded interesting. But then it became wildly popular and looked down upon. I'm not sure I ever even gave it a chance.
It also took me a very long time to give Harry Potter a chance. My high school English teacher said it was a good Christ story. (He used a different term, which I can't remember atm, but that's what it meant.) I read the first book in the series and was like, "Meh." It took me about 20 more years to finish the series. And yes, it was good, but you won't find me re-reading the whole series every year like some people do!

Erin wrote: "Happy Thursday! An earlier than normal check-in for me!

This week has been rough. Last check in I was talking about how excited I was for the three day weekend, because work had been nonstop. And ..."

I'm so sorry! I hope you find a new (and much better) job soon!

Ashley Marie wrote: Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community

Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color

Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex

And the Category Is��: Inside New York’s Vogue, House, and Ballroom Community

Some nonfiction (not biographies/memoirs) from my TBR!

Wow, those are great, I appreciate it!

Don't you just love when books "speak" to you when you're randomly looking around at a bookstore?

Normally I spend an hour or more at BN, but as I was in one section two in particular stood out and after going around a couple times and going to other sections, I couldn't get the two out of my head so I picked them up:

Unlikeable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate

Fearless Women: Feminist Patriots from Abigail Adams to Beyoncé

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Finished:
Last Canto of the Dead by Daniel José Older - 4 stars - not for a prompt. A good conclusion to the duology but definitely not the place to start. It needs the first book.

American Panda by Gloria Chao - 4 stars - for a forbidden romance. I loved this. The romance was so sweet, and Mei's family was so infuriating.

Comics & manga:
Skip·Beat!, Vol. 48
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Vol. 2
Lovesick Ellie, Vol. 4
Lovesick Ellie, Vol. 5

I am currently at 29/50 for Popsugar (23/40 and 6/10).

Currently reading:
Witch King by Martha Wells - for the mythical creatures prompt. So far, I am loving this, but it is very different from Wells' Murderbot series. This is epic fantasy, and she throws you in without a lot of exposition to figure things out on your own through context. I love this style of fantasy storytelling, but YMMV.

Upcoming/Planned:
The Grimoire of Grave Fates (anthology)
Translation State by Ann Leckie

Group Reads:
I think I participated in one or two group reads last year. Most of the time, when I don't participate, it's because it's either a book I've already read, or one that I have no interest in. I will try to get into the discussion on Red, White & Royal Blue because it's on my list for the challenge, but I'll need to get through some other library books first.

QOTW:
I don't think I've ever wished a book to be bad or worse. I don't really hate-read anything, unless it's a book club/group read that we all didn't like, and that's only after I started it.

Happy check-in! I went and spent some time with my grandmother and got a good scare. Five in the morning I hear a loud crash and panic that my blind grandmother is hurt. She's sound asleep and the flat screen tv, for guests, has completely fallen off the wall after being attached for years. The tv survived but the wooden horse beneath the tv needs wood glue. Another day the fire alarm went off at five as well because there were power outages in the city and the alarm malfunctioned. 🤣 Can you tell I'm not a morning person?

I've participated in only one group read this year. I meant to other months but I'm a mood reader and it didn't happen. I think Ellie's point about the prompts this year being a problem was spot on. They have affected my participation slightly. In the past, I have used the BOTMs to keep myself on track in finishing a tough prompt. Most of the prompts this year have been repeats that I've already found many options for when doing the previous challenges so I'm not struggling with tough/hated prompts.
It hasn't helped that a lot of my votes are going to books that don't win.
I do like the current system for the BOTMs for what it's worth.

Finished Reading:

Daughter of the Moon Goddess ⭐⭐⭐⭐�� (PS love triangle)
This Chinese myth retelling was fantastic.

The Aunt Who Wouldn't Die ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY translated)
Short little book that was not what I was expecting at all in a great way.

Take Us To Your Chief And Other Stories ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Scifi short stories following Indigenous leads. Some really clever ideas.

The True Love Experiment ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ATY published 2023)
The fans asked when Fizzy would get a book, so the author's obliged. This is a great rom-com for for romance book and reality datings show fans. It is a sequel to The Soulmate Equation but you can read it without the first.

That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf ⭐⭐�� (ATY surprising title)
I'm reading this series for the humour.

Don't Call Us Dead ⭐⭐
This poetry collection needed more organization for me. I wanted to like it but it just didn't happen.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Omnibus, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (PS character name in title)
Finally tackling these off the tbr. Most of these stories were set before the tv show in L.A.

Sera and the Royal Stars Vol. 1 ⭐⭐��
Lovely artwork, and a decent story. Fantasy quest story.

Onyx and Ivory ⭐⭐�� (PS BookTok)
YA fantasy with flightless dragons. Horse death and way too long. It started well, lagged in the middle and I was debating quitting, but it got better in the end.

Pygmalion ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I hadn't read a play yet this year. I love the musical based on this so I was sort of singing the songs while reading.

PS 36/50
ATY 40/52
Nadine's 10/10
ŷ������ 123/200

QOTW:
I don't think I've ever done that.

Hi all! Yes, it's HOT here in NY! I took my kiddo to her annual check up this morning (all good!) and now I'm home with AC and fans cranking. Supposed to cool down this weekend and next week and I am here for it!

I finished The End of the Affair, ugh, that was boring. I read it for love triangle.

Still working on When Christ and His Saints Slept and Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. I want to finish at least one of them by this weekend. I should be able to.

Group read question: I've participated and lead a group read before. I like them. I don't really like how books are nominated. Though I'm sure it's much easier for the mods to do the polls, I sometimes miss them or the books that get in the top few aren't anything I want to read. I haven't joined in a group read this year, they've all been books I haven't been interested in reading.

QOTW: I don't think I've ever hoped for a bad book. I've definitely had books I haven't expected to like, either because of reviews I've read or because it seems like a "hard" book to read (for whatever reason). I don't mind reading books I don't love, I still get something out of them. Even End of the Affair that I just finished, it had some good writing in parts and the ending surprised me a bit, it was just mostly dull.

Happy Thursday!

Finished
A Man Called Ove for my book becoming a TV show / movie. Heartwarming, charming all all the things that are said about it.

Beauty Just meh. She didn't really do anything to the story except remove some of the sources of conflict (Beauty's sisters are lovely and supportive, the Beast is really nice from the start), so I wasn't that into this.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi Loved this. Want more! All the characters were great, thoroughly enjoyable. Heists, sailing, magical creatures of all sorts, smoking hot demon dudes and an older lady heroine, what more could you want?

True Reconciliation: How to Be a Force for Change I think she made some really good points, but I don't know that this needed to be a full book (especially when over half of it was just consolidating other people's writings). Still a worthwhile read on the topic of what reconciliation with Canada's indigenous people would really look like.

26 Knots Ran across this in a library display, and knew I had it on my TBR list, so picked it up on a whim. Didn't thrill me - there just wasn't that much to it except musings on relationships, which isn't a topic I'm that drawn to.

Currently Reading
The God of Endings, which I think I had added to my list for a debut, but then I read something else for that. This came out March 7 this year, but I might use a loose definition of spring to include it. I was very excited for it - vampire lit fic! But it's been a bit of a slog - she basically removes herself from society so there isn't a lot that happens. And then when things do happen, or she interacts with other characters, the book tends to move past that quickly without much depth to them.

Somewhat oddly for me, that's the only one at the moment. Although I am supposed have read The Rez Sisters: A Play in Two Acts for my book club tomorrow night, so that's probably taking over tonight.

Group Reads
For me, there are two issues with this - whether I have other strong options for the prompt and timing.

I do a plan to fill most of the prompts when the list first comes out. Although I am very open to changing it, sometimes I'll already have something in for the chosen prompt that I really want to read (or something else will come along during the year before we get to that month that excites me more).

And then, on timing, I do read somewhat haphazardly, without a plan for what I'm going to read when in the year. When something strikes me, I request it from the library, but then don't know when I'll get it - so for instance, I wanted to do the Legends and Lattes one and requested that from the library in early March. But they only have one copy, which has been due since mid-March, so I'm still just waiting for it.

Also, as someone mentioned upthread, I often find the group reads helpful for tougher prompts or ones that I don't feel strongly about any of the options - earlier in the year, I did jump in on The Sun is Also a Star because I wasn't sure what I'd end up reading for that. But this year there aren't too many like that.

I do like the threads and save them all to read if at some point I read the book not for the challenge!

One thought / suggestion re the leaders issues - it might be a little daunting because of the work involved, or people worrying about getting good questions. I realize it might not work because they'd need to be adapted, but could we do a thread or post in that subfolder with question ideas that could be adapted to all books? There are some that tend to be used frequently. (Things like "what are your expectations for the book? Were they met? Who was your favorite character and why?") Then it might be a bit of an easier job - the leader could just go and pull a few of those preset questions a couple times a month (and of course, add anything others that they want).

QotW I'm actually a yes on this. For a very long time, I acquired books any chance I could and non discriminatorily (free box on the side of the road - I'll take it! Friend clearing out bookshelves - give them all to me!) I have book piles everywhere in my place. So now I'm trying to cut that down by reading many of the books I own and haven't read yet. Except, because I'm trying to reduce the quantity, I look for books within the piles that I don't think I will like well enough to want to keep once they're read. So yeah, lately, when I do read from books I own, I am picking books that, while maybe not bad, I don't expect to like as much as other things.

Which is actually of course, turning out to be kind of self-defeating. Since I'm not excited about those, I just keep requesting books from the library instead, so I'm not getting through the piles.

For some reason though, I just have a mental block about giving away / getting rid of a book I haven't read. I will, occasionally, discard a book mid-read if I'm not enjoying, (although usually I push through) but I have to at least give it a shot.

A friend just did a clear out of her 'to read' shelves where she did go through and pulled out all the books she didn't think she'd end up reading. She got to fill those shelves back up with stuff she was more into. And that totally makes sense to me, but I just can't bring myself to do it on mine. (And of course, I picked up a bunch of those books from her.)

Happy Thursday.

We're having a heat wave too. It's been over 30 the last couple of days. Like Lynn, we're supposed to get rain to cool things off.

I've decided to do a summer reading challenge. It means I must read 4 books a month. I got a jump on June by starting my first June book early. I'm almost done my last May book, so it's pretty good in book land.

I loved Something Rotten. I gave it 5 stars. It's the 4th book in the series, but really a lot of things from earlier books came together and it was the cleverest of the series so far. I stuck under a retelling because Hamlet, both the character and the play, were in the book. I'm not sure it completely works for the prompt.

Something Rotten
ATY prompt: A book where books are important
Popsugar prompt: A modern retelling of a classic

Series - 7/15
Series Completed: - Lying Games, Bronwyn the Witch, Divergent

Nobel laureates - 2/7
Random books - 3/7

ATY - 20/40
PS - 19/30
Nadine's 23 challenge - 10/10 -Completed!
Summer challenge: 0/12
Around the year in 52 movies - 22/52

22. A movie with a faceless person on the cover - Audrie & Daisy
51. A movie released in 2023 - The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Currently reading:

The Silver Chalice - 90% done
Beloved - 15% done

Buddy Reads:
God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God - 6/15 chapters
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 11/37 chapters
A Light in the Window - 1/21 chapters

QOTW: I never hope a book will be bad. I'm usually really disappointed when books are bad.

Special question:
* Have you participated in one or more of our group reads?
* What do you like about the current set-up?
* What would you like to CHANGE?

I participated in Bunny - it was my first one. It just never aligned with my personal reading. I'm planning on doing "The Hunting Party".

I have been in "Buddy read" groups before. I find in those that people differ wildly. Some just post their thoughts at the end. A handful of people, sort of "live blog" and post their thoughts through out the book. (Under a spoiler of course.) The first buddy read I did, all three of us did the posting through out. But every other buddy read I was in, I was the only one posting. I thought maybe I was doing it wrong.

Is no dialogue a bad thing? If a group read gets more people reading, is it still valuable even if they don't comment?

Quick check in from me. Today has been a Bad Food Day and I am exhausted from all food tasting lackluster and just not eating enough because of it.

Weather has been wonderful, Mickey's molars have been filed down again so hopefully once the pain from that wears off he'll be back to eating normally. 6 more weeks of meds to go!

I made progress on my puzzle! All the blue on the left and top has been done, including the edges (which was a total disaster xD), so now all I have left are the beige banners on the right and bottom (more disasters send help) and some left over pieces. Found all the missing ones so far, though, so score!

Meant to wait with this check in until I'd finished my book and listened to The Little Mermaid, but alas. Doubt that'll happen now. Reading Ted Lasso fics (and I am not over it being over) is a more likely course for the evening.

Speaking of The Little Mermaid: I am notoriously anti-live action, but I went to see this to add my visit to the visitor's total as an f-you to all the haters. And I surprisingly really enjoyed it! Would definitely recommend!

Read
Sadly nothing. Maybe if miracles strike, Heart of Darkness will be finished today, but tomorrow is more likely

Currently Reading
Heart of Darkness
I went into this completely blind. Read 2 out of 3 parts and am still quite clueless xD Racism (from a modern viewpoint at least) is rampant, so be aware.

QOTW
First off, I haven't joined any group discussions because I currently cannot plan my reading like that. I read what I want when I can or I completely choke. I've never volunteered as a discussion leader as I'd have no idea what to do. It'd be a shame to lose them, because I do hope to one day be able to join! I miss buddy reads so much!

Secondly, I've definitely hate read a book. The Wedding Date being the most recent example. I only did because it was such an easy read, but damn. But going in hoping it's bad? I feel like I've done that before, though. But I'm not sure. I might in future, because I have The Casual Vacancy on my shelves and my dislike for JKR means I would revel in not enjoying that book xD Petty? Sure. But eh. But then again, if I didn't already own the book, I wouldn't even pick it up or consider it. Situations like these are the only way I can think of where I'd go into a book like that.

Joanna wrote: "For some reason though, I just have a mental block about giving away / getting rid of a book I haven't read. I will, occasionally, discard a book mid-read if I'm not enjoying, (although usually I push through) but I have to at least give it a shot."

THIS IS ME SO BADLY. I cannot discard a book without having tried it at least. I even struggle getting rid of a book when I haven't read it in A Long Time, because then I feel I should read it again in case I do actually enjoy it still/again/this time

Erica wrote: I've participated in only one group read this year. I meant to other months but I'm a mood reader and it didn't happen. I think Ellie's point about the prompts this year being a problem was spot on. They have affected my participation slightly. In the past, I have used the BOTMs to keep myself on track in finishing a tough prompt. Most of the prompts this year have been repeats that I've already found many options for when doing the previous challenges so I'm not struggling with tough/hated prompts.

I think this seems to be the issue too.

For me I can't really complain, because this is my second year doing the PS Reading Challenge, but having gone back at past lists I can see why people were disappointed.

My main disappointment comes from the fact that so many of the prompts aim toward fiction. I get that a majority of readers are fiction readers and that's fine, no complaints there since we all like what we like, it would just be nice to have a few nonfiction categories sprinkled in. I've had to turn the PS Challenge into a NonFiction one and while I've managed to find NF books that way, it certainly hasn't been easy.

Take the 'historical fiction book' prompt. Obviously that's a fiction topic so its either I skip it or I morph it to where it works in my favor.



Also I'm a mood reader as well so it makes consistency a very hard thing to do. Add in my bipolar disorder and I can't just sit with one book anymore. One minute I'll read one thing, the next I'll jump to another, and so forth.

Carmen, I'm dying to know (but answer when you're up to it), did you get your wheelchair issue straightened out with Disney??

I'm glad you liked The Little Mermaid. Is it OK for little kids? I want to take my 5 yo daughter and her 6 yo friend to see it in theaters. They've seen the cartoon version and it didn't bother them.

As for group reads, I've only recently gotten into them this year. I think they're fun, but again, nonfiction reader here so I look over at other groups for those types of things (no offense). It's rare that I read a fiction novel and when I do I have to find myself really invested and the book has to "speak" to me to hold my interest.

Hi all,

Had a nice three day weekend, but why do the four day weeks that follow them always feel so long when they are actually short? I'm more than ready for the weekend. My cat is doing ok, he seems to be resigned to the shuffle now. Not fussing as much about being medicated, the safety-tube put on, put in the carrier etc. And none of his other issues have flared up.

It's also very summer here as well, 90 out here and sunny. Usually not quite this hot this early, in Michigan. This is more July/August weather.

Group reads: I don't usually participate in them. I tend to be a mood reader so either they don't line up with what i want to read, or I already picked different books for those prompts etc. I did actually read Bunny earlier this year. But I also only have limited time to write up posts, while at a proper computer. I don't like making long posts on a phone. So i haven't actually even looked at the thread.

Read:

Yellowface - this was a little disappointing for me. I enjoyed the other books I read by her, pretty well. This fell a bit flat, for how much I'd looked forward to it. Partially, it just reminded me a LOT of The Plot, which I also didn't really like that much. But also it felt a bit meandering. The ending just kind of..ended.

Gunpowder Alchemy - quick read, nothing really amazing but it was fun enough. Main character got kidnapped a lot, but I did appreciate she wasn't complacent about it at least. My biggest peeve was that characters and ideas kept being introduced and abruptly dropped to be never seen again, and then the ending was pretty abrupt "and go read the next book".

When We Were Magic - Kinda a mixed bag for books this week haha. I initially rated this higher when I finished but the more i think about it the more annoyed I get at it. It was enjoyable enough to listen to, but I'm kinda annoyed at how a lot of things ended up shaking out, and how few consequences ended up happening for the main character. I think I picked this vaguely planning to use it for Read Harder's bisexual romance, although it was less of a romance than I expected.

currently reading:

The Bone Season - I needed a book with author with my initials and i got impatient for my hold on A Day of Fallen Night, so I thought I'd try one of her other books. Sadly, this one is nowhere near as strong as Priory. My hold for A Day of Fallen Night did end up coming in weeks earlier than expected, and I was tempted to just stop this and switch over. but since the other one is over 800 pages, and i'm already over a third into this I decided I'm just going to stick it out, and save the other one for my longest on TBR and that'll put me at 49/50.

QOTW:

I'm not someone who gets enjoyment out of the watching/reading terrible media for laughs, really. So no, not really. I've read some books knowing they weren't going to be FUN books, because they were going to be difficult but important subjects. But I generally hope they'll at least be well written/researched and thoughtfully presented so while I might not ENJOY reading them, they'll be moving/thought provoking, i'll learn something etc. Not that they'll be terrible and i'll hate them.

Temps in the high 90s for me. This coming week it's supposed to hit like 97 or 98. Total drag. I hate the heat. Wish we would get some rain or cooler temps. Our fall and winters were terrible though, they weren't as cold as we usually get so I anticipated a terrible and hot summer. It wouldn't surprise me if we got into like 110 (F) or higher.

Ellie wrote: "II'm really rubbish at reading to other people's schedules so I don't tend to do the group reads. I think participation in these check-ins is down this year too though? Do you think it's because a lot of people didn't like the lackluster prompts and didn't stick around for our delightful company?..."


That's a good point. It could be just that participation in Popsugar in general is off, due to the list.

Erica wrote: " In the past, I have used the BOTMs to keep myself on track in finishing a tough prompt. Most of the prompts this year have been repeats that I've already found many options for when doing the previous challenges so I'm not struggling with tough/hated prompts.
It hasn't helped that a lot of my votes are going to books that don't win. ..."


That's a good point, and I am the same way - if I already know what I'm going to read for a category, I won't drop it and go read the group choice instead. If the category is tough and I can't find something to read, then I'm much more likely to happily go along with a group selection.

Dubhease wrote: "Is no dialogue a bad thing? If a group read gets more people reading, is it still valuable even if they don't comment?..."


I hadn't even thought of that. I have been seeing the lack of discussion as meaning no one is interested in group reads. But maybe lots of people are interested, they just don't post about it.

No, I DID finish a book this week. The Psychology of Time Travel for prompt rabbit on the cover. Enjoyed it pretty well. It was sort of a mystery/sci-fi, though neither of those elements are particularly highlighted.

Why didn't ŷ������ notify me of this?

Sheri wrote: "Hi all,

Had a nice three day weekend, but why do the four day weeks that follow them always feel so long when they are actually short? ..."


LOL good question!! because this week has been ENDLESS!!!

Jennifer W wrote: "Group read question: I've participated and lead a group read before. I like them. I don't really like how books are nominated. Though I'm sure it's much easier for the mods to do the polls, I sometimes miss them or the books that get in the top few aren't anything I want to read. I haven't joined in a group read this year, they've all been books I haven't been interested in reading. ..."



Maybe we can come up with a better way. Maybe we need more group reads, or let the nomination polls stay open for more than one week.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Happy Thursday!

Holy crap! I'm being bombarded by webinars for training on the new system for the library. It's so freaking time consuming. I'm alr..."

normally we are always in drought mode, but this year has has like 15 feet of snow in the sierras. the truckee river is at max stage and places have had flood warnings for a while.

you should google tahoe snow fall for this year and see the freaking wacked out pics of the snow. it was crazy!

there was one time a quarry at the end of reno became a lake because of a flooding. that was around 95 or 96. it's still a lake to this day. it was a very deep quarry.