Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday to you all!

How are things going for you this week? I spent an hour browsing my local used bookstore last Friday (especially when I found out all the books were 40% off!). Heaven! I think my daughter and I walked away with 15 or so books between the two of us!

Our poll for the May group read is winding down and ends tonight. It’s a tight race between the top two books right now!

I finished one book this week: The Shoemaker's Wife for a book with a family member term in the title. It was such a good, good book all the way until the last chapter. It’s not that I think the ending was bad so much as it was unnecessary. Or maybe that last chapter should have been an epilogue. I think the book should have ended at the completion of the story of the two main characters rather than continuing for another chapter with some minor characters. I still think it’s worth the read, and the audiobook is fantastic.

Still working on The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women. I'm at about 70%. I also started reading Thomasina which was one of the books I bought at the used bookstore. Yesterday, the 4th book in the Chief Inspector Gamache series was a kindle deal so I picked that one up as well. And I started listening to The Knockoff for my book with two authors. I’m either going to love it or it’s going to annoy the crap out of me! That remains to be seen…

I’m hopelessly behind in reading my two big books!

Question of the week:

This 2-part question comes courtesy of member Unauthorized Cinnamon. (And by the way, you are more than welcome to message me or Juanita ideas for questions! We’re always looking for new ones.)

In the last couple of years some bookstores and libraries have started offering “blind date” books (often around Valentine’s Day) where the book is wrapped in paper with a line or two about the book plot or setting written on the outside (or sometimes not). Modern Mrs. Darcy wrote a blog post about it last year including photos and her own experience. You can read it here: http://modernmrsdarcy.com/blind-date-...

- Have you ever encountered this in a bookstore or library? I have not though I think it would be fun! I would prefer that my library do it, rather than a bookstore, in case the book ends up being a dud :)
- Can you think of an enticing one or two line hook for one of your favorite books? Here’s mine:

“Hidden places heal all afflictions; early 20th century British Empire; ”

Any guesses?

Good morning!

Finished one book this week: Love Is a Mix Tape for Been on TBR Too Long.

Currently about a third of the way through The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime for Book With a Subtitle.

15/40, 16/52

QOTW: Never heard of such a thing, but would be willing to try it.

Hi everyone!

I finished three books this week.

#1 Memoirs of a Geisha for 'a book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you'. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found the story captivating.

#2 Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch for 'a book with a subtitle'. It could also be used for 'a book with multiple authors', but I have other plans for that. I wanted to like this book more than I did. I found myself wanting to skim through certain passages, although there were humorous moments which made me smirk, but not laugh out loud!

#3 Kafka on the Shore for 'a book with a cat on the cover'. I simply loved this book and is now listed as one of my favourites! I thought it was very unique and I loved the writing style, so I will definitely be reading more by Haruki Murakami.

Last week, I predicted that I would finish The Tales of Beedle the Bard for 'a book with pictures', but alas, I got caught up in my other reading and still haven't put aside time to read the last two stories I have left.

I am currently reading The Book Thief for 'a book from a nonhuman perspective'. I originally planned to read this for 'a novel set during wartime', but since I found out it's written from the perspective of Death, I decided to shift it to the 'nonhuman perspective' prompt!

QOTW: I never encountered this, but I think it would be interesting!

Hello and happy Thursday friends!

I finally have progress to report. Whew! I read The Sun Is Also a Star for my book club pick this week. It's a YA and I was excited to see it recommended by one of our resident librarians in the "Ask for a YA recommendation" thread. So I'm using it for "recommended by a librarian."

I also finished the audio of Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run and I highly recommend it. Especially the audio. Listening to him tell his own story was awesome. I actually heard him interviewed on NPR around the time when he was recording the audio and he mentioned how he hated listening to himself talk and how difficult he found recording the audio book to be. If you're a fan of his music, you would appreciate the book. He's not easy on himself and he speaks openly and honestly. He is a fantastic writer (not all songwriters are) and I'm pretty critical. I'm using this one for "written by someone you admire."

I am trying to read Ready Player One but it is a slow one for me.

I'm at 11/40, 1/12 now.

QoftheW:
The librarian at my children's school does this. She calls it the Mystery Book. And if the kid picks it up, they have to check it out.

Given the state of my TBR list (long!), I don't think I'm adventurous enough to try a mystery read.

Happy Thursday!! It still feels like winter here in NY, but Spring is trying.

I finished four books this week, one of them for the Challenge, so I am now 34/52.

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - I used this for "written by someone you admire" - I found this to be quite powerful and moving; set during one of Nigeria's periods of political unrest, it's about a teen girl struggling to find herself while still pleasing her excessively strict father.

The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel - I read this as part of my personal campaign to read more women sci fi authors. This got off to a bad start with me, but finished strong.

The Girl Who Owned a City (graphic novel version) - i read this because I pledged to read more books that my daughters recommend. It was absolutely awful!

The Suitor by Mary Balogh - a historical romance novella tacked onto the end of The Escape, this was completely delightful!

QOTW My library did this about ten years ago, and it went about as well as the one actual blind date I went on. The idea was to pick a genre you don't usually read. At the time, I didn't read romance, so I chose that, and I ended up with The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I hated it! I will NEVER read another Nicholas Sparks book!

I had a good week reading three things!

Book that's been on your TBR for way too long - Unwind. I put this on my to-read goodreads shelf in October of 2012! The writing style annoyed me - I didn't like it being in the third person because every sentence started off with the characters name. But it was a quick read and then i picked up the novella UnStrung. I'm on the wait list for the other books in the series at my library.

I listened to Why Not Me?. This is the second book I listened to for her and I had the same feelings about this one as I did the first. I guess her books are not for me.

And late last night I picked up my story within a story with Between the Lines. Too early to make any observations about it.

So I'm at 13/40 and 0/12

QOTW No, but that sounds awesome! Maybe I'll suggest that to my librarians.

Hello everyone!

I'm keeping steady with my one book a week pace! This week I finished The Sun Is Also a Star for the "book by a person of color". I was excited to read this one because I loved Everything, Everything when I read it last year. And Yoon did not disappoint with this one. I really love her writing style, telling perspectives from all characters involved, even minor characters that are encountered just momentarily.

I am now at 9/40 and 3/12. Now on to The Lightning Thief, not sure where that one will fit in my list, and My Life in France, which will be my "book written by someone you admire", I can't wait to read it! I love Julia Child.

QOTW: I have not taken part in this before but I think I would give it a try. But like someone said, I agree that I would rather it take place at my library where I'm not required to purchase the book just in case I don't like it.

QOTW-we have it a couple of times a year at our library-the various challenges have broadened my tastes so I usu,ally like what I choose.
A member of our book club very generously did this for our Christmas presents-bought a dozen or so books at our beloved monthly book fair,wrapped them and we had a lucky dip.Again,my gift was something that suited!

11/40
I have one completed task this week:

19. A book about food- Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder/Joanne Fluke 3/26/17

and still at 6/12 on the advanced list.

QOTW:
I have never seen the blind date with a book at an actual place (just online) but I think it would be fun to try.

I finished two this week, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time for my book by or about someone with a disability and Wolf Willow by Wallace Stegner for a book set in the wilderness: I started The Selected Letters of Madame de Sevigne for book of letters. I have to keep looking people and events up because 17th century France is kind of a blank in my frame of reference.

QOTW- I have never heard of this or seen it. I definitely would be majorly annoyed if I ended up with a Nicholas Sparks book. I did buy a mystery box of books for $3 at our library though. You got a file box full of books and from my point of view they were all duds. I traded some away on Bookmooch and sold the rest to Half Price for my original $3 so kind of a waste of time. As to Sara's prompt for her mystery title I guess The Secret Garden. I will have to think some to come up with my own.

I am at 24/56.

Finished 1 book for Popsugar this week: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
It was soooo funny and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

QOTW: haven't heard about it before, but I don't think I would buy it from a bookstore - maybe a used book? Or borrow it from the library, as suggested...

Good morning everyone!

When I wrote my entry last week, I was envisioning finishing 2 or 3 books by this week, but it didn't happen. :( I'm still reading these books:
1) All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation - loving it! Not sure where to put it, possibly a book about a difficult topic from the advanced list
2) The Case Against Sugar - so interesting, a book about food
3) Pippi Longstocking - listening to audio book. This is a book I loved as a child, and it brings back good memories, but I keep forgetting to listen to it.

Maybe next week I'll finally finish these up!!

QoTW: I have seen this, or maybe just read about it online. I don't think I'd buy a "blind date" book (though I met my husband on a blind date!!) -- there are so many books I already know I want to read, and I wouldn't want to invest in a book someone who doesn't know my taste wants to sell.

This week I read 2 books

15. A book with a subtitle: The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer Had hoped it would be more interesting. After the halfway it picked up but the first part of the book was very very slow and a lot of information I could have been without.

48. A book that's more than 800 pages: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Been to long since I last read this. Or this time I actually used an Audiobook. It was really good. So good that I have continued with the next book and bumped some other on my list. Love Harry Potter :-) And I finally got my 800+Pages out of the way... Amazing how you dont notice how long it is when the book is actually good.

Currently reading:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
The Little Paris Bookshop

So I am currently at 28/40 and 8/12

Greetings from Cleveland! I had quite a productive reading week this week for the challenge.

First, I finished Martin the Warrior for a book you loved as a child. I was obsessed with the Redwall series in general, and this was my favorite of them all. Unfortunately, it didn't hold up for me as an adult. (I remember being indignant in middle school when a teacher called the series formulaic, but now as an adult I totally agree!) I can see why I enjoyed it so much as a child, though. I usually listened to the audiobook (a wonderful full-cast production!), and it's probably been 12 years since I've heard it, but scarily I could recall what most of the voices sounded like!

Next was Wolf in White Van for a book I bought at a used book sale. (My library has a constant used book sale where everything is 50 cents, and they helpfully put all the new additions in one place!) I thought this would focus more on the game the main character runs, but I really liked the direction it went instead. I don't want to say anything else and spoil it, but it gave me a lot to think about!

Finally, I read True Grit for a bestseller from a genre you don't normally read (Western). This book really surprised me too - I laughed out loud A LOT! I know the real humor is supposed to be young Mattie being stone-cold intense, but Cogburn's sarcasm was on point the whole time. I enjoy Westerns whenever I do consume them, but this honestly read like historical fiction, and I'd really recommend it to lovers of that genre. (It also had a lot of diversity that was handled well in-context/character, which surprised me since it was written in the 1960's.)

QOTW: My childhood library started doing this after I moved away. and I like the concept. I have a giant TBR, but I think it would be fun to pick a book without being able to consciously or unconsciously judge the title/cover/author.

QOTW, pt 2. I missed the second part of the question! Come up with a good hook for a favorite book. That's really hard! There's a reason I'm not in Advertising ;-). I'm terrible at this!

"Can Shakespeare, Star Trek, and an old comic book be enough to keep our civilization alive?" (Station Eleven)

"Sometimes the wrong person is exactly the right person" or "Sometimes star gazing is all you have" (All the Ugly and Wonderful Things)

"Do you know who your ancestors were?" (Homegoing)

"Is it real, or is it a reality show?" (The Last One)

"Grift, sweat, and the deep blue sea." (Running)

I finished The Girls by Emma Clime. It’s about a girl who ends up in a Mansonesque cult. I enjoyed and it was a pretty quick read. But I don’t know if it ticks off any of the challenges because I haven’t really looked hard at it this week.

I also read Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. It’s sci-fi about giant robot pieces found around earth. It’s told in interviews (very World War Z) and I found it really difficult to care about any of the characters. I didn’t love any of them, I didn’t hate any of them, I was very ambivalent. I probably won’t pick up the second book. Also, I don’t know if it ticks off any of the challenges
.
And I read P.S. I Like You by Kasie West. It’s YA romance with a enemies to love trope which happens to be one of my favorite tropes. It was adorable and while it doesn’t tick off any of the challenges for me. One of my freshmen was looking through my bookshelf in my classroom and asked for a romance rec, so it worked out.

QOTW: I’ve seen it but haven’t run into it. I would happily do a blind date with a book. However, with book stores closing down in my two closest towns, my closest used book store is probably 45 minutes away and my closest new bookstore is over an hour away. It’s depressing because I love to browse bookstores and spend too much money on books.

I finished mr churchills secretary (book set in war time), heaven is for real (bought at used book store), midwives (book bought on vacation) and the undomestic goddess (author who uses a pseudonym). One or two may have been in last week's update, I can't remember. I've been on vacation for 2 weeks and it all blurs together. I'm currently working on the outsiders and the silkworm.

QOTW I would love this and am going to suggest it at my next library book club as something the library could do. It would be fun and I think library patrons could suggest them.

Week 13 - 23/40 & 2/12 (25/52)

I finished two books this week, so I think I'm crawling out of the reading slump I was in for a bit there.

The first one was The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel, for prompt #24, a book set in the wilderness. It was quite interesting, although at times I felt more like I was reading a textbook as the author tried to explain the different types of hermits or things like that, but the story of Christopher Knight itself was interesting. I just wish we had been able to learn more about him.

The second book I finished was the audio version of Soulless by Gail Carriger for prompt #22, a steampunk novel. It was a good read, but I don't really know if I will read any of the other books in the series. It wasn't bad, it just didn't pull me in & hold my attention. That could have been the fault of me listening to the audio & not reading it myself, though, so we'll see.

I started two new books this week. The first is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald for advanced prompt #10, a book that's mentioned in another book (TGG was mentioned in The Perks of Being a Wallflower that I finished reading last week, as well as other books). The second is The Lake House by Kate Morton, either from prompt #2, a book that's been on your TBR list for way too long or prompt #33, a book that's set in two different time periods. I can't decide which yet.

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race is still sitting on my chair, untouched. I think I'm going to need to give it back to the friend I borrowed it from, but we'll see. Maybe I'll get back to it soon. I just don't know...

QOTW: I have heard of this, but have never actually seen it. I don't think I would buy a book that way, but I would definitely participate if it was done at the library.
As for the blurb for my favorite book(s), I don't know. I can't think of a short, easy way to summarize them that don't completely give away the book. It would take me a while to come up with something.

Hi everyone! I finished 6 books this week, 4 of them for challenges.

For Popsugar's "a book with pictures" prompt, I read Other-Wordly: Words Both Strange and Lovely from Around the World. It was a quick, gorgeous read. I think I'm going to buy copies to give as gifts to my fellow word-nerd friends! Brings me to 15/40 for this challenge.

For Read Harder's "Read a travel memoir" prompt, I read Diana Athill's A Florence Diary, her published diary from a vacation she took to Italy in the late 1940s. Very charming, though (as in other works I've read by her) she does say some wince-inducingly privileged things.

For Read Harder's "Read a nonfiction book about technology" prompt, I read an ARC of Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are. I'm fascinated by the topic, but this was just okay for me - the book seemed so determined to make data analysis accessible and cool that it inadvertently came across as not very impressive, and the author took a very bro-y tone that didn't quite work for me.

For Around the Year's "a book by an author you haven't read before" prompt, I read Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud, which was quite fascinating!

I also read Becoming a Citizen Activist: Stories, Strategies, and Advice for Changing Our World and listened to the audiobook of Unf*ck Your Habitat: You're Better Than Your Mess. Both were fine, neither was great.

QOTW: We've done this at the library where I work! It's great fun. Sara, the only guesses I have for your book are Heart of Darkness or The Jungle Book, but neither really fits. I'll be puzzling over it all day!

I finished One of Ours last week. I had previously stated that this book is a dud...and now that I've finished it I stand by that opinion. I ended up giving it 3 stars simply because the ending was done well, but it's not a book I would recommend. However, the "novel set during wartime" prompt is now finished for me. This puts me at 12/52, right on track.

This week, I have started reading Philida. It is such a great switch from the books I have been reading the past couple of weeks. It is a very intense read, and a little graphic but it is written so well. I was going to slot it under "main character that is a different ethnicity than me" but I decided to switch it to "about an interesting woman". It is fiction, but is actually based on something the author learned about his own ancestry.

QOTW: I have seen the blind date books. They have always intrigued me but I get nervous to buy them just in case I don't end up liking them. I like the idea of local libraries doing the same thing. I would definitely be more willing to borrow something unknown that buy it at an unreasonable price.

I was away last week so this is a two week check-in!

I've completed:
The Accident by Chris Pavone for an espionage thriller--I found it difficult to put down and thoroughly enjoyed it
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe for the first book in a series-- I loved this book, but I also then read the other 2 books in the trilogy and found them just ok
The Broken Road: From the Iron Gates to Mount Athos by Patrick Fermor for a book about travel--this is the third book in his travels from Hook of Holland to Constantinople; moments of laugh aloud goodness, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first 2 (perhaps because it was finished/edited after his death and did not have the same tempo as the others)
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston for a book where main character different ethnicity--this makes the short-list of a favourite book for all time! The language, the emotional reaction, it will stay with me for a long time. Loved it!

Currently reading:
Continuing with The Birth of the Modern: World Society 1815-1830 for 800+ pages. I hit page 500 this morning so I'm officially half-way there! Still learning a lot.
Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds for career advice. Must finish by Friday since that is when my homeschooled kid needs to do her TED-like talk based on what she learned in this book (so I need to know how to grade her talk). 2/3 complete and loving every page
The Princess Bride possibly story within a story, but mainly because I love the movie and a friend gave me the book. It really is just as good as the movie (and vice versa)
Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit this is my favorite from childhood that I'm reading to my 3rd child right now. We've been distracted by Milly-Molly-Mandy books and will finish this soon.

QOTW: I have seen mystery date books, but never been tempted. My TBR pile is so huge that to take something sight-unseen seems frivolous.

Hi everyone from a rainy day in Michigan. Better than snow, so can't complain too much.

Had a bit of a slow week this week. I finished Wuthering Heights and it took me days. It's counting for my book mentioned in another book (was mentioned in We Were Liars, among others). It would also work for a story within a story. Going back to last week's question, classics are hit or miss for me, and this one was a big miss. I just can't like a book if I don't like any of the characters, or even find any redeeming qualities about them.

I also read The Girl from Everywhere that I picked up on sale for a whim. Normally I'm not big on time travel, but it was handled pretty well. There were strict limits as to how they could travel, so time travel wasn't just being used as a crutch to leap around or fix plot holes. I liked it, I'll probably read the next one eventually. I'm counting it in Read Harder's debut novel category. It could probably be squeezed into a book about travel, but I have another book on hold at the library for that so I'm just leaving it for read harder alone.

I'm still working on The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story as an audiobook. If it were a regular book i'd probably be finished, but I can only listen to them when I paint or draw if I want to absorb any of the story at all. It's alright, the writing style is a bit choppy. In the same paragraph will be a sentence referring to a person as a character "Antonia did this...", followed by "Records show Antonia also ..." and then by "In that era, Nazis did..." which makes it kind of hard to follow. I know they're trying to add extra information, but when it keeps shifting between "telling a story" and "giving information from records" it's hard to follow the story. This will be my book about war for both pop sugar and read harder.

I read a stack of comics yesterday because I was a little fatigued, and I'm waiting on a bunch of library books.

Currently I'm reading Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day which is a pretty short book (maybe novella?), but it's really interesting and I love Seanan MacGuire. It won't count for anything, but I sometimes get frustrated feeling like I can't read anything in my read stack because it doesn't "count".

QOTW: I've participated in the blind date with the books at the old bookstore I used to hang out at. They were all used books, so were generally less than $5 unless they were hard cover. I like the idea in concept, but I think I'd be more likely to do it at a library, in the future. Of the three I bought, I only actually read one and I didn't really like it much. Of the other two, one was a Star Trek book and I just am not into Star Trek at all. I wasn't sure I could even get much out of it without being familiar with the universe. The other was a big thick book that's sci fi that I keep meaning to read, but it's very long so I haven't. Maybe I'll get to it at some point for the TBR prompt. I think that's why it might work better for the library. You have to give it back, so you can't just sit on it for years. Also you're not then stuck with a book you'd never have bought otherwise. (Yes there were the little hints on the cover. The hints all sounded more interesting than the books ended up).

Edit: forgot the hint part for a book I like! Hm.. "The moon is broken, we're all going to die! What do we do?"

Hello everyone! I finally have some progress to report!

I finished Born a Crime for "a book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you". I listened to this on audiobook and I loved Trevor reading it. His accent is soothing, and he did an amazing job voicing his younger self as well as his mother. I found his story compelling. For me, it shined a new light on his views on race, discrimination, and other topics he touches on on the Daily Show.

I've been in such a reading rut. I think I only finished Born a Crime because I could listen to it in the car. I have quite a few books out from the library that I have yet to start.

10/52

QOTW: My library does this! I tried it out this past Valentine's Day, but unfortunately got two books I had previously read. Still love the idea though!

Rebecca wrote: "Greetings from Cleveland! I had quite a productive reading week this week for the challenge.

First, I finished Martin the Warrior for a book you loved as a child. I was obsessed with..."

I adored the Redwall books too at about the same age! I think my favorite was Pearls of Lutra. I haven't revisited them for the reasons you mentioned however. Some things are probably better as fond memories.

This week I read two books.

I read Neverwhere for a book recommended by an author you love. Its funny how my tastes have changed in a relatively short period of time. Five years ago this was one of my favorite books. This time around I still liked it, but found it almost twee in a gothic sort of way.

I also read The Crimson Petal and the White for a book that's over 800 pages. It kept my interest throughout, which is quite a feat for such a very long book. However, it was a bit raw for me in places and the personal trajectory of the main character ended in a less interesting place than I hoped.

QOTW- I have never heard of that but it sounds like fun!

Hello! I finished two books this week to put me at 15/52. Neither one was my favorite ever, but they were still interesting.
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (book with a red spine) was fun, and QE II reads a whole bunch of books in it, so it's good fodder for anyone looking for ideas for a book mentioned in another book. Also, it's a novella so it's a suuuuper quick read.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (bestseller from a genre I don't normally read) was interesting, but confirmed why I avoid the genre I call "a memoir of how amazing I am and look I'm self-deprecating too!" Also, I listened to the audiobook and found Bourdain's narration a little subpar, so that didn't help. I can't for the life of me understand why so many people want audiobooks to be read by the author rather than someone experienced and talented at reading books aloud. Wow, I sound like quite the grumpypants right now, don't I? Sorry, all.
I'm still working on River of Shadows (book with a subtitle I didn't feel like typing) and Americanah (book that's been on my TBR list for way too long/immigrant or refugee book), both of which I'm very much enjoying.
I would totally blind date a book. Even when I rip a book to shreds after reading it (figuratively! I am the daughter of a librarian), I almost never regret reading it. I feel like I get something out of every book I come across.

Christy wrote: "Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (bestseller from a genre I don't normally read) was interesting, but confirmed why I avoid the genre I call "a memoir of how amazing I am and look I'm self-deprecating too!"

I read this one too, for my book about food. I had a same opinion, really. Sure, he admits he's kind of a jerk, but it doesn't really make him LESS of a jerk just because he knows it. Also his descriptions of kitchens he worked in makes me disinclined to ever eat at his restaurants. Especially in the last chapter where he admitted other people manage to have normal kitchens that aren't full of drugs and shouting.

Christy wrote: "confirmed why I avoid the genre I call "a memoir of how amazing I am and look I'm self-deprecating too!"

LOVE this! :) I stay away from those books as well.

Christy wrote: "I can't for the life of me understand why so many people want audiobooks to be read by the author rather than someone experienced and talented at reading books aloud.
..."

LOL! When I first started listening to audiobooks, I sought out books read by the author, thinking that only the author would know exactly what to emphasize in the text. Some authors ARE great readers (Tina Fey, David Sedaris, Neil Gaiman, to name a few), but most of them aren't so great. Actors are usually the very best readers. That seems so obvious, but it took me a while to figure out!

I loath "misery" memoirs...........

It depends on the author. I listened to the audiobook of In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox narrated by the author Carol Burnett. One of the best audiobooks ever ! (I think she was nominated for or won a Grammy for it)

Nadine wrote: "Some authors ARE great readers (Tina Fey, David Sedaris, Neil Gaiman, to name a few)..."

Add Julie Andrews to that list. I listened to Home: A Memoir of My Early Years written and narrated by her several years ago.

Sheri wrote: "Edit: forgot the hint part for a book I like! Hm.. "The moon is broken, we're all going to die! What do we do?"

The only thing that came to mind was The Lunar Chronicles, but that doesn't fit except that the lunar queen wants to destroy the earthlings :) I'm betting it's something I haven't read! :)

Thegirlintheafternoon wrote: "Sara, the only guesses I have for your book are Heart of Darkness or The Jungle Book, but neither really fits. I'll be puzzling over it all day!"

This is fun! I haven't read either of those!

Sarah wrote: "As to Sara's prompt for her mystery title I guess The Secret Garden."

Bingo! :)

Howdy from sunny Columbus! The weather has improved a lot lately so I've been spending a lot of time chasing a rambunctious toddler around various parks.

This week I finished The Dark Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft, Vol 1 but all six volumes. I really liked Wayne June's narration. Overall I really liked the stories I listened to, The Outsider was probably my favorite. But now I'm left scratching my head why everyone only ever talks about Cthulhu since it was probably the least interesting Lovecraftian monster and not even in the top 5 short stories for me. No shade if you're really into that story, maybe you can help explain the appeal lol. Also, holy crap Lovecraft was racist as heck. Wow. But overall, I donget how he's shaped the horror genre and why so many people are inspired by his stories.

I also finished Me Before You today. I get the criticisms about it, but I really enjoyed it as the big decision made in the story is something I feel very passionately about. I watched a very sobering documentary about the work they do, and got to attend a lecture at my college put on by ones of the guys who runs the place and it was life changing. I'm glad the topic got some attention, even if it took a backseat the love story.

I had some kid free time and stopped by Barnes and Noble, I was looking to buy Watchmen for my book with pictures prompt but decided I didn't want to pay for a book that my kid's dad more than likely has. This One Summer caught my eye, so I sat down with my latte and read it in about an hour (I love how fast graphic novels go!). It was really sweet and I loved the illustrations. I highly recommend it! It works for the boom with pictures prompt but I also still plan on reading watchmen since it's a part of the required reading Marisha Pessl is doing.

14/40; 1/14

QOTW: I have seen this concept on Tumblr before, I'd really enjoy participating but even though I kind of still work at B&N I'm not the take initiative and make things happen type of gal.

Hello from very rainy Chicago,

This week I read 2 books:

Bellweather Rhapsody: This is seriously so good. I *loved* this. It was recommended by Robin Sloan (or at least he wrote a very nice book jacket blurb for it) who wrote one of my favorite books in recent years Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. It's a mystery novel (Bellweather, not Penumbra's), but it goes beyond that. It's got a fantastic set of really well written characters and I just felt drawn into the story. I borrowed this from the library, but I might need to purchase a copy...

Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1: The Shrike: graphic novel recommended by one of the authors of Monstress, which I read a week or two ago and liked a lot. This one got 3 stars from me, it was good but not great. I'll probably read at least another from the series though.

I've started Ready Player One, but I'm not over hopeful for it. Not the best writing ever, so maybe the plot will get interesting?

QOTW: I've never seen this IRL, but I've been seeing online for years. I'm not sure I'd pick up a book without knowing what it was, because I feel like there's too strong a chance of it being something like Nicholas Sparks. What can I say, I'm a picky-reader. I like the Guess the Book Game though. Here's mine:

"One by one, justice is served unto all, judgement comes as the end."

Hello readers!

I sadly did not finish any books this week. It is birthday week and my friend was up visiting for both her and my birthday, so shenanigans were had and no books were read. However, we did spend 6 hours yesterday in bookstores and I may or may not have treated myself to a few (aka >20) books. Happy birthday to me!

I am currently reading The Perks of Being A Wallflower and should be done with that soon. Since it is in letter form, I am reading it pretty fast.

QOTW: I have heard of this but never seen this actually done. I would totally pick a blind-date book! I like to try different genres so I would be open to anything!

Sara wrote: "The only thing that came to mind was The Lunar Chronicles, but that doesn't fit except that the lunar queen wants to destroy the earthlings :) I'm betting it's something I haven't read! :)
"

Nope, not Lunar Chronicles although I do love those too. I tried not to pick something too obscure, but maybe it was haha

Hello, Everyone! We are having a yucky, rainy day here in the Mississippi Delta. This week, I read two books for the challenge and one short book that was for fun. I read A Man Called Ove and it was just wonderful as everyone says! Right now, I've put it down for my book with a person's name as the title. I also finished to book I bought while on a trip, which was The Devil's Bones , It is the second book I've read in this series and I really like it. I think I may read another one for the prompt "a book with two authors", but I'm not sure. I had intended to read the book Mississippi Noir because it has many different authors, but I'm just not feeling that.
Is anyone else feeling kind of burned out? I've read 25 books so far and I just feel burned out. I keep looking at the prompts and books I have left to read, and, although I think some of the books will be really good, I'm just having trouble betting interested enough to read them. I've still got to read a book with mythical creatures, so I think I'll try to read a juvenile level book about dragons or something. Percy Jackson has been recommended to me, so may try that.
Happy Reading, Everyone!
Betty

I didn't realize it was Thursday until now. :)

So, bonjour from very sunny Montréal. For today at least since we're expecting 10cm of snow tomorrow.

One more book down for the challenge: Illuminae. I was expecting too much. It was just okay for me. I will be staying far from YA for some time. I guess this isn't my cup of tea. The way the story was told was ingenious, the ending was surprising so I get why everyone loves this book.

I am now reading Promise at Dawn because my husband told me it was really good. i have to agree with him, it is great. I wasn't planning on using it for the challenge, but I discovered that it is going to be a movie this year. Voilà!

QOTW: We have a mystery book thing at my workplace. Before summer vacation (I work in a college), students and workers can take a book wrapped in gift paper and bring it back when school start over in September. I didn't participate yet, but maybe next June.

I have no idea how I was able to finish 4 books this week, since I was out of town 6 of the last 7 days on 3 separate trips. I won’t have as much time to read next week, so I’m glad I got a little ahead while I could. I do get to spend the weekend with my 94-year-old grandmother, though, which is worth not reading. 

I finished the following for the Popsugar challenge:
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy for an audiobook (4). The story was great and the movie was a great adaptation, but the audiobook was a little hard to follow at times. When the POV switched, there wasn’t always notification, and the narrator’s voices weren’t always distinct.
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion for a book about a person who has a disability (13). The MC is on the spectrum. This is a sequel to The Rosie Project, which I read 3 years ago. It was a cute follow up, although I enjoyed its predecessor more.

I finished the following for another challenge:
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. This was absolutely fantastic! I read it in a day while on a flight. I liked the style of the writing, and the way Yoon interspersed illustrations, book reviews, etc really helped the reader get into the MC’s head.
Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes. This was basically a continuation of the very creepy You. The MC is still a serial killer with a very twisted interpretation of love. The reader is basically in his head knowing his every thought, which adds to the creep factor. I need a lighthearted book now.

I am at 10/40 ; 5/12.

QOTW: I haven’t run into mystery books, but I would probably only buy one if it was at a used book sale. My TBR list/pile is way so long that I would hate to get one that I either already owned or had no desire to read. But if it was at my library I think it could be fun!

Dani wrote: "Howdy from sunny Columbus! The weather has improved a lot lately so I've been spending a lot of time chasing a rambunctious toddler around various parks.

This week I finished [book:The Dark World..."

I do agree about Cthulhu. The creepiest story for me was the one with the sounds in the walls. I also really liked the one where they go to Antarctica and the Innsmouth one.

I've actually only finished Persuasion by Jane Austen this week. It's one of my favourites (a book I read as a child and loved). I love it even more now that I'm older, it does feel very mature and thoughtful.

Sheri wrote: "Sara wrote: "The only thing that came to mind was The Lunar Chronicles, but that doesn't fit except that the lunar queen wants to destroy the earthlings :) I'm betting it's something I haven't read..."

Is it Seveneves? A bit of stretch guess since I've never read it myself.

I have been hopelessly awful about checking in, partially because I went on a last-minute trip to Ireland (!) for work and didn't have much time. Been catching up from that since then. So this is a three-week check-in. Here's what I finished:

- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell freaking FINALLY. I just finally powered through it. I see the value in the book, but it's not for me. Used this for a book with an eccentric character on the advanced list.
- The Maltese Falcon for my book mentioned in another book (the Thursday Next series). This is also on the advanced list. It was fun to read this and then watch the movie!
- Lincoln in the Bardo for a book from a genre I've never heard of, also on the advanced list. There's been lots of buzz about this and I totally get it! It was unlike any book I've ever read.
- Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions for a book by an author who is a different ethnicity than me. I *cannot* say how much I love this book! It was fabulous and everyone should read it! I even highlighted it, and I never do that.
- The Secret Adversary for my espionage thriller. It was my first Tommy and Tuppence book and it was a definite shift for me.
- Murder with Mirrors for fun!
- The Bear and the Nightingale for one with a mythical character. Really liked this, especially because I read it around the time of other books with mythology, like...
- American Gods, which I read for Book Riot (book I love) and was doing in advance of the show on April 30 (squeee!)
- The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit for book set in the wilderness. It was fascinating.
- The Maintenance of the Shimmy-Shammy for Book Riot for book published by a micropress. My cousin's partner wrote this and I've been meaning to read it for ages.

Whew! I should really check in more regularly.

Now for what I'm reading now.
- The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire for my book about an interesting woman (we're going women here). It's really interesting but a bit dry.
- Rivers of London for my first book in a series I've never read. I got this in Ireland and started it last night and am loving it so far!

I'm at 16/40 and 4/20 so far.

I am at 15/52. This week I finished King's Cage for a book published in 2017. I liked it better than the last book. There was more development but I was a little disappointed by the ending. There will be a fourth book though so hopefully that will redeem it.

I also finished Love & Gelato for a book about food. This was the perfect book for me to read. It's a YA romance but the main character is dealing with the loss of her mom which I can relate to right now having lost my brother in October. I feel like every book I've picked up has been so depressing but this one I related to in so many ways and it made me smile. Also it makes me want to buy a ticket to Italy right now and stuff my face with yummy food.

QOTW: I have never done this but my TBR list is way too long that I probably wouldn't try it any time soon.

Kirsten *Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again!" wrote: "It depends on the author. I listened to the audiobook of In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox narrated by the author [author:Carol Burnett|..."

All I can think of is that Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett are besties in real life. #truestory

Shannon wrote: "Is it Seveneves? A bit of stretch guess since I've never read it myself. "

yep! It's a good book, especially if you're looking for something for the 800+ pages prompt

I went to a reading by Christina Baker Kline for her new book--very fun. Finished a very overdue library book, but not sure what to start.

Sofie wrote: "I've actually only finished Persuasion by Jane Austen this week. It's one of my favourites (a book I read as a child and loved). I love it even more now that I'm older, it does feel ver..."

I love Persuasion! It's my favourite Jane Austen. Now I want to read it again so I think I might re-read it for the book that always makes you smile prompt.