Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2019 Weekly Checkins
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Week 5: 1/24 - 1/31
10/50Finished:
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware for a book revolving around a puzzle or game.
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer for a book becoming a movie in 2019.
The Runesmith by Galen Wolf for a LitRPG book.
Currently reading:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Reread
Beneath a Scarlet Sky
QOTW:
Most of the recommendations don't make sense.
No snow here, but there was freezing fog last night so everything was covered in ice crystals. So pretty! This afternoon's weather warning has just been upgraded to amber as I was writing this, so maybe I'll get to go home early (not huge amounts of snow but trains are likely to struggle). Somehow I've managed to read 16 books this month. OK, none of them were particularly taxing or long, but I usually read 8-10 books in a month, so it's a serious case of new year motivation!This week I finished In an Absent Dream for a book by a musician. This was my least favourite Wayward Children book, it's about debt and fair value, but it seemed only to be enough material for a short story, stretched out into a novella.
I also finished The Kiss Quotient for an author whose first and last names start with the same letter. Steamy romances aren't really my thing but the relationship side was cute.
I listened to I Was Born for This for a book I meant to read last year and I loved it. Alice Oseman is so talented, I don't even like stories about bands and music, but this was more of an exploration of fandom, from both sides. Her teens always seem like real teens too.
I'm currently listening to We Cast a Shadow for a debut novel. I was just about to use an Audible credit when I saw it available at the library, so yay.
I started reading Jade City but I'm not really feeling it right now. So much so I forgot to bring my Kindle to work today. I was planning to grab a paperback on my way out but forgot last minute so now I'm bookless.
PS 9/52 | ATY 9/52 | GR 16/100
QOTW:
Considering the amount of data they have on me, they are not very good at generating recommendations, so I ignore them. My current one kind of makes sense, because I'm reading one new release from an author of colour with a parent/child angle, it's recommended another (Miracle Creek).
This week I have finished Love Letters to the Dead, and yesterday started The Jane Austen Book Club for a book about a hobby. I'm currently on annual leave from work so smashing my way through the books 😀QOTW
My Goodreads recommendations have always been awful. I tend not to pay any attention to them anymore.
Hellooo! Another quick check in from me because I am absolutely swamped. I am currently on shift for IMAlive, have my personal help coming after that until 4pm, and tonight I am leaving for London to go to a Hannibal convention. I have not packed yet and only just made a packing list. This will be fun.
I had thought this would be an amazing check in, because 24in48 went great, but then the week hit and pretty much no reading happened haha!
Read
On Friday I finished Becoming on audio. It's not for any 'official' challenges, but it was one of my Backlist books. I'm sure this will fit a prompt either here or at ATY, or both, but I'm too fried right now to figure it out. If anyone has ideas, please send them my way (by DM if possible because I won't have time to keep up with this thread). It definitely lived up to the hype, and I loved it. I'm glad I kept my library's physical copy because I could look at the photos after I finished it.
On Saturday morning 24in48 started, and I figured I'd start with an audiobook, to get me through the too-early-morning. I ended up finishing it that evening. One Day in December is a book that I want to see in fanfic version for all my ships. I love it. I really did, though I was truly in the mood for such a thing so that definitely helped. I thought I'd use it for the seasonal prompt, but I think that prompt is doomed for me, as the book doesn't solely take place in winter. I decided to use it anyways however, because mostly it does, and the most important things happen in December. Now, usually I say winter starts on December 21st, but for this challenge I'll stretch it to the meteorological winter which starts on the 1st.
The next book I read and finished was the next day, after brunch. I huddled back into bed and put on the audio of All My Sons which works for Back to the Classics prompt 'A Classic Play'. I am seeing it later this year in London and I am not prepared to see Colin Morgan play that character. I'm excited. I think I may have dozed off at some point, but the ending was so intense, and Kate was so real.. Definitely want to read this in print one day, because I think I would benefit greatly from the stage directions.
After that I made myself comfortable by laying more horizontally than vertically in my bed, on a folded up pillow with a cat on top of me, continuing When Polly Met Olly, a NetGalley. I enjoyed it, I really did, but there were a few things that rubbed me the wrong way. It would work well for a movie I think, and the same counts for One Day in December, but I'm keeping some prompts open deliberately, to fill in later. I'm questioning my sanity for doing that, but here we are.
Then it was dinner time and I put on the audio of The Travelling Cat Chronicles for the Far East Asian prompt for ATY. Of course it works for Popsugar as well, but I have The Guest Cat on my shelves (got it from my best friend) and I am planning to read that for Popsugar. I was underwhelmed by this one, and someone mentioned they cried, so I was determined not to. (view spoiler) While I loved the beginning, and the beautifully heartbreaking ending, the stories in the middle were a bit meh to me. Thinking back to them I think they weren't so bad, but that's because my brain only picks out the highlights and thinks in summaries. Pretty sure if I were to listen to them again I'd feel the same way I did before. Partly I think that was because the voices weren't very different, so I was confused a lot until I realized we'd gone into a flashback again. I adored Nana though. A sarcastic little shit so done with everything. Amazing. Perhaps I'll read this in print someday, to see how I feel then.
This brings me to 5/50, 4/52 ATY, 2/12 BTTC, 6/25(30) BTB, 12(18)/75 GR.
PS and ATY could be higher but some planned books I really want to read, and some prompts I don't want to fill too early. I'm gonna curse myself for this later, but yknow. Future-me can worry about that.
Currently Reading
Spellslinger - STILL. I KNOW. I met the imaginary creature though, so it officially has a prompt now! I also finally hit 55% last night, and the story seems to be truly picking up now. I hope I can find the time to read more, because I want to. Perhaps I'll be able to make some more progress on the bus tonight.
The Psychology of Time Travel on audio, not yet for a prompt, though with a stretch I think it could work for the STEM prompt for ATY. Unless it's only the title that counts. Then it doesn't count at all. It's one of my NetGalleys but Storytel already had it so I figured I'd do two NetGalleys at once. (I haven't actually started the next one, The Gilded Wolves yes, because busy). I was really excited for this one, but am thoroughly underwhelmed so far. When someone started juggling kidneys I seriously contemplated DNFing. I'm almost halfway though, so I think I'll persevere. Unless it gets even worse. I think it'd work better in print, so I may have made a mistake, but I can't be bothered to go back and read it. Shame.
QOTW
I do, actually! I've actually added some books from there, although I agree, sometimes the correlation is absolutely hilarious. Also, can GR stop recommending me books of series that aren't the first one in a series??? That'd be swell. It's not something I actively look at however, I tend to ignore it completely when the same three books keep appearing.
It's cold here too (though nothing like the midwest - I feel for you all!!). I have on my heavy sweater today, used my warmest coat and my thickest gloves. I also have a heater blasting under my desk. Brrr...I am looking forward to a bit of a warm-up this weekend. My dog desperately needs a long walk.I finished two books this week:
By the Book by Julia Sonneborn. I only had a few pages left on this at last week's check-in. I enjoyed this book. It's a retelling of Persuasion, but I liked that it really tried to be it's own story. You could almost say it's inspired by Persuasion rather than a retelling. Using this for "set on a college campus".
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan. I don't know how I feel about this one. This book can't make up its mind what it wants to be. It's kinda like the Esther story from the bible except with a caste system, a Demon King, a revolution and some girl on girl love. Very weird. Using for my debut novel.
Currently reading:
Well, I've picked up and put down several books this week. I started The Song of Achilles on audio, but I am not feeling attached to the story at all. Last night I started The Wondering Years: How Pop Culture Helped Me Answer Life’s Biggest Questions which should be a quick, fun read. I am also still working on Bambi by Felix Salten. For a short book, it's a very slow read. Also so sad.
QOTW:
It's been a long time since I looked at the recommendations page on Goodreads. Most of the books do not appeal to me, and Goodreads hasn't let me down this morning. One of the books they are recommending based on my wish list is:
Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible: 260 Exquisite Patterns by Hitomi Shida
Whaaaaaat? Apparently this was recommended because I have Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You shelved.
I was working my way throughHercule Poirot Whodunit Puzzles: Exercise Your Little Grey Cells to Solve Over 100 Riddles, Conundrums and Crimes Inspired by Agatha Christie's Great Detective that my sister gave me for Christmas, and decided that counted as a book revolving around a puzzle or game, so that's done.I also read A Family Concern as my book with an article of clothing or accessory on the cover. Wasn't very good. Don't recommend it.
And now I'm reading A Confederacy of Dunces as my book published posthumously. I haven't decided how I feel about it yet. I'm slightly more than halfway through so I should probably at least know if I like it or not, but it's kind of weird. I think it's one of those books you have to read the whole thing and see if there's a point before you decide if you like it or not.
QOTW: I do look at the recommendations. Some of them are weird and I wonder why they would think I would like such a thing. Especially as it really loves to give me recommendations on books I gave 2 or 3 stars to. But, sometimes I see something and I think, yeah, I'd like to read that. So, it's kind of hit and miss I guess.
Mod
Hello,February is my worst month too for the exact same reasons. It's very cold here, but a bit less than many places in USA. Today was supposed to be an outside day at my sons' school, but it will probably be postpone. I just want 14 F temperature. Please!
I've been in a graphic novels Frenzy this week. It's been a very slow week at my job and I have access at a library here so I rent some books.
Read:
L'Arabe du futur 2 : Une jeunesse au Moyen-Orient, 1984-1985 and L'Arabe du futur 3 : Une jeunesse au Moyen-Orient, 1985-1987. Both are very good and full of humour despite the serious topics.
Laika Just okay. I didn't like the art and felt sometimes that the author try too hard to make us feel bad or sad. Will use it for the past Goodreads favorite prompt (graphic novel).
American Born Chinese that I used for the own voice prompt. That one I really liked. It was brilliant the way the three stories merged into one. The ending was a bit abrupt.
Culottées #1 That was a fun read too. It's a book about strong women. The sories are short and you want to know more about those incredible women.
QOTW: Not sure about the recommendations. They really want me to read The Rabbits too. Not sure why.
Aww, I love February - it rains less, the end of winter is in sight, and it's our wedding anniversary! I only read one book this week (knew I'd slow down eventually!), but it was for PS so I'm now at 6/55 (4/45, 2/10)
I read White Oleander, for prompt #6 plant in the title or cover. It's a good thing that I'm not the sort of person to highlight passages in books, because most of this novel would have been underlined. I was not expecting the beauty of this book, but was fully captivated by it almost from the first page. This is a full on story - Astrid, the daughter of an intense poet who is sent to prison for murdering her lover, is dealt a series of horrific hands in the foster care system whilst trying to define herself and the relationship she was with her mother. But there isn't anything in Astrid's journey that is just shock for shock's sake, and that is what makes this such a compelling read. Astrid is formed both by her experiences and by how she survives them, and it is this coming of age that really spoke to me. It is a heartbreaking and often uncomfortable journey, but at its core there is a strength and warmth. Fitch crafts a cast of rich, multifaceted characters and weaves such vivid scenes, that even in Astrid's darkest moments this story never left me cold. I loved this book.
QOTW - Does anyone look at the "Recommendation" GR gives you on your homepage? Do the recommendations make any sense??
I have in the past, but my TBR is so mahoosive that I haven't in a while. I just looked at it there and some of it makes sense. I have some shelves that are very on-the-nose (feminism, for example) so the recs on that are obvious. I did laugh that my shelf "scotland the awesome" generated not one but two My Little Pony book recommendations...uh, wut?
I am at 11/50.This week I finished:
The Life We Bury: I have been reading a lot of good reviews for this and it was available on overdrive for free, so I thought I would try it for a book with an amateur detective. I think I am one of the few people that I have seen reading it lately that just did not enjoy it. I thought it was predictable and the characters lacked basic common sense. The ending was enjoyable, because I’m a sucker for a good ending, but this one got 3 stars from me.
Currently reading:
Frankenstein: I am still attempting to read the entire book out loud, but I have lost steam with it. I keep wanting to just finish it in my normal way, but I’m trying to power through. I have made it past the half way point.
After: I’m still not enjoying this one. I’m a little over a third of the way through. I will say that finding out that it was originally written as One Direction fanfic makes me a little more understanding, but I feel like the book is repetitive and annoying.
An Anonymous Girl: Finally a book that caught my interest after a 9 day reading slump. I’m half way done with this one and I fully intend to finish it today. So far I think it is weird, clever, and terrifying. I’m hooked.
Observations so far:
There is a reason I started allowing myself not to finish a bad book last year, but this challenge is making me try to power through and it sucked the fun out of reading for me this week. Hopefully next week is better. I also decided to give audiobooks another try with Becoming, but then I saw it was 19 hours and I just couldn’t do it.
Question of the Week:
Does anyone look at the "Recommendation" GR gives you on your homepage? Do the recommendations make any sense??
I don’t pay any attention to their recommendations. I go to fellow readers for that.
So over this week I read a ton, participated in #24in48, but barely filled any prompts. A few of mine would fit prompts, but I've already filled where they'd fit ... I got 1 prompt, and it was even kind of a stretch, bringing me to 21/51 and read 11 books, bringing me to 49/365. I have one in progress I'm hoping to finish today to wrap up the month. The Tea Dragon Society
Stephen McCranie's Space Boy Volume 1
Wicked Saints
Year One
The Prince and the Dressmaker
The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells
This is How It Always Is
Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir
Gathering Blue
Wildcard - Prompt : LitRPG (this did not have as much LitRPG feels as the first book, but because I know the world itself earns points for doing day to day things, levels up, and within Warcross they seem to role play, and can change how their avatar looks for example - kinda like in Ready Player One which was listed as an example, I'm going to count it)
Love and Other Words
Currently reading : Dreadnought which is own voices - so I am moving
to published in 2019 and out of own voices to free it up
Hi all!I actually like february for the same reasons as Sarah, except for the anniversary ;) We do have a lot of family birthdays (my youngest son and three of my nephews), there is a weeks winter break from school, and the daylight increases. You live in Scotland, right, Sarah? Guess the weather is similar to Denmark.
March is hard, because it´s oftentimes not spring weather yet and I am getting desperate. November is hard because it´s SO dark, and it´s going to last for soooo long.
Such a bad reading week I don´t even want to mention it...
QOTW:
I don´t often pay attention to them, but I can see the connections, though they don´t really work as recommendations. One book I finished last week was a fantasy by a Danish author, and based on that it randomly recommends other fantasy books and books by Danish/ Scandinavian authors.
Hello from a positively frigid Columbus! We’re on our second day off school due to dangerously low temperatures. The kids are loving their mini vacation, I’m loving now having to change our of pajama pants. Prince Caspian not for a challenge, I’m just reading through the series as the books come available in my account. It’s a fine book, heavy with symbolism. It doesn’t have that same magical, nostalgic quality The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has but I also never read this one when I was a kid so that’d make sense lol.
Consuming the Word: The New Testament and the Eucharist in the Early Church not for the challenge, his books are short and to the point so I read when when I’m in between books. Scott Hahn is a theologian who has very interesting takes on Catholicism. He’s a convert who used to be a Protestant minister so he tends to have a unique perspective and has written A LOT of books. This subject is pretty succinctly summed up by the title of the book.
Station Eleven not for any actual challenge, but I have set a goal to read through all of the selections from the relaunch of BOTM. I joined in November 2016, and have loved every single book I’ve picked. So I figure, I bet I’d really love all the other books I didn’t pick, unless I just got really lucky at picking. It seems they relaunched in February 2015, with just one book (Station Eleven) so I decided to start there and work my way through the list.
So anyway, this book was really good! It’s about a kind of post apocalyptic world, where a swine flu type of pandemic wiped out most of the world’s population. The story connects people from before the event, during the event, and 20 years after the event. It was bittersweet and lovely. But what I REALLY want is to read the graphic novel the book is kind of centered around. That sounded cool as hell.
Betsy-Tacy for the book that makes you feel nostalgic prompt. This was tough. I’ve had this series since I was very young, my grandma used to read me one book each year she’d visit (she was in Florida, us Ohio). I barely remember the plots. But I do remember her reading them, and how much she loved these books, and how much she wanted me to love them too. I kept meaning to revisit them as an adult, then my grandma passed a year ago so it felt like too much. But I finally got around to it, and I’m glad I did.
Betsy-Tacy is a sweet book about two five year old best friends who are so attached to each other that they’re just referred to as one person. The book is a series of adventures they go on, and has themes of new siblings, social anxiety, friendship, and death. It’s a really lovely, classic series and I’m most definitely looking forward to finishing the series this year.
Snow & Rose for a retelling of a classic. I LOVE retellings of classics. And I didn’t realize it when I picked this book that not only to I follow the author/artist but I own a few of her prints and have two of her picture books for my son. I absolutely adore her artistic style, and so I’m not surprised that I was enamored with this story. It really does seem to be a classic retelling, if my memory of the original fairly tale is accurate. Not only is she an amazing artistic, but she really does have a way of painting a scene with words. I hope there are more chapter books from her in the future.
This brings me to 8/40; 0/10 with 15 books read this year.
QOTW: sometimes but not that frequently tbh
Dani wrote: "But what I REALLY want is to read the graphic novel the book is kind of centered around. That sounded cool as hell. ..."Same for me.
What a slow week for me! And it's even cold here! Blech.....Finished:
32.) I finished the monster sized The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee, my Asian author read. I wasn’t a fan. The booked dragged at times and the author was obsessed with the words twillery and toilette; removing those two words from the book could probably cut 20 pages alone. The premise was the story of a Parisian opera singer, who had spent years as a courstesan. It really dragged.
45.)Playing the Moldovans at Tennis by Tony Hawk. To clarify, this is the British comedian and not the American skateboarder. This book was an absolute riot! It did reference playing multiplayer tennis as a video game, so I think it counts.
Inherit the Land: Jim Crow Meets Miss Maggie's Will by Gene Stowe for work. Yes, I work in Information Technology. It’s a long story on why I needed to read a Jim Crowe law history of a medium sized county in North Carolina.
Currently reading:
40.) Past prompt - Fascinating country: H.R.H. by Danielle Steele is set in Liechtenstein and Eritrea. It’s a bit too sweetsy, thus far.
Party Headquarters by Georgi Tenev for my European reads. It’s Eastern European and a bit of a challenge….
GR recommendations
Goodreads recommends based on what you have read, not the star rating you gave the book. Because of that, I’ve had recommendations based on 2 star reads. I haven’t put those on my to read list! Based on my shelves is a bit better. The thrillers/ suspense shelves are generating some interesting options and I’ve read a couple and, well, I’m rarely disappointed by a thriller.
I finished 2 books this week
Orleans for my "cli-lit" book. It was interesting and somewhat thought provoking. Very dystopian (not that I call that a bad thing). Not sure what I thought of the ending
The Curse of the Pharaohs for my "A book featuring an amateur detective" - very fun cozy mystery.This puts me at 11/53 for this challenge.
QOTW:
I sometimes look at the recommendations. But I also agree that they seem to make no sense. I tend instead to get book recommendations from seeing what my friends are reading/have read and what they rate them at.
Two books this week:Book about a family:
Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan. It’s the last book in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. I enjoy them although I know they are not everyone’s cup of tea.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. I’ve avoided this book for a bit because it appeared on so many best of lists and was getting raves and I don’t always enjoy those but much like The Kiss Quotient, I adored it. Also, it’s my favorite romance trope (enemies to lovers) so I don’t know why I didn’t give it a try earlier.
QOTW:
I’ll peek everyone once in a while but none of them seem like something I want to read.
Morning all! Finished up 4 books this week. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy was first and while I enjoyed the first book I felt like the second basically had too similar of plot in the way that it was laid out. I really enjoyed the interactions between Felicity and Monty in the first book but on this one I think the secondary characters that she came up with weren't as exciting to read about. I really loved Felicity in the first book but just kind of felt bored with this one. Still, I can see how this book would be enjoyed by some people so if you liked the first I do think it's worth giving this one a shot. Just ended up being not for me.
Second up was The Perks of Being a Wallflower which I'm using for the prompt of over a million goodreads reviews. The only thing I had known about this book beforehand is that it's also a movie. I enjoyed it on the whole. This wouldn't have ever been a book I would have picked up other than for a challenge so I'm pleased to have read it.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America followed and I agree with all the other reviewers who felt like the author wrote two separate books and just smooshed them together. I spent a lot of the book being frustrated at how much detail there was about the building of the world fair and how much smaller the chapters about the serial killings of H.H. Holmes were. I honestly expected the thread that tied the two stories together to be stronger than the fact that both happened at the same time. Interesting stories both of them but if I had a choice I would have entirely skipped the history of the world's fair.
Finally, I read Between the World and Me which ended up being really good. I'm still kind of processing this one.
Question of the Week:
Does anyone look at the "Recommendation" GR gives you on your homepage? Do the recommendations make any sense??
I occasionally will glance at them but they feel like suggestions that only just barely relate to my recent reads and more like ads that use that tentative thread as a reason to show me the book. Whatever algorithm they have that chooses which book to display doesn't feel curated enough for me.
Well, between dabbling in the #24in48 challenge and having a polar vortex here for my birthday, it's been quite a reading week! (All snug here, and no problems at all from the extreme cold--I'm impressed how well our furnace is keeping up.)Finished Reading:
The Next to Last MistakeA Netgalley book that I decided I liked. At first I was concerned when some of the interracial issues that came up felt a bit heavy handed in the narrative (like, the only reason this lit club exists is so characters have an excuse to say certain things the author wants brought up), but then overall it was actually a relatable book about life changes and being outside your comfort zone and friendships. Using this for published in 2019.
The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery Another Sam Kean audio book I really enjoyed. Don't read if you're sensitive to medical details or repeated brain surgery descriptions, but worth reading if you have any interest in how our brains work, and the history of how we've figured that out so far.
Once Upon a Marigold A sweet middle grade fantasy. I used this for 'plant in the title'.
Good Poems I didn't like this quite as much as Good Poems for Hard Times, but still found a few poems I really liked. Especially notable is 'The Iceberg Theory'. I slotted this into the two word title prompt, at least for now.
Looking for Alaska I used this for the debut novel prompt, plus 'book with a mostly black cover' for ATY, and I definitely felt the fact that it was a debut novel. There was a hint of the John Green magic, but between the 'not quiteness' and the amount of sexual content for a YA novel, this ended up being a two star book for me.
Currently Reading:
The Mystery of Agatha Christie I'm enjoying this biography so far. Sometimes there's an excessive amount of irrelevant detail, but otherwise, quite interesting.
Les Misérables I'm switching back and forth between audio and print as is convenient, so can make reasonable progress.
The Holy War I did make some good progress on this last Sunday, but it may go on hiatus soon because next week we're starting a book that the church is reading together, and that will probably be my Sunday afternoon book for a bit.
Restart The writing is just barely good enough to be tolerable, but the premise of the book is a lot of fun.
DNF:
Land of a Hundred Wonders I really wanted to like this one because it had interesting elements, but at 20% in, it was the boring kind of 'nothing happened so far'. I think maybe the writing just wasn't strong enough to carry it without some kind of plot movement to keep my interest.
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good This was a spontaneous library pick, so I didn't realize what a dark turn it was going to take. For those who don't mind a cozy sort of dark book, (think Arsenic and Old Lace, but less funny) it would be a nice short pick that is set in Sweden and has two female authors if you count the translator.
QOTW:
I have occasionally browsed the recommendations in the past, but don't remember anything interesting in either a good or bad way. It is amusing when it decides to recommend books based on my DNF shelf...
Hi everyone, it is very cold and frozen Chicago. I had a good reading week and overall this has been the most books I have read in a month. Read:
The Broken Girls: #35, I really liked this book and I am going to look up the author's other books.
My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel: I liked it.
X-Men Origins: I did not really like it, too many different artist with different art styles.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz#25 I thought it was a good book, but it was heavy (as the name suggests).
Murder at the Vicarage: #50 I liked it, it was a good mystery. I will be reading more of Agatha Christie's books
Currently Reading:
The Light Over London
The Memoirs of Cleopatra (Some day I will finish this book)
PS: 9/50 ATY: 7/52 GR: 16/75
QOTW:
I have not really paid attention to the recommendations. Usually because I have so many books to read already, I don't think I need their recommendations to add more.
Happy Thursday! And all of you in the US who are in the path of the polar vortex -- stay safe, okay? It's brutal out there...Books I read/finished this week:
A Discovery of Witches -- for "book set on a college or university campus." Only the first half of the book was set at Oxford University, but I'm still counting it. I did NOT like this one -- I picked it up hoping for magical intrigue and got a vampire romance novel in disguise...
Fevre Dream -- for "book recommended by a celebrity you admire," in this case director Guillermo del Toro. How did I end up reading two vampire books in one week when I don't even like vampires? Unlike "Discovery," however, this one I really enjoyed! Vampires on steamboats on the Mississippi river, what's not to like?
Awoken -- for "book written by two female authors" (actually three, and they wrote under a pseudonym, but I count it...). A paranormal romance between a human girl and Cthuhlu himself? It sounds bad... and it's so bad it's HILARIOUS. Seriously, y'all have got to read this thing, it's absolutely hysterical. (It helps that it was written as a parody of "Twilight" and its innumerable copycats.)
Damsel -- not for the challenge. Pitch-black feminist fantasy about a damsel rescued from a dragon by a prince who realizes she didn't want to be rescued in the first place. It's brutal, often ugly, but certainly very thought-provoking.
DNFed Cocaine Blues, my choice for "amateur detective." More actual mystery and less description of what every single character is wearing, please...
Regular challenge -- 12/43
Advanced challenge -- 2/10
Non-challenge books -- 4
Currently Reading:
The Graveyard Book -- for "ghost story"
Bed-Bugged -- for "amateur detective"
Woman on the Edge of Time -- not for the challenge
QOTW:
I am SO glad I'm not the only one who keeps getting ridiculous recommendations from Goodreads! Usually they're things I'm barely even interested in. And apparently GR REALLY wants me to read The Pushcart War, because it keeps popping up all the freaking time. The only book it's recommended that I've been remotely interested in is Shambling Towards Hiroshima.
I just checked my recommendations and apparently because I'm reading the third book in the Inspector Gamache series they would like to recommend the third book in a different series. They really need to tweak their system.
Books I finished this week:
(not sure where to fit into the challenge, yet)
#4 A book that should be turned into a movie
(not for the challenge)Currently reading:
(not for the challenge)
(not for the challenge)
#29 book with LOVE in the titleQOTW: I do not find the recommendations helpful.
Hello from Nebraska- which is just outside the Polar Vortex. We were supposed to get the extreme cold weather, but it isn't too bad. Don't get me wrong- it is cold, just not as cold as many of you are.This was a decent reading week. I read:
The Golden Tresses of the Dead- not my favorite Flavia, but I still enjoyed it. This was supposed to be on last week's list, but when I got my book one of the pages was basically blacked out with ink and I needed to get a new copy.
Sugar- someone here recommended this book and I thought it was a good book, mostly. I have to say though, as a fat girl who eats her emotions it was a little stressful. Half of my brain was like "stop eating you'll just regret it" and the other half was total disgust at myself. I would recommend it, because it is a good book, it was just hard for me.
Mascot- a book for young people about a boy and his challenges a year after the car accident that took his dad's life and left him paralyzed. It was well handled.
Hamlet- I haven't read this in a while and decided to read it for the idiom prompt.
Swing- a book in verse that is heart breaking.
Lifeboat 12 another book in verse based on a true story about the sinking of a passenger ship during WWII. A good fast read- and I loved all the extra information (including photos) at the back of the book.
QOTW:
I rarely look at the recommendations (although it is funny you should ask because last night when I couldn't sleep I did look at them). When I've looked I just figured I was getting such a wide variety of books because I am such an eclectic reader. Good to know that there is a lot of randomness in everyone's recommendations.
Happy Reading!
Hi all, from a very hot (yet stormy right now) South Africa.Only finished one book this week: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank for the posthumously published book prompt. Based on what I knew of her, and having visited the Anne Frank museum in the Netherlands, I had to brace myself to be in the right mood to read it. But it was not quite what I had envisaged - much more teenage angst than expected. And although some of the fear and horror of the times she was living in was mentioned, I felt that this was somewhat downplayed.
Currently reading Circe for the book inspired by mythology prompt.
QOTW:
Don't really pay any attention to it. My TBR list is already way too long anyway!
Brittany wrote: "Morning all! Finished up 4 books this week. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy was first and while I enjoyed the first book I felt like the second basically had too similar..."
I really enjoyed all the history about the World's Fair, I learned so much! But I get into that kind of thing.
Hello everyone! This was another hard week for me. I went to the dentist on Monday and it turns out its my wisdom teeth. One has a really bad cavity, another is smooshing all my other teeth and sitting right on my nerve and that's why I'm in so much pain. I have an appointment for a consultation with an oral surgeon, but not until NEXT THURSDAY!! They gave me some pain meds, but its not helping that much. Anyways, my reading has suffered, because its so hard to concentrate. Actually, everything in my life is suffering right now LOL!Anyways, I finished 2 books, one for the challenge.
Finished Reading
Throne of Glass 5 stars. For the reread of a favorite prompt. I'd forgotten a lot of what happens in this one, and I did enjoy it.
Wonder Woman, Volume 1: Blood 4 stars. An interesting Wonder Woman story. This one centered around the Greek Gods and mythology instead of other superheroes.
Currently Reading
Warcross This is for the puzzle or game prompt
The Rogue Queen
QOTW
My recommendations rarely make any sense at all. I just ignore them now.
Hello, I'm now at 11/50 for the challengeFinished this week:
Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds by Joy Adamson - a reread for me, used for another challenge
Brave by Rose McGowan - McGowan's memoir, said to be getting a sequel soon, she struggles a bit in the telling but I think she was indeed brave to bare her soul
The Help by Kathryn Stockett - I've wanted to read it since watching the movie and don't regret it one bit, used for the multiple POV prompt
QOTW: I don't often pay attention to that part of the homepage, but the current recommendation looks interesting. I do sometimes look at what they send in the emails, and add things to my TBR.
Well, that was a slow week. I'm still at 10/50, but I'm close to finishing a few books. I'm currently reading:The Bear and the Nightingale (based on folklore or mythology)
The Paragon Hotel
Redshirts (takes place in space).
When I'm done with those, I'll be starting Rush (multiple POVs) and Jubileefor my real life book clubs.
QOTW: I don't find them particularly helpful... Sometimes they seem like really odd choices.
Hi everyone!I'm in Michigan and it's negative -14, feels like -31 here. There was a fire at the gas company that supplies 65% of Michigan's heat, so everyone's under an advisory to turn heat down to 65 while home, and 62 at night/while out for more than 5 hours. So I'm huddled on a heating pad with multiple blankets feeling it get ever colder. I work from home though, so it's still business as usual.
This week I finished:
The Blue Sword - I don't think this works for popsugar but I used it form ATY's something blue. I'd never gotten into McKinley when I was younger, but I wish I had. She writes the kind of epic fantasy I love.
Beauty and the Werewolf - re-read for fun before bed
The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write - Popsugar's book recommend by someone you admire, it was part of Emma Watson's Our Shared Shelf book club. Also counting it for Reading Women's book featuring a religion that isn't your own. This is one of those books I feel like I should have enjoyed more than I did. Mainly it just felt very disjointed. The point was the editor wanted to feature a bunch of different writing from British Muslim women, which I get. But it meant it was hard to get into a groove because there was a story here, a bunch of poems there, then an essay, then an excerpt from a play, more poetry etc. As with most compilations some I liked, others I really didn't get, so overall it was just ok.
Currently reading:
Starless - This will be popsugar book I meant to read last year. I saw it came out last year, but couldn't fit it into the challenges by the time the library got it and it was just a little too long to fit in on a whim, and by the time I finished the challenges I'd gone off on other reading tangents. I'll also use it for ATY's book over 500 pages. I'm really enjoying it so far, although I'm not sure anything can really compete with her whole Terra d' Ange world.
The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help - Listening to the audio book for this. Kinda bummed, the intro said there was an included pdf with photos, but i got it from the library and libby's not showing any visual component. Unless there's something else I need to do? But anyhow it's read by Amanda Palmer and has a lot of her music in it, so it's pretty good so far. This will by my book by a musician. Not sure it fits anywhere else yet.
QOTW:
Honestly, I tune out ads on webpages unless it's either so ridiculous I can't ignore it, or something that is so perfectly "I NEED THIS". I know the recommendations are there, I can't recall that I've ever actually internalized what they were recommending, much less clicked on one to read more about it or why it was recommended.
Jenny wrote: "I really enjoyed all the history about the World's Fair, I learned so much! But I get into that kind of thing."Oh yes, I did actually find it quite interesting and very well researched. I was just expecting the history of the fair to be more involved with the killings. I think I just had different expectations, I was more into it for the story about the serial killings and the murder house and less about the history. At the very least I expected them to be more entwined and relevant to each other.
Happy Thursday everyone! I hope you all in the polar vortex are staying inside and warm! I almost posted a picture to Instagram of me reading outside yesterday in 68-degree weather (Phoenix), but decided that was too cruel. Though we do pay for it during our 6-month hellish summer. But anyway, I finished 4 books this week and I'm now 10/50 for the challenge.
Finished
Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder (40. Favorite past prompt - book mentioned in another book) You guys I've wanted to read this for SO long, and I thought I would love it, but I didn't. I thought it was okay. The writing was good, and I was invested in some of the characters, but overall it just didn't totally work for me.
Howl's Moving Castle (12. book inspired by mythology, legend or folklore) I had never heard of this classic children's fantasy until I read Jane Mount's Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany, but then I was intrigued. I listened on audiobook and found it to be really delightful. It's the story of a teenage girl who is cursed by an evil witch. She then finds some unlikely friends and sets out to figure out how to reverse the curse. I really enjoyed this one.
The Daughter of Time (38. novel based on a true story) I loved this old mystery novel. It was a deep dive into Richard III and if he really murdered his nephews way back in the 15th century.
Binti (20. book set in space) I listened to this novella on audiobook. I am not much of a sci-fi reader, so it's hard for me to really say much about it, but I did like it.
Currently Reading
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir
Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl (3. book written by a musician)
The Wondering Years: How Pop Culture Helped Me Answer Life’s Biggest Questions (10. book with "pop" in the title)
Happy Thursday all! While I'm huddled in my frigid basement office at work, I'm quite glad I'm not in the polar vortex region. Just reading about those temperatures, Sheri, makes me shiver. I skipped last week's check-in because I didn't have any progress to report but this week I managed to finish 3 more books. I read The Marriage Game: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth I for the prompt with a plant in the title or on the cover. The cover has drawings of the Tudor Rose; it's a bit of a stretch but I'm counting it. This book was only okay. It had all of Weir's attention to historical accuracy but I wish she had taken some more creative license. The book dragged in many areas.
I also read From Twinkle, with Love for a book about a hobby. Twinkle is an aspiring filmmaker and thought it's not my hobby, it's somebody's, right? This was a cute book and I enjoy Menon's YA romances.
Just this morning I finished up the audiobook for Career of Evil for a book with unusual chapter headings. Each chapter begins with either lyrics from a Blue Oyster Cult song or an actual chapter title depending on who's POV the chapter is in. I really liked this one and enjoyed it more than the previous book. I can't wait to read the next.
I'm at 6/50.
QOTW: I hardly ever look at my recommendations because I figured my reading was so scattered that it'd probably recommend something out of left field. I do like to look at though when I've finished up something historical because those usually are the best recommendations.
Hi all. I'm just outside the polar vortex situation in the midwest so it's still above 0 F for now at least. Lots of snow and ice on the ground. I only finished 1 book this week. I've been reading a lot but I just started a bunch. I'm at 7/50
Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris. I've put it in ownvoices because no one has told me memoirs aren't allowed for that.
Currently working on:
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull- aloud to kid: for Extinct or Imaginary creature
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon-Book about family or multiple POV's
Gemina by Amie Kaufman
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson- audio book: based on a true story or "Love" in the title
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness: Set at a college or university
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden: Read during the season in which it's set
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor: Not sure yet, maybe about a hobby?
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis: audio book with kid
QOTW:
I notice them sometimes. Usually it's just like "Oh, I see you're reading a series. Here's another series." Sometimes I look at them if the book it's basing the recommendation on is something my son and I are reading together to get ideas of what we can read next.
Happy Thursday everyone! We finally got hit with the polar vortex last evening here in CT, although we aren't suffering anything like the mid west. Yesterday schools were cancelled due to rain and freezing temps overnight, so ice in the morning , and then the cold front came in with a vengeance around 5pm ( a little later than expected- they thought around 2pm which is why they cancelled the entire day of school, instead of just delaying). We had a short snow squall with scary high winds and whiteouts but it was barely any snow and only lasted a few hours. Temps are down in the single digits with a wind chill below 30, so there was a 2 hour delay this morning again. As for temps in our house.....We all have the FLU!!!!....again. This is round 2 of Flu A in our house this year and its been going on about a week. Both kiddos are home today with temps, although they are perking up a bit. But they'll have to stay home tomorrow again because of our schools fever policy. The fevers had gone away for a few days, but they were so wiped out all they could do was sleep so I kept them home for some R&R. Now that the fevers are back, I'm thinking we'll be going back to the Dr this weekend to make sure no one ended up with an ear infection or pneumonia again. UGH.
In other news I haven't read much. I'm still home on disability for multiple reasons, and my employer axed my position since its been 6 months. So I have nothing to go back to. Also, because of my multiple medical issues, I signed over my Nursing License (temporarily??, I can apply for it back eventually). I am terrified. Like, where do I go back to work?? So I'm kind of paralyzed with worry right now. I have no idea how long my disability is going to hold out, so I can't even plan for when I have to start looking for a job. I applied for something really exciting last night, but am doubtful I'll get an offer. My work history is so specialized that people outside of the field gloss over my resume and move on. I spent all day yesterday revamping how I market myself. needless to say I haven't felt much like doing anything, not even read. Whew!!Sorry, that was like a mini therapy session.
I finished The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, this week. I watched the show on netflix so I figured why not. It was a quick read and had some really good advice in it, so I'm going to force myself to get off my butt and start on Kon Mari-ing my house. She promised if I did that my WHOLE LIFE WOULD MIRACULOUSLY CHANGE AND ALL MY PROBLEMS WILL BE SOLVED!!.......I'll let you know how that works out LOL. Other than that maybe just 10-20 more pages of The Book of M.
I have a huge stack of library books still sitting here, some of which are clunkers. I'm considering just taking them all back. Not at all in the mood.
QOTW:
I don't even look at the recs page. It never makes sense. I would hope for some new releases or books that are popular, but they're all so obscure or random and never make any sense. I use all of you for my recommendations, much better judges of books :-)
6/50 books so far Finished:
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle This took half the month for me to read. I did end up enjoying the ending but the middle was a bit of a slog. It was hard to keep track of events and I kept having to flip back and reread pages several times over. 4 stars
If You Come Softly Read for the Life’s Library book club so I put it down for book recommended by a celebrity you admire. It was ok. It’s very short and the ending is made very obvious from the beginning so it was hard to feel attached to the characters. But an important read and very relevant to today. Hard to believe it’s 20 years old. 3 stars
Currently Reading
Educated
QOTW:
I only look at my recommendations when I’m bored and have added a couple but mostly they seem pretty off the mark. I can see how some of them relate to books I’ve already read but that often doesn’t translate well into something new I’d be interested in. I hate when recommendations are made off of books I only rated 3 stars. I’m also trying to keep my TBR list from getting too big too fast so the book has to really catch my interest to get added.
This week I finished The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle for the game prompt. I enjoyed this book and it definitely had a lot of twists. I am currently readingLove Letters to the Dead for the love prompt/February book.
I am at 4/50 for the Popsugar challenge and 4/52 for the GR. So far I am staying on track on my goals.
QOTW: I am not sure if my recommendations are correct or not. I do not look at it often enough to know.
Tracy wrote: "Happy Thursday everyone! We finally got hit with the polar vortex last evening here in CT, although we aren't suffering anything like the mid west. Yesterday schools were cancelled due to rain and ..."I know the feel of disability and being terrified of the future. I'm sending you all the love, hugs, and strength <3
Mod
Brittany wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I really enjoyed all the history about the World's Fair, I learned so much! But I get into that kind of thing."Oh yes, I did actually find it quite interesting and very well researc..."
Yeah, I agree with you on that. It did surprise me a little bit.
Mod
Sheri wrote: "Hi everyone!I'm in Michigan and it's negative -14, feels like -31 here. There was a fire at the gas company that supplies 65% of Michigan's heat, so everyone's under an advisory to turn heat down..."
Oh that's horrible! I didn't hear about that in Michigan yet. I'm in Iowa. Its definitely frigid here, but I can set my thermostat at a much warmer 72 degrees at least!
Happy Thursday! Cold out today... brrrrr! I don't want to leave my house or my nice warm blanket. Finished 6 books this week, 4 for the challenge which leaves me at 14/50.Finished:
Collusion- (A book told from multiple POVs) thought it was okay- until the end, which resulted in me cursing out the author. Authors, y u kill the characters I like?
Sushi for One?- (A book with a question in the title) I enjoyed this one; it was a fun chick-lit comedy, though at a few points it did get darker than I expected.
The Cold Cold Ground- interesting mystery, though I enjoyed the historical aspect and the narrator's accent more than the actual storyline or characters!
The Kneebone Boy- disappointing! I thought it would be a creepy middle grade read, but instead I got twist that left me going "are you kidding me?!" and ranting at my coworkers (who are librarians so they understand).
Yarned and Dangerous- (A book about a hobby) A cute cozy mystery with knitting. I find cozy mysteries a bit slow but that's just my personal taste.
American Assassin- (A book with a two word title) Meh. I can see the appeal but this is very plot driven while I prefer character driven.
Currently reading:
A Knit before Dying
Starry River of the Sky
QOTW:
I usually barely glance at the homepage recommendations. I see they're there but I don't really pay attention to what they suggest.
This week: Not a huge week for me but I've finished some things and started some others. Finished:
As You Like It by William Shakespeare I've done a lot of the tragedies and history plays in high school and college, but I am woefully unread in Shakespearean comedy. So I'm trying to toss in a couple this year. This one for book that inspired a word or idiom. Among other things credited to this play, "eventful" but then shakespeare didn't coin a lot of the words he's credited with (not even as a first usage recorded in print) as this play is often credited with the first use of "puking" but apparently that is in print at least 10 years prior.
It was fine. I'm no worse off having read it. I'm not sure I'm better off having read it, either.
The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man by Jonas Jonasson
Book set in Scandinavia. The first 100 year old man book examined the key events of the 20th century. This book the key events of the first year or two of the Trump administration. The 100 year old man gets a tablet and then gets in all sorts of trouble. It was quite funny if you enjoy a little political lampooning and not at all if you don't. But I enjoyed it.
Black History/Currently reading
I have no plans for blak history month reading but I'm currently reading two books by black female authors Black Water Rising by Attica Locke the debut novel by the woman who wrote Bluebird, Bluebird which was one of my favorite reads last year. It is set in Houston which is where I live and I'm enjoying it.
Also Black Panther: World of Wakanda by Roxane Gay which is set in Wakanda before the events of the black panther movie. This book has fierce female warriors and queereness and the first issue in volume one was great. But that's as far as I've gotten.
I suspect I will finish both in Black History Month but it is coincidental.
Group Read:
I've been waiting for To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han for MONTHS and am still like 50 from the front of the queue. Figured I wouldn't get to this one until well past February.. Just went to the other local library (which has a much smaller collection usually) and it is available with no waiting in both ebook and audio. Looking forward to participating this month after all.
QOTW
I mean I like a lot of things so sometimes the recommendations are helpful, but it often feels like luck.
Hello from Germany! I finished two books since I lask checked in:Half of a Yellow Sun (author from Africa): This was good. It also got me reading up on a subject I didn't know anything about (the Biafran War), and then that got me thinking about how despite going to school in England my knowledge of the effects of British colonialism is very lacking in detail. I feel like it should be a major part of the history curriculum, but it isn't on there at all (or at least it wasn't when I was at school).
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (book featuring a puzzle or game): I enjoyed how different this was from any other books I've read but found myself getting bored towards the end.
QOTW: I do look at the recommendations and sometimes find something interesting there, but as pretty much everyone has said they're often a bit random. For example, it's currently recommending I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland because I read The Hunger Games, War of the Worlds and The Joy Luck Club - I'm not getting the connection between any of these books!
Campus closed today because of the frigid temperatures so I spent the morning finishing a book before I checked in. I haven't had a reading day in a long time, but since it's too cold to go outside, I'm going to spend all day with a book, blankets, and tea.Finished
I finished listening to the second season of LeVar Burton Reads this week. I listened to the episodes Fyrewall by Stephani Cox, Jackalope Wives by Ursula Vernon, The Cell Phones by Karen Bender, Singing on a Star by Ellen Klages, and Yiwu by Lavi Tidhar. They were all okay, but the only one that really stood out to me is Singing on a Star. I'm counting this season for the recommended by a celebrity you admire prompt.
Caliban's War by James SA Corey (a book told from multiple POVs). It took me a long time to read this book because I knew the plot from watching the TV show first. Some things changed toward the end, so my reading pace picked up quite a bit. I'm still really enjoying the series.
Reading
Technically, I haven't started anything new yet. I'll probably start Abaddon's Gate today. I also need to pick out an audiobook since I've finished LeVar Burton Reads. I might try to go back to Anna Karenina.
QOTW
Like everyone else, I've found that the recommendations rarely make sense. I don't pay much attention to them anymore.
Work has really been getting in the way of my reading time. I'm transitioning roles at work and during the transition, I've been working both. Additionally, I live in the US but work for an Indian company so some days I'm up late on conference calls to catch my Indian counterparts as they are getting up and getting into work.Finished Reading:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - 4 stars - I've never read this and lucky thing because it works for the prompt, A book that has over a million ratings. I read it quickly and really enjoyed it. So much so, I quickly jumped into the 2nd...
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - 4.5 stars - I didn't think it was the best book ever, so no 5 star rating but I did enjoy it more than the first one. My only regret is I saw the movies first and recently so I knew what was going to happen. I can't imagine what a page turner it would have been if I hadn't seen the movies. I'm thinking I'll use this for the prompt, A book with a two word title.
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer - 3 stars - I wasn't impressed. It was ok and a quick read. I read it for the prompt, A book with a movie coming out in 2019. I've started the 2nd because it is a quick read and I can use it for an imaginary creature since Holly is a fairy/Leprechaun (LEPrecon).
Currently Reading... still
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield - I am struggling with this book. It's not that I'm not enjoying it, I'm guessing it is the writing style or something that is making this a SUPER SLOW read for me. I'm about 47% done but got distracted with the Hunger Games. I hope to finish it this week so I can start jumping into my Feb reads.
Becoming by Michelle Obama - Have I mentioned that this is a long audiobook?? It's not a bad thing and I'm really, really enjoying it but I only listen to it when I'm commuting to work and I worked from home all but one day this week. I've only got 5.5 hours left, so I'll probably finish this next week.
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes - The only reason I'm finishing this slow is we are getting reading/journalling assignments each Sun. If I wasn't reading it as part of group coaching, I definitely would have finished it. I'm enjoying her writing and it's a quick and easy read.
The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer - Reading solely because I know it'll be quick and it gives me the imaginary creature prompt.
I have 4 others but I don't think they count since I started them before I started PopSugar and I haven't picked them up in a couple months. I almost feel like I need to do a restart of some sort or a pause. It's not that I'm not liking them, I just wasn't in the mood at the time: Vilette, Middlesex, War Storm, and The Weight of Ink.
QofW:
The recommendations always seem so weird to me. Super old and super creepy.
Hello all from Turkey !! It was a fairly good reading week. Pop Sugar Challenge: 6/40
Books Finished:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Challenge #7 A Reread of a Favorite Book
This was my audiobook. It was one of my childhood favorites. I wanted to find out if I would like it again. I liked the humor a lot, especially thoughts about the society. I think I would prefer his adult books more but it is so nice to go back to a childhood classic. I gave it four stars.
Secret History by Brandon Sanderson
Challenge #27 A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature
It is a succesful companion novella to Mistborn triology. It should definitely be read after finishing the series, it gives away major spoilers. I enjoyed the story, it was interesting and very exciting although I knew the main events of the second and third book in the series. It is not as wonderful as the main novel, I gave it four stars.
Currently Reading:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Challenge #2 A book that makes you nostalgic
I had read this in picture book when I was very little in elementary school, therefore this book makes me nostalgic. I am continuing with this tome and reading two chapters for a day. This way suited me a lot. As of today, I read 55% of book, and I am really enjoying this classical revenge story. I will finish this book in February.
Aylak Adam by Yusuf Atılgan
Not reading for any challenge, I am reading this Turkish novel for my book club. I read the first quarter of the book and unfortunately I am not a fan of the book so far.
Question of the Week
I do look at the recommendations in Goodreads. Although they do not always make sense, I found some good books from those recommendations.
Hello everyone!! Hope all y'all in the polar vortex are staying warm! It's been about 60F all week here so very boring but it's supposed to rain this week which is exciting. This week I finished:Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You: a book by a musician. This was super cute! Not very long at all. Good for reading a few pages when you need a pick-me-up in the middle of the day, and the illustrations are darling. 4 stars!
The Queens of Innis Lear: a retelling of a classic (King Lear). Hoo boy, this took me FOREVER to get through. I had to renew it twice! It's super dense and detailed, which I love, but it did take a while to get into it. But once I did, I was hooked and oh my god I'm still thinking about it. The ending tore me apart. 5 stars!
Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office: a book with "bitter" in the title. I listened to this as an audiobook and think I would have liked it better reading a physical copy. I have no problem with egomaniacal, self-centered people in books, but the particular viewpoint of a woman from the early 2000's doesn't read well in 2019 (the homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia....yikes). 3 stars.
Step Aside, Pops: a book with "pop" in the title. This is a graphic novel full of history/literature comics and they're hilarious when you're familiar with what they're referencing. A bunch of the Canadian history ones flew right over my head, but I really enjoyed this! 4 stars.
The Grand Tour: a book by two female authors. I read Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot at the end of December last year and loved it! Unfortunately this one wasn't as good--I had trouble telling the characters apart and they did an awful lot of sitting around and explaining things to each other. Points for the goat, though. 3 stars.
QOTW: I was recommended a book in Polish recently, for reading something else that looked pretty similar. I'd have been willing to try the recommendation if I, you know, could read Polish.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
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The Book of Essie (other topics)
The Killer Next Door (other topics)
After Passion (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Pippa Mattinson (other topics)Jasmine Guillory (other topics)
Sara Shepard (other topics)
Ruth Ware (other topics)
Jehuda Bacon (other topics)
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The end of month #1! And BRRRrrrrrrrrrr!!! February is my personal least favorite month, because I am completely sick of winter at this point and the weather is the absolute worst now and I really hate driving in snow and I can't remember the last time my driveway was free of ice and snow. Grumble grumble grumble ...
Admin stuff: New month, new monthly read! We're all about LOOOOVE next month, and our monthly read is To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. Discussion leader for February is Lauren!
Also, results are in for our monthly read choices for next quarter:
April: The Witch Elm by Tana French
May: This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
June: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
ALSO also, February is Black History Month! Who has some special reading lined up for this? I do! And we can talk about it over in ths post:
Black History Month reading
This week I finished a bunch of books I've been working on for a while, 5 of them for the Challenge; I am now 15/50.
The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin - this was okay. I appreciated it for being a bit different than most historical romances, since it's set in Tang Dynasty China. I checked off "amateur detective" with this one, because a courtesan's maid and a scholar team up to solve two murders.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata - I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it was very compelling. This is an author from Asia.
Full Wolf Moon by Lincoln Child - I thought this would be fun, and I also thought it would be set in January (during, ya know, the eponymous full Wolf Moon). I was WRONG on both counts! Total snooze fest, and satisfies no challenge categories. At least it was short.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - LOVED this! Such a powerful ending! I will be fitting the next two books into my reading schedule shortly. I checked off "super powers" with this (being able to move tectonic plates with your mind counts as a super power in my book!).
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan - this was a book I had pledged to myself to read in 2018, and ... that didn't happen. So this is "a book I meant to read in 2018." It was ok.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - this surprised me by being not as good as the movie. I checked off "book with LOVE in the title." I look forward to our discussion in the monthly reads folder!
Question of the Week:
Does anyone look at the "Recommendation" GR gives you on your homepage? Do the recommendations make any sense??
For the past few months my recommendations have been wacky. Now and then, it'll recommend something reasonable, like an old historical romance if I'm reading a historical romance. But for the most part, they make no sense! They are the same few books, with insane "read-alikes."GR really REALLY wants me to read The Rabbits by John Marsden and The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta (which I'm pretty sure I read in my 20s, long before GR). It gives the craziest associations. Actual example: "Because you shelved The Fifth Season, read The Rabbits." I would suspect a sponsor is pushing certain books, but these are old books, unlikely that a book seller is pushing them.