Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Hello and happy Thursday everyone! I hope any of you that were in the path of Hurricane Florence are safe and dry this morning. Seeing all the devastation has been heartbreaking. We received several inches of rain, but the worst of the storm stayed south of us.

***Admin note: We are still looking for a volunteer to lead discussion for December’s group read – Circe. All it requires is that you post a few discussion questions (which you can usually find online if not in the back of the book).

Finished:

The Great Alone

The Book of Essie

Currently reading:

The Essence of Malice by Ashley Weaver. This is #4 in the Amory Ames mystery series. I really love these books. The main characters, Amory and her husband Milo, are likeable and fun to read about. Book #5 just released earlier this month so I’ll add that to my TBR as well!

Drums of Autumn - rereading this ahead of the next season of Outlander.

Question of the week

For those of you still working on your challenge, are there particular prompts you are stuck on?

For those who have finished, did you knock out all the hard prompts early or were you stuck at the end of your challenge with something you really didn’t want to read?

I’m at 40/50. Every year I try to knock out the hard prompts/books early in the challenge, and while I am successful partially I am always stuck at the end with some less than appealing options.

My biggest challenges right now are “set on a different planet” and “cyberpunk”. I have combed the threads and googled the heck out of these, BUT the only books that come up that I am even slightly tempted to read are books I’ve already read (The Martian, The Lunar Chronicles). Sigh…

Again, I had a slow reading week. Mostly I read books for young people that I have committed to read. I read:

The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle- a girl (who hasn't trained for it) decides to ride her bicycle cross country to meet her bicycle racer hero. It is cute enough to keep kiddos interested so I would probably recommend it to third through fifth graders.
Hurricane Child- there are a lot of heavy topics in this book. Caroline's life is just hard- extreme bullying, mom left, realization that she is homosexual. That is a lot for a relatively short book. I felt like it was very heavy handed and the positives came too little too late.
Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish- again, we a dealing with the search for an absent parent. It was decent and I would give this book to a middle school child.
A Gathering of Secrets- a murder mystery for me. I liked the book and will probably read more in this series (I didn't start at the first book, so I don't know where this one lands- probably last).

I am currently reading The Raven Boys but am half way through and really bored. I think I won't finish this one. I am a little worried that I am on the edge of a slump because this book "shouldn't" bore me. I am also not excited to read any of the other books I have laying around the house or on my kindle. Hopefully I'll find something fantastic soon.

QOTW: I thought I'd done all the hard prompts first. I fired right out of the gate with Nordic Noir and cyberpunk (two really hard prompts for me). I did other prompts that looked hard for me early on too, then right at the end I struggled with weather element in the title and local author. I thought these two would be easy, which is why I didn't worry about them earlier, but I had a hard time finding books I wanted to read for both of these prompts. I still think it is odd that these two prompts were a struggle for me. I am just glad I finished. I have done the PopSugar reading challenge for the last few years and haven't finished until this year when I found this group- so thanks all for the great suggestions.

Happy Reading!

It's bizarrely both really warm and very windy (well by UK standards, no way near hurricane strength) and dark grey. I have no idea what to wear and end up overheated. Tomrrow I will just wear a dress to work and it will probably turn! I had a bit of a break from challenge reading this past week but now I'm ready for the final push.

I finished Neverworld Wake which I really enjoyed. A great atmospheric book for this time of year without being scary. I also read Save the Date which was loads of fun and I liked how it was more about familial relationships than romance.

I finished listening to The Silence of the Girls which is an excellent Illiad retelling from a female perspective. It's a pretty good aubiobook too.

Currently reading What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World for an author sharing my name and Assassin's Apprentice for male pseudonym. I felt I should try try Robin Hobb from the start but, even if it was new ground at the time, this one feels kinda tropey right now. I wanted to listen to it but apparently the audiobook has an annoying fake English accent for the whole thing.

I'm currently listening to Burial Rites for a book being read by a stranger. This was one I actually saw myself, and I like listening to a Scandivanian accent.

QOTW:
I am not quite finished but I tried to not leave the hard ones till last. The pseudonym one didn't give me many options and whilst I wanted to try Robin Hobb, I'm not hugely in the mood for that kind of book right now. I tried to leave the stranger one as long as possible as I wanted to see a book being read in person.

Once I've finished my current reads I only have Halloween (which I saved for October on purpose) and time of day in the title (which I was saving for a book which the release date changed, but there's another October release that fits, so I'm fine).

Sara wrote: " ...My biggest challenges right now are “set on a different planet” and “cyberpunk”. ..."

You must not like sci-fi ;-)

For books on another planet ... how do you feel about dragons? Anne McCaffrey's Pern books aren't super "sci-fi-ish" but Pern is definitely another planet (at some point there's some back story about how Earthy peoples colonized the planet and then a few years later were shockedjustshocked by the appearance of the dissolve-almost-everything thread, and then they found that dragon can be used to kill the thread with fire). Her first few adult Pern books (Dragonflight) have a touch of romance. Her YA trilogy (Dragonsong/Dragonsinger/Dragondrums) on Pern is short and easy to read (and some of my favorite books as a kid).

Or, you could try Ursula K. Le Guin - The Left Hand of Darkness is a classic, set on the planet Winter, and is one of the first books I read to deal wth gender and society's definitions of gender.

Or, maybe David Brin - it is very sci-fi but I remember his Uplift series was a good read, especially the books dealing with dolphins. (Startide Rising)

For cyberpunk, I really liked Lauren Beukes's Moxyland. It's not hardcore techie, it's set in a quasi-dystopian near-future Jo-burg, it's not exactly an easy read but it has a real "breaking news" feel to it, and it's thought-provoking.

Or, there's always a short story! You might not love it but at least it will only take an hour or two to read! The Minority Report or Johnny Mnemonic.

Finished:

Into the Water - really didn't like this book, especially the audiobook. I just thought that there was not enough action and the twist came in the last sentence of the book which is a cheap cop-out in my opinion.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland - microhistory - loved this book. A great feel-good read about true events that happened on 9/11. Highly recommend.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - childhood classic you've never read - I don't remember ever reading this book before so I thought I would see what all the fuss was about...I don't get it. It was cute but nothing exceptional.

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth - I really liked this book and would definitely buy for a child. It had great illustrations, was very informative, and had a good lesson.

P.S. I Love You - book about grief - the book was just alright. I LOVE the movie and have always wanted to read the book. After doing so, I would suggest skipping it if you are a big fan of the movie. It didn't ruin anything but it didn't add anything either.

Currently reading:

Humans of New York: Stories - no prompt

Wildflower - no prompt

Illuminae - book that takes place on another planet

QOTW:

The prompts that are hardest for me are those that deal with the authors name or location. There are not a lot of local authors or I am not interested in their books. I also have a fairly "young" name (Taylor) and my last name is not common so I've been struggling with that one a lot. I still don't know what I'll do about it. I suppose I could go with my nickname (Annie), maybe I'd have some luck there.

Nadine wrote: "Sara wrote: " ...My biggest challenges right now are “set on a different planet” and “cyberpunk”. ..."

You must not like sci-fi ;-)

For books on another planet ... how do you feel about dragons? ..."

Thanks for all the suggestions, Nadine! For sure sci-fi is not my genre. I read the first few Pern books years ago. I really liked them, but then I kinda lost interest. I think I liked the characters from the first two, and when the next book shifted to other characters I didn't want to read them anymore. I actually checked out Dragonsong from the library, but it really isn't holding my interest.

I do have a copy of The Lathe of Heaven on my Kindle. Is that the second book in a series though?

Cyberpunk is even more concerning. I had Marissa Meyer's Renegades listed, but when I finally got ready to start reading it I realized that it doesn't fit (at least I don't think so?)

Sara wrote: "My biggest challenges right now are “set on a different planet” and “cyberpunk"

I wanted to recommend Jinxed as a "cyberpunk lite" option but I see the US version isn't out till January so that isn't much use unless you have access to early copies. I really liked Monica Hesse's Stray (YA) when I read it a few years ago which is another one that just about fits but not too punk.

QOTW: I'm done. I use the library during the winter and use my own books during the summer as I travel and go to the pool etc. So, when I started the challenge I looked at my shelf and saw what categories I had books for. Aftre that I basically tried to go in the order that the list was printed so that I wouldn't be trying to save all the tough ones for last. But, I read The Lovely Bones for the book that was a movie I'd seen and I was reading Helter Skelter for the True Crime book and felt I should have something a bit lighter in between so I read The Wizard of Oz out of order.

Sara wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Sara wrote: " ...My biggest challenges right now are “set on a different planet” and “cyberpunk”. ..."

You must not like sci-fi ;-)

For books on another planet ... how do you feel ..."

All of LeGuin's books are stand-alone, you can ignore the "series" that Goodreads lists.

I forgot about Illuminae!!! That totally counts as another planet! I thought it would be gimmicky and stupid but I loved that series so much!! If you liked the Cinder series you would like the Illuminae series too, I think.

Renegades isn't cyberpunk, but Marie Lu's Warcross is!

Only two books and I don’t think they fit prompts

Trouble Never Sleeps by Stephanie Trombly. Third in a YA series. The series was recommended from a list of books to read if you like Veronica Mars. I enjoy the series not as much as Veronica Mars but it’s hard to top perfection.

The Party by Robyn Harding. Birthday party sleepover that goes horribly wrong and the aftermath. I’m curious to know if what was said in the final pages was true and I’d be up to read a second book.

QOTW:
I don’t even know where I am in regards to the challenge. I was going to sit and try to figure out if what I’ve read will fit what I have left. I really don’t have much left.
However, I know there’s no way I’m finishing the Read Harder challenge this year.

Nadine wrote: "Sara wrote: " ...My biggest challenges right now are “set on a different planet” and “cyberpunk”. ..."

You must not like sci-fi ;-)

For books on another planet ... how do you feel about dragons? ..."

Second-ing the recommendation of "Dragonriders of Pern!" :D Got started reading that series in junior high and loved it. Also gives me good memories of reading the books with my grandfather, who loved sci-fi.

This week I finished seven books, none of them for the Challenge (but I did finally start my last Challenge book!!) so I remain 49/50.

Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown - lots of lush descriptions of life as an Appalachian moonshiner in the 50s, but not much plot. I really wanted more plot.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo - I read this for Hispanic Heritage Month (the author is Dominican-American) - well, I listened to it, and the author did a great job, but coming of age stories aren't really my thing. I didn't love it, but I liked it enough to get the paper book out of the library for my daughters to read. They are steadfastly refusing. Insert eye roll emoji here.

Acting on Impulse by Mia Sosa - contemporary romance, also read for Hispanic Heritage Month (the author is Puerto Rican). Not my usual genre, but it was decent.

The Carrying: Poems by Ada Limon - I love this author so much that I had pre-ordered this! (And I rarely buy books!!) It was fantastic, and also works for Hispanic Heritage Month (the author is Mexican-American).

The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee - this book surprised me, it packed more of an emotional wallop than I was expecting.

Stroke of Midnight by Andie J. Christopher - another contemporary romance I read for Hispanic Heritage month (the author is Cuban-American) - it was ... okay.

Embassytown by China Miéville - just finished this last night! Mieville is always worth reading, but of the three books I've read by him, this was my least favorite.

QOTW
I have been lingering at 49/50 for weeks and weeks now. I definitely try to tackle the hardest prompts first, mixing them in with easier prompts to stay motivated. But somewhow this year I ended up with that One Book that I just don't want to read. "A book you borrowed." Last year, with no prompting from me whatsoever, and no warning a coworker friend brought in a book and lent it to me to read. Are Men Necessary?: When Sexes Collide by Maureen Dowd The thing is, i don't like being told what to read, I don't like Dowd, and I KNEW I didn't want to read it, which is why I set it as a Challenge read, to try to force myself to read it. Hahaha! That's not working well. I did start the book last week. That's as far as I've gotten.

To add another complication, said coworker quit her job last winter and now I never see her and I've got massive massive guilt because I still have her book. I need to just give it back to her. Maybe I'll get a copy from the library and read it. Maybe I'll just declare that category completed with one of the dozens of other books I've borrowed from the library this year.

I'd say I read a lot of sci-fi but I'm struggling to think of ones set on other planets! I generally read future earth and spaceship-based stories. I'd completely forgotten that Illuminae starts planet-side too, but good suggestion.

I used a Saga volume for that prompt, I love it but I am hesitant to recommend freely because it has some very adult content, especially early on.

Whoo... another long busy week of canning. So far this year we've canned *deep breath* green beans, applesauce, apple juice, grape juice, tomato juice, tomato soup, cinnamon pears, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, salsa, peach salsa, zucchini relish, beets, and vegetable broth. And we aren't done yet. *passes out*

In between all the canning, managed to finish three books.

The Bean Trees -- for the library's book club. I read The Poisonwood Bible by this author for the challenge (book with twins), so was actually kind of excited to read this one... but sadly I didn't find it as good. Not TERRIBLE, but definitely a first novel.

Ratpunzel -- The "Hamster Princess" series are a fun set of chapter books that take familiar fairy tales and tell them with a twist. And despite the cutesy title, the books have quite a bit of action and clever humor.

Estranged -- graphic novel about the changeling myth -- two boys, one a Fae child raised by humans and one a human raised by Fae, meet and try to figure out where each of them now belongs. Fascinating and lovely artwork.

DNF:

The Girl in the Tower -- I loved The Bear and the Nightingale, so I'm not sure why I just wasn't able to get into the sequel.

Currently Reading:

Little Fuzzy -- would work for the "book set on another planet" prompt if anyone is still looking, and is actually rather cute so far

Earth Warden: A Sci Fi Adventure

And still slogging through Lovecraft...

QOTW:

I mostly went through the list and picked out "whatever I feel like reading next" while completing the challenge, so I really don't feel like I left the hard prompts for the end. I DID save most of the advanced challenge books for the end, but I was looking forward to a lot of those -- I ended up saving the "book recommended by someone else taking the challenge" and "microhistory" prompts for the very end, but actually highly enjoyed both books I picked for said challenge (Lovecraft Country and Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day respectively).

It's nearing the end of September and it's literally 30 degrees Celsius here. Someone save me, please.

I haven't finished any books, save for the Sequel! comic. It was much better than the first one and am sad the rest of the series isn't available at the library.

I decided to start The Empire of Ashes for my 2018 prompt, even if I had library books still waiting, because I wanted to feel like I was reading something I should be, and because I have wanted to read this every since it came in on publish day!

Unfortunately I sent that book back yesterday- it was about to fall apart. Part of the binding had broken and with every page I turned the damage grew. The first two chapters and the prologue were great, so I can't wait for my new copy to come in later today so I can read on!

Furthermore I am reading Een buitengewoon gewoon leven (The One-in-a-Million Boy) for no prompt. I could really stretch it and use it for the ancestry prompt, as Ona is from Lithuania, and so is/was my greatgrandmother, but since she barely remembers anything from the four years she lived there, I can't justify it, so for now it's still a no prompt book, as I filled the other prompts it could work for already.

I'm really enjoying it so far, though it is not what I was expecting. The back of the Dutch book paints a completely different story, so I was very thrown when I started it. I read the English blurb yesterday and it honestly makes so much more sense. I am trying not to let it influence me, and how I perceive the story, but it keeps niggling in the back of my head, which is a real shame. Damn whoever decided to change the blurb!

QOTW
I've been reading books that I felt like reading next, and therefore haven't really been avoiding any prompts. Not consciously anyways. Some of the books I got slotted I don't have, so I have to get my hands on them first. I have had An Author's Odyssey in my hands every time I was in London, but I never bought it, so I am thinking my twins prompt is doomed. The book I read for the heist prompt had twins in it, but they weren't the main characters, and my brain is like NO. Especially since in my planned book they are.
Soyeah, the prompts that I've still got left are mostly books I need to get first (I ordered The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the library at work last Tuesday) so wish me luck with that! I might have the give up on Ready Player One and read Bladerunner instead, as my library actually has it laying on a table (I see it every time I'm at work) and I'd have to order in RPO. But we'll see.

I have two more library books waiting (The Heart's Invisible Furies and The Deal which are both non prompt. The only reason I brought home The Deal was because it was new and it sounds like a fanfiction, but without the slash and the known characters. I just know I'm gonna regret this haha! The Heart's Invisible Furies was a struggle to get, and the library still owes me money, but I already filled the queer prompt -pretty much the first one I read- so unless it throws something unexpected at me, it's another non challenge book haha!) so I need all the luck I can get in finishing this challenge! I'm also in full denial about the other challenge I'm doing so this will all be lots of fun.

Oh! The 'other planet' prompt is really stumping me, though. I've got The Martian planned, but I need to find a way to get it. I read plenty of fantasy and sci-fi, but unless it's clearly stated it's a different planet, I don't count it. I mean, who's to say it's not just an Earth AU, so to speak? Though, come to think of it.. I think one of the books I read I didn't count has two moons, and Earth doesn't have two moons, but the AU thing is still bothering me. I might check that out because that would mean I could cross it off if I can't get to The Martian! (I would hate doing it like that but desperate times call for desperate measures)

Hope everyone is OK after all the wild weather around the globe this week. We are in fire season atm and have had a few close calls both at home and work but nothing as scary as the cyclone or earthquake earlier this year.

Finished:
4 but nothing for the challenge as I just haven't been in the mood for the last two.

Nancy Drew Diaries Once upon a Thriller, Nancy Drew Diaries Mystery of the Midnight Rider, Enid Blyton Adventures of the Wishing Chair. All OK but the wishing chair just wasn't what I remembered.
Found by Fleur Ferris which was really enjoyable since all the characters had something redeemable about them so I could care what happened. Definitely an author I will continue reading.

Currently reading Why Mummy Drinks, remembered a few people on here had read it and enjoyed it so I decided to give it a go. Hints of Bridget Jones so far. Also about 5 chapters into the Kite Runner which is OK so far but not what I had hoped ditto The Cuckoo's Calling. Last 2 are number 51 and 52 to complete the challenge so I will finish them at some stage........When I am in the mood and have less other assignments to read.

QOTW:
I sort of mixed it up and have done the ones I knew would be easy in school term time and the others in the holidays. Suspect these last 2 will not be finished until week after next when we have our mid-semester break.

Finished All the Bright Places for my mental health. this has been on my tbr for a while and I'm glad I got to finally read it.

Currently reading The Young Elites for my antihero.

I'm at 33 Regular, 7 Advanced and 15 non challenge books.

My Struggle is ancestry. I have no clue what to read for this. I even had a discussion with my mom about ancestry and I still have no direction. Still have lots of other prompts to get through then I'll get to that. I really don't want to skip it so I'll comb through the thread again and see the suggestions.

It was a light reading week for me, with just a couple of quick, easy reads and some audio book progress. I'm working on some deep cleaning in the house so I've both taken fewer reading breaks and had less mental energy for serious reading when I did. I was really hoping to finish out the challenge this week, but since my last book is non-fiction I only made a little progress.

Finished Reading:
The Two-Family House This was okay, but I felt like it wasn't quite enjoyable enough to make it worth how much it made me sad and uncomfortable.

Little White Duck : A Childhood in China This was enjoyable, and great little glimpse into a a childhood in a different culture from mine, but the mostly rosy way it portrays communist China would make me hesitant to give it to a child without discussing it afterward.

Against the Tide This book really frustrated me, but I think that's because it could have easily been a five star book, so when the author ruined the experience for me, it was even more disappointing. I gave it three stars for tackling some interesting issues, like opium trade and addiction, but I'm still mad that the author forced what could have been an awesome character into story-driving actions that made no sense for that character.

Currently Reading:
Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story For my last challenge prompt, feminism. I disagree with the author's perspective often, but find the science parts very interesting.

A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of The Snow Queen Some of my light reading, a new book by a fairy tale retelling author I generally enjoy.

Sourdough My current audio book. My reaction to this book amuses me. I'm a homemaker in the Midwest, but enough of a millennial that the setting of a high-tech start up in CA really resonates with me. Throw in the slightly magical sourdough starter (which is actually more relevant to my life--barring the magic part) and this book has been a lot of fun.

DNF:
By Ways Unseen I probably would have enjoyed this in my early teens, but my standards for writing quality are higher now.

QOTW:
I'm on my last book for the challenge, and I think the only mistake I made was in leaving multiple non-fiction books for the very end. I was pretty careful to spread out the difficult prompts through the year, including knocking out Nordic Noir very early in case I had to DNF and try a couple in order to actually get through one.

Kenya wrote: "Whoo... another long busy week of canning. So far this year we've canned *deep breath* green beans, applesauce, apple juice, grape juice, tomato juice, tomato soup, cinnamon pears, spaghetti sauce,..."

Hi Kenya. I had the same reaction to The Girl in the Tower, though I did finish it. The Bear and the Nightingale was a 5 star read for me this year. I was very surprised by my reaction, I thought maybe I just wasn't in the mood. Good to know I am not the only one.

I just thought of another possibility for "different planet" - a tween graphic novel series that I LOOOOOOVE: Zita the Spacegirl

Recently finished:

The Call of Cthulhu for a local author prompt. I am glad I only committed to this one story. Lovecraft’s world views leaked into his text a lot more than I expected and I just didn’t like it.

The Poppy War - Haven’t found a place to work this into PopSugar, but put it down for ATY under surviving a hardship. It was hard to reconcile the YA tone with the brutality of it all, but still a good read.

Infomocracy - this was pretty good. Haven’t worked it in anywhere either.

The Black God’s Drums - I LOVED this. Such a fresh perspective. Really hoping the author gives us a full length novel with these characters. Thinking I’ll put it down for book with a “favorite” color in the title. I really don’t have a favorite color. I have those I like more than others, but nothing I’d consider a favorite. My wardrobe mostly consists of black, white, grey and denim... so black is a favorite color of sorts.

Currently reading:
State of Fear by Michael Crichton for: “bestseller the year you graduated high school.”

QOTW
I meant to read all the tough prompts first, and totally got sidetracked. I still have to read a microhistory (non-fiction is not really my thing), Nordic noir, book with fruit or vegetable in the title, female author/male pseudonym, and a childhood classic. I really just have no desire to read children’s books. I don’t think I read children’s books when I was child (and why do so many of them seem so darn depressing?). So I’m down to 8/9 prompts overall, and not looking forward to it. Hopefully there are a few surprise hits in there.

For those of you struggling with the other planet prompt-

I heartily recommend “The Lady Astronaut of Mars” by Mary Robinette Kowal. This is a VERY short story that is available for free on Tor.com. It is absolutely amazing, has very little science fiction, and a beautiful story overall. Get the tissues ready.

Book set on another planet wasn't difficult for me, as I was already in the middle of a YA series that was set on a series of other planets. As someone else said, even though I read a fair amount of sci-fi, it's not necessarily set planet side. I second Illuminae as a good choice, or one of the books one of that authors wrote with a different co-author, Unearthed (if you like Indiana Jones style adventures) or These Broken Stars. I also just have to plug Have Space Suit—Will Travel here because it was one of my favorite books when I was younger.

As far as cyberpunk goes, I had a bit of trouble with that one as well. Warcross was a good pick for me, that I felt like just barely crossed over in cyberpunk territory. I also read Battle Angel Alita Vol. 1, which is fairly harsh and gritty, but also short! (I read that one because the movie coming out looked interesting, and didn't even realize it was cyberpunk until I noticed it on the cover after I read it.)

I finished 2 books the last 2 weeks. I am now at 50/52

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin for Microhistory. Interesting if you like music and psychology. I do.
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard. Awful.

QOTW:

I only have 2 prompts left: "Halloween" and "Made into a movie you've already seen."
Both I have planned for October: The Agatha Christie one for the group read and Neverwhere for a buddy read in the other group.

I had planned out a bunch of different books for most prompts early on and read them throughout the year to fulfill smaller challenges. When I was reading specifically for the popsugar, I tried to do ones I had no idea what to read for so I wasn't stuck with all of them at the end of the year.

Cyberpunk was difficult for me as I have only read 1 William Gibson book and hated it so it sort of soured me to the genre. I read Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom for it, which doesn't quite fit, but it was on a cyberpunk list so I kept it!

Local author was awful because I live in Wyoming and I dislike reading about cattle and ranching and hey, that's what all the authors in Wyoming write about. I was going to read Longmire (that guy lives about 30 minutes from me), but then my coworker randomly handed me a book about the cattle wars in the 1890's so I just read it. It wasn't great, but I found it fun just because while we were fighting over cows, technology and innovation were making huge leaps in Chicago at the world fair (I also read Devil in the White City this year).

To comment on a lot of the above comments about the "other planet" prompt; my dad had a huge collection of Doctor Who books, so I grabbed a bunch of those and read "Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks."

Good morning! I'm so glad people are struggling over the same prompts as me. I totally plan to pretend the moon is a planet and read Artemis for that prompt (read the Martian already). And for cyberpunk I used the last book in the A Thousand Pieces of You trilogy because the series takes place in alternate universes, a couple of which are cyberpunk-y.

Finished:
Wuthering Heights and while I enjoyed the experience and raced through the last chunk of it, I am firmly of the belief that all of these characters are the worst, lol. It has made me want to rewatch the Olivier movie, though, and it was PERFECT for gloomy weather. I used it for the male pseudonym prompt.

Her Royal Spyness and loved it. I have now started both of Rhys Bowen's series and want to binge them.

Currently reading:
And Only to Deceive, a re-read from who knows how long ago. I remember liking these books but only reading the first few (I think I was in high school). Enjoying the first one all over again so far!

QOTW: As mentioned above, I fudge on the ones I'm really not excited about or struggling with but tend to get the hard ones out of the way first. I also hold some that fit multiple prompts in reserve and slot them in later in the year as I see how the reading shook out. Currently at 37/50 and not worried yet...

Milena wrote: Hi Kenya. I had the same reaction to The Girl in the Tower, though I did finish it. The Bear and the Nightingale was a 5 star read for me this year. I was very surprised by my reaction, I thought maybe I just wasn't in the mood. Good to know I am not the only one.

Whoo... good to know I'm not the only one, given that reviews on that book are so high here on Goodreads.

Sara wrote: "My biggest challenges right now are “set on a different planet” and “cyberpunk”."

If you're okay with stretching a bit on "set on another planet" you could read Artemis by Andy Weir (set on the moon) or The 100 by Kass Morgan (partially set on a space station - and unlike the TV show, it's not just at the beginning! - My favourite character of the book doesn't exist on the netflix show). Both of those options aren't technically on another "planet" but both fit the basic spirit of the prompt and they are both easy to read even if you're not a huge sci-fi fan!

Happy Thursday!

Currently up to 48/52 for the PS challenge!
I missed checking in last week because I was out of town and spending time with my family since my cousin got married on the 15th. :) So this check-in is for 2 weeks and I didn't read very much!

Finished Reading

The Siren by Kiera Cass - the iUniverse edition NOT the HarperTeen edition ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for 25) A Book set at sea - I loved this! I might seek out the HarperTeen edition and read that too as I've heard it's different.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for 43/A3) A Book being read by a stranger in a public place - I listened to the audiobook in the car with Grandma! We both laughed at the beginning for sure. I probably would have enjoyed this more if I'd had the chance to listen alone without talking over it sometimes but may have a re-listen some other day. I put it on Grandma's computer for her so she can at some point as well. :) I originally had slotted A Game of Thrones here but saw someone reading Ove last weekend so I swapped! Might save that series for next year instead!

Currently Reading

Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman for ATY's Narrative Non-fiction

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon for 44/A4) A Book tied to your ancestry - I was originally looking for something that related much more closely but just had a hard time finding something so I decided to watch the Netflix show a bit and see how good the story is before I delved into the massive series. I'm loving the show so decided to go for reading the series this year! I'm almost done all of my reading challenges and there's still lots of time yet in the year! :) I have both English and Scottish ancestry.

QoTW

There aren't particular prompts I'm stuck on but I have a feeling that the last bits of my challenge will go very slowly! Instead of planning to read prompts in a certain order based on personal difficulty I mostly winged it but planned to save all the prompts that started a new series until close to the end of the year so that I can delve in without worrying whether I will finish my challenges.
I am a one (maybe two) book(s) at a time person and I like to read subsequent series books right away if I'm really loving the story! I have read some other series this year but was able to fit multiple books into the prompts so I didn't save them. Here's what I have left:

11) A Book by a female author who uses a male pseudonym - The Cuckoo's Calling

18) A Book by two authors - Queen Heir

41/A1) A Bestseller from the year you graduated High School (2009) - The Girl Who Played with Fire (I just read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo a couple weeks ago.)

44/A4) A Book relating to your ancestry - Outlander

Finished
Drums of Autumn - This is the fourth Outlander book. I'm torn on my feelings about it. Some parts are my absolute favorite of the series. I loved everything about settling Fraser's Ridge. But I really don't like Briana at all.

The Simple Wild - I loved, loved, loved this book! I laughed, I cried, I'm still thinking about these characters. The ending is what I demand of every romance in the future.

Reading
I haven't decided yet. I'm still thinking about Calla and Jonah.

QOTW
I tried to knock out some of the prompts I didn't like right away: a book about sports, true crime, and Nordic noir. Then I started working on the more specific prompts, like song lyrics in the title, childhood classic, tied to my ancestry, etc. because it didn't seem like those books would fall into my lap. I saved published in 2018 for the end of the challenge because I was really looking forward to Record of a Spaceborn Few. I hurried through a few prompts at the end of the get to that one.

Happy Thursday! It's still definitely not fall here in Arizona, but it did rain all day yesterday which was a welcome surprise. I finished two short books this week and two longer ones, though sadly only one of them was great.

Finished
Sea Prayer I will read anything Khaled Hosseini writes. This was a very short book that is a letter from a Syrian refugee father to his son. It has beautiful illustrations and a touching story. It's not quite a children's book, though I think it could be read with a child who has some maturity and can process difficult issues. I think it might be especially good for a child who has refugee children as classmates and wants to understand a little better what they may have gone through when leaving their home country.

The Alice Network This was read for an IRL book club. We all enjoyed the book but it didn't generate much discussion. The story centers on two female protagonists, Eve and Charlie, and jumps back and forth between World War I and 1947. Eve was a spy during the first world war, and her path crosses with Charlie's after the second world war. I found the story to be interesting and compelling, but also felt that the writing could have been stronger. The lack of book club discussion may have been due to the fact that the protagonists were easy to root for and the villian was pure evil, so there wasn't much nuance. I did enjoy the book though and I liked learning about female spies in World War I.

Pashmina This was a fun, quick YA graphic novel about an Indian-American teenage girl who finds a magic pashmina in her mom's belongings. I read it for one of the prompts in the Reading Women challenge. I wish it had had more depth, but I did enjoy it.

Dear Life I really wanted to read Alice Munro because she is so highly regarded and has won the Nobel Prize for literature, but this just did not do it for me. I have a really hard time connecting with short story collections and this, unfortunately, was no exception. I found the look at small town Canadian life to be interesting, but I wanted more to happen in the stories. Most of them fell pretty flat for me.

Currently Reading
Still plugging away at The Count of Monte Cristo. I took a break for about a week so I could focus on finishing my book club book, but now I'm back at it.

Sing, Unburied, Sing I have been putting this one off because my expectations for it are probably too high and I'm worried I won't like it. I'm only one chapter in but the writing is phenomenal so far.

QOTW
I had to look back through my challenge list and the finish dates because I wasn't sure. It looks like what I did was intersperse the harder prompts with easier, more enjoyable reads, because the prompts I wasn't looking forward to (cyberpunk, other planet, allegory, time travel) were well spread out. That system seemed to work well for me because I was never bogged down with book after book of things that were harder for me to enjoy.

Hi everyone!

Lots of rain today, but nowhere near the hurricane so I suppose I can't complain too much. Yesterday I had the day off and it was beautiful!

This week I finished:

Quicksilver - I feel bad that I disliked this so much, since I really love Neal Stephanson. But I just couldn't get into it, and I kept waiting for something to happen. Way too much was just flashbacks, and even the flashbacks didn't really seem to build to exactly what lead to the present situation. The whole thing just felt like a long set up for the next book, but I didn't enjoy it enough to read any more. This was my final ATY book, making me DONE with reading challenges for the year, woo! It was my book from the first 10 books added to my tbr list.

Mech Cadet Yu Vol. 3 - Finished this comic up, i liked it. Sort of Iron Giant meets Pacific Rim.

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge - picked this up on a whim on a book deal, looked kinda fun. I did enjoy it, but it was a little bit of a mess with the various character relationships. But I like the concept of perfectly mixed drinks as magic potions. I'd probably read more if he continues it as a series.

Rose Vol. 2: Ghosts - pretty series, enjoying it so far. Finally got caught up.

Currently reading:

Home - I kind of wish the author had just combined all the binti books into one vol. This one started off so abruptly, I've been having trouble getting into it because it's been long enough since I finished the first one I forget everything that happened. I'll have to pick up the third right away, so I don't have the same problem with it.

Moon Called - got the audio book for this because I heard it had a decent reader. I like her alright, don't love her Stephan voice though. I doubt he would actually speak like a transylvanian vampire. But it's good to refresh the series, it was a while since i started it.

iZombie, Vol. 4: Repossession - should finish this up today, my hoopla hold is almost done, I'd forgotten I downloaded it at the end of August. It's an ok series, I actually prefer the show.

QOTW:

I finished it a month or so ago. I tried to mix prompts up so I scattered ones I really liked and ones I dreaded through the challenge. I still ended up with my least favorite, true crime, last due to being on hold at the library for 3 months. I should have just ordered the physical book right away! I just didn't realize it would take SO long. Luckily my choice ended up being an easy read, even if I didn't love it.

Sarah, Binti is pretty short and it does involve going to another planet. I liked it, myself, even if I'm having trouble with the second. Even then it's more that I just forget exactly what happened in the first.

I feel bad that everyone hates the cyberpunk so much, it's one of my favorite genres and I was so excited to see it! Haha. I'd saved it well into my challenge so I'd have something to look forward to.

Last year there was the same pushback for the "steampunk" prompt - I think any time a prompt is really specific about genre, there's going to be a noticeable percentage of "challengers" who don't like it! I wonder what they will put on the list next year?

Nothing to report this week, but I'm just adding one more suggestion about the prompt on another planet:

Solaris

Not very long. Slow pacing, but interesting and different from other science fiction's book.

Hello from a blazing Columbus. I’m so done with heat. It looks like the temp is supposed to drop significantly as the week progresses. I almost forgot today was Thursday, but better late than never!

The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra this was for the goodreads winner prompt. I couldn’t pick one book so I did two for this prompt. This is a pretty detailed account of the lives of the children and Alexandra. It didn’t get too into political stuff, but did explain why the Empress was continuously out of favor with the Russian people. I still don’t have a clear understanding of what the revolution was about but I can certainly state nothing their father did was any reason to kill his children. This book weighed so heavy on my heart. I’m Roman Catholic, not Eastern but the mother and children’s depicted unwavering faith was really moving.

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch this was my second goodreads winner pick. After reading about Mary Stuart the other week and then the Romanov family, it was nice to read something less tragic. This is a very in depth look at Elizabeth II’s time on the throne so far. It actually really changed my perception of her. I feel like the media, or American media at least, has always painted her as cold and unfeeling but now I have a very different view of her and her family. It’s a long read but very interesting if you’re into reading about monarchs.

QOTW: I’ve been stuck on a book someone else is reading in public. I’ve only seen people reading books I’ve already read, or sequels. I’m gonna have to stalk people at the library or book store soon if I can’t find a suitable pick.

Fannie wrote: "Nothing to report this week, but I'm just adding one more suggestion about the prompt on another planet:

Solaris

Not very long. Slow pacing, but interesting and different from other ..."

Ooooh... Solaris is a good one. Though there are a couple different translations out there and I hear some are better than others.

Nadine, Fair I suppose. I really didn't like the true crime prompt, since there's really not much wiggle room there. I don't mind thrillers, I don't want to know about real people being terrible.

Dani,

I don't know if you go to the gym at all, but I found people read on treadmills/ellipticals! Also the guy at the front desk pretty much always has a book. That prompt was easier than I was afraid of, for me.

Greetings from boiling hot Kentucky--high of 94° today. Next week's high temps (low 80's) sound positively refreshing in comparison.
I've been in a reading slump lately and have only finished one book since August--the decidedly average The Last Mrs. Parrish, for the "two authors" prompt. I didn't really enjoy it, but it was a fast read, so I rode it out to see if I guessed the twist correctly (I did). I feel like one author wanted to write Gone Girl, and the other wanted to write Behind Closed Doors, and the resulting mashup pales in comparison to both books.
The good thing is that it inspired me to read something better, so I think my slump is over. I'm already in the middle of three lengthy books (Dragonfly in Amber, It, and A Feast for Crows), so I'll probably power though the end of one and pick up something shorter and faster-moving. It's almost Halloween season, and I have a few books lined up that I purposely saved for this time of year!

I am still at 51/52

still reading Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype which brings me to the QOTW. This was not a prompt I thought would take me this long but the book is one I read small parts of at a time as it starts a lot of thoughts so can't just keep reading. I'm not sure why as I usually don't have a problem with that but I have decided it must take as long as it takes.
The ancestry one I really stretched as I couldn't find any I found interesting.
I tried to start of with some of the prompts that I wasn't looking too forward to and some of the ones I was really loking forward to so I wouldn't quit the challenge all together. But I managed to find some okay books even for those I really wasn't to keen on.

Sheri wrote: "Sarah, Binti is pretty short and it does involve going to another planet. I liked it, myself, even if I'm having trouble with the second. Even then it's more that I just forget exactly what happene..."

Well I love both, and have read two books for each that fit, without having to plan it... :)

Nadine wrote: "Last year there was the same pushback for the "steampunk" prompt - I think any time a prompt is really specific about genre, there's going to be a noticeable percentage of "challengers" who don't l..."

That makes sense. I'm torn on how I feel about the specific genre prompts myself. I appreciate being nudged outside my comfort zone and the specific genre gives more direction in that than some of the more general prompts. BUT, I would like more wiggle room for when we already know we don't like something.

I think I actually prefer the 'set on another planet' type prompts. It points you toward sci-fi, but you can also stray into fantasy (with Pern), or flex it count alternate realities if you want... There's just a little more room to find something you should like than specifying a really specific genre.

Happy thursday all!

This week I read a bunch of picture books, a book of goodnight stories for children and a non-fiction book for work (about how to have quality literature talks with children. The book was okay but not great. I read it for a very interesting and inspiring seminar about this, that I attended on monday). The picture books were for reviews. Some really good, some okay, but none that works for the challenge.

Currently (actively) reading:
Ravnenes hvisken (Whisper of the Ravens #3). Very promising thus far. This is a book I´ve really looked forward to, it´s the end of a trilogy. It´s a fantasy book that takes place partly in a remote (in Danish standards) place in Northern Denmark and partly in an alternative world. It mixes Norse mythology, and is well written and has great plots. It has twins that are very important to the plot, but also Nordic noir elements. And lo and behold - the publisher calls it "nordic fantasy noir" tada! I´m going to count that, since I have to really concentrate in order to finish the challenge.

Pride and Prejudice for Alliteration (instead of Poison or Protect that I already have there). (Audiobook)

A Short History of Drunkenness for microhistory. Reading a bit before sleeping in the night, because I found out that zombies, Norse gods, Ragnarok and general suspense either keeps me up reading or prevents me from being able to sleep because I´m on an adrenaline high...

Shortly going to pick up The Hazel Wood and "de mystiske øjne" (The mysterious eyes) for book clubs on monday, and I also have three short children´s books for review waiting for me. So you see - this leads me to question of the week:

I´m not really stuck on any specific prompts, I´m just kind of stuck in general, and afraid that I won´t be able to finish. Between work being busy, my 3 children´s schools and what that entails, and my review work increasing with all the autumn releases, plus reading for my two book clubs for children at work, I don´t have much reading time for reads that I choose. And I therefore find myself reading books that fit already filled prompts, and not much else challenge-wise. Oh well.

Edit: It just occurred to me, this may be why my TBR piles and lists never decreases...

Hi everyone. I've had a really horrendous day at work and then just got completely drenched by Storm Ali on the way home so I'm feeling very sorry my self at the moment haha!

I managed to finish three books this week but none that I particularly liked.

This week I finished Save Me the Waltz. I was super interested in reading the only novel by Zelda Fitzgerald because of everything I have heard about the relationship between her and her husband. I wonder what the novel was like before he censored it

I also finished The Legend of Sleepy Hollow which was hugely disappointing. (view spoiler)[I was expecting an actual headless horseman, not just some dude throwing a pumpkin at Ichabod Crane. Maybe I've seen the Johnny Depp film too many times? (hide spoiler)]

Today I finished The Poison Belt. I loved The Lost World so I had really high expectations for this book but it was just meh. I liked the characters still but the plot was like watching (view spoiler)[ Avengers: Infinity War (hide spoiler)] but only the unnamed characters were affected and then all of a sudden everything was fixed liked magic and then it was over. No mention of the fallout or consequences of the event. I expected more.

QOTW: Book that you saw someone reading in public is the worst! I commute every day and I've been a few holidays this year so I should be primed to spot a lot of readers but no books caught my eye that I actually want to read until Dune, but the book is soooooooo heavy I can only read it at home and I don't have much time to read at home right now.

I'm firmly in the disliking specific genre prompts camp, but that's because they're almost always genres that I already know I dislike (steampunk last year, nordic noir + cyberpunk this year)

Heather wrote: "Finished
Drums of Autumn - This is the fourth Outlander book. I'm torn on my feelings about it. Some parts are my absolute favorite of the series. I loved everything about settling Fra..."

This is the book where Brianna first travels back in time? If so, I didn't care for her that much in that book but I like her better in subsequent books.

Sarah wrote: "I'm firmly in the disliking specific genre prompts camp, but that's because they're almost always genres that I already know I dislike (steampunk last year, nordic noir + cyberpunk this year)"

I'm not a big fan of Nordic noir because it's just too noir. I didn't do the advanced list, so didn't have to worry about cyberpunk. My big fear is there's going to be an erotica prompt. Or, "book with explicit graphic violence."

Katy wrote: My big fear is there's going to be an erotica prompt. Or, "book with explicit graphic violence."

If either of those prompts are chosen next year, I'll cheat and replace it with a prompt from a previous year that I liked. There's "pushing you out of your comfort zone," and then there's "forcing you to read things that are genuinely unpleasant for you."

As for disliking genre prompts, I admit to not liking the Nordic noir prompt because I don't really like the genre, but I don't mind genre prompts in general because I can usually still find something enjoyable to read in most genres. Just my thought, though.

I really doubt they'd do those two. The challenge, as I understand, is supposed to be accessible to a wide range of readers - including a range of ages. Anything "R-rated" most likely won't make it in.

Hello everyone! I've been plugging away on a bunch of books this week, so I haven't finished anything new. The good news is I'm enjoying everything I'm reading right now--but that just makes it harder to decide which book to pick up!

Currently reading:
It (Halloween)--I'm going with a creepy book rather than one set on Halloween because I've been meaning to push myself out of my comfort zone enough to read It for a while. As long as it kinda resembles the prompt and pushes me to broaden my horizons in some way, I call it good. I'm enjoying Stephen King's patented nostalgia sliding slowly into creepy and then terrifying. He does it so well.
I Capture the Castle This is getting better as it goes on, though I do agree with one of the characters that the narrator is "consciously naïve".
The Satanic Verses I'm reading this with my brother and cousin for Fambly Book Club, and so far everyone is impressed. I'm not really seeing the sacrilege yet.
The Day of the Jackal (on audiobook)

QOTW: I try to spread out the ones I'm not looking forward to, but honestly I'm fine with cheating on categories a little bit if something really doesn't appeal to me. I'm here because I enjoy the community, the checklists, and reading more/reading more widely. As long as I get those things out of it, I am fine with a bit of fudging. Last year I just Could Not with the book of career advice, so I made it a wild card instead, and no regrets were had. :-D