Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy Thursday! I had to travel to Charlotte for work this week. I hate traveling for work, but all that time in the airports and hotel rooms does give me lots of reading time!

Admin stuff - nothing new. We still have an opening for discussion leader for the December group Read of Circe.

And I have a question/request for those of you who live in or have recently visited New York City: I'll be in Manhattan on Thanksgiving week, and I'm looking for recommendations for places to eat that Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Nothing too fancy or too crowded (if there's a line out the door, im not interested!) I'll be staying in Times Square with my mother and my husband. Also, I've never been to the High Line, so if the weather is nice Wednesday we might do that, and then perhaps eat nearby?

I finished 4 books this week, none of them for the Challenge, so I remain 49/50. (I did at least start my final Challenge read! But I haven't gotten very far.)

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda - this was an entertaining thriller told in reverse. It's good but not amazing, it would make a good vacation read (or airplane read!). I think the backwards story worked against it, I probably would have liked this a lot more if it was told the usual way.

A Talent for Trickery by Alissa Johnson - a Victorian romance, my first from Johnson but not my last! This was really great.

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman - massive eye roll to this disappointing psychological thriller.

One Snowy Night by Jill Shalvis - a romance novella that I read while stranded in the airport because my flight home was delayed.

Question of the Week

This week's question is from Theresa (from last year!): What unusual or non-wikipedia, Amazon, or Good Reads online resources have you found helpful when researching any prompt?


I know it's a little early, but the new list will be out in about a month (no, I have no idea exactly when we will see it), and I thought we could share interesting sources we use.

I, apparently, am uninteresting, because I pretty much rely on Google and Listopia. Library Thing and Wikipedia are helpful sometimes too.

Yay, I'm home because I have to run to the bank at 9 to get documents for my daughters driver's permit (!). So why not check in early?

In the past two weeks, I've finished:

Vicious - loved it, great take on superheros/X-men/Heroes type stuff.

Illuminae - un-put-down-able! Great science fiction adventure.

I'm working through Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Audio Collection, read by Stephen Fry. The best bedtime stories ever!

I started Gemina, but it's on hold since Vengeful dropped this week and I actually got my library hold right away! Liking it so far, though I'm not sure how bad Victor can be and me still like him - we'll see.

QOTW:

Mostly I use this group and my TBR list, but I do get some ideas for stuff I'm guaranteed to be interested in from the HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast, and I'm in a couple Lovecraft Facebook groups where I can ask for help too. I find if all else fails on a prompt, if I go to my favorite genre I can often figure something out.

Three books finished for the challenge this week and I only have Halloween and time of day in title left.

I finished What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World for an author whose name I share. It was a mix of memoir and microhistory about cadaver dogs (and other working dogs but the author is training her dog to find bodies, so it's focused on that). It was fascinating and I reckon you could use it for true crime if you're still struggling on that one. This was one of a bunch of dog books I bought when Scully was a puppy and I'm glad this challenge gave me the push to read it.

I also finished Assassin's Apprentice for a female author using a male pseudonym. It was so slow to get going, if it wasn't needed for this challenge I would have DNFed it... but then I really got into it in the second half. So I might read more in the future.

I listened to Burial Rites for a book being read by a stranger. I feel relieved to have ticked this one off. The book was a bit too depressing if well written and I don't think it helped knowing what happens to Agnes at the end.

I am currently reading Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes? and listening to Thunderhead, not for any challenges.

48/50 | 93/100

QOTW:
The only prompt I did a lot of research on was the bestseller from the year I finished high school. I tried very hard to find weekly bestseller lists for the UK but they all led to dead ends. I was tempted to ask someone in publishing with access to Nielsen stats to look for me.

My wishlists and TBR are so long and varied I have been able to find books for most things from what I already knew about.

No prompts were ticked off this week but I’m down to 7 and I’ve figured out what to read for them.

Watch Me Disappearby Janelle Brown. Mom goes on a solo hike and goes missing. Almost a year later, the teenage daughter begins to have visions of her mom. Daughter and mom start digging and uncover new secrets about the mother. I found the ending somewhat unsatisfying but it was still a good read.

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Malloy. Baby goes missing while the mother is out with other moms on a girls night out. It was okay.

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner. It’s a book about Romy a stripper who goes to prison and mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex and I honestly could not put it down. There was some jumping around in viewpoints but it didn’t bother me like it did some other reviewers.

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith. Next in the Cormoran Strike books. I loved them. I loved this one. Although, I’d love for Robin and Strike to be adults and sit down and talk about things.

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center. Woman is in an accident on the day she is proposed to. Family secrets get exposed. It was a good read.

QOTW:
Honestly, I use this group and the threads for the various prompts and that’s about it. I did google a lot looking for a romance novel with the word “blue” in the title. But no unusual sources.

Happy Thursday!

Finished:

Humans of New York: Stories - loved it, but didn't fill any remaining prompts

Wildflower - fine read but I felt like she was trying to sugarcoat her life and pretend everything was perfect, no prompts

Illuminae - I seem to be in the vast minority but I absolutely despised this book!! I give the authors points for creativity in style but the story did not capture my interest, it was very redundant, and I did not care any of the characters. I will not be finishing the series. Used for "takes place on another planet", even though it did not perfectly fit, I am using it just for the pain I went through to finish the book!!

Currently Reading:

Slaughterhouse-Five - book about time travel, also a banned book - the best way to celebrate banned books week is to read a banned book!

QOTW:
I do a lot of Googling and planning but a lot of times I end up just finding places to fit books I read without a plan. Many times I'll read a book just because it sounds good and then I'll find that I can fit it into a prompt rather than finding books to fill specific prompts.

I still haven't made much progress on that last book I'm reading for the challenge. (Busy/tired/health flare ups/blah, blah, blah...)

Finished Reading:
Sourdough I enjoyed this one. As a millennial homemaker from the midwest this book just managed to hit more notes of resonance for me than the average book.

A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of The Snow Queen Fun, light reading. I liked this retelling much better than the original story, for sure.

The Rising I can't decide if I liked the ending more than it frustrated me that the author tried to act like this ending was *never* going to happen, and then sprung it on us near the end of the trilogy.

Currently Reading:
Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story I'm really finding the information interesting (though I often disagree with the author's perspective) and I will get back to this as soon as I have a time to read that I'm not exhausted and don't have a headache or brain fog.

The Power of When: Discover Your Chronotype--and the Best Time to Eat Lunch, Ask for a Raise, Have Sex, Write a Novel, Take Your Meds, and More My current audio book. I'm not a fan of the self-help hype in the tone of the early part of the book, but once it gets into the meat of the book it seems reasonably plausible and worth experimenting with shifting my schedule around a bit to see if it makes my life run a little more smoothly.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets I forgot to put this on Goodread when we started it, but my husband and I are now slowly working through the second Harry Potter book on audio. (We actually also did a bit as a read aloud last night, to get past a scratched up part of one of the discs from the library.)

Maiden of Iron: A Steampunk Fable Less of a Robin Hood retelling than a Maid Marian retelling. It's not great, but it's pretty fun.

DNF:
Actualized I hate to give up on the third book of a trilogy and leave it unfinished, but it was boring and I didn't care what happened. In retrospect, I kind of felt that way about the first two books, but had been just interested enough to want to convince myself I *really* liked them.

QOTW:
I usually start with my TBR and slot in books from that where I can, and then mostly use suggestions from this group or maybe goodreads lists for the rest. I guess that makes me a little boring. :-)

I have a major book hangover. I loved The Simple Wild so much that I haven't been able to read anything since I finished it on Wednesday last week. I picked up a couple books on my TBR shelf, but set them aside after a chapter each. I think the only thing that might break this book hangover is to read another book by K.A. Tucker. I'll take a walk down to the public library at lunch.

QOTW
If not this group, then I rely on Google to find blog posts with lists of books that could fill a prompt. That's how I found my "song lyrics in the title" book, "a book mentioned in another book," and "a childhood classic" because I didn't know what childhood classic might still be interesting to me as an adult. Book bloggers are great!

Greetings.
We break for mid-semester tomorrow so hope to get some reading done next week.

Finished
Sea Prayer because I was struggling to get The kite runner done and saw Sea Prayer on someone's post last week. Very quick read and quite powerful for how short it is.
Also finished Why Mummy Drinks because I saw that on here. Turns out one of my uni mates is thanked at the end. Small world.

Currently trying to read
Cuckoo's calling and The Kite Runner.

QOTW
Just here and asking real people for me.

I am reading one of Nadine's favorite books - The Rose Society. Just kidding Nadine - I saw your review for these books and I can understand why you have a disdain for them. Used The Young Elites for anti-hero and I'm just finishing off the series.

In other news, I've planned out my TBR for the rest of the year! I realized I need to get my butt in gear for finishing off this challenge and sprinkled in a couple non-challenge reads. Gotta get focused because I know my reading pace and how many books I can do. Hoping to hit my goodreads goal of 80 books.

I'm at 34 regular, 7 advanced, and 15 nonchallenge. 56 total.

Good morning! It is Cozy Reads (TM) season in the northeastern US so I spent last weekend curled up with as many books as I could finish between making soups and baking pumpkin-flavored goodies. I love this time of year.

Finished:
And Only to Deceive, a reread on a series I remember loving and behold I do still like this series! I can't wait to get back into it.

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, a lovely contemporary romance that picks apart the manic pixie dream girl trope in the best way.

Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge, a disappointing book with a great premise but not enough source material to justify a book. It's about a fascinating sliver of American history and a side of Washington we don't talk about, but just scant facts available. This should have been a "based on a true story" novel OR a longform piece for The Atlantic.

Save the Date, because Morgan Matson. I loved her last book and grabbed the new one at the library on a whim... devoured in two days.

NOTHING for the challenge, what is wrong with me.

Currently reading:
The Great Alone which IS for the challenge (recommended by my friend who is also taking it). I know Kristin Hannah is going to emotionally destroy me, I just haven't figured out how yet...

QOTW: I love pulling my list out in the office, with friends, my book club, etc and have gotten some really helpful suggestions from them! My coworkers get really into trying to think of ideas.

I've been on a graphic novel kick this week so I read Angel: After the Fall, Volume 3 & Angel: After the Fall, Volume 4 by Brian Lynch and I read 僕のヒーローアカデミア 1 Boku No Hero Academia 1 by Kohei Horikoshi

As I'm done with this challenge, I'm concentrating on my other challenges and read Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer for a book set in Delaware. It was good but I didn't love it like my friends did.

QOTW Fun question, wish I had a fun answer. Honestly I almost never have to look further than my own bookshelves. I've not used anything but that or Goodreads but I'm going to see what other people say for this.

Hello all! I am also travelling for work this week! I am in Chicago currently. I hate flying and I hate big cities, but it's growing on me. The pizza is not over-hyped. I did have time to read on the plane, but in the city I've been at conferences all day and doing awesome touristy things in the evening. My coworker is from here so he's been showing me around. It's pretty fun.

Before I left, I had a "self-care" day in preparation for being riddled with flying anxiety and finished 4 books that day! I'm still at 50/52 as none fit the challenge.

Finished:
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind by V.S. Ramachandran
The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket on audio

I'm working on
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt not for the challenge
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman for made into a movie I've seen (although I hardly remember the movie)

QOTW:
Just goodreads and google. I also ask anyone and everyone I know for suggestions in certain topics.

Megan wrote: "I am reading one of Nadine's favorite books - The Rose Society. Just kidding Nadine - I saw your review for these books and I can understand why you have a disdain for them. Used [b..."


LOL I usually really like Marie Lu but that series was such a fail for me!! I still intend to read the final book in the trilogy, just to finish it. Maybe the series will redeem itself.

Nadine wrote: "Megan wrote: "I am reading one of Nadine's favorite books - The Rose Society. Just kidding Nadine - I saw your review for these books and I can understand why you have a disdain for..."

I already have book 3 checked out so once I"m done with 2 I'll go right on. So I'll be sure to let you know.

I loved her Legend trilogy and recently read the graphic novels for that too! So fun to be back in that world!

I have finished several books in the past week, and am now at 21/40 but not panicking because I'm a fast reader.
Finished:
The Chance You Won't Return by Annie Cardi for the mental health prompt. It was really good and I'm glad I stumbled onto it in the school library.
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams for the "involves a bookstore or library" prompt. It was also very good. Told the story of a girl trying to escape a polygamist cult.
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan for the 2 authors prompt. It was actually pretty good, even though I don't usually like books that bounce between two narrators.
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool for the local author prompt. She's from Wichita and I figured any Kansas author would be close enough to "local" for me. It was fairly slow, but picked up the pace in the second half of the book. Not one I'll run around shouting a recommendation for, but it was good and I'd take one like it on a flight or long car ride.

Up next:
Not sure. I need to raid the library again and I guess start reading a series so I can read the "next book." I also still need a heist, true crime, a Nordic noir (not looking forward to that one), time travel, weather element, different planet, and twins, plus some others.

QOTW:
I rely on google, the Goodreads boards for this challenge, and our school librarian for recommendations.

It's been another crazy, busy week and I just haven't had enough time to read like I want to!

Finished:
The Essence of Malice by Ashley Weaver - not for a prompt
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. I wasn't planning to use this for a prompt, BUT it works for a book set at sea. Ok, so a large chunk of the book is set in Seattle, BUT the Antarctic cruise is a major part of the plot and enough time is spent on the cruise that I feel justified in using it :)

Currently reading:
Drums of Autumn - reread - only 5 hours left (out of a total of 45 hours!)
Tales of Shakespeare - using for a childhood classic
Warcross - attempting to read this for cyberpunk. I haven't read much yet though.

QOTW

Aside from this group I mostly use Goodreads lists and google (which directs me to the lists, wikipedia and many other sources).

Hello from a crisp and cool Columbus! It’s finally cooling down and feeling autumn like.

The Little Stranger I got notification from overdrive that this was checked out. I had no idea what it was or why I put it on hold lol. I finally discerned that I wanted to read it before I saw the movie, which has Domhnall Gleeson (lowkey in love with him). This doesn’t really fit in any of my remaining challenge prompts, but I went for it anyway. It’s a gothic novel, one of those “is it ghosts or is it insanity?” storylines. I spend 90% of this book having no idea where it was going or what the point was but I certainly enjoyed the journey. The ending was good and I overall really enjoyed this book.

My Best Friends Exorcism this was for a book set in the decade I was born in prompt. I’m glad the book I had initially picked wasn’t actually set in the 80s, and that this was set in the late 80s (I was looking for something set in the year I was born and this was one year off). This book was a trip. It’s the same author that wrote Horrorstör which I see mentioned here a lot. The title is pretty self-explanatory, it’s about a high school girl’s best friend getting possessed. It was sad, and funny, and creepy, and sweet, and great.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist for the best seller from the year I graduated. 2006 represent! I read this book my senior year, and I was so into the movie when it came out. This book brought back some major 18-years-old-fresh-out-of-high-school vibes. I was really into local music and rock shows, so this book was right up my alley. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, it’s from the perspective of both Nick and Norah, two teenagers who meet and a romance develops after meeting one night at a concert. It’s a fun book, a bit heavy handed with sexual tension and a bit too YA for me now at 30. But I’m glad I revisited this book all the same.

So I’m at 38/40 & 2/10 with 144 books read this year.

QOTW: I find book riot has good lists but otherwise I just google the prompt and click on relevant links until I find something.

Another week, another batch of canning done... 'tis the season. Also found out our library's semi-annual book sale is taking place the weekend I'm going to be out of town on vacation. Maybe this is the universe's way of telling me I need to stop buying so many books. XD

Finished this week:

Earth Warden: A Sci Fi Adventure -- the author's first foray into fiction (he's previously been a travel writer), and while not perfect, it was dang fun.

Little Fuzzy -- would work for anyone still trying to fill the "book set on another planet" prompt, and a freaking adorable sci-fi novel. (I know, those two things shouldn't seem like they can go together, huh?) It makes me curious about checking out John Scalzi's reboot of this book, Fuzzy Nation, at some point...

Giant Trouble and Whiskerella -- the fourth and fifth books in the "Hamster Princess" books. Despite the cutesy title, these are really fun and awesome re-imagined fairy tales with a strong feminist twist.

At the Mountains of Madness: A Graphic Novel -- this is one of my favorite Lovecraft stories thus far, and the graphic novel adaptation was decent, though I feel like the art style (which somehow reminded me of the Tin Tin comics) didn't match the feel of the story.

DNF:

Snow & Ash and No Such Thing as Werewolves -- I'm getting pickier about my freebie e-books (I subscribe to a couple newsletters that offer free and bargain e-books), and these two just didn't hold my interest. The first was completely unrealistic in its portrayal of nuclear war, and the second was just way too fast-paced. (Yes, it's possible for a book to be TOO rushed in its pace.)

Sidekicked -- again, it lost my interest, though I've since re-added it to my to-read list. Maybe I'll pick it up again later...

Currently Reading:

Goldenhand -- last book in the Old Kingdom series
Swan Song -- holy crap I didn't realize this was over 900 pages when I first got the e-book... I'm going to be at this one awhile...
And STILL slogging through the complete works of Lovecraft... wish me luck.

QOTW:

For title-based prompts or prompts dealing with the author's name (same first or last name, same initials, etc.), my library's online catalog has actually proven very useful. Also Novelist, an online database for book reviews and recommendations, though I believe it's only accessible via libraries who have paid for a certain online database package. Check your local library for more information.

Also, my co-workers have proven useful in filling certain prompts. Though they've also tried to discourage me from reading certain books as well -- one was baffled that I chose The Scorpio Races for my "book about or involving a sport" and suggested I read some romance novel about a woman sleeping with a hockey player instead. Um... not a big romance fan, and last time I checked horse-racing WAS a sport...

I am still at 51/52 and working on my last book. Have been in a bit out of my game lately so haven’t read to much. Need to find a book that can spike my interest to start a new book. Can’t even figure out what genre to go for.... been a while since I felt like that.
Hopefully it will come to me soon.

Qotw:
Looking forward to seeing the new list and love seeing what we come up with in the group for each prompt. I rarely look at my tbr list unless its like a color or fruit thing or the name. I also get ideas on instagram. Follow quite a few that post mainly about books so often find new authors that way and have this way found some books for the prompts. Besides that I use goodreads and their lists.

Hi all! It is nice and chilly today meaning Fall is definitely here! Definitely ready to get all cosy up this season and buckle into some bigger reads.

This week I finished two books this week, and both of them we're for the challenge!

First was Seafire by Natalie C. Parker for a book set at sea. I didn't like this. I thought the writing was really unsophisticated and the world seemed very underdeveloped. Plus I didn't particularly love any of the characters. I'm not planning on continuing the series.

Also, I finished The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch for a book by a local author, as I live in Pittsburgh and he gave said lecture at CMU. I didn't really enjoy this. I found this life advice overly simplistic and coming from a position of so much privilege that he didn't address. However, I reconciled that he wrote this book for his kids to remember him after his death, so really I wasn't the intended audience.

Currently: I'm working through Champion, Don Quixote, and Unmasked by the Marquess as an ebook, audiobook, and physical book. I hope I finish at least Champion & Unmasked next week, and I'll probably work through a couple other library holds as well.

QOTW: I'm looking forward to the new list, because I love figuring out how books I've been meaning to read fit in. I've been on a mission to lower my tbr shelf on goodreads, because there's so many books on it and I want to actually feel like I will get to most of them (which I probably won't but I can hope!). So I spent a lot of time combing through my tbr to find things that would fit for this year. Otherwise... I really just rely on Google/Goodreads/Wikipedia to fill in prompts! I do hate bestseller prompts because I find it really hard to find good comprehensive best seller lists.

Finished 4 books this week, all which worked for the prompt. Go me! Also realized I could fill a few more prompts with books I'd read earlier this year, which brings me to 45/50.

Finished:
Moby-Dick or, The Whale (A book set at sea)- I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. Melville is great with the humor and snark! Still, I wasn't a fan of the whaling infodump chapters.

Career of Evil (A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym)- Took me a few tries to get through this. I felt it took a long time to get going and there wasn't enough interviewing of suspects and such that I liked in the earlier books. Also, I find serial killers boring so that might have contributed to me not liking it as well.

Ghost (A book about or involving a sport)- This is a quick read and a PBS Great American Read, so I got two birds with one stone! I enjoyed it though I thought it was simplistic for my tastes. I could see how reluctant readers like middle school boys would like it, which is the target audience!

Johnny Mnemonic (A cyberpunk book)- Or, more like a short story. I dunno what happened here. Like, I got the cyberpunk vibe but ask me what happened and I'll say, "the climax involved having a dance off with the villian on a buckling, suspended dance floor."

Currently reading:
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
The Cobra King of Kathmandu

QOTW:
If I'm not sure what a prompt might cover (like cyberpunk), I google it and click on what comes up and keep clicking until I find something I like. Something I've used a few times though not in regards to this challenge is NoveListPlus; it's offered through my library and gives you book suggestions based on that kind of books you like to read. You can even mix and match types of characters, atmosphere, ect.

Happy Thursday! Welp - it's still definitely not fall here in Phoenix. September is always awful here but I think this one has been more terrible than usual. Today is September 27th and the high is 104. That is just unacceptable. Anyway, I'll stop now and tell you that I only finished one book this week, but I am finally almost done with The Count of Monte Cristo! I'm at 83% and my goal is to finish by the end of the month. Woohoo!

Finished
Sing, Unburied, Sing I don't even have the words to describe how good this book is. I mentioned last week that I'd been putting off reading it because I was worried it wouldn't meet my very high expectations, but well, it met them and more. It's about a drug addict mother and a road trip she takes with her kids to pick up her children's father from prison. But it's also about our country's racist history and the repercusions of that. It's also brutally sad, but surprisingly not without a little light and hope (though when I say a little I mean a little). And it's the best written book I've read in a very long time. Jesmyn Ward is a master.

Currently Reading
The Count of Monte Cristo The first 25% of this book was fantastic, then it got real slow for me for a real long time, but then at about 70% it picked back up and some crazy stuff started happening. I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends.

The Lido The unlikely-friendship-trope really works for me, and this book has that and more. I'm really enjoying it so far, and it's a nice light change from Monte Cristo and Sing, Unburied, Sing.

Ready from Within: Septima Clark and the Civil Rights Movement

QOTW
This year was my first time doing the challenge, and I found it right before the start of 2018, so I mostly relied on the discussion threads in this group and you guys were SO HELPFUL. So we'll see what I find next year. Though I think I did use the List Challenges site somewhat too.

Hi everyone!

I've been lazy and haven't checked in for a couple of weeks, but that's ok because my reading progress slowed way down. I'm juggling my last semester of my MLIS, plus an internship, and I happened to get my spouse a new game system and I too have spent considerable time playing it!

We're happy the weather has gotten just a little bit less like you're being hit in the face with a hot hair dryer when you go outside, and a little more like, well, summer in other parts of the country.

As far as reading progress, I think I only have one finish to report: You, which I slotted in for the "bookstore or library" prompt after moving some things on my list around. I definitely thought it was well written and really liked it. I even started watching the series, though I'm not sure what I think of it just yet.

I'm currently reading The Cuckoo's Calling, and I'm really enjoying it, just not getting through it all that fast. Am only at 15% after about a week or so. However, this is my last book for the challenge, so after this one, I'll be done.

QOTW: My first go-to for these challenges is my TBR. I have put so much in my TBR over the past couple years, much of it thanks to recommendations from this group, that I was able to initially fill 90% of the prompts for this year's challenge from my TBR alone. Though once I started the challenge that went out the window, as I'd get to a prompt, realize I didn't feel like reading something from my TBR, and find something different.

I've used Google a lot. Like Nadine, I've also used Listopia and occasionally Library Thing. I've also walked around my local library and looked at the latest displays for inspiration. That helped last year for prompts like cat on the cover, etc. I've also gotten quite a few recommendations from friends who are also doing the challenge. Otherwise, it's GR & Amazon.

Taylor wrote: "Happy Thursday!

Finished:

Humans of New York: Stories - loved it, but didn't fill any remaining prompts

Wildflower - fine read but I felt like she was trying to s..."
You're not alone in not liking Illuminae; I didn't dislike it but I'm not sure I liked it either. Zombies in space are not my thing! And I'm not sure what all the fuss is over AIDEN; it's a homicidal AI! In fact, the only character I liked was the video commentator guy with the scottish accent in the audio.

Hi everyone, happy Thursday! I read 2 books this week taking me to 33/40 and 4/10.

Completed
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I told the story a few weeks ago of how I borrowed this from a friend after raiding her bookshelf. I absolutely loved it! Laugh out loud funny but still tackling some interesting topics. I'm already a huge Gaiman fan but having read this I definitely need to give Pratchett a go. This fits the two authors prompt.

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw - I love My Fair Lady so was interested in reading it's origin play. It was just as charming and fun as the musical and quite ahead of its time with some of the topics it addresses such as social mobility and sexism. Unfortunately I don't think it fits any prompts that I haven't already covered. Nevertheless a quick and enjoyable read.

Currently Reading
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. Another book that was the source material for a musical I love but unfortunately this one has been a disappointment. The style is very detached and 'tell don't show' and the plot is silly and overdramatic. I think the plot of the musical is silly and overdramatic too but the beautiful songs make up for it!

I also really need to make a start on The Sellout as I'm leaving my buddy read partner hanging! So I'll probably start that tonight and that will fulfil the reading in a public place prompt.

QOTW
I've managed to fill the majority of the prompts from my TBR so didn't have to do too much research. However, I had an interesting finding regarding the author with the same name as you prompt.

I have quite a rare last name and was curious whether anyone with my last name had ever written a book. So I googled it and found one book,:a handbook for nudists! I was tempted to buy it for the laughs but it cost £30 so I'm going to stick to my first name for that prompt!

Greetings from sunny Oklahoma! At least, it's sunny today. We can't make up our minds on what season it is.

I have not done an update in a very, very long time. Like maybe March or April was my last check-in. I won't bore everyone with a rundown of everything I have read this year but I am currently at 38/52. I just finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, like ten minutes ago. I was originally going to use this for Childhood classic but I moved it to Turned into a Stage play or musical. Before this, I finished I'll Give You the Sun for LGBTQ protagonist. I really enjoyed both of these books. I'm currently working on Villette for Author with the same first or last name as you. I am not enjoying this so much but I'm trying to push through and hope it gets better.

Taylor wrote: "Happy Thursday!

Finished:

Humans of New York: Stories - loved it, but didn't fill any remaining prompts

Wildflower - fine read but I felt like she was trying to s..."

I hated Illuminae too! I tried to read it last year and didn't even get half way. Well done for finishing!

No books finished this week, still working on Circe to check off my final prompt, I'm getting close, but not there yet.

QOTW: my best sources were Google, this group and Goodreads lists. For books with a specific word in title, I just searched my library's electronic catalogue to find books I'd have access to (unfortunately I'd see something interesting on a list and then it wouldn't be readily available, so this worked better for me).

Other places I checked out included local bookstore recommendations, book blogs, and the subway book review. I'd just browse options at these places and see what might fit. Subway book review ended up being where I found my book with song lyrics in the title, couldn't find anything I was interested in on any of the lists, and came across here comes the sun on there. It was a great read.

It’s finally fall weather here! We had to close one of the two bedroom windows for the past two nights. I love fall weather!

Lumberjanes, Vol. 2: Friendship to the Max - I started this back when my parents were visiting sndnit expired with maybe a third left before I could read it. Finally got it back and finished it off. I find these really cute and fun.

Money from Hitler - a depressing read but a valuable one. This focuses more on what happens after the Holocaust, when Gita returns home from the concentration camp and faces a lot of hatred and brutality still.

The Dead Ladies Project: Exiles, Expats, and Ex-Countries - I really liked this but that’s a misleading title. It’s a memoir of going off to Europe and trying to set her life in order by studying dead writers. Thing is, they are not all ladies. Still, I related a lot to her life/narrative voice and I like books about authors.

Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins - I like this author and her books about marine animals. I think I might have liked the sharks one a bit more than this one, but it was still an enjoyable listen.

My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel -I thought this was a lot of silly fun.

Ten Cents a Pound - I don’t often mention the picture books I read, since I probably go through 10-20 a week but this one made me tear up each time I read it. It’s very sweet and all about how a mother wants to give her daughter the world.

I’m currently listening to Dietland and reading Aimless Love: New and Selected Poems.

WOTW: my first go-to is actually Overdrive. I plug one or two key words from the prompt into the search and see what my library has that might work.

Hi everyone. I've been ill this week so missed out on the autumn sunshine we've been having lately.

This week I didn't finish anything :( I mostly read on my commute but I haven't been at work for a few days because of my illness.

Currently reading Silas Marner. I'm nearly finished with it but not close enough to count it as read.

I really really need to get back into Dune. I read one chapter two months ago so I need to make a move on.

QOTW: I don't really have any other sources than Goodreads. I sometimes search random things on my library database (like fruits and vegetables in the title) but it annoyingly doesn't give you the blurb or any info other than the title and author (and occasionally cover image) so I have to switch back to Goodreads to see if it is something I want to read

Sara wrote: "It's been another crazy, busy week and I just haven't had enough time to read like I want to!

I totally decided "the boat was a big enough part of this story..." and used The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue for a book set at sea. I support you.

I am in the 40's - now 42/50 for the challenge!

Finished this week:
The Oresteian Trilogy by Aeschylus, used to finish off the Modern Mrs Darcy challenge for this year (read a play)

Two Badges: The Lives of Mona Ruiz by Mona Ruiz, used for the prompt "book from an author with my first or last name", good autobiography and inspiring book

Karmartha, The Last Garden by R.G. Strong - random book I picked up for free on Kindle, it was really good (children's book with a strong storyline and likeable characters)

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit, used for prompt "childhood classic I've never read", the characters were enjoyable and the adventures the children set off on were lots of fun

Momentum: Pursuing God's Blessings Through the Beatitudes by Colin S Smith, read for a NonFiction challenge, a great analysis of scripture and very inspirational

I started a few more challenge books but not loving them yet so I took a break and I'm reading another nonfiction challenge book.

QOTW: Google is my friend. Whatever resources I use outside of Goodreads or Amazon is usually something I found through Google. For the bestseller choice this year, I used the New York Times Best Seller archives, because it was Google's top result.

QOTW: I asked the lady at the used bookstore to help me with the book about death and grief. She was actually no help:) So, I just perused the stacks. So, yeah, besides Goodreads and Google, I think I just used stack perusing. I just went through he library stacks looking for the word pink or blue in the title for the favorite color prompt (it's a tie for me). Found three books with the word blue in the title that didn't look like anything I wanted to read and chose one.

And I won't be able to even ask the used book store lady next year because they went out of business at the end of August:(

I had a slow reading week. I just read a couple of cozy mysteries that I enjoyed. Unfortunately, I started several books that I did not finish. I am in a bit of a slump and keep hoping that book that breaks the reading wide open for me again is just around the corner.

QOTW: Mostly I use this group, although several prompts usually get ticked off by books my youth reading committee reads.

Hi! I've never posted in one of these weekly threads before, but I like seeing what other people have been reading. I'm working on doing the challenge twice, once with books, and again with graphic novels/comics - it has been really enjoyable and I've read more this year than any other year in memory.

Finished This Week
How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky by Lydia Netzer - 2 stars, had an interesting premise but it was too convoluted - and the sex scenes were truly awful. Read for "Book Related to Ancestry" as my dad and most of my extended family is from/lives in Toledo. (What a hard prompt to find a book for!)

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - 4 stars, started off so good, but by the end found it a bit repetitive. Read for the Allegory prompt.

Black Hole by Charles Burns - 4 stars, I really enjoyed this! The story was so weird that you didn't really mind having no emotional connection to any character. Read for "Book Recommended to You By a Fellow Challenger" for GN.

LOVF: An Illustrated Diary Of A Man Literally Losing His Mind by Jesse Reklaw - 3 stars, more of an art book or diary than a graphic novel, but lovely art regardless. Stretched a bit to fit the "Novel Based on Real Person" prompt for GN.

Drug of Choice by Michael Crichton - 5 stars, this was pulpy and fun and I loved it so much. One of Crichton's early works written under a pen name while in med school. Read for "Book with an Ugly Cover" - and this one fits the bill! Trying to read or re-read every Crichton book by end of 2020, so starting off strong!

Popeye Vol. 1 by Roger Langridge - 2 stars, not a huge Popeye fan. Read for the "Childhood Classic You've Never Read" for GN. Had some great recommendations for other books for this prompt in the forums, wish I had chosen one of those instead!

Currently Reading
Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor - Next Book in a Series
Sphere by Michael Crichton - Book Set at Sea
The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way - Book about Time Travel - GN
The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry by Legs McNeil - Microhistory


Books: 36/50
Graphic Novels: 42/50

Finished a few books this week, Yay!

For ATY:
The Smell of Other People's Houses: ( A Book published in 2016, 2017, or 2018 by an author never read before) This was an amazing story about a group of teenagers in Alaska and how different problems in their lives cause their paths to cross. I couldn't put it down. Read it in a couple of hours.
When Breath Becomes Air: ( A book related to one of the four elements: Air) Another great book that took me only a few hours to read. No wonder its been so popular.
The Goldfish Boy ( for my Midgrade 2016,2017,2018 by an author never read before). Loved this as well. I thought the author did a good job of portraying OCD, and the causes of it ( we have personal experience here in our house) , the mystery was engaging and the relationships between the characters touching.
The Bad Guys: Episode 4: Attack of the Zittens ( for my Mid grade, an unusual format). What on earth?? LOL. My daughter just read this so I grabbed it to see what she was up to. I mean I guess its 4th in the series so maybe it would make more sense to read the first 3, but what bunch of nonsense. She seemed to enjoy it though. Good for her. I'm glad she's reading.
I also read a bunch of picture books with the girls for our ATY Picture book challenge.

Currently working on ( for PopSugar)
Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick ( using this for my micro history) I'm a little less than halfway through. Non Fiction always takes me longer. Right now I'struggling because its feeling a little too personal, but that was kind of the point of my picking it up to read. Disturbing topic indeed.
War Horse ( for a stage play or musical) I didn't even know this had been made into a stage play, so thank goodness for the ideas threads. I started it at 2 am when I was up in pain. As soon as I'm done posting here, Ill finish it up. When I opened the book, I was reminded of Black Beauty. Any book that is written in the voice of the horse is for sure going to make me cry.
The Cuckoo's Calling ( female writing under male pseudonym) I have 2 hours left on audio. I get the basic idea of the story and know who the characters are, but audio is typically a bust for me , so I don't usually bother. Unless it is a REALLY great story with a REALLY great narrator my mind goes in a million other directions... I listen in the car or sometimes ( during read- a -thon or if I need to finish) while cleaning. But seriously...* I could go for a pumpkin coffee, wheres the nearest drive through?....watch out squirrel!!.... Dude, you suck at driving..... I wonder if I should make meatloaf for dinner or just heat up some chicken nuggets?....Wait? Did I forget my doctors appointment this week? crap! ... I really should call my mom* It just doesn't work for me LOL

On hold but coming up for various challenges:
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine ATY
American War ATY
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Pop Sugar
Embroideries ATY
Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return Book Riot

QOTW A lot of times books I own, have on my TBR or have heard of automatically pop into my head for prompts. If not I usually go to Listopia first. If its something really hard to figure out, I'll google. I've found some great ideas on bookish articles and blogs. Then I wait for the ideas/prompt threads and see if I want to make any changes based on what everyone else came up with. After that I make more changes based on my mood and how little time I have left to finish just ONE of these challenges haha.

Happy Thursday!

I'm currently up to 49/52 for the PS challenge! :) The last bit will probably be ignored for a while until I can finish some series that I've started but I'm totally okay with that since it's still only September!

I slacked this week!! I only read one book in about 2 days and then didn't pick up a book the other 5 days! Partly because I had no power at home for 2 of them (I've been reading e-books and my tablet was dead) and partly because I've been watching a lot of preseason NHL games! Go Jets Go! <3

I did take a trip to my local used book store this week and picked up a few new books that I'm excited to read soon!
You by Caroline Kepnes - want to read before I check out the lifetime show
& The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See - See is an author that I've always enjoyed even though her books aren't my usual genres.

Finished

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon for 44/A4) A Book tied to your ancestry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I devoured this in about 2 days and thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed the book more than the Netflix show although it's also very good.

Currently Reading

Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman (for ATY's Narrative non-fiction) - about 50%

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon - only read the first chapter so far in my slacking but I'm anticipating I'll love it as much as the first since I've seen the TV show to date.

QOTW

I've definitely used Youtube, NY Times Bestseller lists, sites that list award winners and my local second hand book store for research on books that fit my challenge prompts as well as the usual GR, this group, Amazon.

I just want to throw in that Google image search is fantastic for finding books for "____ on the cover" type prompts. :)

Stacey wrote: "I just want to throw in that Google image search is fantastic for finding books for "____ on the cover" type prompts."


This is so true, I've done this :-)

Hi everyone!

Managed to get a cold at Cedar Point last weekend, so this week is just dragging.

This week I finished:

iZombie, Vol. 4: Repossession -finished the series up, it was fine, nothing amazing

Home - I kind of wish the author had just combined all the Bintis into one novel. This felt weird and incomplete on it's own. It was still good, but when it ended it was very abrupt.

The Night Masquerade - Had to go get this to wrap up the series, since Home ended so abruptly. I liked it, although it got a bit weird, even for sci fi. I really think the whole series would have been stronger if it'd been compiled as one book, and edited as such. I think there were some pacing issues and story telling issues that came from publishing essentially one story in big chunks.

Hungry for You - just wanted a reread for a brain break.

currently reading:

Moon Called - still listening to this as a re-read

The Shadow of the Wind - a local brewery is doing a books and brew book club. Now that i'm done with reading challenges, reading some of the upcoming books and I might check out the meetings.

The Best Paranormal Crime Stories Ever Told - This is such a bad title and cover for a pretty solid anthology of paranormal thriller type stories. Simon R Green, Patricia Briggs, Kelly Armstrong. Reading it here and there.

QOTW:

I usually just google tough prompts. A lot of times google will bring up book suggestions along the top, and I'll page through those to see if those look interesting.

Happy Thursday - we had great weather today for a walk around the neighborhood (in Austin, TX) before lots of rain in the forecast, so that was a good start to the day.

This week I finished two books on kindle, and multiple audiobooks...

Animal Dreams - I like Kingsolver's writing, and enjoyed this book on kindle. It was an interesting story and had lots of metaphors to describe the setting/situations. I also like how the author tends to weave her political views into her books, but in a low key way.

How to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life - this was good! I didn't follow the 30-day plan since I already do many of the things suggested and don't have too much of an issue with my phone, but I appreciated the parts about mindfulness and thinking about when and why I pick up my phone throughout the day. I think it will help reduce my phone time even more.

The Underground Railroad - This book is difficult at times because of the subject matter, but I thought it was well-written and I thought the ending was going one way, but was glad it went the other... I would recommend it!

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography - listening to this was an interesting experience. I enjoyed the sincere parts about his life and family, and HIMYM, but was pretty annoyed with the parts that were supposed to be funny. It was similar to how I felt about the show HIMYM - I loved it overall but thought they really overdid Barney's character. His insults about women were just too cheap and the show would have done even better if his character were more reasonable.

Dream More - this was cute and I liked what I learned about Dolly Parton. The end "quotes" were a little silly, but it was a nice quick audiobook that I didn't regret listening to.

The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery - I read this for a book club at my old job, and wouldn't have chosen it based on the description (since I don't identify as a Christian). But that part was relatively toned down, and there was some interesting information about the personality types.

Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman's Awakening - I enjoyed learning more about Saudi Arabia and this brave woman's story, although the beginning felt a bit "holier than thou" with how many times she said, "but I'm not a criminal!" It got better for the rest of the book though. I try not to judge other cultures' treatment of women too much, since we obviously haven't figured that all out in the U.S. but I do wonder how much more productive countries like that would be if they spent less time punishing women and more time listening to them...

I'm currently reading On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope which I am loving. DeRay is a friend and amazing human. I went to his book talk for this recently and it just filled my heart and soul. Reading it brings joy to my life. <3

I'm also reading The End of White World Supremacy: Four Speeches By Malcolm X on kindle and I'm listening to The One-in-a-Million Boy, which I'm enjoying so far.

QOTW: I found it pretty easy to fill all of the challenge prompts by reading the discussion pages for each one on here. And the books that I was planning to read anyway (mostly for book clubs) helped fill some spots too. I look forward to the next list!

Although they didn't match any of the prompts, this week I read:
Thin Ice by Irene Hannon
and
Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (for a group read in another group).

QOTW: Not very "unusual," but I use the library's online catalog and the books on my bookshelves at home a lot; sometimes use other group member's suggestions.

Morning from the Farm. Been busy finishing kitchens and driving and having lumps out in hospital (getting knocked out always stuffs me for at least a week) and taking my 24 year old daughter to the dentist (she had two fillings and is needle phobic). I have to sit there with my hand on her leg the whole way through fillings and root canals and whatever else. Thankfully I don't have to come back up when she has her teeth cleaned next month.

Only finished one book this week.
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb (paperback) Really loved this book. Looking forwards to the next one.

Currently Reading
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (audiobook/paperback) I started listening to this last month but it was hard hearing it in the car. A few days ago I picked up a copy in the bookshop and started reading from where I was up to on the audiobook. I'll probably finish it this afternoon. I was rudely interrupted by a trip to the hospital and the subsequent fogged brain.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) byDennis E. Taylor (audiobook) Had this in the car for a couple of weeks and I'm nearly finished it. Really loving the Bobiverse. I have to drive into town tomorrow in my car so I'll probably finish it then. It's that close to being finished.

And all of the others I've been reading for months but haven't been in the mood to get back to. Beartown, The Bear and the Nightingale, The Immortalists, Cinder, Leviathan Wakes, and a book of short stories by Neil Gaiman Stories: All-New Tales.

QOTW
I look at the suggestions in the different threads for the prompts to see if I have any (or want any) of the books mentioned and to see what is expected. Once I've worked that out I go through my books to see if I have any that fit that aren't mentioned. I slotted them into the prompts (some had 6 books and others none) and went from there. This is my first year doing challenges. I check out the listopia lists if they are shared on the threads too. In the Around the Year challenge the first post usually has a list of links where you can find books for that prompt so I check those out.

Hello from Texas

This week I read two challenge books.
Cold Comfort for Nordic Noir. Not my preferred genre, but I did enjoy the book.
Enchantress from the Stars for book set on another planet. Really not my preferred genre. The writing was beautiful, but the main character irritated me to no end.

Currently reading:
The Art Forger for book involving a heist.

Up next:
Brave New World prepping to teach my daughter
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda for LBGT protagonist

QOTW: I tend to stick to Google, Amazon, and lists here.

Kenya wrote: " Also found out our library's semi-annual book sale is taking place the weekend I'm going to be out of town on vacation. Maybe this is..."

I had that exact same thing happen to me this week! And it's also the same day as a readathon I'm interested in joining some time. Apparently it was not meant to be this time...

Charlotte wrote: " I'm currently working on Villette for Author with the same first or last name as you. I am not enjoying this so much but I'm trying to push through and hope it gets better."

Hmm... Not to discourage you, but Villete is pretty much like the slow parts of Jane Eyre all the way through without any of the exciting romantic bits. I enjoyed it, (except for not liking how it ended) but it never gets much more 'interesting'.

Well I'm continuing to make ZERO progress. At this point I'm not sure I'm gonna make it.

34/52

FINISHED

Didn't count for the challenge but so funny! Can't wait to get cooking.

CURRENTLY READING





QotW
I use goodreads a lot. I like to compile a list with multiple options. I also use book riot, brightly, Modern Mrs. Darcy and whatever else google brings me to.

Yikes! How did I not realize it was Thursday until it was the wee hours of Friday?!? Work, Dr. Ford's Senate appearance, and a theater outing tonight, that is why.

Nadine - I will message you with a variety of NYC dining options. Just did that for some British friends who were visiting so I have a handy list. Since I go to the theater often, I have a particularly good additional list for Times Square area. And you absolutely want to visit the High Line. My British friends claim it was one of the highlights of their visit...which was the same week I was in Yellowstone 😒

Final discussion points for Hamilton: The Revolution will be posted later today.

Reading....well, not great. I finished the 3rd in the Barbara Freethy FBI Off The Grid series Desperate Play which I liked a lot. Wrapped up some stories while adding to the clues of the overarching suspense story. These do need to be read in order.

Then I descended into a very weak Military K-9 series...which mostly garnered 1 star per entry. There are still 2 more books to come before the serial killer is caught and I may not bother.

Because my brain had completely atrophied from that K-9 series...I started Beautiful Exiles a day or so ago in order to join a discussion over on Play Book Tag. This is another historical fiction account of Martha Gellhorn and Ernest Hemingway. Enjoying it but so far consider Love and Ruin the better book in treatment and writing. I am only about 1/3rd through it. Stay tuned.

I also want to mention that as a way to keep reading more diversely after finishing Pop Sugar, as well as continuing with some fluff, but not permanently end up in a black hole of the really badly written (as opposed to those decently done) cozy mysteries, romantic suspense, and historical romance, I decided to take the list for 2018 AtY, go through my 2018 read list and plug in whatever books I could, even if it means doubling with prompts for Pop Sugar. I have about 6 left to fill. And guess what? Beautiful Exiles fits one of those - book written in first person.

I also plan to read for the monthly tags at PBK - October is Canada. Should be fun.

QOTW: *sqeal* So pleased it was my suggestion!

I actually have a huge personal library with many unread treasures, but I still find I need to research in order to figure out what books might fit. With some it is using google to get a definition first (what elements make an allegory, for example) usually prefering a more literary source from the choices offered.

One of the best resources I found this year was when researching bestsellers for 1973...Hawes Publications was a goldmine -
Hawes.com. It not only gave me the bestseller, but ideas for many other prompts. Will keep it in mind in future.

Then there was https://www.mensjournal.com/sports/th... - I fully intend to read some of the recommended books like Semi-Tough.

I also go to favorite author blogs or Facebook posts and check archives for recommended books - George RR Martin led me to Station Eleven for example. Anna Quindlen led me to Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire.

I also get BookBub emails, Bas Bleu catalogue, emails from favorite bookstores, and friend recommendations. Lastly I get a lot from Facebook, specifically links to NYPL lists, authors to watch lists.

https://www.fantasticfiction.com is very useful especially when searching for authors with same name and initials.

also google - but opt for non-GR and non-publisher or book seller lists.

Nadine one place I enjoyed in Times Square was Ellens Stardust Diner (1650 Broadway to be exact). We got there early for dinner and didn't have to stand in line but when we were leaving there was a big line. It's really cool because the waiters all sing. The food wasn't wonderful but it was OK. It's the singing waitstaff that really makes it someplace special.

This week I finished The Midnight Sea by Kat Ross, a fast, quite enjoyable read for #08, time of day. I'm looking forward reading the rest of the series.

I'm still working my way through Adam Bede by Gerorge Eliot and The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

And last night I started Gevatter Tod / Wachen! Wachen! by Terry Pratchett. That's Mort and Guards! Guards! in german. 'Mort' is my cheat for the death/grief prompt, 'Guards! Guards!' I read some years ago in english. I don't think I'll re-read it in german, I find most translations awkward, even if they're really good.

QotW:
The only 'unusual' resource I used were the prompt threads here in the group and they were extremely helpful for me. Thank you!

Sheri wrote: "Hi everyone!

Managed to get a cold at Cedar Point last weekend, so this week is just dragging.

This week I finished:

iZombie, Vol. 4: Repossession -finished the series up, it w..."

A brew book club! That sounds like the best thing ever as books and beer are my two favourite things! I've seen lots of books and wine clubs but never books and beer!