Week 33: 8/13 - 8/20 > Likes and Comments

Happy Thursday!


We are all having a great time staying at my mom’s. We had an amazing meal last night, the absolute best flounder Ive had is at Raimundo’s in Ship Bottom NJ. And i finished with an affogato, the first time Ive had that, and it was amazing (and the caffeine did not keep me awake too late - i got maybe an extra hour of reading in before i fell asleep). My dogs have been particularly pampered with little treats (yesterday she brewed them clam stock from clam shells leftover from the previous night’s dinner!)




***** Admin stuff *****
The August group read (Afrofuturism) is: Death of the Author You can join the discussion here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The September group read (a book told in letters) will be: The Correspondent

The October group read (overweight character) will be: The House in the Cerulean Sea

The November group read (debt) will be: Spinning Silver

The December group read (horses) will be: Horse




Let us know if you'd like to lead any discussions!







This week I finished 3 books, none for this Challenge, so I remain 45/50:



Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto - weird title, charming story about a divorcing woman who needs to figure out who she is now that she’s not a “wife.” Unlike Sutanto’s other books, this is not a mystery, nor is it a romance, its just a charming little story, sort of a middle-aged coming of age tale..


Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher- i was SUPER excited to get this sequel from Netgalley, but i was a little disappointed when i read it. Its good, but not as wonderful as Swordheart.


This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum- another weird title, i only read this because of the buzz! And I’m glad i did, it was an engaging page turner.



I have no idea what my reading stats are since I track that on my home computer.






Question of the Week
This week's question was suggested by Theresa

What’s a book (or series) that you absolutely loved as a reader, but you’ve found surprisingly hard to recommend to other people — or that people didn’t seem to enjoy as much as you did when you recommended it?


My number one most favorite series is the Solar Cycle (https://www.goodreads.com/series/1306...) by Gene Wolfe, first book in the series is The Shadow of the Torturer Most people have not read it. It's got a small but VERY FERVENT fan group.

The primary reason I love it so much is because I read it in those formative years before, during, and after high school. Some books hit just right because you read them at the right time, and that can never be replicated. But Wolfe is an amazing writer, too. He very cleverly writes this quest tale of a young man expelled from the only home he's ever known (a school for torturers, because their society is twisted), sent on a journey that he doesn't fully understand. That's a pretty typical fantasy trope, I think. He doesn't have magical powers or anything, he's not a "chosen one," but he IS special in some ways. His most unusual quality is his perfect memory, and this book is framed as his memoir written after the fact. He's a naive young man, and doesn't always understand what he's seeing, but Wolfe writes it so that the clever reader can pick up clues.

When I first read this book, I was also a naive young woman, and I just accepted that most of the terminology I was unfamiliar with were made up words for the fantasy world, because I'd encountered that many times before in other books. But Wolfe is not making up words! He's taking archaic terms and extinct animals and using those words, and his reason is that this "memoir" was discovered in another language and translated for the reader, and the translator sometimes had to guess at a translation. Again, a common enough conceit for SFF novels, but Wolfe uses it well.

Also, I have to admit as a young woman, I just accepted some of the casual sexism in the book. Probably if I read it for the first time today, I'd have a different reaction. It's not AWFUL, it's not to the extent of how bad Asimov can be, but it's far from feminist.

He gives enough clues that you can finally figure out that this is NOT a fantasy novel set in a medieval type society, but instead it's a far future science fiction novel set on our Earth, somewhere in South America, set long after most of humanity has escaped the Earth, after we've encountered alien species and some of them have settled on Earth, some have perhaps mingled with humans, and both humans and aliens have genetically tinkered with animals and people.

Happy Thursday! New dishwasher has finally been installed! It took 7 weeks to coordinate everything through our home warranty service, but it’s done. And, surprisingly, the new dishwasher actually matches the existing appliances in the kitchen.

Reading Challenges: I’m so close to finishing my main challenges! Maybe then I can tackle some of the older books on my TBR.

52 Book Club: 50/52
52 Books Read It, Watch It: 8/12
ATY: 51/52
🏆 ATY Summer Challenge: 25/25
Booklist Queen: 50/52
Popsugar: 49/50
Goodreads Summer Bookmarks: 10/11
52 Books Mystery Challenge: 30/50

My Ever-Growing TBR: 88/292 – 30.1% (My goal is 33.3%.)

Recently Completed:

🌻 Angel Down: Goodreads Giveaway. ★★★★
🌻 Beach Thriller (Mystery #37 – an inheritance or will) ★★★
🌻 Island on Fire ★★★
🌻 A Shore Thing ★★★
🌻 Certain Dark Things: Adventures Underground Book Club. ★★★★
🌻 Love by a Landslide, Stranded in Leavenworth, #1: I rarely give five stars to rom-com books, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. (ATY Summer #4e – features walking/hiking) ★★★★★
🌻 The Very Definition of Love (GR Summer Bookmarks #11 – Summer Encore) ★★★★
🌻 Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter: Page Turners Book Club. ★★★★
🌻 The Broken Ring, Volume 2: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway ★★★
🌻 The Wild Beneath: Reese’s Book Club Selection. ★★★★
🌻 Destination Funeral ★★★
🌻 The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (RIWI #8 – a book that cost you nothing) ★★★

Morning all! Somehow all my appointments for August wound up being the same week: doctor, dentist, book club, writer's group. Of course this had to be the week when I got a nail in my tire and had to find time to get it fixed! Then I apparently drove over a freshly painted stripe in the road, getting yellow paint all over the wheels & mud flaps of my car.

I read my final books for two challenges this week. This Challenge Killed the Bookworm only has half as many books as the others, but it took longer because it's mostly SF/F, and I like to rotate genres.

For my final challenge, Around the Year, I'm having the worst time with the category of "a book from the list of 1001 Books to Read Before You Die." There are many books on that list I've previously read & enjoyed. But trying to find a new one, I've so far DNF'd Nightwood by Djuna Barnes and Mr Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood. I did manage to slog through Moscow to the End of the Line, but didn't really "get" the book - I think I just don't understand the Russian cultural references. I review all my challenge books on my website that no one reads, and I had nothing to say about that one.

So now I'm trying Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth, but that one's not doing much for me either. I did reread Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, but was going to use it for "something edible in the title." If Rackrent doesn't work out, I may shift categories for this one and read Alexis Hall's Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake.

I'm up to 95 books.
Popsugar 50/50- DONE
52 Book Club -52/52 - DONE
Booklist Queen - 52/52 - DONE
This Challenge Killed the Bookworm 25/25 - DONE
Around the Year 50/52

Finished:

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke for "book everyone is talking about" (BLQ) and "about yesterday" (ATY). This book was a wild ride. If you need a sympathetic narrator, or any sympathetic characters at all, this is not the book for you. It's a savage, funny satire on the "tradwife influencer" phenomenon, and we get a good look at how fake it all is. But as Nadine and others have said about this book, the author kinda painted herself into a corner with the ending. The book's premise is awesome - tradwife suddenly finds herself in the 1800s - but the ending is not so much suspending disbelief as throttling it.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett for "fairies are bad." I love Discworld books, and this is one of the best. 9-year-old Tiffany Aching is an aspiring witch who inadvertently becomes kelda (clan leader) for a bunch of tiny blue men whose main talents are drinking, fighting, and stealing. Funniest scene is when they get confronted with lawyers; charges include "Using Offensive Language (including 97 instances where the language would probably be offensive if anyone could understand them.)"

Also finished some poetry, WHY I'M NOT CHANGING MY HAIR by Sidney Frazier-Barker, and Saints+Sinners Literary Festival: New Poetry From the Festival 2025, a brief collection of queer poetry.

Currently reading:

Castle Rackrent. I enjoyed Maria Edgeworth's Leonora, but this one isn't grabbing me, and the stereotyping of the one Jewish character is a real teeth-grinder.

QOTW: I have that happen with music (my taste is pretty obscure), but can't think of any with books.

Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!

This has been a pretty busy week, but a fairly productive one. I’ve managed to make some progress on a couple of household projects, and plan to spend tomorrow morning finishing one of them.

I’ve also spent most of the week participating in a romance-focused readathon. Romance isn’t one of my go-to genres, especially not contemporary romance (which is what I’ve been reading), but I’ve had a pretty good experience with the books I’ve chosen to read. I’m hoping to finish a few more titles before the readathon ends on Sunday.

Here are my current challenge and TBR totals…

Goodreads Challenge: 174/250
Mount TBR Challenge: 109/150

📚Physical TBR: 103/462
📱Ebook TBR: 5/161
🎧Audiobook TBR: 1/1
TBR Checklist Total: 109/624 (17% complete)

TBR Books DNFed in 2026: 6
TBR Books Soft DNFed in 2026: 3

I did pick up several new books this week, including The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, books 2-8, by Beth Brower.

“New” Books Bought in 2026: 94
“New” Books Read in 2026: 64
“New” Books DNFed in 2026: 0
“New” Books Checklist Total: 64/94 (68% complete)

Here are the books I finished this week…

Finished Reading (Fiction):
This week I continued reading the Legend of Drizzt series. I’ve really been enjoying this series! I am taking a break from it until I finish my current readathon, but I’ll definitely be returning to it when that readathon ends. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ Many of the books in this series include harm that is done to animals (mostly occurring in battle). Several of the books also include references to and/or scenes of torture. (hide spoiler)] I finished books 17-18 this week, which included…
~The Thousand Orcs — This is the seventeenth book in the Dungeons & Dragons: Legends of Drizzt series. This was a pretty exciting book, and I was really happy to see it bring the story’s focus back to Drizzt and his companions. 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~The Lone Drow — This is the eighteenth book in the Dungeons & Dragons: Legends of Drizzt series. I had somewhat mixed feelings about this book. Even though the story was exciting and action-packed, I did not like seeing Drizzt return to (view spoiler)[ the Hunter persona he developed while on his own in the Underdark. (hide spoiler)] It was an understandable setback in his character development (especially given his interpretation of the events at the end of the previous book), but it wasn’t one I wanted to see. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include a scene involving unwanted sexual attention and threats of rape. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I also read…
~An Enchanting Case of Spirits — This is the first book in the Gin & Tarot Club series. Despite finding this in the romance section of my local used bookstore, this book was actually a cozy mystery with a side of romance. I’m not mad about it though, because I really enjoyed the story, and ended up reading the entire book in a single day. I did manage to get a copy of the audiobook on Libby, so I was able to do an immersive read, and I thought both narrators did a good job. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to grief and depression. (hide spoiler)] 📚/🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Raiders of the Lost Heart — This is the first book in the Raiders of the Lost Heart trilogy. Had the book focused more on the story of the dig than on the main characters’ enemies/rivals-to-lovers romance, I think I really would’ve enjoyed this one. Unfortunately, while I liked the character of Corrie, I wasn’t the biggest fan of her love interest, which made it difficult for me to get invested in their relationship. I also felt like the story had some pacing issues; with a somewhat slow start and an ending that felt extremely rushed. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to the loss of a parent, as well as references to cancer. (hide spoiler)] 📚: ⭐️⭐️
~The Pumpkin Spice Café — This is the first book in the Dream Harbor series. I thought this was a cute story, and one that definitely gave me Hallmark Movie vibes. I was able to get a copy of the audiobook from the library, so I could do an immersive read. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include references to the loss of a parent, as well as a male main character with abandonment issues. (hide spoiler)] 📚/🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished Reading (Nonfiction):
None

Finished Reading (Manga, Comic Books, & Graphic Novels):
None

Finished Reading (Poetry and Drama):
None

DNFed:
None

Currently Reading:
~Meet Me in a Mile — I’m currently about halfway through this romance, and I’m finding it pretty cute so far. 📚

QOTW:
I would have to say the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, by Matt Dinniman. It’s a fantastic series, and everyone that I’ve talked into reading it has loved it… but when you’re explaining the plot to someone who isn’t familiar with the series, they tend to look at you like you’re insane.

I feel like I haven't been reading very much lately...

Ravenous Bonus Round: 17/22
Powells Summer: 4/25

Finished: Conscious Dreaming: A Spiritual Path for Everyday Life

Started: Mathematics in Nature: Modeling Patterns in the Natural World
There But For The
Maintenance of Everything: Part Two
The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game

QotW: I've recommends His Dark Materials to several people. No one's ever come back with any comments. I don't know if they didn't read it or if they didn't like it.

I had a birthday yesterday, and am still celebrating it! Likely will be for weeks, as usual. I had a lovely delicious piece of chocolate cake with vanilla frosting on it -- a huge slice of layer cake, the size of the slices served in my childhood - just like those served in a scene in Meet Me In St. Louis. No tiny sliver slices for birthday cake!!!!

I had a busy work day, and still have a few treats to buy for myself - I do every year. Books are on that list but also a few other items, often inspired by my reading. My special meal this year was an order of hot oil handpulled noodles from the local storefront counter service only branch of Xi'an Food Emporium, the restaurant that introduced the author to the wonder of handpulled noodles and led ultimately to writing a book I read this week.

PS 41/50 - I need to start picking these off
ATY 51/52 - what's so funny is that this is the easiest prompt for me to fill - book related to Agatha Christie - and I've read several Christies this year but all fit more difficult prompts. I have 2 lined up to read this month, and with challenges nearly done, I'll knock this off.

Finished:
Automatic Noodle - which inspired my birthday dinner. Absolutely loved this!
Brigands & Breadknives

Currently Reading:
The Louisiana Purchase
In the Lives of Puppets
An Agatha Christie - I have 3 or 4 piled up here.

QOTW: One of the series I'm always recommending but no one seems to pick it up is Cara Black's Aimee Leduc detective series, first is Murder in the Marais. Set in Paris in the 1990s, Aimee has taken over her father's detective agency but it's primary jobs are computer forensics and cyber sleuthing with her business partner Rene. Each book is set in a different area of Paris, and they are far more than Aimee and Rene sitting at keyboards all day - Aimee often finds herself doing some old fashioned sleuthing and stakeouts, and they lean toward thriller. Paris is richly captured, physically but also its history often comes into play in the plots. Aimee herself is far from any other detective, male or female, you generally encounter. I love this description of her in Wikipedia: "Leduc is a Paris-based private investigator with a punk-rock sensibility and keen fashion sense." You do need to read at least the first few in order as there is a continuing thread providing you with important aspects of her past and family legacy, some things which still influence her day to day life, especially her relationship to the French police.

These are still being written - there are 25 as of now I believe and they have remained in the 1990s -- author deliberately hasn't advanced time too quickly, wanting to keep the tech less sophisticated than we see today. It allows I think for more traditional gumshoe detecting and thus more adventures for Aimee.

Author has also started writing historical fiction - set in Paris and WWII and its aftermath. Author spends real time in Paris, researching, writing, cozying up to the gendarmes, wandering and exploring as that's from where the inspiration comes. It shows in the plots, characters, settings.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Happy Thursday!

We are all having a great time staying at my mom’s. We had an amazing meal last night, the absolute best flounder Ive had is at Raimundo’s in Ship Bottom NJ. And i finished with ..."

Lordy, I have not been to Ship Bottom, NJ in probably 20 rears! More! A very long time ago, in one of her first post college and graduate school jobs, a college friend got a job teaching in one of the districts along the Jersey Shore for a couple years. She and another teacher friend decided they wanted to live in Ship Bottom and rented one of the summer rentals year round. It was a hoot visiting her there in the winter!

I actually read the first of the Gene Wolfe series - you and I talked about it after I reviewed it here. I forget how it came t my attention - probably an ebook deal of the day -- and I really liked it and was gobsmacked when I found out it's futuristic fantasy/scifi/ not medieval style fantasy! I've only read the first book in the series but I really really liked the writing and I am planning to continue it but first want to reread the first. I've read a lot more SFF since I read it, including more set far in the future where civilization on earth has reverted to an earlier simpler time, and I think I'll pick up more from it.

The writing quality is such that these books lean literary fiction as a read, I thought.

K.L. wrote: "Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!

This has been a pretty busy week, but a fairly productive one. I’ve managed to make some progress on a couple of household projects, and plan to spend tomor..."

I was one of those skeptics and eye-rollers about Dungeon Crawler Carl whenever someone recommended it to me. But as I confessed and reported last week, I read the first book and am a solid member of the fan club! I even clung to my skepticism for the first part of the book - but it dropped and vanished as soon as Princess Donut got her voice. I'm resisting reading the 2nd for a bit - I have other books to read and challenges to finish.

I work in the stained glass workshop where I live. I’ve taken the last few months off and finally feel like getting back to it, but I went down the other day and the A/C is broken. If the thermostat can be believed, it’s at least 110 in there. Yikes! So I’ve been doing some quilting instead. I started my first quilt around 2019 or so. Someday, I may finish it. In the meantime, not much reading has been done.

PopSugar 48/50
AtY 38/52
Curiosity Killed the Bookworm: 20/25
Rocky Horror Challenge 11/12

Finished:
Better Than the Movies, German Edition by Lynn Painter For #19, a book about teen angst, also a red-headed character, for the Rocky Horror Challenge.
Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser A retelling of Cinderella, with some interesting changes. No prompt. I really enjoyed this.
How the Universe Got Its Spots: Diary of a Finite Time in a Finite Space Astrophysics. There were pages that I barely understood a word, but it blows my mind how people come up with this stuff, let alone understand it.


Currently Reading
Vagabond by Tim Curry for #42, inspired by a real song, album, band, or artist; also for the Rocky Horror Challenge
How to Rule the World by Theo Baker
Time Travel for Beginners by Jaclyn Moriarty
Das Erbe von Winterfell by George RR Martin 2nd part of Game of Thrones
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry Audiobook, fantasy, just started but I like this one a lot.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

DNF
Game Changer by Rachel Reid This was an audiobook with a little too explicit sex to suit me.

QOTW
I used to recommend Game of Thrones and maybe it's the size of the books but I don't think anyone has ever followed up on that. I quit recommending it as the TV series outpaced the books, and it began to appear that the book series will remain forever unfinished.

Nadine in NY wrote: My number one most favorite series is the Solar Cycle (https://www.goodreads.com/series/1306...) by Gene Wolfe, first book in the series is The Shadow of the Torturer Most people have not read it. It's got a small but VERY FERVENT fan group.
..."

I thought this looked interesting and looked it up. $75 on Amazon, used. It seems everything gets republished though, so maybe someday.

Theresa wrote: "K.L. wrote: "Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!

This has been a pretty busy week, but a fairly productive one. I’ve managed to make some progress on a couple of household projects, and plan t..."

And I saw what you said about Dungeon Crawler Carl and started reading it. I like it!

Happy Thursday all!

The library I work at is in the middle of remodeling -- expanding the children's room. Between the drills and saws and staple guns going, and the kids still making noise... well, don't come here expecting a quiet library, haha...

Books read this week:

Juarez Square and Other Stories -- sci-fi/dystopian story collection where most of the stories are set in a Texas that seceded from the rest of the US and faced economic collapse as a result. Decent, if depressing, read… and has one story that’s eerily prescient of the AI controversy, considering this collection was published in 2015.

Merciless Waters -- I really wanted to love this queer novella about a pirate ship full of women and feminine rage. I just felt like the worldbuilding was REALLY thin.

Rooster Fighter, Vol. 9
Rooster Fighter, Vol. 10
Assassination Classroom, Vol. 16
Assassination Classroom, Vol. 17

DNF:

Greenwild -- this one started out so promising… but I just lost interest when it turned into a Harry Potter clone.

Currently reading:

Fawning: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves—and How to Find Our Way Back
Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things?: A Comedian's Guide to Autism
When Darkness Loves Us
The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale

QOTW:

No one seems to enjoy Catherynne Valente's work as much as I do, haha... Though to be fair her style can take a LOT to get used to. If you read any of her works, I'd recommend The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and its sequels.

It is raining! The whole week! Finally!

Read this year: 43
PS: 17/40
Finished this week: The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall⭐⭐⭐. I found it hard to identify myself with Theo. He remained a mystery for a long time.
This is not AI: Hoe je AI slim gebruikt en zelf blijft nadenken by Sanne Cornelissen⭐⭐⭐. An encouragement to use AI primarily for what it is: a machine, a tool that allows you, as a human, to create. Think of a nail and a hammer: you can use them to join multiple pieces of wood together and create different and new things compared to just a single piece of wood.

QOTW
It's really strange: everyone I personally recommended the Beartown series thought it was just okay. I thought it was amazing. Fortunately, there are a lot of readers here who think it's amazing too.

Happy Thursday!

Finished:
Rootbound: A Tangled Novel by Margaret Owen - 4 stars - not for a prompt. I really loved this. The characterization of Rapunzel and Eugene seemed on point, the story was fun, and there's plenty of groundwork laid down for additional tales.

Comics/manga:
RuriDragon, Vol. 3
You Can't Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister 2
BL Metamorphosis, Vol. 3
The King’s Beast, Vol. 18
Sheltering Eaves 4

I am currently at 37/50 for the Popsugar reading challenge (27/40 and 10/10).

Currently reading:
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews - not currently for a prompt.

Upcoming/Planned:
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao - for a book that starts with the letter "Z".

QOTW:
I can't really think of any off the top of my head.

Kate wrote: "Theresa wrote: "K.L. wrote: "Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!

This has been a pretty busy week, but a fairly productive one. I’ve managed to make some progress on a couple of household proj..."

Yay! I just saw it listed on your report!

How interesting about working in a stained glass studio! I've never had any urge to work in glass, but I am an admirer of stained glass ... and much craft and hand work. I checked your profile and see you are in the Southwest. I have become friends with the blown glass artist Elodie Holmes and her wife Jannine in Santa Fe, NM - her studio is Liquid Light Glass, and she's a world renowned blown glass artist who also teaches classes to any interested and nurtures many glass artists. Elodie has a piece that is debuting at the Venice Biennial in September sponsored by a glass artist group. They teach, they nurture new artists and help glass artists develop and sell.

My mother was a quilter - again not my hobby but one I love and appreciate. One of my mother's quilts took her 7 or more years to stitch - a Cathedral Window quilt which is 100% stitched by hand. Since you appreciate stained glass, bet you would like the Cathedral Window quilt.

It was a rough week getting ready for the semester to start next week (it's not just the students who don't want to go back) I did finish one book (which might get slotted into the challenge down the road if another of my picks don't pan out)

Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan I had an arc of this Appalachian mystery series book and I loved it.

QOTW

Honestly I'm afraid to reread the Tolkien books and have been since the movies came out. I know so many people find them boring and I loved them so much and I'm afraid I will be bored too with adult eyes. In fact I rarely reread things I loved as a young adult/kid because I fear I'll wonder WTF was wrong with me back then.

I think Stephen King books are the ones my friends most often have looked at me with that 'are you nuts?' expression after reading

Hi all! Kiddo decided she wanted a summer party, and I finally agreed that she could have it this coming Sunday. So she's been a taskmaster trying to get me to clean the house. She helps, but I'm definitely doing most of the work.... She had wanted her kiddie pool and slip and slide etc, but I think it's supposed to storm all weekend, so we may be inside, so guess we really do need to clean... Ugh.

Girl Scouts is also doing a campout Saturday into Sunday. I got my dates wrong and thought it was next weekend, so it's going to be a long weekend.... Last year, she came home at 12:30am. But she's been a lot better about things this summer, so maybe she'll last the night. I'm sure I'll let you all know next week....

Started a buddy read of Fraud. It's an interesting character study so far, but I'm curious where the plot goes.

Read a bit more in Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned and 10 Hours to Go. 10 Hours to go is due back in like 5 days, so I gotta get on it.

Listened to a few more hours in A Magic Deep and Drowning. Definitely some things happened that I didn't see coming, but still not my thing. I'd love to be done with it by next check in, we'll see.

QOTW: I can't think of examples, but I have had it happen. Usually what ends up happening is someone notices a plot hole that didn't even occur to me. I'm pretty willing to go wherever the author leads me, so I tend not to notice plot holes! Whoops. :)

Kate wrote: "I work in the stained glass workshop where I live. I’ve taken the last few months off and finally feel like getting back to it, but I went down the other day and the A/C is broken. If the thermosta..." I feel like I need to know more about the stained glass workshop. Are you making stained glass? Or a stained glass room with cool colors while you work? It sounds great (well except for the broken a/c - but I love stained glass!

Rose wrote: "Kate wrote: "I work in the stained glass workshop where I live. I’ve taken the last few months off and finally feel like getting back to it, but I went down the other day and the A/C is broken. If ..."

I make stained glass, but I love your idea of a stained glass room. My SIL sent me a pic of a little house (room?) made of stained glass panels. That would be so cool!

I've always loved stained glass but waited way too long to learn to do it. If you have any desire to, I encourage you to do it now 😊

Theresa wrote: "Kate wrote: "Theresa wrote: "K.L. wrote: "Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday!

This has been a pretty busy week, but a fairly productive one. I’ve managed to make some progress on a couple of h..."

Thanks for mentioning Elodie Holmes and her workshop. Her work is so impressive! Glass blowing is another thing I've wanted to do but don't know if I'll get to it. (Too many books to read, for one thing!)

Your mother's Cathedral Window quilt sounds amazing. I can't imagine hand stitching anything. For some reason, I don't have the patience with quilting that I do with stained glass.

Happy Thursday!

I finished two books. One was a 5 star read - one of my favourite Riley books. The other was a 2.5 star read and I finished it for the married authors prompt.

I also managed to watch 2 more movies for my PopSugar movie challenge. I'm now half way done.

Finished:

The Unknown
Popsugar prompt: A book about new beginnings
ATY prompt: A book published in 2026
Summer prompt: starts with a letter in Barbeque - 200 points

Survivor by Tabitha King
Popsugar prompt: Two books written by real-life partners or spouses
ATY prompt: can't find one
Summer prompt: A book with a GR rating that is between 3-3.99 stars - 500 points

Series - 6/12
Number 1s - 6/10
Nobel laureates - 2/5
Rocky Horror challenge: 8/12
Summer Reading challenge - 4600/5000 points

PS - 28/30
ATY - 33/45
PS movies - 26/50

Currently reading:
Scarlet - 45%
The Late-Night Witches - 45%

PopSugar movies
A movie inspired by a real song, album, band, or artist - Ladies First (same name as a song)
A movie with any type of fruit on the cover or in the title - Date Night

QOTW: Honestly, reading is so personal that I find it hard to make recommendations to friends and family.

I read Sarai as my book with a character with infertility issues.

I just started Tom Lake as my book that takes place during harveest season. I think I've read about 4 pages.

QOTW: I'm really not much of a recommender.

Another busy week, so nothing finished. But I did start another book because why not?! 🙃 I'm super excited that the National Book Festival is this Saturday and four authors who I adore will be there (and they are being paired up for interviews!!). Can't wait!

I'm still at 15/40 and 3/10 for this challenge, and 45/75 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* nada

Currently Reading:
* The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries edited by Michael Sims;
* Mother Daughter Sister Stranger by Hank Phillippi Ryan, which is a NetGalley/Super Reader read. I should finish it up before the next check in; and,
* Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping On a Dead Man written by Jesse Q. Sutanto and narrated by Eunice Wong. This is JUST what I needed! Vera is such a delight and I hope this series keeps going!!

QotW:
This week's question was suggested by Theresa

What’s a book (or series) that you absolutely loved as a reader, but you’ve found surprisingly hard to recommend to other people — or that people didn’t seem to enjoy as much as you did when you recommended it? Hmm...I guess I tend to recommend books that I love to people who have similar reading tastes because I'm struggling to come up with something. Maybe the Sympathizer duology (specifically The Committed) or A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, a History, a Memorial by Viet Thanh Nguyen or There There by Tommy Orange? I loved all four of these books (because of the storytelling and the way they challenged me) but probably wouldn't recommend them to most of my reader friends since they would be outside of their comfort zones (I did encourage a friend to keep going with There There though!). But I'd love to discuss them with someone some day!

Theresa wrote: "I had a birthday yesterday, and am still celebrating it! Likely will be for weeks, as usual. I had a lovely delicious piece of chocolate cake with vanilla frosting on it -- a huge slice of layer ca..."

Happy belated birthday, Theresa! Hope you continue to celebrate the rest of the month and that the coming year is the best one yet! 🎉🎂🎉

Happy Thursday, everyone! Finally went to go see The Odyssey with my dad this Tuesday and we both enjoyed it!

I read five books this past week and finished another reading challenge (NYT).

2025 Reading Challenges
PopSugar- 43/50
ATY- 52/52; Winter- 14/14; 24/24; Spring- 16/16; Summer- 7500/5000 COMPLETED
52 Book Club- 47/52; Monthly Mini-Challenges- 12/12; Beach Reads- 22/24
HRCYED 3.0- 50/150; Side Qwests- 1/12
Asian Read-a-Thon- 5/5 COMPLETED
New York Times Summer Bucket List- 10/10 COMPLETED
Read Good- 13/13 COMPLETED
Buzzword- 12/12; Cover- 12/12 COMPLETED
GR Bookmarks- Winter- 12/12; Spring- 12/12; Summer- 9/11
BOTM- 12/15; Omnivoreader- 6/6; Long Hauler- 3/4; Debut Darling- 4/5

1001 Books- 14/20
TBR- 33/50

Finished
The Renovation- I read this because it was on the Booker longlist. I was expecting a satire given the absurd premise, but it was actually quite poignant. A woman has her bathroom renovated, but instead gets a Turkish prison cell. The cell becomes like an allegory for her exiled life in Italy, caring for her ailing father alone. Overall, I liked it. ☆☆☆ 1/2

Somebody Is Walking on Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys- I picked this up because it seemed like it might fit the travel ghost story prompt. The author visits various cemeteries, sometimes discussing local myths and historical figures/ghosts so I'm counting it, lol. My favorite essays were the last two: one because it made me tear up, the other because I visited that same cemetery so I recognized everything she saw. ☆☆☆ 1/2
PS #30- a travel ghost story
ATY Summer #5B- lost in the woods (a book in translation)
NYT Summer #7- read a book in translation

The Shippers- finally picked this book up from my TBR because it fit a prompt I needed. Katherine Center is basically an auto-read author for me, but these last three books of hers have not been my faves. The heroine in this one was too needy and far too immature for a Math major. This was a fast read and can even be entertaining if you suspend your disbelief and embrace the silliness. ☆☆ 1/2
ATY Summer #4C- boating
52BC Beach Reads #5- item of thing you'd find at the beach on cover (Romance)
HRCYED 3.0- old secret prompts #4
TBR #33

The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts- I've been trying to find something for the women astronauts prompt that wasn't Atmosphere, and then I came upon this book in one of the GR bookmark lists and thought it would be perfect. I loved learning about these six women, their journeys, and their accomplishments in the face of misogyny. I feel like I got to know these women well, that the ending made me tear up in a way no other news article has. I never really cared about space, astronomy doesn't interest me, but I did enjoy this read. ☆☆☆☆
PS #5- a book about women astronauts
GR Bookmark- Fact or Fiction
HRCYED 3.0- numerical titles #2; birthday #2

The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac: Stories- I loved Trespasses and since then this book has been on my radar. This was a great short story collection. The author slowly reveals the truth behind these characters that I would often find myself going back and rereading the stories to see things with new eyes. I'm looking forward to her new book later this year! ☆☆☆☆
ATY Summer #4D- picnicking
52BC Beach Reads #8- features an island country (Literary Fiction)
HRCYED 3.0- titular counting #7; backlist #3

Currently Reading
Migrations
The Project
The Vivisectors

QOTW
I really enjoyed Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell trilogy. A lot of people aren't into politics and history or slow-build literary fiction like me, so I'm careful when recommending it to others.

Hello and happy Thursday from a flooded Columbus! The rain here has been so intense it feels like for weeks now. Still interviewing, there’s one job that seems really promising but he did mention they’re interviewing a couple of other people so now I’m really nervous. Fingers crossed super hard something works out soon haha.

Finished:
Balthazar for my classics challenge. This is a sequel to Justine. The way these books are written are so luscious, and the stories themselves are very attention grabbing. I really enjoyed how Balthazar played out. Justine was about how the narrator recalls and interpreted the events in the book, where as Balthazar makes you realize what the narrator thought was reality might have been very off base. There are two more books in the series and I’m excited to get to them.

Our Perfect Storm not for a challenge. I think I got this as a beach read, I don’t really remember. It has very distinct romance-novel-of-the-summer vibes. I usually enjoy these types of books but this one fell pretty flat for me. I liked the male main character but the female main character was not someone I enjoyed spending time with. Idk, it seems like a lot of my friends liked this one so maybe I’m just the odd one out here lol.

More Is More: Get Loose in the Kitchen—A Cookbook not for a challenge I just really love a cookbook, and as someone who loved watching Bon Appetit’s YouTube channel back when it was first getting big; I was excited to dive into Molly Baz’ recipes.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for my classics challenge. This was the audible version narrated by Scarlett Johansson. A fun trip down memory lane.

Currently Reading:
Tom's Crossing
The Count of Monte Cristo
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Great Adventure Catholic Bible

Recently Watched:
Nada this week

QOTW:
Hmm. I’ve realized I like to read and watch things that get classified as pretentious so sometimes I worry about recommending things I really like to my people who aren’t into that kind of thing. Like, I wouldn’t recommend Ottessa Moshfegh to my church friends if you know what I mean lol

2026 Challenges:
Popsugar - 17/40; 0/10
Read Harder - 14/24
Classics - 7/12
European Tour - 12/10
12 Friends - 10/12
Yearly Goal - 89/180

Life update: We did eventually agree a revised price with our buyer, and then we discovered that our seller's lawyer has not been responding to our lawyer. It seems like this may have been a deliberate delaying tactic because our seller is moving to a new-build house that is not yet ready. So the earliest we can move will now be 17th September, which suits us fine, in fact. It would just be nice if people would, you know, actually communicate about these things.

Reading update: I had another good reading week! I finished:

Network Effect, which I'm sad to say I only gave two stars to, for PS: Type C personality. The week got better from there, though.
The Warm Hands of Ghosts for PS: travel ghost story. OMG, this was so good - it may end up being my favourite book of the year. 5 stars.
Charity and Sylvia by Tillie Walden for PS: sapphic comic and Odd Format: graphic novel with large chunks of text. 4 stars.
The Enchanted April for PS: makes you want to visit Italy and Flowers for your shelves: Rose. Reminded me of Jane Austen. 4 stars.
There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job for Diversity: women in translation and Anti-capitalist Inspiration: workplace novel. An unusual novel, but I liked it a lot. 4 stars.
A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections - audiobook, no prompt. Interesting, but not outstanding. 3 stars.

Stats:
Popsugar: 4 this week, 43/50 total.
Diversity Challenge: 1 this week, 10/14 total
Queer Reads Bracket Challenge: 0 this week, 6/7 total
Flowers for Your Shelves: 1 this week, 5/22 total
r/Fantasy Bingo: 0 this week, 8/25 total
Odd Formats: 1 this week, 1/11 total
Spanish Titles ABC: 0 this week, 1/26 total
French TBR: 0 this week, 2/50 total
Great Big Jewish Literature Challenge: 0 this week, 7/24 total
Anti-Capitalist Inspiration: 1 this week, 19/30 total
Reading About Writing: 0 this week, 4/40 total

All books finished this year: 6 this week, 100 total
DNF or paused this year: 4 this week, 24 total (this is me putting some workbook-type things on hold until after the move)

Challenges completed this year: 2
Challenges in progress (end date in 2026): 2
Challenges in progress (no end date or end date in 2027): 9

Currently reading:
Fiesta en la madriguera - PS: about a mob, Spanish Titles: F
The Edge of Sentience: Risk and Precaution in Humans, Other Animals, and AI - research, no prompt
Bartleby the Scrivener - audiobook, no prompt
The Complete Mahabharata Volume - 3 Vana Parva & Virat Parva - spiritual reading, no prompt

QOTW: There are lots of books that I like, but rarely recommend. Mostly it's because I grew up reading a lot of German books, and still read a few each year, but most people around me don't read German. I don't feel comfortable recommending books in translations that I haven't read - it can make such a difference to the feel of a book. Sometimes it's also to do with sensitive subject-matter or the length of a book.

Yeah Friday. One day of work until the weekend. It's the second full week of classes, the first hard one (we kind of tread water the first week because my school can't figure out how to get the schedules right ad move so many kids around) so I'm exhausted. I want to sleep all weekend but I also want to read.

I did finish 2 books: Antigone for a book club, which was a re-read I knocked out in an hour (no prompt) and Slouching Towards Bethlehem which was for the two spouses prompt

If I get to read this weekend I may knock our 3 short books for prompts that were available on Kindle Unlimited last time I checked:
The Secret to Superhuman Strength (pilates)
These Alien Skies (woman astronauts)
2043... a Merman I Should Turn to Be (underwater civilization)

QOTW:
I have this problem all the time which is why I started a book club and use these GR message boards, and listen to book podcasts. I like literary fiction, and it's hard to describe them to people because often they aren't ABOUT anything, they just have lovely prose and we drawn characters, or they cover serious subjects. Three of my favorite books, which my book club liked but others look at me like I am from outer space for enjoying are:
No Land to Light On (ISN'T THAT A GREAT TITLE?)
There There
We Need New Names

I also love classics and even some of my book club friends are like , Ewww why?

Megan wrote: "Hmm...I guess I tend to recommend books that I love to people who have similar reading tastes because I'm struggling to come up with something. Maybe the Sympathizer duology (specifically The Committed) or A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, a History, a Memorial by Viet Thanh Nguyen "

The Sympathizer is one of my all time favorite books! I added the sequel to my TBR when it first came out, but I've been reluctant to pick it up out of fear it won't live up to the first book

I ended up skipping posting last week due to dental trauma, so this is a 2-week compilation…

I have now pretty much recovered from the extraction of two molars. My wisdom teeth were “cut out” when I was 16, but this backmost molar had an impacted root as well. It literally turned back into the jawbone at a 90 degree angle halfway down. Bizarre. I was just so grateful to learn of an “immediate care” dental clinic that provides financing. (Not Care Credit) Fortunately, they sent me a link to apply and I was approved for way more than the cost of these extractions. I have 6 months to pay off the balance with no interest. And Monday begins my job-hunting blitz! LOL ‘Cause I know my shoulder replacement on the left side is next… *sigh*

Gettin’ old is DEFINITELY NOT for sissies!! Beware!! LOL

Southern Livings’ list of The 10 Best Books of 2026 So Far:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainme...
I love Sadeqa Johnson’s writing and am looking forward to reading her newest release, Keeper of Lost Children! Ann Patchett is kinda hit-or-miss for me as far as favorite reads, but I love her writing and cannot wait to read Whistler in December for the book club I facilitate! I hope to begin tackling her backlist next year… And I am anxious to read Where the Wildflowers Grow yet this month! Terah Shelton Harris is a go-to author for me now!

ADMIN STUFF:
THE AUGUST MONTHLY GROUP READ IS Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor!
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #50 A book about Afrofuturism
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is August 23
https://www.unesco.org/en/days/slave-...
Kate is the “future foreteller” who has very graciously volunteered to lead this discussion!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Miss Kate!! 👍😁🎊🎊🎉🎉👏👏👏👏👏
I plan to finally get to this one this weekend! 😊

THE SEPTEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ SELECTION IS The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #47 A book told entirely through letters
World Letter Writing Day is September 1
https://nationaltoday.com/world-lette...
Doni is the “literary luminary” who would graciously volunteered to facilitate this discussion!!
Thanks so much for your willingness to guide this discussion!! 👍👏👏👏👏👏🎊🎊🎊🎉🎉🪄🪄

THE OCTOBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #1) by T.J. Klune
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #6 A book with an overweight main character whose story isn't about losing weight
National Plus Size Appreciation Day is October 6
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/na...
Who among you is the “rambunctious rule-minder" to lead this discussion?
I recently reread this and I swear it is a book I believe I would immensely enjoy after reading it 10 times!!

THE NOVEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ IS *Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #28 A book about debt
Buy Nothing Day is November 27
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Not...
Which one of you is the “silvery spinner” ready, willing, and able to lead this discussion?

THE DECEMBER MONTHLY GROUP READ FINAL SELECTION IS Horse by Geraldine Brooks
This book could be used to fulfill prompt #10 A book about a horse or with a horse on the cover
National Horse Day is December 13
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/n...
Surely there is "heroic horse handler" amongst you to facilitate this discussion!
I have been curious about this book and luckily obtained a cheap used copy!

THE LISTING OF 2026 MONTHLY GROUP READ TOPICS IS HERE!
***

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
From last week
From Jennifer: I saw this article on The Independent--https://www.the-independent.com/arts-.... I know most of the members of this group are women, but man or women, do the men in your life read for pleasure?
Related, the author in the article, Douglas Stuart, laments that people may not learn empathy if they don't read fiction. Can you learn empathy from nonfiction? Does fiction teach it better?
In my opinion, empathy is, or at least can be, an innate/inborn skill. But I do believe that life experiences can help develop empathy. For me, reading provides exposure that I might have gotten by traveling to different parts of the world and experiencing other cultures directly. Not reading is simply unhealthy, IMO! Not just with regard to empathy… (I realize I am very biased in this belief!) 😊

THIS WEEK
From Theresa: What’s a book (or series) that you absolutely loved as a reader, but you’ve found surprisingly hard to recommend to other people — or that people didn’t seem to enjoy as much as you did when you recommended it?
The first 3 books in the Millennium Series are rather difficult for me to ‘sell’ to others. Mainly because they really are more violent overall than any other books I’ve read and enjoyed. But I LOVE Lisbeth! You go girl! Though I own book #4 I have yet to read it. Beyond book #3 the series has been continued by other authors. As I recall, Larsson died not long before the release of the first book. I have always felt he was cheated by not being around to realize full success from the release of and reception to his trilogy! 😦

2026 READING CHALLENGES:
Popsugar: 42/50
52 Book Club: 48/52

FINISHED:
*Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was quite a poignant and rather gentle read, IMO! Anxious to hear what other book club members’ thoughts were! Definitely up for reading more of Yang’s writing! Update: As I suspected while we all enjoyed reading this book, it really didn't prompt much discussion! 😯
POPSUGAR: #2, #13
52 Book Club: #2, #4, #5, #10, #11, #12, #13

*When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was a nice gentle read that did make me consider exactly how my/our world might change if we knew the planet would be annihilated within just 2 years, give or take… I wouldn’t say this was laugh-out-loud humorous, but it was enjoyable.
POPSUGAR: #15
52 Book Club: #4, NEW #9, #11, #16, #33, #48, #49

*Murder in Scorpio (Elizabeth Chase #1) by Martha C. Lawrence ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was, IMO, an extremely well done mystery! Lawrence definitely played with stereotypes in this one! Anxious to continue the series!
POPSUGAR: #2, #11, #13, #15, #27, #48
52 Book Club: #5, #11, #16, #18, #25, #26, #35, #48, #49

*Plainsong (Plainsong #1) by Kent Haruf ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ was pretty much what I expected. I first read Our Souls at Night 10 years ago in 2016 and decided I would be interested in reading Haruf's Plainsong trilogy, but never got around to it until now! One of the facilitators for an IRL book club in which I participate selected OSaN for the September 2026 read, so I vowed to finally read this trilogy! I really enjoyed this first installment. Haruf tackled many different human issues but in a rather gentle way, IMO. I would equate his writing to a bit tamed-down version of Fredrik Backman in his Beartown trilogy. I am rooting for Tom Guthrie and hope he succeeds in sticking to his standards as a teacher. I had a similar situation as a classroom teacher though at a lower grade level and not with a sports star at the high school level. Ugh.
POPSUGAR: #2, #8, #10, #11, #15, #18, #19, #48
52 Book Club: #3, #4, #7, #12, #16, #18, #38, #48, #49

*When the Museum Is Closed by Emi Yagi, translated by Yuki Tejima - translator ⭐⭐⭐⭐ is a book I would have never read had it not been for an IRL book club in which I participate. While this was an okay read for me, I’m glad it was short and read quickly! Issues it presented were interesting and perhaps a bit perplexing. I will be anxious to see what other members think of it…
POPSUGAR: #15, #16, #18, #40
52 Book Club: #11, #16, #33, #44, #48, #49

*Eventide (Plainsong #2) by Kent Haruf ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ proved to be just as enjoyable for me as the first installment, Plainsong. Having worked as a mental health advocate, I could particularly appreciate the conundrum faced when children are not (most would argue CANNOT) be sufficiently protected by their own parents. Trust me, there are whole family units without even just one adult capable of logic and/or rational thinking. Those are tough decisions to be made—leave children where they are vulnerable to abuse and neglect or try placing them in a foster care situation. And please—NOT ALL foster parents are bad people!! Quite the opposite is true, in my own experience. This series would definitely make for good book club or reading partner discussions!
POPSUGAR: #9, #11, #13, #15
52 Book Club: #3, #4, #5, #8, #12, #16, #18, #23, #48, #49

*Benediction (Plainsong #3) by Kent Haruf ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to finish the trilogy. This was, IMO, a very bleak read. The whole book follows the final days of the main character. It felt as if it came from a much darker place than the first two installments. Though I suppose that perhaps was Haruf’s goal? It made me wonder if he had experienced the death of someone with whom he had a close relationship and that affected the writing of this book… Reading this makes me more motivated to reread Backman’s Beartown trilogy, which has been a goal for me these past few years. I admit I find Haruf’s writing style to be intriguing. Please note that if you require everything to be resolved and wrapped up nicely by the end, Haruf’s writing is most likely not for you! He leaves much unanswered, leaving you to speculate…
POPSUGAR: #9, #16
52 Book Club: #18, #24, #38, #49

CONTINUING:
*Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor for our Monthly Group Read
*The Measure by Nikki Erlick for an IRL book club
*Aké: The Years of Childhood by Wole Soyinka for Great African Reads
*Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor for our August Monthly Group Read discussion.
*The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green is great, but am taking notes and will read intermittently between other books…as I typically do with essay collections!
*Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine for an author event
*A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

PLANNED:
*Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris
*Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
*The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez

L Y N N wrote: "I ended up skipping posting last week due to dental trauma, so this is a 2-week compilation…

I have now pretty much recovered from the extraction of two molars. My wisdom teeth were “cut out” when..."

I love Haruf's writing. My book club read Plainsong and we loved it so much they requested I schedule the rest of the series. We have finished Eventide. Benediction is our October read. I don't think they'll mind the ending but bleakness....

Happy Friday! I am late again. No excuses. My daughter started school this week so adjusting to the new routine is a challenge for my old brain, lol.

Finished 35/50

Blessed Is the Kingdom: Reflections on the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for " book based off of a song". Really good! A must-read if you're Orthodox!

Currently Reading

Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life for "book that gives you FOMO". Taking this one in little bits. It's small but mighty!

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for "book about an underwater civilization". This book...is....uh....something. I'm halfway through and just scratching my head at the purpose of it.

QotW

My favourite book of all time is Crime and Punishment, but people are very reluctant to dive into classic Russian literature despite the fact that it's a psychological thriller about a murderer! I think the Russian names throw people off, or the fact that it sounds like it would be boring or wordy, but I promise you it's not.

Happy Friday! I wrote out a response and then closed the tab, so lets try again. It's been a really weird week at my apartment- they replaced 2 of the 6 windows, no idea when/if they're doing the rest, and left chunks of glass in my apartment when they left. One the guys' wives also wandered into my apartment to look around when they were work, realized I was there, and then left without saying anything which is still weirding me out.

And then Wednesday, they cut the cable for my internet right in the middle of a big zoom meeting I was on. Apparently it was in their way for painting the building, so they just cut it??? So had to deal with comcast to come fix it. And then today they are painting another side of the building, so the main entrance, mailboxes, laundry room, and dumpster are all blocked off. They are exhausting.

Finished:
Voices in the Sea Foam- a little mermaid inspired manga. it was cute, and I liked the artwork
-underwater society prompt, netgalley

The Wild Card- I really, really liked this one! A slower romance, with a lot of good friendships mixed in.
-single dad prompt

I'm Glad My Mom Died- finally read this after seeing everyone else get to it years ago
-no prompt

Currently reading:
Death of the Author-haven't made much progress in this over the last few days, but hopefully things will be less chaotic soon. I feel like I need to be able to focus for this one

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls- my mom lent this to me a while ago, and I'm trying to read everything she's lent me before the end of the year

QotW:
I can't think of anything specific off the top of my head. A lot of the sadder books I read and really like I have trouble recommending to people, because most of my friends don't want to make themselves more sad

L Y N N wrote: "The first 3 books in the Millennium Series are rather difficult for me to ‘sell’ to others. Mainly because they really are more violent overall than any other books I’ve read and enjoyed. But I LOVE Lisbeth! You go girl! Though I own book #4 I have yet to read it. Beyond book #3 the series has been continued by other authors. As I recall, Larsson died not long before the release of the first book. I have always felt he was cheated by not being around to realize full success from the release of and reception to his trilogy! 😦..."

i LOVE The Millenium Trilogy! It was so much more than I expected. I won't read any by those who continued it and not just because I feel the original trilogy ended as the author intended. No one I know who has read the ones written by others has liked them and recommended them - sorry you have the 4th book, L Y N N! Plus the way his legacy and books was exploited after his death bothered me - and is a reminder that authors need to leave instructions on their work in their wills - no matter where you are and even whether you are published or not.

I think part of what has happened is that the exploitation of his character and series by another writer, and those not being very good, has cast a shadow on the original trilogy more than the violence and abuse that's especially evident in the first.

Alex wrote: "Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life for "book that gives you FOMO". Taking this one in little bits. It's small but mighty!"

I love that interpretation of the prompt, Alex!

Hello, y’all.

Slowly I am reconnecting with reading. I now have 7 books from the local library on my desk and notifications that a few others are waiting for me to pick up.

My front yard has grass! Still also has bare spots, but I am hoping they will fill in. I sprayed it this past Sunday with sedge week killer to take care of the multitude of nutsedge and other sedges that had grown. I think it is working...and what counts is that it is green with more grass visible! Both the sprinkler man and the lawn care man are amazed.

Finished:
The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly - 4*. Audible.
Second Wind - 3*. I expect a horse racing story from this author. This was not that.

Currently Reading:
The First Fig Tree – PAS. Sitting patiently waiting for me to finish some other books (owned).
True Detectives – ATY# 52 (sunset vibes - 2025), PS #44 (spouse #2). Also waiting patiently.
VIP: Dr. Mae Jemison: Brave Rocketeer - Thoroughly enjoying this informative book...middle grade/juvenile
Insatiable - Audible. Having difficulty with my phone audible app.

On Deck:
(library)
This Is How You Lose Her - ATY #47 ("this" in title)
Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight - PS #27 (Curly hair)
Future Forward: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence - ATY #21 (Tomorrow)
The Essential Vincent Van Gogh - ATY #14 (Gogh)
The Ephemera Collector - PS #50 (Afrofuturism)
The Garden Tour Affair: A Gardening Mystery - PS #1 (Garden)

(owned)
Tainted Sand - ATY #44 (Symbol of death)
Dancing on My Grave - ATY #52 (Reindeer)
Tales for Twilight: Two Hundred Years of Scottish Ghost Stories - ATY #46 (Not a novel)

PS 26/50
ATY 43/52, Seasonal Winter 9/14, Seasonal Spring 6/15
GR 96/200

QotW:
I don't recommend books. I might talk about what I am reading with friends and, if they express an interest, tell them the title and author. But, generally I read books that people around me are not excited about.

Denise wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "I ended up skipping posting last week due to dental trauma, so this is a 2-week compilation…

I have now pretty much recovered from the extraction of two molars. My wisdom teeth wer..."

I will be interested to know what others think of that final installment. I agree about Plainsong and Eventide! And I adored Our Souls at Night, if you've not read it...

Erin wrote: "Happy Friday! I wrote out a response and then closed the tab, so lets try again. It's been a really weird week at my apartment- they replaced 2 of the 6 windows, no idea when/if they're doing the rest, and left chunks of glass in my apartment when they left. One the guys' wives also wandered into my apartment to look around when they were work, realized I was there, and then left without saying anything which is still weirding me out.

And then Wednesday, they cut the cable for my internet right in the middle of a big zoom meeting I was on. Apparently it was in their way for painting the building, so they just cut it??? So had to deal with comcast to come fix it. And then today they are painting another side of the building, so the main entrance, mailboxes, laundry room, and dumpster are all blocked off. They are exhausting."
I cannot believe someone would just walk in and then upon seeing you, just walk out! That is beyond weird, IMO!

"Finished:
I'm Glad My Mom Died- finally read this after seeing everyone else get to it years ago"
Be ready to appreciate your life a bit more, IMO. Her mother makes mine look like a saint!

"Currently reading:
Death of the Author-haven't made much progress in this over the last few days, but hopefully things will be less chaotic soon. I feel like I need to be able to focus for this one"
I feel the same way about this one, but also have an IRL book club meeting on Tuesday and have yet to read that book, so I'm going to try to read as much as possible in both of them this weekend. (First world problems!)

Theresa wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "The first 3 books in the Millennium Series are rather difficult for me to ‘sell’ to others. Mainly because they really are more violent overall than any other books I’ve read and en...

I think part of what has happened is that the exploitation of his character and series by another writer, and those not being very good, has cast a shadow on the original trilogy more than the violence and abuse that's especially evident in the first."
No shadow cast upon it for me! I love those three books!!

Megan wrote: "Another busy week, so nothing finished. But I did start another book because why not?! 🙃 I'm super excited that the National Book Festival is this Saturday and four authors who I adore will be there (and they are being paired up for interviews!!). Can't wait!"
Jealous of the Festival! Who are these 4 authors?

And oh, I am so very familiar with that whole starting another book thing! LOL

Alex wrote: "Happy Friday! I am late again. No excuses. My daughter started school this week so adjusting to the new routine is a challenge for my old brain, lol."
Ack! No excuses needed, IMO! LOL

Theresa wrote: "I had a birthday yesterday, and am still celebrating it! Likely will be for weeks, as usual. I had a lovely delicious piece of chocolate cake with vanilla frosting on it -- a huge slice of layer cake, the size of the slices served in my childhood - just like those served in a scene in Meet Me In St. Louis. No tiny sliver slices for birthday cake!!!!"
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Congratulations on surviving and thriving throughout another year!! 🪄🪄🎉🎉🎊🎊👏👏👏👏👏

"I had a busy work day, and still have a few treats to buy for myself - I do every year. Books are on that list but also a few other items, often inspired by my reading. My special meal this year was an order of hot oil handpulled noodles from the local storefront counter service only branch of Xi'an Food Emporium, the restaurant that introduced the author to the wonder of handpulled noodles and led ultimately to writing a book I read this week."
How cool is that?!? Way cool! 👍

"Finished:
Automatic Noodle - which inspired my birthday dinner. Absolutely loved this!"
That sounds quite unique! And I'm blaming you for my exploding TBR! LOL
"Brigands & Breadknives"
I thought this was quite an unexpected divergence for him to take with the series, but I did enjoy it!

"QOTW: One of the series I'm always recommending but no one seems to pick it up is Cara Black's Aimee Leduc detective series, first is Murder in the Marais. Set in Paris in the 1990s, Aimee has taken over her father's detective agency but it's primary jobs are computer forensics and cyber sleuthing with her business partner Rene. Each book is set in a different area of Paris, and they are far more than Aimee and Rene sitting at keyboards all day - Aimee often finds herself doing some old fashioned sleuthing and stakeouts, and they lean toward thriller. Paris is richly captured, physically but also its history often comes into play in the plots. Aimee herself is far from any other detective, male or female, you generally encounter. I love this description of her in Wikipedia: "Leduc is a Paris-based private investigator with a punk-rock sensibility and keen fashion sense." You do need to read at least the first few in order as there is a continuing thread providing you with important aspects of her past and family legacy, some things which still influence her day to day life, especially her relationship to the French police."
Turns out this has been on my TBR for 14 years now! Guess it's time to actually read it! LOL

@L Y N N -

On Brigands & Breadknives - I agree and he actually talks about his concern that fans would be disappointed. I applaud his sticking with his idea and I too enjoyed it, eager to see where it goes next.

On Cara Black - 14 years! Get reading!!!!!!

Theresa wrote: "@L Y N N -

On Brigands & Breadknives - I agree and he actually talks about his concern that fans would be disappointed. I applaud his sticking with his idea and I too enjoyed it, eager to see where it goes next.

On Cara Black - 14 years! Get reading!!!!!!"
I also appreciated his comments about B&B! Nice of him to recognize it was probably unexpected.

Hey, I'm reading as fast as I can, woman!!! (Time's running out! LOL) 😃

Laura Z wrote: "Happy Thursday! New dishwasher has finally been installed! It took 7 weeks to coordinate everything through our home warranty service, but it’s done. And, surprisingly, the new dishwasher actually ..."



Enjoy your new dishwasher!! We went without one for a few weeks, and I kept telling myself "it's fine, I can wash by hand, it's not that much longer" but it was SO NICE when we finally got a new dishwasher installed!! I chose an LG, it's doing well so far.

Theresa wrote: "I had a birthday yesterday, and am still celebrating it! Likely will be for weeks, as usual. I had a lovely delicious piece of chocolate cake with vanilla frosting on it -- a huge slice of layer ca..."




Happy Birthday!! Chocolate cake with vanilla frosting sounds divine!!

Kate wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: My number one most favorite series is the Solar Cycle (https://www.goodreads.com/series/1306...) by Gene Wolfe, first book in the series is The Shadow of the Torturer Most people have not read it. It's got a small but VERY FERVENT fan group.
..."

I thought this looked interesting and looked it up. $75 on Amazon, used. It seems everything gets republished though, so maybe someday...."


Yes, it comes and goes. The original four books series was re-released as a two book series: Shadow & Claw and Sword & Citadel (and there is a final book, sort of an epilogue to the original series, The Urth of the New Sun, but the original series is complete without that one) Those are probably better prices.

I got the Book of the Sun series in ebook form for just a few dollars on Amazon when it was first released for kindle, but now it's $27. I found used paperbacks (because I do own them but I have no idea where they are so I had to buy them again) from ThriftBooks.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Kate wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: My number one most favorite series is the Solar Cycle (https://www.goodreads.com/series/1306...) by Gene Wolfe, first book in the series is The Shadow of the Tortur..."

I found the original series for about $30 on Kindle and got the sample. When I don't have so many in my pile, I'll decide if I want to spend the money 😊 I suppose I could find it in paperback, but I have trouble with print books.

Cornerofmadness wrote: "Honestly I'm afraid to reread the Tolkien books and have been since the movies came out. I know so many people find them boring and I loved them so much and I'm afraid I will be bored too with adult eyes. In fact I rarely reread things I loved as a young adult/kid because I fear I'll wonder WTF was wrong with me back then...."



LOL I completely get that!!! I do not re-read often. Every now and then, I re-read something I loved when I was young. And sometimes it is wonderful, but sometimes it's awful. Re-reading Gene Wolfe has been wonderful. Re-reading Isaac Asimov was awful (he is a sexist schmo, and I just did not see it when I was a teenager).

Megan wrote: "Hmm...I guess I tend to recommend books that I love to people who have similar reading tastes because I'm struggling to come up with something. Maybe the Sympathizer duology (specifically The Committed) or A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, a History, a Memorial by Viet Thanh Nguyen or There There by Tommy Orange? I loved all four of these books (because of the storytelling and the way they challenged me) ..."



Andrea wrote: "The Sympathizer is one of my all time favorite books! I added the sequel to my TBR when it first came out, but I've been reluctant to pick it up out of fear it won't live up to the first book..."




I've been meaning to read The Sympathizer for years now. I even found a copy of it on my library's free giveaway shelves, so I OWN it, and I still haven't read it. Everything I hear about it indicates I will love it. I guess I'm afraid of disappointment!