Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Hello all! We are halfway through this challenge! This is my 5th year of Popsugar reading challenges, and every year it seems to fly by. The weather is starting to heat up here. I’m ready to hang out in my air conditioned house and read. I will embrace the outside world again once fall is here.

The July group read will be starting soon: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet with discussion lead by Lynn.

Also, the nomination threads for the last quarter of group reads are up:
October
November
December


I finished two books this week:

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai – I read an ARC of this cute romance and really enjoyed it. It’s an open door romance (steamy) so if that’s not your thing be warned. But if you don’t mind the steam it will be released on August 6, 2019.

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. One of my goals for the year is to read the few books in the Narnia series that I hadn’t read before. Meh…maybe it was because I listened on audio, but I just really wasn’t interested in this one. I’m not sure I could even tell you what happened except at the very beginning and very end. Well, I still plan to read the last two on my list (Magician’s Nephew and Last Battle, both of which I’ve read part of), but I think my heart will always belong to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Currently reading:

Mr. Rochester – this is the back story of Rochester from Jane Eyre. It’s been a slow start, but it’s interesting. He will be traveling to Jamaica soon and we all know what happens from there…

The Opposite of Always – I’ve only just started this, but it seems to have a Groundhog’s day thing going on.

31/50

Question of the week:

Do you plan your reading out or are you a mood reader?

I am a mood reader for sure. I do plan out my reading challenge, but I change it a million times through the year. Sometimes I will choose a few books to read at the beginning of the month, but I rarely succeed. When I finish a book I just choose whatever I feel like reading next. Which is why I have so many unread books piled in my house! I have a dear reading friend who plans her reads by the season. I'm so jealous and wish I could do that! I will sometimes pick one or two books that fit the season we're in, but that's about as far as I can go.

I thought I was going to have to say that I finished ZERO books this week! But on the final day I managed to finish two books that I’d been working on for a while. One book is for this challenge, so I am now 42/50.

The Borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei - I LOVED this book!! So clever!! And it was great to read a book set in Hong Kong by a Chinese resident of Hong Kong. I used this for AtY’s wedding multi-prompt, “something borrowed.”

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi - this was an interesting story but it was vile and I had to give it one star because I was disgusted by the gratuitous violence. This was my “cli-fi “ book (usually a sub-genre I enjoy).


QOTW

Well, both! I always have a plan for what I want to read next, because I hate getting to the end of a book and not knowing what I'll pick up next. But I don't always stick to that plan. And of course, often I come home from the library with a stack of books, so then I read the one that I feel like reading first.

I finished Last of the Donkey Pilgrims as my book about a hobby. Anybody want to go for a walk around Ireland with me and a donkey? JK. It was very interesting, but also a little boring. I was disappointed that there were no pictures.

Now I'm reading Bear Island as my book that features an amateur detective.

QOTW: I never really thought about it. Doing the challenge, I obviously have to plan. While not doing the challenge, in the summer, I read my own books and I have them stacked in the order I got them and try to read the earliest ones first. Of course, sometimes I get excited about a book and have to read something I just got. The rest of the year I used the library and I just pick out whatever I want to read.

49/50

Finished:
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood for a cli-fi book.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder for a novel based on a true story.

QOTW:
I’m a mood reader. I plan but don’t always follow it through.

Today is a busy, busy day so I’m glad I have time to check in this morning. It’s my birthday! We have plans to see The Little Mermaid at a dinner theater matinee (great nostalgia on my 35th birthday), and then I’m spending the evening playing bingo with my best friend. I’ve really been enjoying my vacation visiting family and friends. I don’t usually get to celebrate my birthday with them, so I’m really glad to be home for awhile.

Finished
The Winter Siege by Ariana Franklin (a book published posthumously). I’m sometimes wary of historical fiction because it can be dense and slow. That’s not a problem with this book. I wouldn’t say it’s fast-paced, but things happen at a good pace. The author provides enough information to help readers understand what’s happening, but not bog down the story in detail. It helps that the plot is new territory for me. I haven’t read a novel set during the war between Queen Matilda and King Stephen before.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (a book with a wedding). This was a pretty good romantic comedy, but nothing exceptional. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook on my road trip Sunday.

Reading
I started a lot of books last month that I brought with me on vacation so I could finish them. I haven’t had a lot of time for reading, though.

QOTW
I'm a little bit of both. I pick out a few books I'd like to read every month. Then, if I feel like it, I'll read them ;) The only time I really stick to a list is when I'm finishing up the challenge and only have a handful of prompts left. Otherwise, I'll read whatever catches my eye.

Week 26
33. After We Fall -- Two books that share the same title (2)

QOTW
Definitely both. I have a few ways of managing my TBR that involve planning ahead--picking out books for mini challenges, or just grabbing a few from my shelf that I've been meaning to get to and making a pile--but then, if it turns out I'm not in the mood for the one on top of the stack, I'm allowed to try a different one instead. Or, if my mood is truly dire, abandon whatever plan I have to read one of the dozens of backlogged romances on my Kindle instead.

I missed last week because I had to travel to a funeral. It was that weird mix of a sad event, but also a lot of fun seeing relatives from all over the country. Also my husband used his Marriott points from all his consulting travel to book my mom and me into the Ritz Carlton, so that was a nice comfortable landing spot after all the family activities.

Finished

Scream for Jeeves: A Parody -A retelling of a classic - Cute but not fantastic. Kind of short and didn’t really go anywhere, but I enjoyed the replication of Bertie’s voice.

Galatea -A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore - After Song of Achilles and Circe, I had to check out this short story by Miller. Pretty damn good, though some really disturbing stuff. A much more honest and feminist take on Pygmalion than My Fair Lady, that’s for sure!

Vigilance -A book that's published in 2019 - What The Power is to misogyny, this is to MAGA culture. Some of it may be ridiculously over the top. Some of it may be literally true this very moment. I’m not sure I could definitively say which is which.

The Phantom Tollbooth -A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie - Decidedly meh. Too impressed at its own cleverness, and suffers mightily from “and then this happened, and then this happened . . .” storytelling (as opposed to BUT and THEREFORE, as described by, of all people, the guys behind South Park. It was rather fun to hear Rainn Wilson read this, especially because I saw it being read in the Office descendent Parks & Rec!

Bitch Planet #2 - A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title - great, but makes me so frustrated that there aren’t MORE!

Currently Reading

This Book Is a Planetarium: And Other Extraordinary Pop-Up Contraptions -A book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the title - Clever and fun to play with alongside my 11yo.

Cthulhu 2000 -Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading challenge (A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy) - Just finished an interminable gumshoe tale, but now I’m starting on a Joanna Russ story, and that should be good!

QOTW

Both! I’m simultaneously an obsessive planner and an unrepentant bookslut, so they come together to create a highly structured spreadsheet I fill out at the beginning of the challenge, then change around constantly as I go. For instance, I just switched my debut book to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, because I couldn’t picture reading The Bear and the Nightingale during summer!

It's finally summer and it's super hot. Which is great for reading by the pool! But, it's also when I tend to try to read too many books at the same time, which is definitely happening now.

This week I finished Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics, which was not for the challenge. It was fascinating. It was a few years old, so there were a few things that were no longer true, but still very informative. It was recommended by a librarian on a podcast. Unfortunately she's not a celebrity, or it could have filled that prompt.

I also finished Alex, Approximately, which is my two word title book. It was on popsugar's list of YA romance that posted this week and I wanted something quick and fun. It was a pretty typical YA romance, based loosely on the Shop Around the Corner/You've Got Mail storyline. I enjoyed it.

My currently reading list is close to being out of control. I am in the middle of six different books and I have four more from the library on the stack that need to be read. I am currently reading: Moby-Dick, or, the Whale (library podcast read along), A Crown of Swords (Wheel of Time is coming to Amazon!!!), The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution (BOTM selection from last month), The Golden Hour (BOTM selection from this month), The Sparsholt Affair (for pride month), and The President and the Assassin: McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the American Century (some presidential reading). It's a lot, but I have a schedule and I'm enjoying myself, so that's what matters.

QOTW: I'm a planner more than a mood reader. I have a list of books to start and I generally pick one from the list. But if something comes in from the library, I'll read it right away. And sometimes my reading will stagnate and then I stop everything and read something completely different so I can get excited about reading again.

Hi all and happy birthday Heather :)

I haven´t checked in for a couple of weeks, and I am not really sure what I checked in.
Some of what I read:
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence. Really enjoyed it. Works for "Set in a convent".
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus I also enjoyed it a lot :) Don´t know what it will work for in PS, but using it for "psychological thriller" in ATY

Also read a couple of graphic novels in the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi (The Stonekeeper & The Stonekeeper's Curse )

also Isadora Moon Goes Camping and Isadora Moon Goes to the Fair

Currently reading:
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Os mod jer (Us Against You) by Fredrik Backman

QOTW:
I plan, but I hardly ever follow the plan, and never a longterm plan. I often make a pile of "soon to be read" which I pick from (sometimes). So definitely a mood reader, who likes to think of the possibilities ahead :)

Johanne wrote: "Hi all and happy birthday Heather :)

I haven´t checked in for a couple of weeks, and I am not really sure what I checked in.
Some of what I read:
Red Sister by "

I am pretty sure you can use One of Us Is Lying for a debut novel if you haven't already filled that prompt.

Been a rough week this week. My mom had shoulder surgery last weekend, and she’s still recuperating. And even worse, it was on her right shoulder… and she’s right-handed, meaning she can’t use that hand for most things for several weeks. I’m doing my best to help her recuperate, but it’s going to be a rough few weeks for her.

Haven't gotten as much reading done as usual... but taking care of my mom takes priority.

Books read this week:

Dragon of Ash & Stars: The Autobiography of a Night Dragon -- one of those books where the writing isn’t the best, but the story is exciting and epic enough to make up for it. If you love dragons, this is a must-read!

Robopocalypse -- exactly what it says on the tin (robots rising up to destroy humanity). Pretty bleh. Some reviewers say this feels more like a script treatment than a novel, and I agree with them. It’s a bad sign when I can’t connect to a single character and am actually rooting for the robots to win...

DNF:

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer -- just could not get into this one. It feels like I skipped a book before this one, though it’s supposed to be the first in the series.

Currently Reading:

Damned Lies
The Carpet Makers

QOTW:

Unless it's the PopSugar challenge, I usually only plan a few books out in advance (I like to keep at least two books on hand, in case I finish one or decide I don't like it enough to finish it). I also have a massively long "to-read" list, though I tend to pick books to read from it at random.

Christine wrote: "... Vigilance -A book that's published in 2019 - What The Power is to misogyny, this is to MAGA culture. ..."


added to my TBR ...



Bitch Planet #2 - A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title - great, but makes me so frustrated that there aren’t MORE!

SAME!!! End the hiatus, guys!! we need to know what happens next on Bitch Planet!!!

Finished

I only finished one book this week: The Tempest (Two books with the same title)

Reading
Home (Setting in a University)
Men Explain Things to Me
Pachinko
Magic for Liars


Question of the week: Do you plan your reading out or are you a mood reader?

Unless it is for book club or a reading challenge, I don't normally plan. There are some books I just have to read right now.

Hey y'all. We have been having the weirdest weather here in Central Texas. Just about every day has been cloudy and gloomy for most of the day and we have had more rain than I can ever remember for the month of June. Anyways, I made a little more progress in my challenge. I even went back over what all I have read this year and was able to fit a few more books into the challenge.

Completed: 21/50

Finished:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - a book with over a million Goodreads reviews
This was a reread for me, but it has been years and years since I read it. So it felt brand new and I really enjoyed it.

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made - a book about a hobby
I am a huge gamer nerd. In fact, I am working my way through the entire Assassin's Creed series (no small feat, let me tell you). I loved this book. I always knew a lot went it to creating video games, but I never knew so many things could go wrong just getting a game to market.

Currently Reading:
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch - favorite past PopSugar challenge (a book about an interesting woman for 2017)
I recently discovered The Crown on Netflix (always late to the party) and am absolutely obsessed. Queen Elizabeth is such a fascinating woman and there are just so many things I didn't know about her.

Nocturna - debut novel
I am actually reading this one for an online book club so I don't fully know if I am going to use it for the challenge. If I do it will probably be for the debut novel. I am less than 100 pages in but I can already tell you if it wasn't for a book club, I probably would have DNFed it already. I am just hoping it gets better.

QotW
I try to be an organized reader, especially when it comes to the PopSugar challenge. Every November when the list comes out, I spend many many hours finding just the right combination of books to fill it out. Then throughout the year everything changes. By the end of the year, my finished list looks nothing like what it started out as.

Yay, managing to comment really near the top of the thread for once (don't know why this feels like an achievement, but it does!).

Finished: Ivy Lane for A book with a plant in the title or on the cover. Something ticked off by TBR list, huzzah! Cute and fun, but not life-changing.

Started: Swallows and Amazons for A reread of a favourite book. I've been looking forward to getting to this one, as I absolutely adored these books when I was a child (which means that this, or a number of the other books in the series, would work for the nostalgia prompt too, but I only want to do one reread for the challenge). Having reread the vast majority of my adult favourites during 2017/2018, I was a bit stuck on this prompt, until I hit upon the idea of rereading a childhood favourite :)

QOTW:
I think I fall somewhere in-between. I'm not an epic planner (I've planned far more than I usually would in order to do this challenge), but I do usually have an idea of what I'm going to be reading next, either from my TBR list, or because I know that a book I want to read is about to be published, or because I have set my heart on rereading a favourite book/series. Actually, maybe I'm more of a planner than I thought!

I feel like my reading life is a mess right now--too many books out from the library, too many books I'm currently reading, too far behind on my ATY challenge... Though, to be honest (and apropos of the QOTW), my hobbies are always more fun when I don't try to control or plan them too much, so this probably means my reading life is on the brink of being awesome as soon as I stop thinking I need to get it organized and just go with it.

Finished Reading:
84, Charing Cross Road I expected something slightly different after hearing everyone talk about how charming this book is, but I can't come up with a better word. I enjoyed it.

Dark Matter I still don't get the hype on this one, but it was interesting enough. I'll probably even check out another book by the author and see if the science ever gets more compelling.

Wives and Daughters I finished it! As much as I enjoy Elizabeth Gaskell books, they always feel like they take forever to read. Used this for posthumous in Popsugar, and squeezed it in to ATY as 'book by an author with multiple books on your TBR' because if I read a 710 page book it should piggy well count for the challenge somehow.

Hiding Won this book of poems in a Goodreads giveaway. It wasn't bad--some of the poems felt a little forced, but I really liked a couple of them, which is better than average for my reaction to poetry. It helps that it was all about normal life instead of flowers and spring or something ethereal like that.

Currently Reading:
(It's not really *that* many books, even counting a couple more on temporary hiatus.)
Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist Good, but slow reading. Except to keep seeing this on my list for a long time...

Compete I'm starting to think I find the world building more interesting than the actual characters in the series, which is probably not a good sign...

The Cellar beneath the Cellar Book two of a series I started years ago and just never got around to finding the next book--I was kind of surprised it was even in the library system when I looked. The writing is good, just having a little trouble getting back into the story after so long.

QOTW:
I really enjoy planning out a reading list for a challenge, but it's almost a separate hobby from actually reading for the challenge. I'm very much a mood reader, and I can sometimes force myself to read a certain book (if it's due back at the library, for example) but if I try that for more than a couple books in a row it totally kills my desire to read at all.

I'm a logic and planning person in most of life, so when it comes to hobbies, it's almost like I need a break from my own brain to really relax. Spontaneity and even sometimes randomness are what make my hobbies fun.

Wow, June is flying by...

This week I finally finished How to Read Literature Like a Professor on kindle. I almost DNF'd it since it just felt too long. And since I don't really read classics, I had only read about 5 of the 30 or so books he mentions throughout, so it was harder to stay interested. I'm glad I pushed through it, but it wasn't always enjoyable. Just barely 3 stars since I did learn some things at least. ;)

I listened to The Friend was was pretty different - definitely a unique book here. I enjoyed it, even if it felt like a few different objectives switching in and out. 4 stars

I also listened to My Year of Rest and Relaxation which I had fun with. There was some weird stuff, but I finished it quickly because I was really engaged. I knew the ending was coming as soon as the job transfer was mentioned of course, but that didn't ruin the second half of the book. 4 stars

I read Small Fry for a book club. I went in with low expectations since the other ladies in the book club did not like it, but I found that listening to the audio at 1.5 speed really helped it move from "woe is me" to more matter-of-fact storytelling. I found it interesting enough, even though it was fairly complainy. 3 stars

For another book club I read How Long 'til Black Future Month?. Some of the stories were great on audio, but some of them would have been better in print. The author is immensely talented though. 4 stars

It is with great sadness that I had to DNF "Doctor Zhivago" today. I rarely give up on books, but the audio on this one just doesn't work for me. It's very scattered and I can't keep up with what's going on for a minute. The print version might be better, but with my 5+ book club commitments each month, I don't have the time to dig into the print version of this. Oh well, maybe another time.

I'm currently listening to Two Boys Kissing, reading My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Mending of Our Bodies and Hearts on kindle (for a book club), and just started a poetry collection in print: Blood Sugar Canto.

QOTW: I'm a mix. I generally have a lot of books planned based on book clubs and library holds, but I always have 3-4 going at a time so I can switch according to my mood each time I'm reading. It helps to break up my nonfiction reads with fiction when my mood is "don't feel like concentrating too hard right now." Haha

I am really happy with the progress I'm making on all the challenges.

Finished:
We Were the Lucky Ones for novel based on a true story.
Little Women for book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie. I loved this book when I read it as a child. I found it a little cloying this time around, but still enjoyed it. It just took me like 6 months to read, it's longer than I remembered.
Golden State for my second of two books with the same title.

Currently reading:
Matilda Listening to the audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, for book about someone with a superpower.
The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding for a book told from multiple POVs.

QOTW:
I spend a lot of time planning for challenges, but I also spend a lot of time rearranging my plans because I just have to read the latest book or I am not in the mood for something I picked.

Hi all

@Heather - happy birthday! Hope it's awesome ;-)

Finished 2 books over the past week, both of which were just ok for me.

Eva Luna (for the South American author prompt) - beautifully written, but took me forever to get into it.

Sugar Run (for the book with "sugar" in the title) - started off better but I wasn't really too invested in any of the characters.

QOTW:
Definitely more a mood reader! And even though I love the planning phase at the beginning of a challenge, I always have multiple options listed per prompt so that I can pick my next read depending on what I'm more in the mood for. And even then, I often find myself reading something that wasn't even one of the options I had down.

Christine wrote: "I missed last week because I had to travel to a funeral. It was that weird mix of a sad event, but also a lot of fun seeing relatives from all over the country. Also my husband used his Marriott po..."

OMG! Obsessive planner and book slut! You are the first person to have made me laugh today! ;) I am right there with you! :)

Good Morning,

It is sooo humid out right now, it would be nice if there was a bit of a breeze. My poor pup doesn't even want to be outside.

Finished:

My Sister, the Serial Killer for book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover. I really liked this, I was so close to loving this. Not sure if I love the ending but it was a super interesting way to end it.

Currently Reading:

Crazy Rich Asians for a book author from Asia, Africa, or South America. I am only like 40 pages into it. There are already little changes from the movie that I'm finding interesting. I'm excited to dig into this, this weekend.

Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's Challenge and a Model for America's Future for a book with POP, SUGAR, or CHALLENGE in the title. I'm listening to this on audio and am really liking it so far (I am a Mayor Pete fan, so I was sold on this before I started listening). I'm grew up not that far from South Bend and moved back to the area 3 years ago, so it's funny to listen to him talk about places that are so familiar to me.

QOTW:

I really try to plan for reading challenges and what I'm going to read next. I filled out most of the challenges for this year's list in advanced and have moved things around and added new books on over the last six months.

This week I finished:

The Silent Patient: I really got sucked in to the story. And I emphasize story because it was so far from reality. It was creepy and ominous and had enough twists within twists that it still had a few surprises for me.

If I Was Your Girl: This is such an important narrative for the young adult genre and for me it was super young adult. There was nothing flashy or incredibly mind blowing about this book. It was your average young adult book in a lot of ways which is kind of what I liked about it so much. Amanda is just a teenage girl falling in love with a boy. She just has a different medical history from other girls.

Cleaning the Gold: I adore the Will Trent series, and this was an interesting crossover. It was missing a bit of Karin Slaughter’s usual spark and the ending was a bit of a throw away.

We, the Jury: I absolutely loved the storytelling device of so many perspectives in short chapters. It showed a very different side of a trial, in that for most people in the court room it's just another day at work. As a court employee that resonated with me. The only reason it wasn't a 5 star read for me was that the ending seemed easy and abrupt. There was a lot of build up just to throw away the ending. Also the author insisted on using so many obscure, unnecessary words that I felt like I needed a dictionary.

I'm currently reading:

Waiting for Fitz: I’m not enjoying this one as much as I expected to. I’m pushing through though.

Dear Wife: I’m doing it. I’m finally committing to an audiobook and making myself finish it. I got a lot of good advice from others about how to make audiobooks more tolerable, so I chose one with multiple narrators and increased the speed to 1.25 and it has helped, but I still find myself missing things and needing to go back, and I’ve fallen asleep twice…but I’m doing it.

Question of the week:

Do you plan your reading out or are you a mood reader?
Both. I usually have many books I’m trying to read at the same time, so I will read a book I planned to read at the same time as a book I “feel” like reading and alternate chapters, so it feels like I’m rewarding myself.

Happy Thursday All, this month has flew by and it's so hot here in Northeastern Ohio. I managed to finish 2 books this week.

I finished The Trial for prompt # 13, A book written posthumously. I know most people thinks this book is great but I was just like ehhh. I listened to it and while i understood most of it I feel like it was just all over the place. For awhile I felt like the story has similarities with what happened with the Jews and the Nazi party but I'm not really sure. I may re-read it again, but this time actually read it and not listen to it.

Stories From the Polycule: Real Life in Polyamorous Families I wrote a very long review for this book but here's the first paragraph " Hmmm, I've been seriously mulling over how I feel about this book. Certain parts of me loved it while other parts of me didn't like it because of how polyamory,or how the person discussing their poly family/lifestyle, portrayed it. I was irritated and frustrated a few times while reading the book but then I had to remember that these are individual experiences and i can't invalidate them just because it sounds really bad and puts polyamory in a bad light in my opinion."

QOTW: I'm both a planner and a mood reader. Since starting the challenge a few years ago I also plan to read the challenge books first and also the books that my IRL book club are reading. But I'll always throw in a good book that I have the mood to read, especially a graphic novel.

Hello All,

Hope everyone is well, Gardening and silly pintrest projects that I have seen and it is such a good idea that how can I not do it. Have been eating into my reading time.

So I am still reading the same book Moon Shimmers but I did realize that I can use it for the prompt set in the season you are reading it in as it references the summer solstice.

QOTW

I try to be a set reader but that is usually blown out of the water when I see a fancy shinier book to read. I usually make it through my list but with several detours.

Happy birthday Heather! I hope you have fun at Little Mermaid :)

It's been a busy week, but I've been really productive which feels great. I'm taking tomorrow off work to spend the day with a friend who's moving out of town next week. It's sad, but I'm really excited for him.

I finished three books this week, all of which I really enjoyed! I also realized two of them could fill prompts for me!

First I read The Astonishing Color of AfterBy Emily XR Pan. which was my ghost story. I read this for my book club and absolutely loved it. I sobbed at the end! My book club was more mixed in opinions, but we had a really great chat about it!

Next was The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson, which I've made my book about a puzzle or a game. A lot o the mystery in this book revolves around a riddle, which is why I think it's more fitting than just the average mystery novel. I really liked this! I enjoyed it even more than the first book, and I'm really excited for the finale to the trilogy!

lastly I finished The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin, which was INCREDIBLE. This series is so, so good. The payoff was excellent, I just had my jaw dropped nearly the whole time. The series fits the cli-fi prompt, and can help fill other prompts as well! highly, highly recommend!!

I'm currently reading The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, which I hope to finish this weekend. I like it but I haven't gotten into the real chunk of the story. Not sure what I'll pick up next!

QOTW: I am definitely a mood reader, although this challenge has helped me become more and more of a planner. I'm just really bad at planning follow through! I've themed my reading, but I rarely do readathons because I don't want to force myself to read things if I don't want to.

Ha! Finally! A much shorter posting from me! (Don’t get too accustomed to it! lol)

I didn’t finish any books this past week! (Shocking!) ;) Only 293 pages read this past weekend! But I did get some cooking and a bit of cleaning done and I spent a lot of time with friends! :)

I am almost finished with The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) and am so anxious to complete it so I can record and organize my extensive notes in final preparation to lead the Popsugar July discussion!

I am debating about the format for this discussion. I like it when a leader posts several overall questions every week, but I also appreciate it when a leader posts weekly questions to an “assigned” portion of the book. So, I am currently undecided… I may go with some sort of morphed combination of the two? IDK…decisions, decisions! What are your thoughts and/or preferences regarding the format of these group discussions? All input greatly appreciated!

The good thing is that I am enjoying this book so very much and I feel as if there are many aspects which should make for good discussion! Plus, the 2019 Reading Challenge July Buddy Reads listing includes the second book in this series, A Closed and Common Orbit! (The 2019 Reading Challenge June Buddy Reads includes The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.) Then for August they will read and discuss the third installment, Record of a Spaceborn Few. I can't wait!

Then I am going to make as much progress as possible on 3 different books over this next week/weekend:

The Art of Racing in the Rain-I committed to reread this for a Bookworm Bitches mini-challenge in the month of June. (I also listed it for other challenges as well.)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo-I wanted to read this for the 2019 Reading Challenge June discussion.

The Song of Achilles which I wanted to read for the Popsugar June discussion…and by September 9th when Madeline Miller will be in Indianapolis for an author event!

I do have a date scheduled with a girlfriend for Sunday which will take most of the afternoon. We’ll see how much progress I can make in those two days!

I am anxious for the July 4th holiday this year simply because I will be off work for FOUR WHOLE DAYS! :) YAY! We get the 4th off and then our office will be closed an additional day on Friday, July 5th! Whoo! Whoo! I should be able to “catch up”!

Question of the week:

Do you plan your reading out or are you a mood reader?
Oops! Guess I’ve already outed myself as a planner! I participate in many book clubs and other discussion groups, especially since I decided at the end of 2018 that I was finally going to fully indulge my desire to participate in reading challenges and that has led to planning almost each and every book to read in 2019. I always wondered if that would work for me, and it has…for the most part. However, I do tend to “overcommit” myself to read more books than I have time to complete, and every once in awhile I just select a book that I’ve been wanting to read and read it! Regardless of whether it “fits” into my plan or not! I did that with two books just last week!

Even before I began participating in and facilitating book clubs, I still had “planned” books that I intended to read next or at least in the near future. I’ll never live long enough to read all the books I would like to read, but that doesn’t stop me from adding to the mountainous TBR listing and shelves full of books and piles of books stacked in my home! I can dream, after all!

I admit that I am obsessive about books, but I personally believe that is NOT a vice, but…a virtue?!? (Self-delusion is good, right?!? LOL I mean, I consider that to be a skill…) ;)

Opps..forgot to add that I read The Walking Dead, Vol. 2: Miles Behind Us this week. I used to be a huge fan of the t.v. show and I stopped watching it years ago but I recently decided to start reading the graphic novels and boy I'm not disappointed one bit!!!

24/50

I have been catching up on reading after a bit of a draught. (It also helps when you have a kid recovering from oral surgery and you get off work to be with him!)

Completed prompts:
Read a book during the season it's set in: I love Elin Hilderbrand and she has a lot of books that take place in summer. Although Nantucket Nights ends in the winter, the majority of it takes place during the summer monts (Labor Day weekend), so it definitely qualifies. Not one of my favorite of her books, but an easy read and still enjoyable.

A book revolving around a puzzle or game: To Best the Boys kind of reminded me of The Maze Runner. A young lady disguises herself as a boy to compete for a scholarship into the boys only university. I felt it was just okay. I actually preferred Jumanji which I had read the week before, but felt I needed a more adult book in there.

A book becoming a movie in 2019: I enjoyed reading The Rosie Project for this prompt. It says the initial release was 5/10/19 starring Ryan Reynolds, but I am not finding anything else about it? Oh well, even if it doesn't come out, it was supposed to.

On my bedside table:
Everything I Never Told You
The Dog Stars

QOTW
Sometimes I plan, but I think I am more of a mood reader. I have 3 books out from the library and had every intention of starting with a certain one, but after a few pages changed to a different book, which I finished in 2 days. I do try to get the ones I think I won't enjoy out of the way first, but it doesn't always happen.

Happy Thursday, all! I didn't get much read this week due to work commitments (three shows, two upcoming shoots), and I read nothing for the challenge but am frankly amazed I finished anything at all.

Read:

Middlegame: I loved the Wayward Children series but this was definitely very different. I'd have liked more exploration of the alchemy aspect and and I thought the middle took too long, but overall would recommend this one!

The Changs Next Door to the Díazes: Remapping Race in Suburban California: kind of an oddball pick for this week, but it's about the very specific region I grew up in and I was PSYCHED to see it studied in such detail. Quick read, but pretty academic.

DNF:

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson: It's time to admit I will not finish this. I was going to use it for "a book published posthumously" but am going to have to find something I'll actually read. I got through 400 of her poems (of about 1700 total) and honestly that's more than enough for me. Even great poets don't write good poetry 100% of the time.

Currently reading:
The Night Watch
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd (audio)
Playing Shakespeare: An Actor's Guide

QOTW: I'm a wannabe planner who is VERY susceptible to mood--and as a result I have two entire shelves of TBR books that I own, and far too many holds at the library. I'm pretty good at getting myself in gear to read books if they have hard deadlines, though, like if it's due back to the library, or if I'm doing a buddy read with a friend.

Hi everyone! I can't believe it's the end of June already! I missed last week's check-in, but had nothing new to report anyway. I actually finished something this week so I'm now at 21/50 for the challenge.

This week I finished The Return of the King to complete my LOTR re-read. Not sure which prompt I'll use it for yet.

Currently reading:
Crazy Rich Asians for the monthly group read. I am determined to finish this before the end of the month lol. I'm about half way through and finding it quite a quick read, which is exactly what I needed after reading all three LOTR books in a row.

QOTW:
I'm a big planner, but I guess I also like to mood read within my plan. I normally have a list of books that I want to read during certain months, and then I mood read from the books on that list. I'm also a big seasonal planner. I already have some books that I'm planning on reading in autumn/winter.

Two week check in and only one of them ticks off prompts I have left.

About a hobby:

Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste by Bianca Bosker. My SIL is becoming a sommeliers. She’s taking classes and the tests, just for fun though. This was a really interesting read, especially if you like wine even a little bit.

The rest from best to worst

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It’s about siblings who live a privileged life in Nigeria during a military coup. It’s fantastic. I’m adding it to my AP Lit class next year. I’ve been reading some books to decide whether to add them or not to diversify away from just dead white guys.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Follows two half-sisters, one who marries a white slave trader and one who becomes a slave and it follows the two families through generations. This is my number 2 pick to add to my class.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas. Set in the same universe as The Hate U Give but an entirely different story. I really enjoyed it.

The Lost Man by Jane Harper. It’s a standalone from the Aaron Falk books but I really enjoyed. Set in the remote outback, murder mystery.

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Beni Pasek and Justin Paul. It’s a novelization of the musical. A few of my students were reading it at the ending of the year. It wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be but it was okay.

99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne. I did not really like this and I loved The Hating Game. I really didn't like the main female character or the storyline.

QOTW:
Generally, I read books in the order they are sitting on my TBR shelf. I do have a stack of mass market paperbacks (romances and true crime usually) that I’ll go to when I’m in the mood. I did move a couple of books up to decide whether to use them in class next year so I could get the donorchoose project up.

Happy birthday, Heather! I love The Little Mermaid!

Lynn wrote: "OMG! Obsessive planner and book slut! You are the first person to have made me laugh today! ;) I am right there with you! :)"

My work here is done, soul sister! :D

Hi guys. It has been raining so much this week but the sunshine has finally come out today. Hopefully it's here to stay! I took my little nephew to see Toy Story 4 yesterday. He, well we, loved it. He's not stopped talking about it since so I am feeling sorry for his teacher today!

This week I finished Circe. I love Greek mythology so I did enjoy this one but I don't think it quite lived up to The Song of Achilles IMO.

Currently reading: Archenemies. I am about half way through but I feel like I know where this plot is heading, but it could still surprise me.

QOTW: I enjoy making a big old plan when the list comes out and then ignoring it for the rest of the year

Hey Everyone! I was hoping to have finished more than one book this week, but no such luck. The other two I'm currently reading will be done this weekend though.

Finished:
The Friday Night Knitting Club - I used this for prompt #8 - a book about a hobby. I don't knit, but this was recommended for this prompt so I decided to listen to it on audio. It was cute. I probably would have liked it more if I was a knitter.

Challenge Progress:
Regular Challenge - 32/40
Advanced Challenge - 6/10
Total Challenge - 38/50

Currently Reading:
Never Have I Ever - not for a challenge

The Corpse Wore Stilettos - not for this challenge, but reading it for Goodreads summer reading challenge

QOTW - Do you plan your reading out or are you a mood reader?
A little of both. Typically I will plan my next audio book ahead of time since I get them from Libby. I pick my Kindle books based on what ARCs I need to read to have the review in on time. My actual books I pick based on my mood though.

Hi everyone!

Suddenly went from "are we sure it's still spring and not fall?" to "it's 90 and blazing". I guess it's too much to ask for a nice happy medium of sunny and like...78?

This week I finished:

The Serpent of Venice - This was for ATY's Shakespeare prompt, as well as Read Harder's humor prompt. I've read funnier Christopher Moore books, this was just ok. But it was still fine.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood - Thought this didn't fit anywhere but decided to use it for ATY's book with a strong sense of place. I thought he described what it was like in South Africa very vividly.

The Emissary - I was looking forward to this one, all the descriptions talked about how light hearted and funny it was. It was just very weird for me. I found it more depressing than funny. Also the ending left me very confused and I really didn't know what to make of it. This counts for Read harder's book by a woman or AOC that won an award in 2018. Also counts for ATY's book that won a National Book Award.

Currently Reading:

Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters - this will be my Read Harder epistolary novel, as well as my ATY book in an unusual format.

QOTW:

I might plan my reading out vaguely, especially during challenges, but usually only by a couple books. Even then it's mostly to decide when to put holds on library books. If there's one that isn't currently popular, I won't check it out until I'm ready to read it. But if I think I want to read something more popular, I'll hurry up and get a hold on it so I will get it as soon as I can. That's the main factor to what I read, when holds pop up in my library. When I'm at a lull where none of my holds are coming up soon, then I'll read something I own or get one of the already available ones from the library, depending on my mood at the moment.

If there's a book I really want to read for a prompt that I can only get from the physical library, I'll try to also find a couple more physical books to fill prompts, just to maximize my trips over. It's kinda a pain to get to, so I don't want to have to go every couple of days.

One of my favorite things about having a kindle is not having to plan out vacation reading in advance. I always brought about 5 more books than I thought I could actually read in case a) I read faster than expected or b) I decided I wasn't in the mood for something I brought so there was some degree of choice. Now I have hundreds of books with me, and as long as I find wifi I can get more.

Hi everyone! Storms last weekend and generally hot & humid weather lead to a lot of reading time since last check-in. Sitting in an airport for 6 hours one day due to flight delays & cancellations also added to my reading time. Other than a quick trip to my company’s U.S. office this week, not much else happened. I have a relaxing weekend planned with more reading and fun with a few girlfriends, but what I’m really looking forward to is my mini-vacation next week. I’m going to Portland, OR to visit my best friend for 5 days, including the 4th holiday, so hopefully it will be cooler there than it has been in Texas lately.

35/50 for Popsugar
38/52 for Around the Year

Books I finished:
Wolfhunter River by Rachel Caine (Reading Women: A book set in Appalachia) Each book in this series (Stillhouse Lake) has stressed me out! I wish Caine would have stopped at just one book or even two, but she keeps going. This was #3, and #4 is supposed to be in process. How much stress & danger can one family handle? The writing is fine, but I think it is time to move on.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Reading Women: A book by an author from New Zealand or Nigeria) I loved this! It is more about the sister bond and expectations that are inherent between them than it is about an actual serial killer. It also gives a glimpse into life in Lagos, Nigeria, which I found interesting. The book is short and can be read in a day.

The Ocean Liner by Marius Gabriel (Around the Year: A book that includes a journey) I’m not exactly sure what the purpose was for this novel. It was like a bunch of super short stories mashed together with nothing really happening. It was about the passengers, both famous and average Joes, traveling on a ship from England to America at the start of WWII.

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon (Around the Year: A book published in 2019) This is a ghost story about a woman from around 1920 who is murdered on her property and the couple who buys the land decades later. I enjoyed it and will keep reading McMahon’s books when they are released.

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand (Mannegren: A beach read) I’ve read several Hilderbrand novels, all of which are good beach reads, but this was the first one that takes place entirely in the past. It is about a family who summers on Nantucket Island in 1969. The oldest daughter is pregnant with twins and is having marital issues, the next oldest got a job on Martha’s Vineyard, the son was drafted and is serving in the Vietnam War, and the youngest just turned 13 and is learning about herself. A great story, and I’d love to see Hilderbrand try another historical beach read again.

Succubus Heat by Rachelle Mead (Mannegren: A book with a strong female lead) This is just a fun series that is fast & easy to read, especially while sitting in an airport or on a plane. This is book #4 in the Georgina Kincaid series. I always laugh at the interactions between the various paranormal characters and their “office” politics.

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner (Mannegren: The first book you see at a bookstore) I was in a couple of airports the last couple of weeks, and at each this book was prominently displayed near the front. It’s got such a bright & colorful cover that you can’t miss it! This is somewhat similar to Hilderbrand’s Summer of ’69 that I read earlier this week. This one, however, was about 2 sisters and how their lives turned out, which in both cases was different than how they were in high school.

I am currently reading:
I Found You by Lisa Jewell - just starting this today
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer (Mannegren: A book with a plant on the cover) I've owned this series for years but am just getting around to it. Man, Bella is annoying.


QOTW: I am a planner who mood reads. ;-) I love planning out my various challenges, but I list many options for each prompt so I can read what works for my mood at the time. The lists satisfy my love for checking boxes and the options, which increase throughout the year as I learn of other readers' choices and newer releases, allow me flexibility based on mood.

Hi guys, a later check in for me than usual because we had a lovely work outing to a local vineyard today. It was so hot and sunny after several weeks of cold, gloomy weather, so it was great to be out the office!

My dog's been poorly this week, so that hasn't been fun, but she seems better today and is back to begging for salad items (she's weird).

This week I finished Exile for a book with an extinct creature (if you like the idea of The Hunger Games crossed with Jurassic Park, these books are loads of fun, just don't take them too seriously).

I finally got into The Binding, once it hit part two I was hooked, so 4 stars in the end because I can't quite forgive just how long it took me to get going with it. Not really what I expected, but I did mostly buy it for its appearance. I'm using this for ATY (a book about books).

Also read American War and The Paper & Hearts Society which I'm using for my personal ATY rejects challenge.

I'm currently listening to Educated for a book recommended by a celebrity (I saw on the Audible page that Stephen Fry had blurbed it so that's good enough for me). I'm fascinated by it so far.

After last week's QOTW I'm on a bit of a non-fiction kick and about to start Killers of the Flower Moon: Oil, Money, Murder and the Birth of the FBI for ATY.

PS: 31/52 | ATY: 34/52 | GR: 70/100

QOTW:
I'm very much a mood reader. I sometimes plan a monthly TBR but I rarely stick to it. I also like making plans for challenges but find myself rebelling if I try to follow it too closely. I do have to start planning a bit more now I'm past halfway through my challenges, as most the easy prompts are filled now. I do review advanced copies but I try not to take on too many, as that soon starts to feel like a rigid reading regime!

Sarah wrote: "... QOTW: I enjoy making a big old plan when the list comes out and then ignoring it for the rest of the year ...."


YESSSS - planning is so much fun, I throw my all into it!!! And then ... I read whatever I want, and if I pick something up spontaneously, somehow I love it even more (like when you stumble into a random café and have the best sandwich you ever had, and can never replicate it)

But I do gaze longingly at the tossed aside planned books. I feel like they look at me accusingly, like that meme of the guy checking out another girl when his girlfriend glares at him.

I seem to be on an unintentional sci-fi/fantasy kick right now! I finished two books this week for the challenge, putting me at 28/50.

Finished

American Gods - For book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature. I had watched the TV series before reading the book, so that served as something of a distraction for reading at first. Overall I enjoyed the book and also felt positively about the way they changed some (a lot) of things for the TV show.

Mind of My Mind - For a book about someone with a superpower. (Technically I have not finished this but I only have like 20 pages left so I know I will finish it after work.) The book centers on a group of telepaths and is the second in a four-book series. It's not my favorite Octavia Butler series but I am enjoying it enough.

Currently reading

My library hold for The Fifth Season came in, so that is next because it's the digital version and can't be renewed. This is my "cli-fi" book.

After that, I will likely finish the other two Octavia Butler Patternmaster books because the only version of Mind of my Mind I could get at the library had all four in one volume (Seed to Harvest).

Question of the Week

I'm mostly a mood reader, although I did enjoy planning out this challenge in advance. And I am in two book clubs and have read the Tournament of Books selections the last few years, so balancing all that (along with library deadlines) has made for more planning than normal this year. Outside of the challenge I will browse through my bookshelves, digital bookshelves, and my Goodreads "want to read" list to decide what I feel like picking up next.

Helloooo. Excellent reading weather here lately, it's been cool and rainy. There was a crazy squall yesterday that freaked everyone out, but so far today it's pretty mellow rain. And 59°F. It's nearly July! Not that I'm complaining. Ahhhhh...

27/50

Finished:
The Song of Achilles
The Stonewall Reader: Edited by The New York Public Library
In at the Deep End
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Death Wins a Goldfish: Reflections from a Grim Reaper's Yearlong Sabbatical

Currently Reading:
Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story
Space Opera

QOTW:
I'm mostly a mood reader. I like to have options identified for prompts and theme marathons, but then I'll pick from the stack based on mood.

Haha, I think I could also use that meme with books I own but haven't read yet as the girlfriend and shiny new library books as the other girl 😄

Books I Finished:

Wild Country - I love this series, but sometimes the gender stereotypes bother me so much. I still ended up tearing through this.

The Alice Network - Most of the reviews I read said that they ended up liking the Eve storyline more then the Charlie story, but I ended up being the reverse.

Crazy Rich Asians - I finished this and that actually feels like and accomplishment because I came close to putting it on indefinite hold. Only the reading group here kept me reading to the end. It wasn't bad, just not as fun as I thought it would be.

Five Feet Apart - Okay this took me back to being 13 and reading these types of books all the time. It was a total guilty pleasure, but I don't think I'll be reading any other books like this anytime soon.

Books I made progress on:

Midnight Reckoning
Us Against You

QOTW

I am a complete mood reader. At best I have a vague plan for what I am going to read "soon". Even whether or not I read at all is down to mood. I struggle sometimes when I'm not in the mood to read, or not in the mood to read a particular book, but it's due back at the library. And sometimes pushing myself to read, can make me even less in the mood which makes my reading slump last longer.

I only have four books left for the challenge! I am hoping to finish the challenge before I go to Montana in the middle of July, and now I think I can do it.

This week I read:
Dry- I am now going to stock up and get a year's supply of water in my basement. This was really stressful, especially since this might really happen. My grandpa was a lawyer that dealt a lot with water rights (always a fight in rural Montana) and he said in the seventies that water was going to be the big issue someday. Reading this book made me feel like that day could be soon. This was my cli-fi book.
The Rebel Wife- an historical fiction about the south when reconstruction was breaking down. It wasn't quiet what I was expecting, but I liked it.
Between the Water and the Woods- a fairly predictable fantasy for young readers. Not my favorite.
Where the Forest Meets the Stars- after seeing this book recommended on this thread a couple of times I decided to read it and I am so glad I did. So thanks for a great recommendation.
Rainbirds- again, not exactly what I was expecting, but I liked it. This was my book for an author from Asia.

QOTW:
Like most of you I plan, then mood read- sometimes within the plan and sometimes not. Right now I am really planning because I am so close to the end of my challenge and I am also right at the end of the reading I need to do for my youth reading committee (those books need to be read by July 27). I am looking forward to going back to mood reading a little more.

Happy Reading! and Happy Birthday Heather!

Thanks Yvonne, I knew there was something :)

Hello everyone from the Land of Packed Books! I'm moving on Monday, and I have to keep reminding myself that this is the ONLY situation in which I don't love that I own thousands of beautiful books (arranged by color, of course, how else would you find them?).

Because of moving, and deadlines, and oh yes my office is also moving this week, I have not read very much. I'm enjoying my current reads very much, though, so they are restorative when I can sit down with them.

Finished: The Dragonbone Chair--it's pretty standard fantasy, but so well done. I can see why this series inspired so many fantasy writers. I liked it so much I did something I do only rarely, and immediately started the next book.

Currently reading:
Stone of Farewell--the world is getting more complicated and more grim, which is a nice analog to how Simon is maturing. Still loving this series!
The Moonstone--I'm listening to this on audiobook, and it is making packing One Million easier to bear. Why didn't anyone tell me Wilkie Collins wrote comedies? I would have read him a lot sooner! Both this and The Woman in White are laugh-out-loud funny to me. There isn't a Mr. Fairlie-level hilarious character in The Moonstone yet, but I'm still giggling a bunch.

QOTW: I like to have a plan, because then I can make sure to keep diversity and variation in difficulty in mind. In particular, I'm trying to read more authors from different areas of the world, and fill in some classics gaps, and seeing the titles on a plan remind me. However, when it comes to picking the next book in reality, my mood can dictate a lot. So... both! I won't be tied down!

Hi all, Today I turned on the central air for the first time. And now it’s storming.

I finished four books this week:
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller I enjoyed this as a love story.
The F Word by Liza Palmer was okay. I enjoyed the first book I read by her better.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong This was different that I expected. This is a story of generational trauma. The writing is beautiful.
The Soldier's Scoundrel by Cat Sebastian - I love me some m/m romance.

Currently reading:
Steam Pigs by Melissa Lucashenko.

Anyone have any suggestions for a female author from New Zealand?

QOTW:
I’ve always been a mood reader. It’s one of the reasons I tend to avoid library books. But getting involved in the challenges this year has helped me be more of a planner. I still mood read but less often.

Finished Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's Challenge and a Model for America's Future by Pete Buttigieg for the prompt about Pop, Sugar, or Challenge in the title. And finished it in time for tonight's debate.

I'm currently reading Ready Player One. I'm 24% through, and I'm really enjoying it. I tried watching the movie (it's available on HBO), but I think I don't like watching CGI-avatar faces instead of real ones. I might try again later.

QOTW:
Mood reader? Holy cow, yes! I plotted out my PopSugar books for the year. Some of them I assigned to read in certain time periods. (I knew I was reading a baseball book, so I scheduled that for hot summer. And I knew I had a book that took place at St Patrick's Day, so I scheduled it for March.) Once they announced monthly reads, I scheduled some of my books for those months--especially if I was reading the designated book at the right time (but not so much if I was going to read a different book on the designated topic). But I worked in The Mueller Report: Presented with Related Materials by The Washington Post and Mixed Fancies because I was in the mood. I was just lucky that I found challenge prompts they could fill.

For the year, I'm at:
33/40 + 7/10 on PopSugar challenges*
8/12 on BookCrossing Decades Challenge
32/52 of Ravelry's 52 in 52 weeks challenge
32/52 GoodReads How Many Books...? challenge

*I use one book for multiple prompts in PopSugar; that's not possible in the other challenges.

Hello from North Texas! It is pretty hot here but honestly, I'm excited that's nearly the end of June and it still hasn't been in the 100s! I'm sure it's coming, though.

As someone else way up above said, I'm always humbled when I see how much reading everyone else seems to get done each week. I feel like I just don't do anything with my free time except sit. And look at Goodreads posts...

Finished:
Ophelia by Lisa Klein - for a book becoming a movie in 2019 (technically it became a movie last year but it's not making a full release until this year, so I'm counting it). I've owned this book since it came out in 2006, so I'm glad I've finally read it! It was actually more enjoyable than I expected. Maybe because we read and performed Hamlet so many times in college (I was a theatre major) and I HATE Hamlet (the character, not the play). That made the love story part a lot harder to get through, because I just want to strangle him. BUT, I love what the author did with Ophelia. I've always liked her character, and this version was one I feel like Shakespeare would be on board with. My favorite part ended up being what happened after the events of the play had gone down and Ophelia was finally able to come into her own.

Currently Reading:
Ivanhoe - I don't know if it counts as "current" if I haven't actually made any progress...I really just haven't felt like reading lately, though. Poor Sir Walter Scott. I've always wanted to read his books and now that I am, as much as I'm enjoying this one, I feel like I've been so lackluster about actually sitting down with it that I'm ruining the whole thing.

Cast Two Shadows: The American Revolution in the South - This will be my novel based on a true story. I was an Ann Rinaldi junkie for YEARS. This is one I bought back then (I had a pretty huge collection of her books) but never got around to reading. If I can ever find the motivation to read, I know I'm going to devour this book. And will possibly want to go on another Ann Rinaldi binge...

QOTW:
I love planning things. Lists are my jam. But I (as someone else said) will revolt with too much restriction, so about half of my categories I put books that are non-negotiable and the other half I'll keep a running list, that way some are still flexible. And then, throughout the year, I choose accordingly from the master list! This year, I tried to be pretty strict about only picking books I already owned, but that went out the window around January 2nd.

Hello from Egton Bridge.
Been an interesting old week. Friday was the last day I was at school in Humpty Doo for the term then caught up with the boy toy that pm, ran errands Saturday and caught up with a girlfriend Sunday. Monday (Aus time) we had an earthquake (7.2 or 7.5 depending on which site you believe) just as I was on the way to the airport hence first flight was delayed. Second flight I got to sit next to a crazy old lady who stank of poo, went on a racist rant, threw a sausage at me and then fell over my handbag and broke the handle. Flight 3 and 4 were calm but on arrival I had a broken suitcase to collect and it was 12C which is the coldest temp I have been in for years so I didn't cope well. Since then I have been to Middlesbrough to hire a car and get phone/internet access sorted yesterday and then in to Whitby to catch up with a friend today. Lots planned for the next few weeks so not sure I'll read much but did get 3 books finished (2 on the plane) this week.

Finished:
Good Omens which I really enjoyed and loved the sarcasm. Fits ATY mostly black cover
The Girl Before which was good. Picked by one of my y12 girls for her personality character analysis so had to read it. Pleasantly surprised.
The Walking Dead and Philosophy: Zombie Apocalypse Now enjoyed but couldn't forgive them getting the names wrong in some places for key characters eg Rick=Ryan, Carl=Cody. Just wrong!

QOTW
This year I have just read what I felt like except the ones I had to read for work (picked by kids or checking resources) or for my IRL book club. Will have to actually start planning now though to finish challenges as the "easy" prompts are covered already for all my challenges. Have finished the GR one though by just randomly reading and not far off PS and ATY so it is easily doable and I'm not worried I won't finish.