Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Happy New Year!!

Wow this Thursday really snuck up, didn't it?! I had the week off for the holidays, so I got some reading time, but most of it was spent with family.


Admin stuff

Welcome to the 2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge!!! I hope everyone is enjoying their reading. Just remember that your Challenge is YOUR Challenge, the only rule is that you make your own rules. The Challenge categories are just guidelines, not rules.

The beginning of the year is always super busy here, with so much energy around the new Challenge. Don't feel like you need to keep up with everything!!

Our first monthly read of 2019 is underway! The The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (or The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, just one more puzzle to sort out with this puzzling book, eh?).

January Group Read Discussion: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle



Since I spent most of this week watching movies and playing board games, I was surprised to see how many books I read.

Fables, Vol. 1 & Volume 2 written by Bill Willingham - I had started this series when it was first released as single issues, but that was a long time ago and I remembered nothing. It was fun & I look forward to reading more.

Marvel 1602 written by Neil Gaiman - disappointing. This might appeal a lot to a big Marvel fan.

Severance by Ling Ma - REALLY disappointing. (This was my last book of 2018 - it's got a pretty cover anyway!)

Can You Survive a Zombie Apocalypse? by Anthony Wacholtz - my first Challenge read for 2019! It's a choose-your-own-adventure, and holy cow it was really short. And no, i apparently cannot survive a zombie apocalypse.

Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai - this was an impulse read, I'll probably find an AtY category to check off (eg money-making genre)



Question of the Week

Which languages do you read in?


I'm starting the new year off with an easy one!! For me, I can only read books in English.

Good morning from Columbus! And happy 2019!

I finished the 2018 challenge this week by the 31st! Hopefully this year I don’t push off the goals until the last minute like I have every other year lol. The books I read up until the 31st:

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage I. Love. Ann. Patchett. I love her non fiction even more than her fiction. I read almost all of her books in 2018 (Commonwealth in 2017, and I still need to read Taft but I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy yet). I love her style and her voice and I wish she was my best friend. Anyhow, this is a collection of nonfiction she mostly previously published in magazines. It was funny, sweet, sad, moving. I really love her work.

The Book of Awesome Women: Boundary Breakers, Freedom Fighters, Sheroes and Female Firsts I used this for a book that was given to me prompt. I got this for Christmas from my cousin. She got it for pretty much all the women and said it’d be a fun book to discuss together. I feel like this was more written for a younger audience, but I works for adults too. This was actually a collection of A LOT of women, not a few in-depth looks at a few women. Ranging from historical, athletics, artists, scientists, etc. there were so many brief looks at women who helped shape history. I did appreciate that it wasn’t just liberal women with squeaky clean pasts, it was a huge variety of women. However, the author uses words like sheroism instead of heroism, femtastic instead of fantastic, and herstory instead of history and it was like nails on a chalkboard to me. But, overall I think it was fun and interesting and lighthearted.

Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine for the book I saw a stranger reading prompt. So I kind of cheated, literally the only books I saw strangers reading were books I’ve already read and sequels. So when one of my book clubs assigned it, I started it and then saw a new woman reading a part before we were introduced: viola! A book I saw a stranger reading! This book was so much fun, if you loved what Anthony Bourdain did you’ll probably like this. Edward Lee is a chef who wrote about his experiences eating around America. There’s a large focus on immigrants and the blending of tradition with their new culture and it’s ingredients. I savored this book like a delicious meal, I started it in October and finished on NYE. I couldn’t recommend this book enough, it was wonderful.

And on to 2019:
Where'd You Go, Bernadette for a book becoming a movie in 2019. I don’t know why I kept pushing this book off! I finished it in a day I loved it that much. It was funny and sweet with a touch of infuriating and panic attack inducing. Has anyone else read anything by this author? She seems to have a lot of books to pick from, I’d like to read more of her work but I don’t know where to start.

Angels & Demons for a book with more than 1 million ratings on goodreads. Roast me if you must, I really enjoy Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code. I didn’t realize this one came out first though. I didn’t enjoy this one as much but I’m not mad that I read it and I’ll actually probably revisit The Da Vinci Code later this year.

I finished 2018 40/40; 10/10, 24/24 for book riot, and 44/44 for the goodreads summer challenge (at least I think that one had 44 books, maybe it was 45, idk) with 210 books read all year.

2/40; 0/10 with 2 books finished in 2019

QOTW: English! I’ll sometines dabble in French but I haven’t done that in a while. I do like reading books that contain some bits of Hungarian because I do know enough from listening to my grandma rant all the time growing up haha

0/40 0/10

Still working on David Copperfield, my reread of a favorite book. I don't remember much of it from the first time, so that's good. I apparently also forgot how long it is.

QOTW: English. I read Le Petit Prince in French in high school, but I think that's the only book I've read in a foreign language. for work, I have to read some articles in Spanish. It's difficult. I can't imagine a whole book.

0/50

Finished:
Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

Currently reading:
A Man Called Ove
Unaccustomed Earth

QOTW:
English and Malayalam.

Happy New Year! I am so ready to dig into another challenge!

I finished two books at the end of 2018 and so far two books in 2019!

The One by John Marrs. I really enjoyed this book. A gene has been discovered that will match you to the one person you are destined for. Sounds good right? But what if that person is already married? A different gender than you are usually attracted to? A criminal? Dead? This story follows 5 people as they get matched and journey to discover who their match is. The results aren't always a dream come true. It's an interesting "what if?" story!

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. This book got rave reviews from many of my friends. I found it fun but not amazing. I think it fell more into the middle grade camp for me (as opposed to Harry Potter which starts as middle grade but has surprising depth that appeals to adults). If you think it sounds interesting definitely give it a try! I'm in the minority with my opinion for sure.

Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda. I was so happy to make this my first book of 2019! I listened to the audio, performed by the author and it was such a delightful book. Short but so very positive. I will surely listen to it again. Using this for a book written by a musician.

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander. Another delightful read! Lady Emily Ashton was widowed a mere 6 months after marrying Philip (not a love match). After his death she begins to learn more about him and things going on that she had been completely unaware of. A perfect choice for anyone who loves historical mysteries, sassy lady detectives or just a fun story! Using as a book featuring an amateur detective.

Currently reading:

- rereading this with some friends. I am reading my British 20th anniversary Ravenclaw edition for the first time. I am also going to pick up the illustrated edition from the library. I'm trying to be more intentional in my read through this time - slowing down and paying more attention. I am also listening to Harry Potter and the Sacred Text (podcast) as I work through the chapters.

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy. This book is a tough read. I haven't been touched by this epidemic personally, but I live in the region the author focuses on in her book. Many of the news stories are very familiar to me. The interstate that is a conduit for drug running is one I'm on every day. Very sad but important read.

The Books That Changed My Life: Reflections by 100 Authors, Actors, Musicians, and Other Remarkable People - I'm reading this a few essays at a time. It's an interesting book. I'm looking forward to essays written by more familiar people as I work my way through.

2/50

QOTW

Sadly, I can only read in English. I do try to seek out translated works so that I can experience other styles and cultures even if I can't explore the languages themselves.

Happy new year and new challenges! I've already ticked off a prompt as I was half way through an audiobook at the turn of the year.

I read The Last as my last book of the year, such an apt title.

Finished The Silent Companions for a ghost story. It was an eery premise but I think I would have liked it more without the telling in hindsight aspect as it took out some of the mystery. Worth reading if you're looking for historical fiction for this prompt though.

I'm currently reading Golden State for review which fits a few prompts but I might use it for superpower because the characters it follows can tell if people are lying (in a world where lying is the worst crime you can commit).

I started listening to Hag-Seed: The Tempest Retold for AtY (Shakespeare) today. I'm trying not to be too overzealous with plugging everything into as many prompts as possible, it's very tempting at this early stage where everything is open.

My lunchtime read is Finding Baba Yaga: A Short Novel in Verse.

1/52 | 1/100

QOTW:
Only English. UK schools really don't start foreign languages early enough in my opinion. My high school German has faded away from lack of use so I'd struggle even with a picture book!

Ellie wrote: "I'm currently reading Golden State for review which fits a few prompts but I might use it for superpower because the characters it follows can tell if people are lying (in a world where lying is the worst crime you can commit).
..."


Oh is it good?!? I was really surprised by how much I liked Underground Airlines & now I want to read more books by this author


Only English. UK schools really don't start foreign languages early enough in my opinion. My high school German has faded away from lack of use so I'd struggle even with a picture book!

SAME in USA! I don't understand why they don't start earlier. By the time I got to learning French and Spanish, it just didn't "take" - I can puzzle out a menu, but I couldn't read a novel in those languages (or follow a movie w/o captions)

Happy 2019!!!! Seems unfair that its already time for a check in LOL.

I finished His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik last night. This was one I had been working on through December and I only had 50 pages left. I struggled with it which was disappointing because it was recommended by several people and it was fantasy so I expected to enjoy it more. It was a mental thing I think. I loved the last part of the book, and the descriptions of the dragons, and I loved Temeraire.

I started my first challenge book but only got 10 pages in, If I Could Turn Back Time by Nicola Doherty. This one is for ATY. I expect it to be a quick read.

I also picked up a few library holds yesterday:
The Woman in the Window for a book being turned into a movie 2019
and
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret for Nostalgia
and
I am #1 on holds on Overdrive for The Westing Game for the January challenge.

For Book riot I picked up 84, Charing Cross Road for an epistolary

and for my rejects challenge for ATY i picked up Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race and Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

I also have several more in transit and a few that I own. So we'll see what I get done. Some of these are going to be very quick for me, others I'm not convinced I'll get through, but I'm going to try :-)

QOTW
I only read in English.

Happy New Year! Happy new challenge! Last year was my first year ever doing a reading challenge, and my first real year on Goodreads. It was a fantastic experience, and I am looking forward to another great year.

Nadine, thank you for the very short choose your own adventure suggestion. I was not looking forward to that prompt.

Finished:
The Absent One The next in the series of the book I read for Nordic noir last year. This was not for a challenge, and was finished in 2018.

Nine Perfect Strangers This has been sitting on my Kindle for ages. I was going to save it for a 2019 challenge, but decided to sacrifice it and read in 2018. It was pretty good, a light distraction.

The Proposal First book that I started for a 2019 challenge, using it for ATY and Reading Women. I read The Wedding Date last year, and liked this one even more.

Neverwhere Also for the ATY 2019 challenge. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Neil Gaiman. Loved his narration, and liked the book a lot.

Currently reading:
Bury Your Dead I was hoping to finish this in 2018, but it's a paperback so it was slow going. I usually read on my Kindle these days. I will find a place to slot it into a 2019 challenge. I love this series.

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened Another book I took out of the library for some light end of year reading, but didn't finish. I will also find a place to slot in for 2019. Hate to waste a book.

A Place for Us Only reading this one in bed until I am done with Bury Your Dead. This will be for the book that includes a wedding prompt.

The Other Woman Just started listening to this one this morning. This will be for the psychological thriller prompt, I think.

QOTW:
I can read Russian, but I don't think I have ever read a full book in Russian. I tried reading one for last year's challenge that I borrowed from my mom. Ultimately, I had to give it back as it wasn't her book and other people were waiting to read it. I was too slow.
My parents have a collection of Russian language books, though most of them are translated. There's a lot of Guy de Maupassant and Nathaniel Hawthorne for some reason. But they do have a few Ivan Turgenev, Maybe I can make it a personal challenge to read one Russian book this year. Maybe short stories would be easier, or a Chekhov play.

Nadine wrote: "Ellie wrote: "I'm currently reading Golden State for review which fits a few prompts but I might use it for superpower because the characters it follows can tell if people are lying (in a world whe..."

It has a very noir feel, I don't know if that's similar to Underground Airlines (on my TBR, just haven't got to it yet). I'm liking it so far, feels very topical what with all the lying politicians on both sides of the pond.

Happy first week!! 2/52

I finished reading The Woman in the Window ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ as A Book Becoming a Movie in 2019. It was good and I think it will make a great movie!
I also finished Circe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ which I’d started reading 12/30 and it was a 5 star read for me! So good. Hoping to keep up with the weekly checking this year to hold me accountable.
I’m doing this challenge and the ATY challenge, so hoping to make the prompts interchangeable each week.


Question of the Week

Which languages do you read in??

English!!

How is it thursday already?

Happy new year everyone!

The last days of the year I had my own little race to finish the challenge, and did so (yoohoo!) with short reads and a book I had been reading for a while:

The Lies of Locke Lamora for a heist. I really enjoyed this, and planning to read the rest of the series.

A Study in Emerald for favourite colour, graphic novel. Really cool and weird mashup of Sherlock Holmes and Ctulhu. Would work for a retelling of a classic for the 2019 challenge (in it´s own way).

Swing it, Sunny set in the decade I was born (1970´s), graphic novel. Children´s book (middle grade), really funny if you were a child in the 70´s and probably even more so, if you´re from the States where it is set.

Gavrilo Princip for a novel based on a real person, graphic novel. About Gavrilo Princip, the man who shot Franz Ferdinand that was the set-off of the First World War. I really expected to like this one - and I did, but it wasn´t as good as I thought it would be.

En pakke cigaretter (A Packet of Cigarettes) for author with the same name (Johanne Helga Heiberg). My shortest read of the year with 12 pages :) It´s an experimental cut-up text set up as a conversation between the author, Johanne, and the late Danish author Tove Ditlevsen.

I started off 2019 reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard the new one with Chris Riddell illustrations. It´s beautiful! I thought I couldn´t use it for a prompt, but you see Hermione reading it in the Deathly Hallows all the time! So that´s what I´m using it for :) (Edit: I may not have been clear: Using it for "a book you saw someone reading on TV or in a movie")


QOTW
I mainly read in Danish and English, but sometimes also in Norwegian and Swedish. Danish and Norwegian are particularly close, but I lived in Sweden for a while, so I read that rather well, as well.

How exciting the first check in of the new year (yes I may need to get a life). School is open again even though it doesn't start till the 24th so I am a little less mad and doing a little less frantic cleaning to fill the hours. I seriously have a problem with sitting still.

Finished:
The Australian Book of Disasters by Larry Writer before new year which was ok but I wasn't really in the right frame of mind for it.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han as I thought I would get the love in the title prompt over and done with. This book was hilarious and I actually really enjoyed it (not sure what that says about my sense of humour but....) so I also read the next one
P.S. I Still Love you by Jenny Han to cover 2018 prompt author with the same name. Still OK but not as funny.
Villain by Michael Grant also covered the superpower prompt.

So I'm on 3/53 for PS and 3/75 for GR

Currently reading
Always and Forever Lara Jean because it said something about her dad getting married on the back so it might work for the wedding prompt and besides I read the others pretty fast so if not it will probably cover some other prompt since it is still at the start. Any ideas welcome.
Still working on I am Malala because I just don't like the writing style and Why We Sleep because it has become repetitive and I'm not in the mood.

QOTW
I pretty much only read in English for whole books now. I could probably read French or German still, slowly and rereading, but they are just not available where I live. I have also read books in Turkish and Latin in the past but that would take about a year per book now as I have forgotten heaps.

I've 'read' two books so far this year. Battle Angel Alita Vol. 1 which is a manga for the becoming a movie in 2019 prompt and I finished the audiobook of American Panda for the set on a college or university campus. I love the new year because there are all new challenges and I feel like I get excited for reading again.

QOTW
Usually only English. I can read shorter kids stuff in Spanish and I actually bought Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal to try to push myself this year. I figured since I already know the basis of the story it would be easier for me. Some pages I'm right with it, others I struggle through. I'm kind of just hoping I get through the whole thing and don't give up on myself.

I had so many books going in December (cheater😜) I was able to finish ALL ROADS LEAD TO AUSTEN which was a book about a hobby. The author is an English professor but she uses her year off to explore not only Jane Austen, but traveling, learning Spanish, and book collecting. Very readable and entertaining. And for book you meant to read in 2018, or set in Scandinavia, or debut novel-haven’t decided yet-the fabulous A MAN CALLED OVE. I’ve been waiting for it to show up in my public library-and it never did until my digital audio hold came up-and I bought a paperback edition. Oh well, it was totally worth the wait. Currently I’m reading WARLIGHT and trying to decide if this will fit the amateur detective prompt. So far, I don’t see it. Thoughts? Happy reading everyone!

Happy New Year!!

Finished
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. I bought this book on a whim because it was on sale from Audible. I'm really glad I did. It's basically the same as the movie, but explains more about the science which I found interesting. I also downloaded The Lost World for a future road trip.

The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston. I really enjoyed the first book I read by this author, but this one was only okay. I didn't love the characters. I think they were both a little too mercurial for my tastes. I thought the audiobook narrator did a great job, though.

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (a book set in space). My first book of 2019! The book started out very much like a story about an alien organism coming to get us and turned into a story questioning the nature of death and consciousness. I really enjoyed it. I think I would have even without watching The Expanse first, but I would have had a lot more questions about the world-building. The show fleshes out things barely mentioned in the book. I have the second book on request from the library. I can't wait to start reading it.

Reading
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I began this audiobook last night, so I don't have an opinion yet except that I'm going to enjoy listening to Maggie Gyllenhaal for 35 hours.

QOTW
I only read in English. I studied Spanish for many years, but sadly I never became fluent. Like a few have said already, I started learning the language too late for that.

I've just finished my first book of the year, Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino for Reading Women. I'm always one for a good unreliable narrator, and this book has four main ones. I loved this book, especially how the women in the book dealt with and pushed against their traumas and the limitations and expectations placed on them. It was a pretty brutal read in places, so anyone looking for a cozy murder might want to skip this one. I also understand that the translation for this book changed the ending. I looked it up and it does make a difference to the ending though I still enjoyed the book.

I'm currently reading Dark Water by Koji Suzuki and Les Liaisons dangereuses.

I only read in English. I know a little Japanese and a little French, but couldn't read a whole book. Especially Japanese, given that it has a different alphabet entirely!

Happy New Year everyone! I read my books in English and so far I have finished zero books this week :)

I'm working my way through The Queen of the Night for a buddy read on Instagram and hope to finish it by the end of the weekend. It will go somewhere on the challenge but I'm trying to figure out which prompt I want to use it for. I'm really enjoying it so far.

I'm also reading The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South which is a true crime book.

Hello back everyone!

I managed to finish the challenge on December 31 (phew) and decided to start the year with some Shorter reads and some 'fun' reads (books I had wanted to read for some time but didn't fit the prompts last year any more)

so I finished this year:

Ms. Marvel (2014-2015) #3 for book about someone with a superpower (actually I had read this last year in English, re-read it in German.

Laika for set in space (even though it is only actually 'set' in space for a short time it evolves around space most of the time and also use it for AtY related to STEM. It is a cute graphic novel and presents a (well-researched) background story to the Story of Laika, the dog in the Sputnik,

Just finished Flucht in die Schären: Ein Fall für Thomas Andreasson which is soo good! A really good thriller/mystery book! I have to say it is one of the best in the whole series. I am using it for set in Scandinavia and for Book Riot's less than 100 reviews on goodreads and for AtY dual timeline.

So that's off to a good start :-)

Currently reading:

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

I also want to start listening to Becoming and don't know what I'll read as my next novel… Will decide that later today.

QOTW:

I read in German and in English (and sometimes in Spanish or Dutch)

I would like to learn one of the Scandinavian languages or Icelandic.

Milena wrote: "Bury Your Dead I was hoping to finish this in 2018, but it's a paperback so it was slow going. I usually read on my Kindle these days. I will find a place to slot it into a 2019 challenge. I love this series."

This one is my favorite of the series so far! It's not a quick read, but I felt it was the one that really delved into the relationship between Gamache and Jean Guy.

Happy New Year and new challenge, everyone!

I started this year off by finishing my first book of the challenge! Granted, it was a very short book (around 100 pages), but it still counts, I figure.

Also, in non-book news... I also started off the new year by watching the new "Bumblebee" movie. Loved it! I think even people who have hated the previous live-action "Transformers" films will enjoy this one, mostly because it feels more like something Steven Spielberg would direct than the hot mess of the last few movies...

*ends nerdy gushing*

Books I read/finished this week:

The Blue Fox -- for the advanced challenge prompt "read a book during the season it's set in." Short, poetic, and beautifully written, but the story and characters are hard to get invested in.

Educated -- not for the challenge. A gutwrenching read, and certainly quite deserving of the accolades it's gotten. I commend the author for her bravery in breaking free of a traumatic past, even at such a high personal cost.

Neverwhere -- not for the challenge. After being hugely disappointed by Gaiman's Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders and DNFing Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch last year, it was nice to be able to read something of his that I actually enjoyed.

The Ballad of Black Tom -- not for the challenge. A retelling of one of HP Lovecraft's short stories (The Horror at Red Hook) from the point of view of an African-American protagonist. I can see what the author was trying to do, but in my opinion Matt Ruff pulled it off better with Lovecraft Country.

QOTW: I can only read in English, sadly. But I do try to read books written all over the world, even if I have to rely on translations. My first PopSugar challenge book this year was originally written in Icelandic, for example...

Katee wrote: "Happy New Year everyone! I read my books in English and so far I have finished zero books this week :)

I'm working my way through The Queen of the Night for a buddy read on Instagr..."

Hi Katee :)

Kenya wrote: "...The Blue Fox -- for the advanced challenge prompt "read a book during the season it's set in." Short, poetic, and beautifully written, but the story and characters are hard to get invested in...."

Sjón is one of the authors I´ve wanted to read for a long time. I didn´t realize which book you had been reading at first, the title in Danish (and Icelandic) means "Shadow-Baldur". This is one of the books I look at, and want to read, when I walk past it at work (library). Maybe I should just do it?

Happy New Year everyone!

3/50

I am so excited to get started with the new challenge! My family knows to leave me alone so I can get a jump start on my reading at the beginning of the year, and they did not disappointment me this year.

Completed Prompts

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 I read this just to read it, but by the time I was done, I knew it would fit the category of A book you think should be turned into a movie. I mean who doesn't want another Harry Potter movie? What I loved about this book was that I could picture all the characters as grown up. I mean they would have to use Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint - how could they not?

The End We Start From This was for A "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book. This book has a lot of good reviews. I mean it is very poignant and beautifully written. But the sparse prose made it hard for me to enjoy. I really wanted to know these characters - their background stories, what led up to all of this. And I was frustrated that I had to fill in all that information.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time I had started this under the prompt of A book featuring an amateur detective. but after completing it, I put in under the prompt A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters because the chapters are all prime numbers. I really enjoyed reading this book and was amazed that Christopher was brave enough to do some of the things he had to do.

On my nightstand

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle I'm not going to lie - I'm having trouble getting into it, but I will persevere because I want to be part of the monthly discussion. I think it will get better because other people have been commenting on it.

Convenience Store Woman What a fun little book! I thought convenience stores could only be like 7-11. I want to visit one in Japan!

My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel I'm not sure about this one. It's a lot longer than I was expecting, and at the first choice, I wasn't even allowed to make a choice. (However if I had I would have chosen the option they made you take rather than dying from syphilis.)

QOTW:
I read only in English! (However, once upon a time I did read The Stranger when I was in French class in high school.)

Happy New Year! Looking forward to my first Popsugar challenge.

Finished:
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - I finished this yesterday and really liked it. I'm glad it was picked for the January monthly read because I might not have read it otherwise. I’m using this for the book revolving around a puzzle or game prompt although it can work for other prompts as well.

Currently Reading:
The Red Address Book which I got from NetGalley and fits the set in Scandinavia prompt.

QOTW:
I can only read in English.

@Johanne - Yes! Sometimes it feels good to throw all planning aside and just read that book you keep looking at!!

Happy New Year! I'm excited to get started on another year of Popsugar after having so much fun last year.

Completed
The Green Road - This was such a good book to end 2018 with. I fell in love with this family and was very invested in their stories. All through reading it I was thinking how much my mum would love it so I gave her my copy at Chrsitmas and read the last few chapters from a library copy! This filled the favourite colour prompt

Currently reading
War and Peace - I have passed the halfway mark!!
Circe - I was hoping to finish this in 2018 but the library took my copy back! I'll finish it when I can get hold of another copy but I was enjoying it so far.

Coming up
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Another that is at the whim of my library. I hope to pick it up this week.

QOTW

I only read in English. I would love to read a simple book in Spanish (maybe a middle grade) because I want to keep my Spanish fresher than I have been.

Hi everyone and Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. I spent Christmas on the beach (and got a bad sunburn because I am terrible at sunscreen) and had a friend visiting from out of town until yesterday, so now I’m just trying to get back into work. It isn’t easy! (I've also got to get back into participating as it has been a while since I've posted due to busy life stuff.)

I finished a ton of books this week so I could start 2019 with a clean slate. Of course none of them work for the final prompt I need for the 2018 Popsugar challenge; I have a book for it but just haven’t been in the mood to start it yet. I did finish my first book of 2019 though, and I should finish #2 tonight!

Books I finished:
Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke. Lighthearted seasonal read.

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg. Another lighthearted read for the holiday season.

Small Favor by Jim Butcher, #10 in the Dresden Files series.

Fractured by Karin Slaughter. This was my first Slaughter novel, and I liked it! It is part of the Will Trent series, which I will continue at some point. It is a bit darker than other crime series, but she is a great storyteller and Will Trent is a great character.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I absolutely loved this novel, Owens’ debut. It is a combination of a murder mystery, a coming-of-age story of a girl abandoned in a marsh in 1950’s North Carolina, and a love story about nature. I highly recommend it!! It would be a great option for anyone doing the Around the Year challenge looking for a book for the “sense of place” prompt.

No Exit by Taylor Adams for a book that takes places in a day. This was really stressful! I flew through it because I had to know what happened next, even though by the end it was a bit much. It takes place over a single night at a snowed-in rest stop in the Rocky Mtns of Colorado. The main character, a college student heading home to see her mom in the hospital, gets stranded with 4 strangers and discovers one of the vehicles in the parking lot has a kidnapped child in the back. **cue eerie music**

I am currently reading:
Her Last Word by Mary Burton for Around the Year... I should finish this one tonight.
Turn Coat by Jim Butcher for Around the Year, continuing the Dresden Files series.

QOTW:
Many moons ago in high school and early college I read a few short stories and novellas in French. It would take me way too long to do that now since I’m out of practice, so English is it for me. I agree with the others who said languages are started too late in the U.S. I have several friends who employ non-English speaking nannies or tutors for their grade school age kids and think that is such a great idea.

Sara wrote: "Milena wrote: "Bury Your Dead I was hoping to finish this in 2018, but it's a paperback so it was slow going. I usually read on my Kindle these days. I will find a place to slot it into a 2019 chal..."

Yes, I am really enjoying languishing in it. No rush, because then there will be one fewer book left in the series.

Hi everyone, and happy new year.

Finished:
2018
Our Frail Disordered Lives: I enjoyed this book. It was about a demon and the people he made deals with. And how he wants to get back at the devil.

My Friend Dahmer: This was my last book of 2018. I thought it was a good book and a different way of looking at true crime, with out actually getting into the crimes themselves.

My first book of 2019 was The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. I really liked this book. It was a good mix of past and present. And a good look at where we are heading if nothing changes. This book was used for #28: A book recommended by a celebrity. It was also used for an ATY prompt #1.

Currently Reading:
What Have You Done: Good so far.

QOTW: Sadly I can only read in English. But seeing as my book list keeps getting longer then I can keep up with, that might just be ok.

Kenya wrote: "Happy New Year and new challenge, everyone!

Neverwhere -- not for the challenge. After being hugely disappointed by Gaiman's Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders and DNFing Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch last year, it was nice to be able to read something of his that I actually enjoyed.

Kenya, I felt the same way about Good Omens, though I did finish it. I also just finished Neverwhere and liked it a lot. I think listening to the audiobook added to my enjoyment. Have you read The Ocean at the End of the Lane? That's my favorite Neil Gaiman that I have read so far. It reads a bit younger than the others, but I found it very heartwarming.

Nadine wrote: "@Johanne - Yes! Sometimes it feels good to throw all planning aside and just read that book you keep looking at!!"

It´s just... I feel that way about a lot of books (the hardship of being an eclectic reader surrounded by books at work). It´s to the point where my colleagues joke that I have a branch of the library at home. And I promised myself I absolutely cannot bring home more books (unless they´re for the husband or the kids) before I make a dent in the ones I already have at home.

Hi all and happy first check-in of the year to everyone!

I'm really starting the year out strong having read zero books. *womp womp*. I guess I'm kind of in a bit of slump. I checked out 8 books a few weeks ago that I was honestly looking forward to reading but then I realized that they would work for this years prompts. I started to give myself reasons not to read so I could start them this week but now I'm in this weird non-reading mood. Perhaps I'll have better luck this weekend! I need to return Crazy Rich Asians by next Tuesday as someone has put it on hold and I'm lucky to have gotten it anyways (it was checked out the entirety of last year and I found it just last month finally).

QOTW:
I only read in English. My high school had graduation requirements where you had to take 2 years of foreign language OR 2 years of art and it was a no-brainer for me to do the art classes. Unfortunately, that bit me in the butt for life in general and also because it ended up being a requirement to transfer colleges so I ended up taking 2 years of spanish anyways (which I promptly forgot/unlearned). I wish that I had taken it when I was younger. I had wanted to learn french anyways and my mother insisted that spanish would be more useful (which is true) but I think I kind of resisted really learning it for that reason.

Happy to say that I finished the 2018 popsugar challenge and completed my goodreads reading goal just in time. Lots of changes in store for me in 2019 so I'm trying to be more realistic with reading goals this year.

Finished Far from the Tree. This was a good, quick contempary. Just what I needed for the end of the year.

Finished Play Dates - needed something short and I had won this in a goodreads giveaway a while back. About time I got around to reading it. It was ok - I wasn't expecting it to be a steamy romance. But alas - it was my 80th book of the year and I'll take it.

My final stats - (since I'm a nerd) - 80 books read - meaning that I took about 4 days to read a book. Read a total of 25827 pages, for an average of 70 pages read per day. Average length of each book - 322 pages. Unfortunately, my average rating for 2018 was a 2.9!

Ok - New Year - New Book List.

Starting off strong with book I meant to read in 2018. Since it had been borrowed from the library at the completion of the year this seemed like a no brainier. By Your Side was another contemporary young adult novel. Honestly, my favorite kind of book and my go to. Glad I started off strong for the year and ticked on off the new list.

Currently listening to Darker. I still can't get over how flawed these characters are.

1/42, 0/10, 0 Non Challenge reads.

Happy new year, happy new challenge ... & happy first check in! I've read two books so far this year, Fever Dream which I thought would fit for cli-fi and - I suppose it kind of does? But it's a lot more experimental and confusing than I expected, so it's not such an explicit link to the prompt. It was an incredible read though, very interesting and a litte terrifying. The other book was Now, Now, Louison - which I meant to read in French, but a family member bought me the English translation. It's another wonderful book, and another one that's hard to classify.

QOTW:I read mostly in English, but have to do quite a lot of reading in French for my degree and am trying to read more novels in French this year. I'm still working on Chanson douce & after that I'm going to try Petit pays. & who knows, maybe I'll try to read the original French of Now Now Louison (Calme-toi Louison). I'm sure I'll have a few novels to read for uni in French too, once my reading lists for next years modules come through.

Currently reading: Chanson Douce, as mentioned above, and 26662666 for the posthumous prompt. Weirdly 2666 & Fever Dream are both translated texts - I didn't read much translated fiction last year, but I hope to read more this year, or at least more authors from different countries beyond UK & US. I've only got four more days to get through the rest of 2666 and it's started to get pretty unsettling, so I'm curious (& a bit nervous) to see how the book turns out!

Happy new year to you all! I've started this years challenge by taking part in the January read "a book revolving around a puzzle or game", for which I am reading The Westing Game and have very nearly finished! I've enjoyed it very much; it has been such an amusing read that has kept me guessing.

Question of the week

I only read in English, since sadly this is the only language that I understand. I used to know quite a lot of French, but as the saying goes, "if you don't use it, you lose it!"

Happy Thursday, especially to anyone checking in for the first time!

I'm not off the blocks with PS yet. I'm on my first read of the year (There There, by Tommy Orange), but that's for another challenge.

I've been lured in by four challenges this year, but that means around 72 books. I read 66 books in 2018, so I might have bitten off more than I can chew!


Which languages do you read in?

Just English! I don't have a talent for languages, though I'd love to be able to speak French and Spanish. My husband is fluent in French, and I'm just in awe of people who are bilingual...

Happy Thursday, and happy 2019!

I completed my first challenge book, (ever, as this is my first year attempting this (or any) challenge) It's Not That I'm Bitter . . .: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World, for prompt #22, a book with a title containing salty, sweet, bitter, or spicy. Give it an eh out of 10. I gave it 3 stars. Parts were funny. A lot just felt like filler to make it long enough to publish.


Currently reading:

In Parables: The Challenge of the Historical Jesus (prompt 10)-UGH...not enjoying this...will be glad when it's over

Silence (prompt 32)-liking this so far

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (maybe prompt 39, but may move it later)-just started, but seems promising.

QotW: I read only in English.

Good luck, everyone!

Libby wrote: "Happy new year, happy new challenge ... & happy first check in! I've read two books so far this year, Fever Dream which I thought would fit for cli-fi and - I suppose it kind of doe..."

Ooh, maybe I will try Chanson douce. I have been wanting to try reading in French. I am sure it will be an utter failure.

Happy New Year all! I'm so excited I can finally start the new challenge. Got more reading done this week thanks to the less family oriented holiday (New Years) which gave me time off work and no cooking/baking!

Finished:
2018
In the Galway Silence- I loved the first five or so books in this series so much but lately I feel it lacks the emotional depth of the first five.

Nyxia- eh, nothing wrong with this book but I was bored.

Tales from the Arabian Nights- okay but not great

2019
A Concise History of Ireland- Some Irish history is finally starting to sink in, but that's only because this is my third Irish history read/listen in the past year.

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys- (A book written by a musician)- My first book read for the reading challenge! It was super weird so I'm not sure how I feel about it, and this is after having listened to the related album/music videos in my teens.

Currently Reading:
Romeo and Juliet
The Night Circus

QOTW:
I can only read in English. I really should start working on my Spanish again... time to dust off Duolingo!

Happy Snow day to me, my winter break got extended a bit and I broke out of my reading slump, so this is going to be a big check in.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I'm using it for odd chapter breaks. I started it a week or so ago and put it aside to use for this prompt. It's a short book about finding your own destiny. The New York Times book review called it "more self help than literature". I did go into a massive clickhole* after reading it and the movie rights have been optioned and at one time included a battle scene with 10,000 soldiers which does not seem to fit the feel of the book but the movie has yet to materialize.

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter. Using it for the should be turned into a movie prompt (actually Netflix limited series because I'm all about that right now. Young lawyer returns to her hometown to take on the company that runs the town and may be dumping waste illegally. It was a good read, not anything that sets the world on fire, but enjoyable.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. I'm using it for first and last name same initial prompt. Could also be used for Read Harders own voices prompt maybe (I don't really remember those prompts, I'm not doing that challenge this year).

It's a romance. She's on the spectrum, he is an escort she hired to acclimate her to relationships because she wants one. I've been passing on it because the premise didn't appeal to me but I'm so happy I picked it up. I love the characters, I love their arc, it's just delightful.

Not the Girls You Are Looking For by Amaniah Mae Safi. YA about how hard it is to be a teen girl and trying to find your identity in the world full of racism and sexism trying to live in 2 cultures. I didn't love the first half but really liked the second half. I'm not using it for any prompt off the top of my head.

Books I finished in 2018

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. Woman returns to a summer camp where her friends disappeared 15 years earlier. When I finished reading it, i thought I should have saved it for the should be made into a movie prompt (or Netflix series). It was a good read.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Nice read.

QOTW: only English. I could probably make it through a Spanish language book with a lot of effort. A lot.

*I also went into a massive clickhole after watching Venom about the Sony and Marvel deal and the Into the Spiderverse movie. Fascinating reads on both parts.

Milena wrote: "Libby wrote: "Happy new year, happy new challenge ... & happy first check in! I've read two books so far this year, Fever Dream which I thought would fit for cli-fi and - I suppose ..."
Go for it! I'm definitely not understanding every nuance of the French but so far it's gripping in a way a lot of the other French texts I have to read aren't (I have a lot of academic articles/theory!) & I've heard so many good things about the English translation too, which I might need if I feel like I'm missing any plot points later on.

I only finished one middle grade book this week, and sadly, that ended my 2018 reading on a just okay three star book. I've had some down time for reading, but we're not really quite done with our holiday celebrations as we spent the entire evening New Year's Eve with my husband's family, part of the afternoon New Year's Day ice skating (our church has a tradition where we rent out the rink for a couple hours every New Years) and still have a (slightly early) Twelfth Night party to attend to finish out our Christmas.

Finished Reading:
Granted This was essentially a sweet little book about a fairy trying to grant a wish, but I just didn't connect with it very well for some reason. My favorite part was when she met the dog halfway through, who was basically Dug from Up.

Currently Reading (too many!):

Maisie Dobbs Making some progress because I don't have another audiobook going, but I still think I might switch the print version eventually and see if that clicks better for me with this story.

Good Poems I'll probably only read a few poems at a time, so this will be as slow of a read as my library due dates will allow.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein I just randomly picked this off the library shelf, but I'm really intrigued by it, despite some elements that would normally put me off. This counts for retelling of a classic.

Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives I started this New Year's Eve because it seemed like the perfect time to finally read it, my word for 2019 is habits, and I'm counting for the 'includes the word sugar' prompt. (Goodreads doesn't show the full subtitle, but it includes 'quit sugar'.)

And all the others I was reading but are currently on hiatus or I just haven't made progress on...

DNF:
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir I enjoy the bits just about how daily life is in the Phillipines, but there's nothing to really hold my interest, and I'm really starting to feel like I don't need to read about *every* difficult childhood that ever happened. Re-evaluating whether I even want to start some of the other 'difficult childhood' memoirs that are on my TBR.

QOTW:
Maybe someday I will learn to read in other languages, but more likely I will take the time I could have spent on that to read even more in English. Ah well.

Hello everybody. Happy 2019! A new year and so many books on my shelf- what could be better?

I had a slow reading week because I spent a lot of time playing board and card games with my kiddos who were home from college. It was a lot of fun to spend quality time with them and I am going to miss them now that regular schedules have to take over.

This week I read:
Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks- as a huge Agatha Christie fan I really enjoyed this book. It might be a little dry for people who aren't Christie readers.
In Farleigh Field- I really enjoyed this historical fiction about WWII.
Pride-this was my first book of 2019 (a retelling of a classic). I thought it was a cute light read, but not my favorite retelling of Pride and Prejudice.
Abandon- a YA book based on the story of Persephone. Again, a cute light read but not my favorite retelling.

Help, I think I accidentally flagged Milena's comment when I was clicking the link for Abandon- can I unflag it? What do I do? I have a bad tremor, so sometimes I double click when I mean to single click and I think that is what happened. Aargh!

QOTW:
I only read in English. In high school I read Grimm's Fairy Tales in German- but I have lost that ability now since I didn't use my German for so long.

Happy New Year! I am excited to start my first book challenge. I read well over 50 books last year but this will definitely expand my selections (already has!) and these check ins also seem fun, very neat to see the sheer variety of books in progress!

I was a bit under the weather this week unfortunately so didn’t finish a book yet, but have Woman in the Window in progress. I am about halfway through and enjoying it but feel like it took this long to finally get to the plot movement. The language is nice but after a while, no matter how descriptive, the constant metaphors and similes become a bit cumbersome. Hopefully now that the characters seem to be doing something it will engage me a bit more.

Next up is The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

QOTW: I can only read in English.

This is my first time doing the Popsugar Challenge and I'm excited. I tend to mostly read True Crime and Mysteries so I'm hoping this will force me out of my comfort zone.

Finished

I finished Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief this week! Super interesting and a little horrifying. I finished it in 2018 and I wasn't doing the 2018 challenge.

I also started and finished Where'd You Go, Bernadette and I couldn't put it down. I'm using this for the title that includes a question prompt.

Reading

I started The Good Liar for the Book that is being turned into a movie in 2019 prompt. I've seen mixed things about this so we will see how I like it!

Happy New Year!

I finished off the year with 155 books read, my last book read was finished on 12/31 - Rereadings: Seventeen Writers Revisit Books They Love by Anne Fadiman, I really enjoyed the authors' musings even though I hadn't read many of the books they were talking about.

Another that I finished before the new year was Little Slaughterhouse on the Prairie by Harold Schechter - this was a fascinating true crime story about serial killers who lived in the time and place of the Ingalls family (from Little House on the Prairie). I'm planning to read more by this author.

I've started reading my first book for the year, A Land Remembered, Volume 2 by Patrick D. Smith - this is set in Florida, USA, so it kicks off both my ATW and 50 states challenges, and I plan to use it for the Pop Sugar challenge as either a book that makes me nostalgic or a book about a family.

QOTW: I can only read in English.

Kenya wrote: "Happy New Year and new challenge, everyone!

I started this year off by finishing my first book of the challenge! Granted, it was a very short book (around 100 pages), but it still counts, I figure.

Also, in non-book news... I also started off the new year by watching the new "Bumblebee" movie. Loved it! I think even people who have hated the previous live-action "Transformers" films will enjoy this one, mostly because it feels more like something Steven Spielberg would direct than the hot mess of the last few movies..."

I agree, Bumblebee was so much fun and much better than the last few Transformer movies.

Hope wrote: "Happy New Year all! I'm so excited I can finally start the new challenge. Got more reading done this week thanks to the less family oriented holiday (New Years) which gave me time off work and no c..."

If you're looking for more Irish histories I would have to recommend How the Irish Saved Civilization. Not too long, great overview of early Irish history, plus the angle on their contributions makes it a lot of fun.

Nadine wrote: "Happy New Year!!...

Can You Survive a Zombie Apocalypse? by Anthony Wacholtz - my first Challenge read for 2019! It's a choose-your-own-adventure, and holy cow it was really short. And no, I apparently cannot survive a zombie apocalypse."

LOL, don't feel too bad, that just means you are like 90% of the people on the Walking Dead :-)