Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Keeping with my weather update opening, here in West Michigan it is a balmy 47 degrees. What does that mean? It means we forego coats and bring out the sandals and shorts. #truestory

Happy week 8 checkin everyone! Seems like the year is trucking right along. Well the reading year anyway.

In the week just closing, I read Truly Madly Guilty because I needed something "light" after reading a ton of depressing nonfiction. And? I sobbed for the last 50 pages of reading this book. So much for "light reading." I am slotting it in "a story within a story." I didn't expect it to fit a prompt, I just needed something light so I was pleased when I realized it fit a few different prompts.

That brings me to 8/40; 1/12. Next up for me is In a Dark, Dark Wood, which is a book club pick. I'm hoping it works for "unreliable narrator" based on the jacket blurb. If anyone has read it, please let me know if you agree that it would fit. I'm only 45 pages in right now.

Question of the Week:
This week's QotW comes to us from AF:

How do you get through your challenge list? Do you work your way down, do you pick ones you think are going to be difficult first, do you pick ones you have on hand? What's your plan of attack?

Last year I tried to knock off the hard ones first. This year I have more of a laissez faire approach and am just reading what I want when I want (slotting in book club picks where and when I can). Hoping to make it more enjoyable and less of a chore this way. Some books I read in previous years ended up feeling like a chore.

And now I'm off to a meeting ... have a great checkin everyone!

When I woke up this morning I really thought it was Wednesday. And my second thought was "oh no I wanted to finish another book for the check-in!"

I could insert excuses for why I only read one book - busy week and then I was more interested in playing a game on my phone than picking up a book - but I digress.

I finished The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily. I'm using this for written by two authors. Eesh, this was not good for me. Making matters worse it was a short book. And when I got to the last chapter I uttered "Thank God". Stick with Dash & Lily's Book of Dares - much better,

Then I picked up Everything, Everything - since it seems my copy of The Underground Railroad isn't going to make its way to me. Admittedly, since I realized this I canceled my request - I don't think that is a book that I would enjoy. I'm going to use this for the February challenge although it could work for becoming a movie too. I could easily read this in one sitting but life is getting in the way so I read a little bit each day.

QOTW I love this question. I try to get 99% of my books through the library. So I try to request the popular books and while I wait for those to come in I read the things that are available to me. I have a word document of all the books on my to-be-read that fit the categories but since I've been doing this challenge for a couple years now I always know that those plans change depending on my mood. Also, this year I'm factoring in our monthly challenges too. Lots of plotting and planning and reading and its wonderful.

Happy Thursday from sunny Virginia! It will be in the low 70's here (unseasonable, but I'll take it) so lunch outside today! And very thankful it is not a running day since that's a bit hot for my taste :)

I finished one book this past week:

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn. I have always loved her books, but this one wasn't my favorite. Still love the characters, but I think the mystery went a little off the rails. I had planned to use this for my book released in 2017, but I decided to slot it in as my eccentric character (there are quite a few).

In progress:
The Count of Monte Cristo - surprisingly easy read, but due to life circumstances it is progressing really slow. Haven't even hit 100 pages out of almost 1300. Luckily I discovered that I need to burn through a good bit of PTO at work this year due to a change in policy so I will probably take several Fridays off for "me time" this year :)

A Gentleman in Moscow - book set in a hotel. I like the humorous nature of the writing. I was worried it would be too "literary" for my taste, but I'm enjoying it so far.

Soul Surfer - Movie Tie-In: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board - just picked up the audio yesterday. It's a quick read at less than 4 hours. I expect to finish it later today.

Question of the week: I read based on mood however I have learned to be very cognizant of where I am in the moment in terms of reading. Do I feel capable of tackling a large book (usually the beginning quarter of the year)? Do I feel the need for a light, easy read? I have several books set aside for those slow times when I just don't think I can handle a long or heavy book.

Yay! Its thursday and ALL day I look forward to this ;-) Its 16:00 ( 4 PM.) in Copenhagen, Denmark so my workday is almost over... just one more day to weekend.

Wow 47 degrees I wish that was me. We are expecting snow. But they cant make up their minds, so I hope it wont come to that. We dont have the great snow to ski and enjoy. We just get the annyoing snow that half melts and then turn to ice on the roads.

This week I read:
8. A book with multiple authors The Fall of Five
24. A book set in the wilderness Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Loved both of them.

I am now at 27/52

I am currently reading:
11. A book by an author who uses a pseudonym The Cuckoo's Calling


QOTW: My plan was to knock the 800+ pager out of the park straight away... However that is not going according to plan. Have been struggling with Jonathan Strange etc... I quit it last week.
So trying to find a new one to start but cant make up my mind. The rest I pick up according to what mood Im in and happens to catch my eye. I have filled out the entire list but some has been replaced by other books again depending on if I could get it at the library or some was actually replaced due to some recommendations in the weekly check in or the prompts discussions that sounded more interesting :-)

Happy Thursday! Here in upstate NY it's been unseasonably warm - it was almost 60F when I let the dogs out this morning! Time to start giving them heartworm and tick preventatives again! Yikes. Such a warm winter.

This week I finished 3 books for this Challenge, bringing me to 26/52.

Dracula, for "audiobook" - I've been meaning to read this for a while now, but the beginning is such a snooze fest I kept giving up. A full cast (and abridged) audiobook was the perfect solution. To my surprise, however, the Coppola movie was better.

A Spear of Summer Grass for "one of the seasons in the title" - a historical romance set in Kenya in the 1920s; I adored this, but it had a few problems. 4 stars.

The Windup Girl for "subgenre I've never heard of" (in this case, "cli-fi" which is sci-fi after an environmental disaster, oceans rising, all that stuff) - this was really well written but I had a few serious issues with the portrayal of women. 3 stars.

QOTW When the list first comes out, I spend a gleeful month or two writing down ideas for each category, then I go back through and write down one choice for each category. I try to tackle a few tough categories early, mixing it up with a few that I'm really excited about. I often read a book that wasn't on my plan and realize it could fill a category. I make sure I keep chipping away at the "tough" categories so I don't have any left at the end, so I can finish strong with several books I'm excited about.

Hello everyone!! It's been a beautiful week in Kansas with weather in the 70s...tomorrow however, back to the 40s.

I actually finished 2 books this week! This never happens to me! I'm a steady one book a week kind of girl, so it felt good. I set a personal goal to finish 4 books in February and I did it! And I still have another week to go.

This week I finished Wonder, which I'm using for the "book that's becoming a movie in 2017". I really loved this book. It was simultaneously funny and heartbreaking. Just a great story and great lessons about acceptance, friendship, and family taught. I also read The Magnolia Story which I'm using to fulfill the "book recommended by a librarian". My mom, a retired librarian, told me to read it, so there we go! I love Fixer Upper and Chip & Joanna Gaines so this one was a quick, fun read for me. I enjoyed reading about how they got started.

I am now at 6/40 and 2/12. Yay!!

QOTW: I totally have no rhyme or reason to the order I read my challenge books in. This is the first year I've planned out my books ahead, and so far I've only really followed that with 3 of my books. I just read whatever sounds good to me at the moment. I try not to force myself to read books that I'm not feeling at the moment just because they'll fulfill a prompt. I'll come back to it later and hope that it strikes my fancy at that time. I'm really just trying to get through most of the challenge books before May when I'll be giving birth!

Week 8 - Currently at 19/40 or 20/52

Here in Oklahoma, we are looking at highs in the low- to mid-80s today! Then, tomorrow, the high is supposed to be in the 50s. Still, not bad for February, and not unusual for Oklahoma. Like they say around here, if you don't like the weather, wait a minute & it will change.

In the last week, I've finished listening to the audiobook of The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street by Susan Jane Gilman for prompt #19, a book about food. It was a decent book, but it felt very long and the last few days, I just kept waiting for it to be over. Not a bad book, but it seemed like there were lots & lots of details that could have been left out and left us with the same basic book, but shorter.

I also finished reading The Long Walk by Richard Bachman/Stephen King for prompt #11, a book by an author who uses a pseudonym. It was very different, but it pulled me in & I couldn't put it down. I kept wanting to know who was going to win! It ended somewhat abruptly, and I would have liked to have had a little more info to wrap things up, but overall, it was a good read.

This week, my son & I started & finished reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume for prompt #18, a book you've read before that never fails to make you smile. My son, who happens to be in 4th grade, thought it was hilarious, and it brought back happy memories of reading it when I was a little girl.

I also started reading Winter by Marissa Meyer for prompt #8 on the advanced list, a book that's more than 800 pages. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through so far, but I think this is the last book in the series, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up. I expect to have this finished by the time I check in next week, but we'll see.

The last book I have started is the audiobook version of Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly. This happens to be the group read for March, so I'm a little early, but the group read is for a book about an interesting woman, and I'm using this book for prompt #37, a book that's becoming a movie in 2017. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I'm hoping to finish this book soon so I can see the movie before it's out of the theaters. I've heard it's fantastic, and the book is good so far. I'm only about 12% of the way into it, though, so I have a long way to go.

QOTW: Really, I don't seem to have a specific way to approach my challenge list. I look to see what's available as an e-book or audiobook on Scribd, and I usually have at least one audiobook going there, as well as sometimes an e-book. I try to only have one audiobook and one reading book going at a time (except when I read one with my son - those don't count), because I don't want to get too confused. I listen to the audiobooks at work and in the car, and then read the other book (whether on Scribd, my Kindle or a paper book) at home. It just depends on what I have available as to what I pick next. I have actually changed some of my choices of books for certain topics just because I found a book that would fit the prompt at home or on Scribd and that way I don't have to go buy it or find it at the library.

I finished The Undoing Project and slotted it in Book that takes place over a character's lifetime. They weren't character's but real people but it does cover their lifetimes. I liked their life's work - very illuminating about how our biases and assumed 'logic' trips us up- all of us. But the working and unlikely friendship between Amos Taversky and Daniel Kahnemann was also fascinating. Really illustrates how creative partnerships make both halves better. Not a news flash or anything- but we would all be so much less without each other. So thank the catalyst in your life ( even and maybe especially the 'prickly' ones)

I started Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell because she always makes me smile. A wry, bemused look at history. I started Nothing Like It In The World by Stephen Ambrose for my audiobook and to answer the QOTW- because I had it- but it is interesting.

But how I get through my list is all over the map and very fluid. I have a spreadsheet that I update as picks change or grab my attention more than things I originally slotted because I had them and they fit the category. I usually always have at least 4 books going at the same time, one of those being my harder or more challenging ones. This sort of ensures I don't get bogged down by a more difficult read. I did read the 800 pager right off the bat so it wouldn't be looming.

Hello from Ohio! The weather here lately doesn't seem to know what it wants, but has been unseasonably warm so I'll take it!

This week I read two book, but only one fits the challenge. The one that does not fit the challenge was The One & Only by Emily Giffin. Decent read. I needed something light, so I picked this up.

The other book I finished was All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. OMG. Literally sobbed through the last quarter of this book. I could not stop crying. 5 star read. Looking forward to the movie adaptation in 2018. Will use for either the "book has been on TBR for way too long" or "book about a difficult topic" as it deals with depression.

Right now I am reading Winter Garden and Lab Girl. I picked up Lab Girl, thinking it was a novel, but I'm not hating it so far. I am learning a lot and it is keeping me entertained.

QOTW: I do a lot of different challenges on Goodreads, so I pick most of my books for categories that fit those prompts and hope they fill a category for Popsugar. As the year goes on, I'm sure I will look to see what categories I have left and choose a specific book for each one to read. I like reading on a whim though!

Good Morning from rainy Oregon!

This week I have finished A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home for a book with a subtitle. It has been slow going as I prepare for Lent which means I will only be reading spiritual books for the next 6 to 7 weeks and only 2 so far fit into prompts. I wasn't sure if I was going to stop for Lent or not but I figure during summer and during the school year (when all 3 of my kids will be in school for the first time!) I should be able to make up for lost reading time.

My count: 7/52

QOTW:
Since this is my first reading challenge I am kind of working my way down the list unless one of the kids' books fits a challenge or I have one on hand and it is few days away from my regular library visit. My first plan of attack was to get just slightly ahead before Lent but that didn't happen because of the librarian recommended book was difficult. I try to be a finisher but more often then not I end up not finishing what I started so this will be interesting to see what will happen. I joined this group so I could get some encouragement when it got slow and a little hard. I love reading but sometimes it can still be hard to enjoy a book just for prompt when you aren't really interested in the prompt. But I am hoping to be surprised and stretched.

I wish I could say I'd gotten more read this week. Instead I have to admit getting sucked into binge watching Frequency on Netflix instead. Oh well.

I did FINALLY finish The Glittering Court, which did get somewhat more interesting towards the end. But with how much I disliked the first 200+ pages, I know that my pick for "the first book in a series you haven't read before" is not going to lead to me reading any more books in the series.

I also finished The Gum Thief for a story within a story. Despite it being relatively short, it took forever for me to read. I liked it, but I found myself only wanting to read like 15-20 pages of it at a time.

QOTW: I love this question, especially since this year is my first time doing the challenge and I've wondered how other people fill in their lists. I feel like I'm doing a little bit of everything. My main goal is to fulfill as many prompts as possible with books I already own. Which is a lot. Relatively recently, a huge, local used bookstore went out of business and when they still had inventory after all their closing sales, they just started giving everything away. I could not say no to free books. I started with slotting those books into as many categories as I could and then moved on to trying to fill the prompts I thought would be harder. Mostly I've been reading them based on what strikes my fancy at the moment I need something new to read, but it makes me feel better to have a sort of plan in place for most of the prompts.

Winter will be trying to attack Denmark in the next days, but hopefully it will fail miserably :-D

In the past week I have read a book called "Now Thomas is gone" (only in Danish) - a moving story from the widow of a man, who died after only 2 weeks of illness... Very sad, but brilliantly told! The prompt is - of course - a difficult topic! And that takes me to 3/12 on the advanced list.

QOTW: I looooove planning for all the books and prompts, but I often change my choices along the way! This year I am trying to read the books, I am most looking forward to, first - that way I might find even better books for the rest of the challenge, before I get to the remaining prompts ;-)

Hi everyone! It's a bit cloudy and drizzly here, which makes me want to stay home and read so bad :( Being an adult with responsibilities is rough.

I only finished reading one book this week; I found myself in a bit of a slump.

However, P.S. I Still Love You helped get me out of it, and it fit the prompt "book with a main character who's a different ethnicity from you" since Lara Jean is half Korean. I can't wait for the last book in this series, you guys!

I'm also still working on Code Name Verity for "espionage thriller" and it's not going well. It's great once I get into it, but I find myself struggling to pick it back up. It's a bit more... boring than I thought it would be. Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend is another one I'm currently reading, filling the prompt "book from a nonhuman perspective". It's really good so far! I just haven't been able to read much this past week.

This puts me at 10/52 books.


QOTW: I managed to fit all of the books I already have into prompts thanks to the Google spreadsheet someone posted awhile back. I choose what book to read next based on the mood I'm in, and sometimes my boyfriend helps. I'll give him two random prompts, and after he chooses one of those, I'll give him the choices of books I have listed under that prompt. He's managed to pick quite a few winners at random that way. Lol

Good morning from Lawrence, Kansas, where we've been treated to 30-degree nights and 80-degree days (???) for the better part of a week.

It felt like I made no progress this week, but I did actually get through a few books!

For Popsugar, I read A Circle of Wives as my "bestseller in a genre you don't normally read" - in my case, mystery/thriller. I absolutely loved the other Alice LaPlante book I read, Turn of Mind, and while I didn't think this one lived up to that, I would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre! (My mom, aunt, and aunt's book club all loved it!) That brings me to 9/40.

For Around the Year, I read Ms. Marvel, Vol. 6: Civil War II as my "book that's a continuation of a book you've already read." This series is so great! Now at 10/52 for this challenge.

For Modern Mrs. Darcy, I listened to the audiobook of The Demon's Lexicon as my "book you've read before." This was a really good performance, and I was delighted that I still enjoyed the book as much as I did several years ago!

I also read/looked through Advanced Style, just because it's gorgeous and I needed some style inspiration.

QOTW: I don't have a plan of attack, but I probably should - right now, all the big/difficult books are staring at me!

Mie wrote: "... This year I am trying to read the books, I am most looking forward to, first - that way I might find even better books for the rest of the challenge, before I get to the remaining prompts ;-)"

Oh, I do that, too! I've got a few prompts with ideas that I'm just not sure about, and I'm waiting to see what everyone else reads so maybe I can find a better idea for myself!

Good morning from wet, wet California!

I finished two books this week that I really enjoyed. The first is Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson -- it has computers, jinns, adventure, philosophy, and romance in a story that's as timely as it is eternal. The characters are engaging and the writing is delightful! I used this for the mythical creature prompt. The second book, Tangled Vines: Greed, Murder, Obsession, and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California by Frances Dinkelspiel, was two intertwined stories: the history of the California wine industry and the story of an arson that destroyed over $100 million in wine. The history was so different than I had expected -- instead of Italian grape farmers in Napa it was the enslavement of Native Americans at vineyards in Los Angeles and Wild West gunfights. The author did a great job with the second story in the book, giving a portrait of a very strange man who eventually burned a gigantic wine storage area. I used this book for the eccentric character prompt.

Just started The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin, the second book in the Broken Earth series. I loved the first book in the series (The Fifth Season), so I'm very excited for this one!

QOTW: I'm in several challenges, so I often start with books that work for more than one. When I join a challenge, the first thing I do is go through my TBR list to find books that will fit the prompts, and then I check out other people's postings about what they plan to read. But I'm always hearing about new books, so the list keeps changing. I try to intersperse books I'm really eager to read with ones that I feel I should read but know I will not enjoy as much.

Happy Thursday from warm-ish Kansas! It won't last though; supposed to get pretty cold tomorrow.

It appears I'm in an every-other-week cadence here, so this is a two-week checkin.

- I finished Norse Mythology as my advanced challenge book based on mythology. Classic Neil Gaiman, awesome as usual.
- Finished A Murder Is Announced for fun. Also did What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw! for fun. Love me some Agatha!
- Finished Girls in the Moon as my book involving travel. This was a great YA book that I finished in a day.
- Completed two comics/graphic novels for fun: Wires and Nerve, Volume 1, the continuation of the Lunar Chronicles and really enjoyed that; and Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery, which was weird and fun!
- FINALLY finished Literary Wonderlands: A Journey Through the Greatest Fictional Worlds Ever Created last night. Not a huge fan.

Currently reading:
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell seriously forever. I just had a big push to finish Literary Wonderlands. I'm going to do some quick reading and then really hunker down on this.
- The Gunslinger for my book becoming a movie this year.
- Not Your Sidekick for my Bookriot challenge of a YA/middle grade by someone who identifies as LGBTQ. Really enjoying this right now; it's about a girl whose parents are super heroes but she isn't, and how she deals with that. There's more to it, but I haven't gotten that far yet :)
- In a Sunburned Country, also for Bookriot, for a travel memoir.

I have a couple comics coming this weekend too for the Bookriot challenge, and then I should be good on that for a while!

QOTW: I generally start with my google doc list of books and fill it out as best I can. As I go through the year, I will often change out books for new releases or Book of the Month Club books or just generally what I feel like reading. Some will change categories multiple times before it hits its final one. But really, Google docs are the best for this.

Hello from Dallas! It is going to be 89 degrees here today. Ugh. I'm not looking forward to this summer.

BTW, I really like the accountability that comes with a weekly check-in. And I also love seeing what everyone else is reading! Unfortunately that has caused my TBR pile to grow almost exponentially… :/

This week I only finished one book. I read The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon for book with one of the seasons in the title (a little late to the party since a lot of folks read it in January). I really enjoyed it and breezed through it rather quickly. I felt the present day ending was a little disappointing, but I couldn’t get enough of the 1908 portion.

I have a couple of long flights and quiet evenings planned on the business trip, so I am hoping for a lot of reading time. I’ll probably miss the next check-in, but my plan is to have 5 more books finished by the week 10 thread.

6/40 ; 4/12.

QOTW: This is my first year for challenges, so I don't think I really have a strategy. I'm definitely not going in order, though. I'm picking books from my challenge plan based on my mood and how much time I will have available for reading that week.

Bonjour from almost sspring Montréal. It's around 50°F here and like Juanita, people are wearing shorts. I have to make the conversion for the temperature everytime since I am not use to °F.

Nothing to report for me. Almost done with House of Suns.

QOTW: I'm taking my books from the Library for 80% of the list so I work toward finding books that are available. I have no order and no idea what will be my next read. I just try to mix up genre.

I'm still on my reading kick. Unfortunately, it's just been me finishing the Fever series. Fortunately, I can use the last one for my "book published in 2017".

Shadowfever, Iced, Burned, and Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning. Man, this series has stolen my heart! If urban fantasy with a slow-burn love affair is your thing, DEFINITELY check this out. Not much sex, but VERY steamy. The characters are developed well and the plot is very interesting.

I started Feversong last night for my "book published in 2017", which I will finish tonight. Then I can have my life back ;)

7/52

QOTW: Last year I picked whichever book I wanted to read next. I am trying to get some of the harder ones out of the way this year, but we'll see what happens.

Hello from Nova Scotia! After a couple weeks of storms we are having a beautiful day where it will go up to 7 or 8 Celsius And sorry I'm not doing the conversion to Fahrenheit for you.

I've been very busy and distracted with a very frustrating contract dispute between teachers union and the government where our narrow sighted, rock headed premiere and his caucus of goons just voted in legislation to force the union into a contract (against our constitution which assures fair collective bargaining). So now I've disconnected from Facebook and Twitter because I need a break. I only finished stars above this week but got a good start on Underground Railroad and my copy of hidden figures came from the library! I have it until march 14 so I'll wait a few days to start it :)

QOTW:
This time of year I'm usually rushing around because I want to read ALL THE BOOKS! But I tend to go with
1) book club picks
2) highly anticipated tbr and books that I've been wait listed for at the library that come in
3) our monthly reads
4) books I got for Christmas
5) prompt specific ones

So generally I'll read what I want and what I have to for time reasons (book club and library due dates) then I'll start to really pick based on prompts by mid summer.
I have gotten the 800 page one out of the way though and that's the only one I was at all worried about. I'm excited about every prompt so usually I can find a book I want to read that fits to each prompt.

It’s going to be 65 in Boston today and I fully expect to see someone out wearing shorts!

This week I finished Winter of the World for a book with a season in the tittle and moved on to Edge of Eternity for a book 800+ pages. I guess I’m officially going to do the advanced challenge. I am now at 13/40 and even though reading several long books in a row has slowed my count a bit, I’m really happy with the pace I’m keeping. These weekly check ins are great for accountability!

QOTW: I rely on the library for nearly all of my reading so for the most part my challenge order is dependent upon what comes up in my hold queue. I am fortunate to have a fantastic library system here so it’s been pretty easy to (eventually) get my hands on whatever it is I’m looking to read. Even better, I can pause holds and keep my place in line. Consequently, I don’t have to worry too much about a bunch of in demand books becoming available to me at the same time and not being able to read them all before they are due. If I can, I try to mix up long and short, heavy and easy, fiction and nonfiction so I don’t fall in to a rut. There are only one or two prompts that I’m not looking forward to this year (book with career advice, I’m looking at you) so I’m trying to prioritize them early and get them out of the way. So far, so good!

Hello from sunny South Bend, IN!! Our warm winter continues: It's going to get to the high 50s today, after reaching the high 60s yesterday. They say winter will be back this weekend, but still milder than is typical for this time of year.

I finished Blackass for Book by an Author from a Country You've Never Been To Before (Nigeria). It was fun and entertaining, but did leave some major questions unanswered.

I'm about halfway through Devil in a Blue Dress for Book Whose Main Character is a Differenct Ethnicity Than You. Like it a lot so far.

Plugging away (75% complete) on the audiobook for my Book I've Read that Never Fails to Make Me Smile (Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal). I only listen when I'm in the car so it's slower going than usual.

Secured my copy of Hidden Figures, so I should be able to start that in a day or two.

9/52


QOTW: I always try to get my long book (800 pages this year) out of the way first, reading as much of it as I can in the previous year. After that, I'll write down suggestions for each prompt that I find interesting throughout the year. When it's time to start the next one, I'll see which of those suggestions appeals to me at that moment. It also depends on what the library has available.

This week I'm reading The Winter People-- it'll fit the prompt of a story with one of the four seasons in the title. Only because I have a romance novel coming up for a book from a genre I don't normally read. I'm excited because I also received a great Owlcrate book this week -- Caraval which I'm hoping I can squeeze into the challenge.

QOTW:
How do you get through your challenge list? Do you work your way down, do you pick ones you think are going to be difficult first, do you pick ones you have on hand? What's your plan of attack?

My bookshelves are organized by author and then by title (unless in a series) and I started at A several years ago. Currently at R. I also belong to 2 book clubs and receive a monthly Owlcrate. I add the book club books and Owlcrate books in to my current TBR pile and try to pick up a book chronologically on the bookshelf each month as well. It goes moderately well. I then try to fit the book I'm reading into the challenge. I do plan to deviate a little from that plan to finish the challenge as there aren't any audio books on my shelf and I need to skip ahead in the alphabet to hit a book of letters.

Hi all,

Chilly Vancouver today....and it's going to SNOW tonight?
I don't remember a winter like this since 2008/2009...when it just kept on snowing!

I am currently at 12/40.

First, I finished #26 - A book by an author from a country you've never visited. That was The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story
I like books like this, and I also like memoirs. The English translation of this book was very good and Korean words were also explained. I gave it 4 stars!

Phew! After that, I needed to relax a bit. Just for fun, I read Jennifer Weiner's The Half Life. Warning, it's just a short one. I'd say this is light and under 40 pages.

And now, back to the challenge! I am working on #23 - book with a red spine. I already owned a copy of Don't Look Down, and the cover is bright red! Such a nice light read after someone escaping North Korea!!!! I'm a few pages in now, and I'm liking it.

I am also in a big hold line at the library for Born a Crime; I'm hoping to get that soon (maybe the next few weeks).

QOTW: This is my first time doing a book challenge. I was VERY excited in December. I made a few plans, added some titles. But I have already made a few changes along the way....I couldn't find the book, or the library doesn't have the book...
I also have read a few that were pretty short books -- like a book with pictures. I didn't want to read 400 page books for every one. I am also considering the Advanced list too; maybe later in the year.

Fannie wrote: "I have to make the conversion for the temperature everytime since I am not use to °F."

You should just put that it's 10 degrees (leave off the celcius) and let everyone thing you're in super cold temps :)

Sara wrote: "Fannie wrote: "I have to make the conversion for the temperature everytime since I am not use to °F."

You should just put that it's 10 degrees (leave off the celcius) and let everyone thing you're..."

I will do that. ;) It's going to be fun during summer.

Hello, from the crystalline center of my world. We have new snow here in Utah where the ground is white and the sky is grey.

This week I read two books this week, but I can only tie one of them a 2017 Popsugar Reading Challenge. This brings my count to 12/52. I am optimistic that I will meet my challenge this year!

1. I read Marrow by Tarryn Fisher. If any of you can help me attach it to one of the challenge prompts, I would appreciate the help. I rated it 3.5 and wrote a short review.

2. I also read The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne for the challenge prompt #12, a bestseller from a genre I don't normally read. I don't normally read Romance novels. . .and I don't think I will start, any time soon. While I liked the book, the romance (read passionate sex) was too much for me. I find it unbelievable that in the midst of mayhem, getting naked and getting down to it is what people (even fictional ones) really want to do.

QOTW: I really try not to overthink the challenge list. Since I am playing with several different reading challenges this year, I try to find books that will fit on more than one of my lists. I really try to stick to my TBR bookshelf, but sometimes I have to widen search for prompts like the one I read this week.

Hurray for weekly checkins!

This week I finished two books.

The first was The Magicians for the first in a series you haven’t read before prompt. I get the point of the novel, but it sure was a slog getting there. There was a lot of magical college students lying around in a haze of alcohol and ennui. And that was about as fun to read about as it sounds.

The second was The Picture of Dorian Gray for a book that place over a character’s life span prompt. I thought it was okay, but I think I would have enjoyed it better as a short story. Lord Henry, in particular, tended to go on.

QOTW-
I tend to go through my challenges based on book availability, because I try to utilize the library as much as possible. This year I am using a four-pronged attack by reading four books at once: one kindle book, one physical book, one audio-book and one classic book using the serial reader app. I don’t really worry too much about book order and such, because I almost always finish reading challenges with plenty of time to spare.

It's been off and on really nice here in Columbus, Ohio. So I've been spending a ton of time in parks with the kids. Since the younger is still only 2, I can't bring books with me to the park. Even at his school, he's listed as a flight risk so teachers know to keep an eye on him in particular

Greetings from warm sunny NYC! We continue to endure an incredibly mild winter here. Not something I am enjoying as I actually like all that snow, cold, and ice! While it is only mid-afternoon here, my schedule is such today and this evening that no further challenge reading - and certainly no finishes -- will happen today.

Alas, I've not finished another challenge read. As I mentioned in my 'belated' post last week, I had trouble settling into either of the two challenge books I tried to read after finishing The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story, and just could not do so, escaping instead into comfort reads. So I'm holding at 8/52 with an additional 2 in process.

I'm now finishing up a Regency romance series by Charis Michaels that I am reading just for fun and escape - a palate cleanser. Then I will return to The Ides of April, my book with a month in the title, and to Bewildering Cares: A Week in the Life of a Clergyman's Wife, my book recommended by a librarian.

QOTW - I have a pretty random approach to completing challenge categories, other than to keep at it steadily. I do try to balance tougher reads with easier reads, knocking off longer reads earlier in the year so that when the end of the year comes, I'm not scrambling to finish by year end. I also try not to just read mysteries and contemporary fiction for each challenge category, which I could too easily do. Part of the reason I'm doing this challenge is to diversify my reading while working through some of the large - actually enormous - library of books I own. I have very eclectic tastes in books but tend to read mostly fiction, especially mysteries. All kinds of books catch my eye and end up in my library but are not read - although my intention is to read them. For the 2016 Challenge, 36 of the 42 books read were from my personal library (paper and ebook), another 3 were borrowed from the library, leaving only 3 that I deliberately purchased for the challenge. I'm working from a similar position this year - so far I have identified 30 of the 2017 challenge books from my personal library!

One way I stay on top of the reading, making sure I work challenge reads into my reading on a steady basis, is participating in the challenge with some friends. We have quarterly teas/brunches where we discuss our progress, what books we've discovered for what categories, what we have liked and disliked about our choices, and most of all discuss ideas for categories that are stumping each of us. I'm competitive by nature so I do not want to be the one appearing at the tea or brunch with nothing to report!

Hey people! Here in Paris we had a rather windy day, with pretty warm temperatures for this time in the year (around 10°C) and a few showers. Went for a run this morning and it was a bit warm for running in tights - but my son doesn't want me to take him to school wearing shorts!

One book read for the challenge this week (just finished it, actually):

✅29. A book with an unreliable narrator: Robert Desnos, Nouvelles Hébrides suivi de Dada-Surréalisme 1927 , Gallimard, 2016 (manuscrits de 1922 et 1927).

The main part of the book was composed as an "automatic writing" experience, where the writer tries to dissociate his writing from his rational brain; the goal being to "let the subcontious do the writing". The result is a pretty wild book, looking like a patchwork of dreams. I enjoyed it greatly - and I can't think of a less reliable narrator!

This publication was completed by another unpublished text by Robert Desnos, containing elements for a story of the dadaist and surresalist movement up to the time the text was written (1927, obviously). Desnos being very much part of that story, and in growing dissension with mainstream surrealists, this could probably qualify as an unreliable text, but in a completely different sense!

I now stand at 11/52.

QOTW: no specific strategy; I just read books when I get them, or when I have an idea of a good fit for a prompt... I started the 800pp+ book quite early though, since it is actually 1300pp+. Still working on it...

Juanita wrote: "Next up for me is In a Dark, Dark Wood, which is a book club pick. I'm hoping it works for "unreliable narrator" based on the jacket blurb. If anyone has read it, please let me know if you agree that it would fit. I'm only 45 pages in right now."
I read In a Dark, Dark Wood as my book set on an island (England) for 2016 challenge - I love mysteries, and it had been a gift from a colleague. It does fit the category of an unreliable narrator, actually, although not as squarely as does the author's second novel, The Woman in Cabin 10. I ended up disliking the narrator/protagonist of 'In A Dark, Dark Wood' intensely, but considered the plotting and setting so well done, incredibly atmospheric, it gave promise that future books by the author were worth pursuing. It was a worthy first book. i>

olá, last week I only finished one book:Uma Aventura na Amazónia, that will fill several prompts like I do allways: a book with 2 authors, set in the wilderness, a book with pictures. it is from a big series for childs and adolecents, and for that, it was a moment of remembering other adventures that I had as a child. I started a series:Feitiços de Amor, for a book with a cat on cover, and the second book also have a cat on cover.I'm aprecciating.
QOTW: when I do a challenge, normally I arrange some space in one shelve on my living room, where I put the books that I want to read for the challenge; I don't use any particular order, because I normally read one book of a portuguese author after one of foreign country

Shannon wrote: "Hurray for weekly checkins!

This week I finished two books.

The first was The Magicians for the first in a series you haven’t read before prompt. I get the point of the novel, but..."

I'm so glad I'm not the only one that thought this about The Magicians! I was so freaking bored.

Hello everyone, from my air-conditioned study in NC (my husband has a computer lab in here so if it goes over 70 outside we need to blast the cool air!).

This week I finished Rebecca. 4/5 - I think if I hadn't seen the movie, this would have been a total page-turner - I'd be dying to find out what happened next.

Given I knew the plot, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more had I read about Du Maurier's life and how it affected the subtext and symbolism about Womanhood in the novel. I found the narrator tiresome and long-winded at times - then I read the autobiographical end note in my copy and it lent a new light to all that blather.

I'm well into Guards! Guards!, and coming to realize that Pratchett will rarely elicit belly laughs - he's more gently amusing to me (unless combined with Gaiman). But I've heard this is a great story with good characters, and so far that's bearing out, and I can enjoy it on that basis.

I fear Alexander Hamilton may be destined for DNF. Maybe biographies just aren't for me. I'm realizing I read books for a.) A narrative arc that pulls me forward inexorably; or b.) information that helps me DO stuff. Non-fiction that's interesting but not really an exposition-rising action-climax-resolution STORY doesn't pull me in. :(

QOTW: I'm totally hedonistic.

First of all I try to choose books I already want to read, and I'm not afraid to torture a prompt into fitting something appealing.

Second, I tend to pick something that makes me salivate, and leave more iffy picks for later. If I keep putting something off, I'll try to replace it with something I'm more excited to read.

I liked the first book of the magicians then like 5 years later I slogged through the second and I still haven't managed to read the last one. It freaking finished in the first! There was no need for another!

I'm back!! My two week break was fantastic, especially since one of those weeks was spent at the happiest place on Earth! We had such a wonderful time and I did not want to come back to reality. Today it's 85 in Missouri. Crazy!

I'm at 8/52 now in my book totals.

This week I read We Were the Lucky Ones to fulfill the book you bought on a trip prompt. What a powerful story. I'm not certain how much of the book was true and how much was embellished, but that family was so brave and sacrificed so much for each other just to survive. My heart is hurting right now for all of those families in WWII that weren't as fortunate. (Not implying these people were necessarily fortunate because they did suffer so much, but they did avoid the death camps)

Juanita- I read In a Dark, Dark Wood last October and I couldn't put it down. There were parts of it that raised the hair on my arms. Such good writing! I hope you like it.

QOTW: I don't necessarily have a method to my madness. I sort of pick and choose off of my list based on what mood I'm in at the time. The only thing I really consider is how long the books are. I realized I read a lot of my short books the first month so I tried reading longer books in February so I wasn't stuck with only long books the rest of the year.

I'm not quite sure which book I'm going to read next. I'm thinking about biting the bullet and starting 11/22/63. I started this last year when I checked it out at the library but I didn't have time to read even the first chapter before I had to return it. I've been trying to find the time to read this forever. I just adore Stephen King's storytelling.

Hello from rainy and stormy England!

I only finished one book this week, so I'm 8/40

Finished The Book Thief which I really wanted to love more, but it fell short for me on the narrative structure and the pacing, I didn't think the death as narrator thing added much and it got in the way of what could have been a better and more powerful story.

I'm about half way through both The Glorious Heresies on kindle and The Story of a New Name on audiobook, both of which I'm enjoying.

QOTW: Just what's been to hand/available really, tried to match my mood/ what I felt like reading with a prompt. I've been thinking I should get some of the 'more difficult' ones started soon though, or else I'll end up with a pile of books I don't particularly fancy to read all together at the end (though often those turn out to be brilliant surprises once I get started!)

I only read books for other challenges in the past two weeks. I read Homegoing and tonight I'll be finishing up The Selection, but neither of them are for this challenge.

QOTW: I borrow the majority of the books from the library, so I have to do some planning ahead. When the list of prompts came out toward the end of the last year (lists for me, since I'm doing 4 different challenges at once), I made a tentative plan of which books I wanted to read for each. I ordered as many as possible from the library, and paused my holds on most of them.

I've learned over the past couple of years doing challenges that I need variety, and I need to balance the longer books or the ones that I don't think will interest me as much through the year instead of leaving them for the end. I un-pause a few books at a time from the library. I don't follow the prompts in order at all. I try to spread out the books that interest me most throughout the year also so I don't run through them all immediately, and get stuck with all the boring topics later on.

I also sometimes plan strategically. If I know I have a long weekend/break from work coming up where I should have more time to read, I'll purposely choose a longer or more difficult book.

In general, I've seen a lot of people complain across both my GR groups that they are tired of challenges because they just want to be able to read what they want, and not feel confined to a category. I've never really understood this because I've always been able to fit all (or at least most) of the books I want into prompts so I can read them during the year, although since I do multiple challenges, it might be easier to do that.

Hello from a thawed out Chicago. The weather this week has been unbelievable.

This week I read A Beautiful Blue Death. It was not good, a rare 2 star from me. The characters and plot were derivative, the historical setting felt awkward and forced, and the writing style was so, so poor. I won't be bothering with this author again.

I also made a little progress on Les Mis. I need to buckle down and get more of that done or I will not make my monthly goal.

QOTW: Oh do I ever. In 2015 (my first reading challenge) I read semi-randomly, moving books around the list as needed and seeking out books for each prompt as I felt like it. That system just did not appeal to my obsessive-compulsive personality, and I wanted a way to more easily see which prompts could be filled by each book. So I made a chart with the list of prompts going vertically, and each time I finish a book it becomes a column header and I check off a box next to every prompt it fills. This way I can look across the chart and spot which prompts already have many possibilities and which are empty. So far I've been reading mostly whatever I want (which I'll probably still be able to do for the most part given my ever-lengthening TBR list) but this weekend I might try to identify some books for the prompts that don't have anything yet.

I'm currently at 15/52.

I read Esperanza Rising for a book about an immigrant. I thought it was fitting for the current USA politics, even though this was set in the 1930s.

I also read Dogsong, which I had first thought to use for my book about traveling, but I filled that category. But the main character is an Eskimo, so I put it in under a character that's a different ethnicity than you.

QotW: the past few years I have run around like crazy building huge stacks of books I want to read for the challenge. And then I read other books and by the end of the year I'm going through my books read for the year and fitting them into the prompts.

So this year I am being very lazy about it. I have stacks of books in my tbr book case by my bed and I am reading through those first. It's actually pretty surprising how many books on my tbr list fit into the challenge.

I was still in the mood for "easy books" this week, so I actually finished 3 books!

I read Go and Come Back for a book set in the wilderness. It is such an interesting topic, and so important as well.

I also finally finished The Shining as an audiobook. This took me a little longer to finish just because I didn't necessarily want to listen to it while around family. I did enjoy listening to it in the car, though!

Thirdly, I read Little House in the Big Woods for a book that I loved as a child. It had been years since I read this and I enjoyed it just as much this time around as when I was young. It brought back so many memories.

I have started two books for this week: Calvin and Hobbes for a book with pictures and Raised from the Ground to use as set in country I've never visited (it is set in Portugal). One of these is obviously a more difficult read than the other so it may take me a bit longer to read. Thankfully I'm ahead of schedule! I am currently 8/52.

QOTW: This is my first time doing a reading challenge. I am focusing on the prompts that correspond with the unread books that I own before I head to library to finish the others. However, I do prefer to start at the top and go down the list for most things.

This week I read The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story witch I am using for my "book with a subtitle."

I also read The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, which doesn't really fit in a category. It was included in The Girl in the Steel Corset, which I am currently reading for the steampunk category.

QOTW: This is my first time doing a challenge like this, so I don't really have a method. But, I did choose books I wanted to read already, and I tried to make them fit in a category. I just jump around with whichever one I am feeling at the moment.

I read Into the Wild for #10 book with a cat on the cover. It would also work for these categories #21 a book from a non human perspective. #24 a book set in the wilderness. #28 a book set during wartime. (Kind of a stretch but the clans are at war with each other). #39 the first book in a series you haven't read.

I loved this book. I feel in love with each warrior cat. I am now forever calling my cat my kittypet :) I want to read the rest of the series. There are a ton, but I need to make more progress on the list first.

QOTW: I've been jumping around as books become available. I'm doing the winter reading program at our library, so I'm trying to fit books into both the challenge and the program.

Finished Reading: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith and I really dig this series. I hope she continues writing them. Plus, it works for the chracter with a disability which is either this challenge or the read harder challenge.

Currently Reading:
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. I'm two chapters in and I'm kind of meh about it right now. I don't think it fits any of the challenge categories.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I read it when it first came out but I don't remember much about it even though I gave it a 3, so I liked it. It's for a book club but it also works for a category.

Also reading To Kill a Mockingbird and The Things They Carry but those are for classes I teach so I don't really count them for anything.

Things from upthread:
I love Wonder. One of my seniors gave it to me last year sans cover and when I asked about it, she just told me to read it. I am buying copies for the kids in "my" book club at school because everyone should read it.

I too hated The Magicians but I love the television show based on it.

And I hated The Glittering Court which is sad because I loved her first two series.

QOTW: I just read and hope that it fits a category. I joined this group because I thought I might actually finish a challenge if I did.

Hello from Okotoks, Alberta where our weather has gone from blizzards and -40 to +10 to -4 (Celsius) all in the past week and a half. I have a love/hate relationship with chinooks: love the break from the cold/hate the pressure headaches they give me.

I had a hard week with books so I ended up turning to some old favourites I hadn't read in quite a few years. I don't know if I can use them for the challenge or not.

I finished Harry Potter and the Chamber and Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and then to read a new book I read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Now to decide which book to read next; shall I attempt to knock off some more of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (which incidentally I'm loving but I need small breaks from at times) or start a new one? I'm leaning towards doing a non-fiction for a bit of a fiction-break.

QOTW: I jump all over the board with which books/prompts I read. It's usually what's caught my eye at that moment. I had gone through my TBR pile at the end of last year and grabbed as many books as I could from my shelf to fill this years prompts (I buy a lot of books from used book sales, and have a huge pile of books I've accumulated over the years in trying to get down. I don't buy many new books anymore). I also get a lot of new releases from the library so I try to slot those in where I can.

Oh: and I hated The Magicians too...

My costochondritis is all but gone, preferably forever, so naturally yesterday I got an attack of allergic conjunctivitis in my right eye which is making it really, really hard to see anything. We also took the kitty to a Vetco clinic last night at one of our local Petco stores so she could get a round of annual vaccinations, so she's been a big sluggish and feverish today. She's doing much better now. I wish she was one of those annoying cats who sees her human reading and immediately makes herself at home on top of the book because honestly, I love the cats that crave human attention and affection that much. My kitty is very high-strung and stand-offish, though, and prefers to lie where we will not disturb her.

Regardless, I finished Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race yesterday. I've slotted this in as my book about an interesting woman, or in this case multiple interesting women. I absolutely LOVED this book. It's probably one of my favorites that I've read so far this year, honestly. I grew up in an Air Force family, so I have an innate love of aeronautics, flight, space, etc. and also really love math and science in general.

I also made legitimate progress on my book set in two time periods, The Scribe of Siena. This one is really fabulous, you guys. It's being released this year, so it definitely qualifies for at least two of the tasks. If my eye weren't bugging me so much, I would probably have spent a good portion of my day reading it today.

Hag-Seed hasn't been touched in a bit. I like the story and the writing, but other books are grabbing my interest more lately. I'm also slowly starting to get back into A Study in Silks, which I really like. I've decided to use the third book in the series for a book I bought at a used book sale, since I bought it used online and that's good enough for me, so I've now got all three slotted in for the challenge.

I received The Circle in the mail today, The Last Unicorn earlier this week, and a couple of other books. I've still got four more coming, but those may not be used for any tasks if I get to reading them this year. I did start The Circle, though, as the premise very much intrigues me. I think it may bump the Amazon book out of the book that's becoming a movie this year, which would probably mean the Amazon book would bump Krakauer's Into the Wild from the wilderness task, but that's ok. I have an insane number of options for that task, too. And the travel one...

QOTW: Well, I started off in December by making a list of potential books I could read for the challenge, created my spreadsheet to track my reading, etc. Then January hit and I started reading whatever I wanted and filling slots in as I go. So far, most of my whims have worked out in my favor with regards to this challenge.

Love all the weather updates! We have been drenched with rain in CA lately, but today was a glorious, sunny and clear, 50ish day. Tomorrow more of the same, and then back to rain over the weekend.

I have finished a ton this week! (I'm on break with no plans, which helps a bunch.)

For Popsugar:
Kindred for the "set in 2 time periods" prompt, although really it was set in one time period but with people from two, in my opinion. I liked it a lot, but not as much as I hoped - maybe it is too hyped up at this point?
The Wednesday Sisters for the "month or day in the title" - this was a quick, touching read that I found satisfying.
And I finished 2 audiobooks as well...
The Princess Diarist for "an interesting woman". I started this on a road trip with my husband several weeks ago, and we left off with about 45 minutes to go. Finally last night I got around to listening to the end. Although it was fun to listen to Carrie Fisher narrate, I found the book repetitive and not all that interesting. I may replace this category with another book later, so I don't feel like I cheated the prompt!
Cloud Atlas for "on my TBR list for a long time". I actually got this audiobook a while back and never got around to it. I kind of liked it, but found my attention wandering a lot so I don't think I got all the details. It seems like a book that requires attention and thought.

This brings me to 19/52 for the Popsugar lists! (And also 31/76 for my annual goal.)

And for the Read Harder challenge, I also finished:
The Goblin Emperor (fantasy novel) which was good but not a huge page turner.
84, Charing Cross Road (book about books) which was wonderful and super quick - it would also work for a book of letters in the PS list.
Burma Chronicles (travel memoir) which is a graphic non-fiction and cute, but didn't wow me.

QOTW: I did a lot of planning and list making for the first week or so of the year, and did try to get a couple of the tougher ones out of the way while I still was really energized. But I use the library loan system a lot, so I'm getting to the point where I am waiting on about 12 different long-term lists and just have to take them when I can get them. In between, I slot in books that I already own, that I can check out from the library at work, or that I can get with my audible subscription.