Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Weekly Checkins
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Week 5: 1/23 - 1/30
This week did go pretty fast! I worked on a local staged reading on Sunday and the rest of the week has been a bit of a blur thanks to being busy at work. I also ended up starting two books I hadn't planned on over the weekend, but that's what weekends are for :)Finished:
What the Butler Saw, a hilarious play script. 4 stars
The Importance of Being Earnest, another hilarious play script. Classic, punny, witty. 4 stars book with a pun in the title
Finishing today:
The Predator, book 5 in my Animorphs reread
The Island of Sea Women, a group read with Historical Fictionistas and passes the Bechdel test
12/50
Currently reading:
Now I Rise, the sequel to And I Darken and book I meant to get to in 2019
Gardens of the Moon has stalled this week in favor of these other selections but I'm not giving up on it yet!
QOTW: (From Sheri) Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list? What does that mean to you? How strict are you in sticking to it?
I keep a full TBR here on GR, and I'm also aware of what books I own that I haven't read - I try to give owned-unread books priority, but it doesn't always happen that way when I get distracted :) I'm not especially strict about sticking to the TBR (I'm happy to reread old favorites or read new books I haven't added); I refuse to allow reading to become a chore.
I am at 11/50 for the challenge and 15/100 for my personal Goodreads challenge. This week I finished:
Texas Ranger: One shot to clear his name…: A western. I will always turn to James Patterson for a fast, easy read, but his books just don't knock my socks off like they used to.
Stitch: Not for the challenge. I am a sucker for trashy biker romances. Damn you Sons of Anarchy, and this one was fine. Some of the character names were so ridiculous, even by biker name standards that I couldn't help laughing. I'm also a sucker for neurodiverse characters, particularly children, so I appreciated that.
Currently reading:
I'm still super distracted by TV right now, but I have to return Never Have I Ever to the library in a few days, so I should probably start reading that.
Question of the Week:
I have a TBR list on Goodreads, Overdrive, and Hoopla, as well as all the books I own but haven't read. There is obviously some overlap, but I don't have one comprehensive list, and I don't stick to it much at all. I use it more as a reminder, like....hey don't forget about this book, than as a schedule for what I'm reading. Like Nadine, I'm constantly updating my lists when I get real about whether I'm going to ever read them.
I finished The Chameleon's Shadow as my book that I picked off a shelf without looking. Loved the plot. Hated the characters.I'm currently reading Understoriesas my book with an upside down image on the cover. It's kind of weird.
QOTW:
Not really. I pick up books at tag sales and the used book store, so I obviously intend to read them at some point. And, sometimes I'll add a book to my 'want to read' shelf on GR so I don't forget about it.
Had blood tests this morning and my boyfriend went to get me donuts (partially to avoid hospital parking charges, but still) so I'm still in a sugary haze. A freight train derailed on my line this week so I've also had annoying commutes every day. I find it hard to concentrate on my audiobook when I have to work out what on earth is going on at the station.Finished:
Enchantée for ATY (transportation on cover), I liked some elements (using blood magic to cheat the gamblers at Versailles) but it was so slow in places where it should have had more momentum. Some of the stating the obvious could definitely have been cut out.
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line for review and a book by a journalist. Warning, does not contain djinns *disappointed face*. I think the author wanted to write journalism but thought she had to put it in fiction, so the plot wasn't that strong but it did its job in exploring how India neglects its poorest citizens.
Friendship to the Max, more Lumberjanes in which we discover what all those three-eyed foxes were about. I think I'd have liked volumes 1 and 2 to have been one volume as this seemed a more complete story.
Currently listening to Blood Heir (maybe book with a map) and reading The Burning Land (ATY southern hemisphere).
PS: 5/50 | ATY: 6/52 | BR: 1/24 | GR: 13/100
QOTW:
My TBR is purely books I have a copy of, it would be too confusing to include any book I ever thought about reading. I do tend to buy books though, so I can see how it's more useful as a "want to read" list for library users. I don't always read all the books I buy, especially ebook deals which get forgotten about very quickly.
I keep wishlists on Amazon. I'll create one for the current year and add on any new releases that catch my eye, and then at the end of the year I move any I'm still interested in onto the main wishlist and delete the rest.
Greetings! Where is time going? We have now been back at school for a week. I have realised I actually miss my job when I'm at home for the holidays. Yes I get more reading done but I do mostly love working with my students. I have 2 year 9 classes again who are really hard work at the start of every year but they are always the ones I really like by the end. There has been laughter, tears, lots of random hugs (the parents and bosses mostly), a few hissy fits, but mostly just feeling like it is worth getting up in the morning even when I'm tired. It was accidental but fate gave me the right job.....remind me of that when my y12s have exams coming up.Finished 2 books so back to normal reading speed.
Recursion which I loved. Think Blake Crouch might be my new favourite author for a while. For number 33 at least a 4 star rating.
Also finished Ready Player One which I also enjoyed and was the last of the 2019 challenge prompts so I did finish within the month I set myself.
Currently reading
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? for the January TRIM which sadly is not what I expected at all and I may or may not finish on time because I keep procrastinating and falling asleep.
GR 21/75 PS 9/50 ATY 9/52
QOTW
Yup I have several TBRs but am trying to be more careful what I add now they are over the 500 mark.....oops. Also trying to read mostly from them for the challenge this year. I think all but 7 prompts I had a book for already on the TBR. Plus for ATY I had a book for every prompt except 1 so hopefully that will make a dent.
Knock on wood, we have not had any snow yet this winter. There is some chatter about winter weather for this weekend, but at least I don't have to go anywhere. Finished:
The Bookshop of Yesterdays - I enjoyed this book. Miranda used to adore her Uncle Billy and his bookstore. After a falling out with her mother, Uncle Billy vanished from her life. Fast forward a decade and a half and Miranda gets word that her Uncle has passed away and left her the bookstore. He has also left her some clues to some unknown information sending her on a literary scavenger hunt. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's a good read. I'm using this for a book with a book on the cover.
Know My Name: A Memoir - this is the third heavy-topic book I've read this month and it did not disappoint. This is the memoir of the woman who was assaulted by Brock Turner, the Stanford swimmer. Her story is compelling and so very important. I listened to the audio which she read. This was a 5 star read for me. I'm using this for an author in their 20s, but it would fit several other prompts as well. I may move it to the 3-word title later if I end up reading another book that fits the 20s category.
Currently Reading:
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer. Another book club I'm in is doing an author spotlight on her for February. I've always wanted to read some of her books and so far I'm really enjoying this one! This book could fit several prompts, but I'm planning to use it as a book by an author that has written more than 20 books. It could also work as a book published in the 20th century, a book with at least a four star rating on GR, book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics (London), a book with a pink cover (my copy does anyway), a book with a bird on the cover (again, my copy does).
Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball. This is such a fun read. I'm listening to the audiobook which is narrated by Lucy Arnaz. She captures her mother's spirit in the way she speaks, and her impression of her father is amazing! I'm using this for a book published in the 20th century.
QOTW
I use the term TBR pretty loosely. I have a TBR on Goodreads, and I have a shelf of books to read at home. Mostly, though, if I say a book is on my TBR it just means that I want to read it. I don't always add books to Goodreads until I actually start reading them.
Here we go again LOL.... I flagged message #8... will update for the week after I drop the kiddos off at school.
You know that feeling when you’re waiting for a library hold to come in, and you’re so excited for the book, and you see someone’s due date is coming up so you’re going to get the book soon, and then ... they’re overdue. Yeah, me too. :( Finished
Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery (a book set in a country beginning with C). Absolutely delightful! I didn’t read this when I was a child, but I’m sure I would have adored it.
The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth (a book with a great first line). This book is gorgeous. I love it even more than Bitter Greens. This is about Dortchen Wild, who told the Grimm brothers the fairytales they published. Her life has some fairytale themes, which shows how and why women created and shared fairytales, but there’s no magic in this one.
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline (a book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, or online book club). I really liked this book. I loved the characters, and the rogarou (werewolf) story was engaging. I enjoyed learning something about Metis culture and stories. I don’t like open endings, though, so the book ended on a sour note for me.
Reading
Babylon's Ashes by James SA Corey (a book with a made up language)
QOTW
My Goodreads Want to Read shelf is for any book that I would like to read. I tag books on that shelf as "owned" or "library," if I've bought it or it's available at the library. When I say TBR, though, I usually mean the books I own, but haven't read. I try to give priority to those books because it makes me anxious to have too many unread books (or unused things) in my apartment.
Tracy wrote: "Here we go again LOL.... I flagged message #8... will update for the week after I drop the kiddos off at school."I removed that spammer from the group and made sure all the messages were deleted. Thanks!
Good Morning Fellow Readers, I read 2 very disturbing books this week. They were both 4-5 star books but really heavy content. I need to find some happy, light reading for the coming week. The Absolutist by John Boyne fits the prompt book with a pink cover. First book I’ve read by this author. Will read another.
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore fits the prompt subject I know nothing about. Five star rating for sure, but so very sad.
I’m currently reading Jane Eyre - not sure what prompt I’ll use for this. It was a now or never TBR.
QOTW
I do add TBR books to Goodreads, yet nothing’s set in stone. I update every so often, both removing and adding books.
Have a good week!
I'm super exhausted this week. I've just been doing so much traveling this month. We went to NYC for my husband's birthday two weekends ago, then we were home for three days and then I turned around and drove to NC to visit my mom in the hospital. I've realized that over the last four months I've barely had a weekend at home. I really need a break. Luckily, I'm home the next two weekends before I start traveling again.This week I finished:
The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness, which I got from BOTM in November. It was interesting, but I'm ultimately not sure what point she was trying to make. It is interesting, though, that I just read this book about mental illness and I'm going to see Next to Normal at the Kennedy Center this weekend.
The Underground Railroad, which I read because my library podcast is going to be discussing it. It's an amazing book, definite 5 star read. If people haven't read it and are looking for some black history month reads, this is a great book.
Neither of those books were for popsugar.
I'm currently reading: The Silk Roads: A New History of the World(book with a map), The Path of Daggers (book with a made up language), Wilson(book about a world leader), The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories(book with a cyborg/AI character), The Last Wish(book with an unrelated TV show or movie).
QOTW: I have a goodreads TBR that I use from time to time. But I keep an excel spreadsheet of the books I'm currently reading with a list of books for the next 2-3 months. Mostly so I can keep myself from scheduling too many books from the library. I have to limit myself to what I can actually read, or I will check out way too many at a time and then not be able to read them all.
This week I finished Taste of Marrow (book with a map) and American Hippopotamus (a subject that you know nothing about). Both were enjoyable. I am currently reading Little Fires Everywhere. I am excited to see what the Hulu adaptation will be like and had to read the book first.
I am currently 6/50 for this challenge. I am very excited and proud of myself that I am on track!
Question of the Week
From Sheri) Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list? What does that mean to you? How strict are you in sticking to it?
I keep a TBR on GoodReads. I am not strict with it at all. I am always adding books to it. I do not really follow the list, as I read what I want when I want to. I mainly use a TBR as a list of books I would like to read someday, because if I did not I would forget books mention by people or in podcasts and etc that sound interesting. Another reason I keep a TBR on Goodreads is they notify me when books that are on my TBR are released. In addition, I also get notification from Goodreads when they have a giveaway of a book on my TBR. I have actual been lucky and have one a give away.
Two-week check-in:As a human being, I feel like January is approximately 82 days long. As a teacher, it sometimes feels like its 182 days long. But once February hits, everything calms down for some reason.
Book that won an award in 2019
Recursion by Blake Crouch. Sci-fi. This was my free book of the year finalist book from Book of the Month. None of the others really appealed to me or I had already read them. I went ahead and got this one even though I wasn’t a huge fan of his Wayward Pines series. But I really, really enjoyed this one. I’m glad I grabbed it.
Book on a subject you know nothing about
First They Killed my Father” by Loung Ung. Memoir of the author’s childhood during the Cambodia Killing Fields. Really good reads.
Book about a woman in STEM
How To Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway. Contemporary romance. Main character works at a company that supports start-ups and after one bad online date too many, she creates a bad men of internet dating website. It was a nice, easy read.
Book with a four-star rating
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. Middle grade novel about two misfits who become bffs. I just finished reading this with my 7th graders. I really enjoyed it. They really enjoyed it. I read some of the chapters to them and there were gasps at the end of some of the chapters.
Book by a WOC
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi. YA fantasy set in West Africa. I enjoy this series and would binge watch a Netflix series easily.
Book with a pink cover
The Right Swipe Alisha Rai. Contemporary romance. Nice, delightful read. I enjoyed both of the leads.
A Book About or Involving Social Media
Love at First Like by Hannah Orenstein. Contemporary “romance”. Main character owns a jewelry store and drunkenly posts a picture of her wearing an engagement ring. Then she decides to find a fake fiancé because the post gets a lot of traffic for her business. I hate this book. The main character is awful. (view spoiler). I honestly only finished the book because I was hate-reading it.
Books That Don’t Tick Off Prompts
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena. Strangers are snowed in at a hotel and people start being murdered. It was an enjoyable read.
QOTW:
My TBR list is only the books that I have purchased. I do like to put a ton of books in my amazon cart and then pick the ones to buy on pay day and the rest go in my save for later. My sister uses my prime and asked me why I always have so many books in my cart and I explained. Every once in a while she'll buy me one when she goes to order something. Big sisters for the win.
Good morning from a chilly Columbus! I had my written finals last night (two 96%s and a 98%!). It’s crazy how close to done I am with school. I’m currently reading a pretty long book which took up most of my time this week when I wasn’t studying. Hopefully I’ll get more done this coming week.
Permanent Record for the unrelated same title as a movie or show prompt. I didn’t love this nearly as much as I did Emergency Contact. It was still enjoyable but really kinda bleak. My mood is so easily affected by books and this one had me feeling like things were tense between me and my boyfriend lol. He’s a saint and was very reassuring that we weren’t on the verge of breaking up haha.
Victoria for an author with flora or fauna in their name. A fictionalized account of Queen Victoria’s first years as queen. I don’t think the movie Young Victoria was based on this book, I don’t even know when the book was written but they have a pretty similar vibe. I very much enjoyed this and I would like to read more from the this author.
The Last Days of Jack Sparks for a book involving social media. This most definitely fell more on the involving SM side than being about SM but it still fits for sure. I wish this had been scarier I think but it was a fun read regardless. Kinda funny, kinda spooky. A wild ride all around.
The Mysterious Howling not for any challenge, I just thought the cover was super cute. This is the first in a kid’s series called the incorrigible children, about three kids raised by wolves now in the care of kind, clever governess on a eccentrically rich estate. Antics, naturally, ensue.
This brings me to 14/40; 0/10 for popsugar, 2/24 for book riot with 18 books read this year.
QOTW: my TBR is mostly on here. I scan books when I see ones that sound interesting while out and about and I add lots of books mentioned here and other groups. I usually don’t pay a ton of attention to it but this year decided I wanted the bulk of my titles to come from my TBR shelf.
Happy Thursday, y’all.Books read this week:
Thrawn -- for “book by an author who’s written more than 20 books.” If you’re into the Star Wars Expanded Universe at all, this is a pretty good read and really fleshes out one of the minor (but popular) characters… though part of me longed for a little more complexity to the side characters.
The Stand -- for “book with a 4 or greater reading on Goodreads.” FINALLY finished this one! And while I think it dragged some in the middle (then again, it’s hard to NOT have an 800+ page book drag some in the middle), it was pretty good. Scary, but that’s King for you.
S is for Space -- not for the challenge. I love Ray Bradbury, and this story collection contains some of my favorite short stories by him.
The Barrow Will Send What it May -- not for the challenge, though does qualify for “trans or non-binary author.” After reading and enjoying The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion I wanted to see what else happened to the characters. And while I didn’t like this one quite as well, it was still a fun read.
Regular challenge -- 9/44 (split the last prompt into five)
Advanced challenge -- 1/10
Not for challenge -- 7
DNF:
Song for a Whale -- not for the challenge. I really wanted to like this book, but the main character was such a brat that I couldn’t get into it. It does make me want to look up and read a non-fiction book about “the loneliest whale in the world,” though...
Currently Reading:
Myths of Origin -- for “favorite prompt from the 2019 challenge” (book based on mythology, legend, or folklore)
The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest -- for “anthology”
The Final Empire -- for “book with a map”
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again -- not for the challenge
QOTW:
My TBR list is divided into five parts -- books I want to read that our library has, books I want to read that other libraries in our network have, books I want to read that I have to buy or ILL, my Kindle books, and my "I have no self-control at booksales" pile. And I'm CONSTANTLY adding to these lists...
Hi everyone!So glad January's almost over, I want to move on to spring.
My library threw a wrench into my reading plans by ordering a bunch of digital books i recommended years ago and they suddenly popped into my loans. Of course one of them was a third book in a series that I hadn't read the second of and the first was years ago, so had to squeeze in a bunch.
Finished:
Gideon the Ninth - I really loved this! Space magic is my favorite. Lots of death and grimness because it's necromancy, but enough snarky humor to keep it light enough to get through. I really need Harrow the Ninth now. I counted this for the bechdel test prompt. The characters were mostly women and they talked a lot about training, necromancy, plots, conspiracies etc.
Sleeping Giants - the third book is the one dumped on me by my library unexpectedly, haha. But I'd read this over two years ago, I couldn't remember well enough to dive into the second one. No prompt
Waking Gods - luckily I had picked this one up a while ago on a book deal, and just didn't get aroudn to reading it. Of course it had a much longer hold list at the library, so the third one came in first. I liked it, just wasn't part of my plan right now haha. I decided to use it for a seven deadly sin. A lot of pride was involved, and a certain amount of greed for power.
Only Human - I didn't like this one as much as the other ones, a bit too much drama focused on family than on the bigger scope of the world. But still overall enjoyed. I used this one for made up language.
I know some people were using the Themis books for the robot/ai/cyborg prompt, but my personal opinion is they don't fit. The robots are vehicles not characters. This isn't to start an argument, just my reasoning as to why I didn't count them for the prompt.
Currently reading:
The Count of Monte Cristo - i decided to dive in on the group attempting this, only got one chapter so far due to trying to manage library holds.
The Silent Patient - I'd put a hold on this before i remembered I'd wanted to read Strange Practice for the medical thriller, and it came up before i thought to remove it. I really LOVED the intro diary entry, I was excited to continue diving in. And then the perspective switched to the doctor, and I find him so condescending and white-knight that I'm not sure I want to bother finishing. Anyone else read it? Do the diary entries come back, or is it all him just trying to "fix" Alicia and treat her like a puzzle? I'd much rather be reading the whole deal through Alicia's point of view.
QOTW: This is my question!
I was really curious to read people's answers. A lot of people here talk about their TBRs, or not wanting to add more to their TBR, putting priority on their TBR, Etc.
I don't keep a TBR at all, beyond books actively on hold at the library/recommended to the library that occasionally drop in unexpectedly. I have some books on the want to read shelf on goodreads, but I don't really keep it up to date, or even look at it when deciding what to read. I'm very much a mood reader. If I don't know what to read I'll go to my bookshelf and stare a while, flip through my kindle, go to the library and wander the shelves. As far as I'm concerned any book out there is on my TBR if I have a reason to read it or it catches my interest.
Hello! My calendar says we're 1 month into the year, but I don't believe it. I would like some days back please.I finished 2 books this week, neither of them fit into the challenge:
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - I enjoyed this classic very much, and yet somehow it took me weeks to read it.
Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across by Mary Lambert - I kept my rating of this book high, because I respect the author's purpose and voice, however for me it was just ok. I wouldn't read/listen to it again. I used it for the BR prompt of an audiobook of poetry, and though the author narrated the book and did a beautiful job of it, this is yet more proof that audiobooks are not my cup of tea.
QOTW: I do have a TBR - one here on Goodreads and one in an Excel spreadsheet, and they are not the same because I have no idea how I would even go about trying to match them up. They are more to keep track of what I have/want to read than an actual list of what I should be reading next. If I kept to it, it wouldn't have grown wildly out of control, and where would be the fun in that. I never go back and pare them down, because I am way better at adding than removing.
Another busy week of unemployment for me. I will hopefully have a new job in the next two weeks, which will be just in time to cover the early March bills that I couldn't swing otherwise. Fingers crossed...I'm currently at 18/50 for the challenge.
This week I finished Boy, Snow, Bird (three-word title) which was interesting... I didn't see that big twist coming, but I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I wanted more on what was going on with Snow throughout the story, but oh well. 3 stars
I listened to The Orphan Master's Son (world leader) which was a bit difficult to get through, but very good. This was for the ToB Winner's ToB that will happen in the fall.
4 stars
I read Saudade (bildungsroman) for the ToB and it was a nice short book that covers a lot. I'm interested in learning more about Angolan history, especially since I'm familiar with the Kizomba scene. 4 stars
I listened to What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays which was an up-and-down experience. He uses the N-word a lot, so I was always a little worried that people around me could see this white lady in her car listening to that... I thought he provided plenty of interesting experiences/opinions, but the part in the middle about his views on sexual assault was frustrating. He recovered it halfway, but he should have left that whole part out. 3 stars
We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir (Bechdel test) was good, but not exactly what I expected. I was surprised how well her parents took her decisions since everything else I've read/learned about Pakistani families seems like that couldn't happen. But it sounds like I've been generalizing so it was good for me to learn about this person's experience. 4 stars
I'm currently reading The Nickel Boys for a book club, The Testaments for the ToB, and listening to The Good Lord Bird for the Winner's ToB.
QOTW: My TBR is extensive, but not super organized. I usually add books I want to read to my "for later" shelf on my library account. I take screenshots on my phone when I come across good books on my phone. I sometimes add them on Goodreads as "want to read" but I feel bad that I already fill my GR friends' news feeds with the books I finish, so I don't want to use that too much, haha. I also have my wish lists on ThriftBooks and Libro.fm. And then of course there are my bookshelves with hard copy books that I need to get to. I think I've read about a third of the ~200 books I have at home. I'm slowly chipping away at that, but I finish audiobooks much faster so I'll usually finish three or four of those for every one hard copy book.
Hi everyone!The greyest of grey januaries where I live is almost over. There´s talk about climate change over a short period of time here in Denmark resulting in 3-4C warmer temperatures (edit: the extent of the warm-up is not confirmed, it´s a theory based on the weather the last years.) - so we´ll probably be seeing more of grey, wet, not-quite frost winter weather. Which is basically November weather all winter. Scary and depressing.
Did I tell you guys about the Danish poet who wrote about the months of the year?
It goes like this:
“Året har 16 måneder: November
december, januar, februar, marts, april
maj, juni, juli, august, september
oktober, november, november, november, november.”
Meaning: The year has 16 months: November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, November, November, November.
That is how it feels.
So, this week I read
A Tale of Two Cities - Great first line
Ivalu. Graphic novel - not for challenge
The Goldfish Boy - ATY, neurogical diversity (OCD)
Gennem natten og vinden (Through the night and the wind) - recommended by favourite blogger.
It´s about a single mum who´s on a social deroute - and has the exact same name as me! (First and last name)...
Currently reading:
The Starless Sea (audio)
The Library at Mount Char - thought I would use this for my birthday month (June), but it also has made up languages so I´ll use that instead.
Seks vandringer i fiktionens skov (Six Walks in the Fictional Woods) - non-fiction. Reading a bit in this here and there.
QOTW
I have a TBR here on GR that I use as a memory bank, where I just mark books you guys and other people recommend that I want to read some time. I have a shelf tagged "seriously TBR", those are books I will get to shortish (in the next few years). I have a TBR shelf at home - those are not necessarily marked TBR on GR, because those I won´t forget. Same goes for my other unread books at home. I also have wishlists on overdrive, but those are books I will get to soon (like the next up audios).
I have a pile that I constantly rearrange with the next-up books.
So, in short, I don´t follow any of my TBR piles, physical or virtual shelves...
Still no real winter weather here in North Texas! It's been in the 40s a couple of days, but that's about it. I saw a (very slight) prediction of snow for next week, though! If it does, it will likely melt immediately, but it's such a novelty now that it's still exciting!Also, I actually finished multiple books this week!! Part of that is because I've gotten some freelance work on top of my full time job, so I know that I'll have less time to read here soon. I wanted to build a bit of a cushion for myself.
Finished:
The Perfectionism Workbook: Proven Strategies to End Procrastination, Accept Yourself, and Achieve Your Goals: Not for the challenge but I still found a lot of this very helpful!
Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way: A book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast or online book club. I stretched the prompt a bit by using a book recommended by an instagram account, but I think it still fits with the spirit of the prompt. And I really enjoyed this book's take on dealing with your inner critic.
Snow & Rose: A book that passes the Bechdel test. I saw some debate over whether the characters just had to be female or whether they also had to be adults over in the discussion board for this prompt, but I'm counting it. Snow and Rose are named, and they have multiple conversations that have nothing to do with males. They also talk to their mother (who is named) and their mother talks to their friend's mother (who is also named) at one point. I guess the two adult women mostly discuss the one's missing son, so I guess those don't count. But the book still passes!
Currently Reading:
The Pink Fairy Book
The Prodigal Tongue: Dispatches from the Future of English: This will be my "book about or involving social media." I should have read it when it first came out, because I know a lot of this will already be out of date, but I own it and will still find it interesting.
QOTW:
I have a massive TBR list here on Goodreads and I try to pull from it for the challenges (there are three prompts for this year that I didn't have books for). I also have a catalog of all the books I own on The Library Thing and have them tagged (pretty sure I was a librarian in a past life) for whether they're read or unread. My top priority goes to ones I own and haven't read, then ones that are already on my TBR list, then shiny new books I find along the way.
I really, really enjoy curating my book lists. :D
Evening from Cairo, everybody!I'm currently reading Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand: A Novel of Adam and Eve which -in the Egyptian print- has no graphics on the cover and ridiculously cheap. It's a version of the creation story by Gioconda Belli.
Afterwards I plan to read The Tin Drum which will fill the "book with a three-word title" prompt. It's a very big book but I've wanting to read for a while now so I hope I can go through with it.
I've now read 35/265 books this year and 6/50 books in this challenge.
QOTW: My TBR shelf used to be for books I have no way of getting. Maybe it's not common in my country, outrageously expensive or unavailable online on apps I've subscribed to. Lately though I started adding books that haven't come out yet but I want to read when they do. I try very hard to keep it under 100 books for unknown reasons.
Mod
LOL I used to worry about that too. Then I discovered you can change your GR settings so that it doesn’t get broadcast into everyone’s feed. It’s not perfect, sometimes I edit an old review and intentionally uncheck “add to my update feed” and ... somehow it shows up anyway because people will then “like” it. But hopefully most of the annoying stuff I do on GR doesn’t clog up everyone’s newsfeed.
Finished: In the Dark for A book set in a country beginning with "C" (happy to realise it was set in Canada upon starting to read it!). This was very much inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, to the extent that ATTWN was referenced by characters more than once - but it was a good page-turner and I enjoyed it a lot.Started: King of the World: The Life of Louis XIV for A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader. I'm just coming to the end of a re-watch of 'Versailles' and decided it would be nice to find out some of the real history of Louis XIV, which dovetailed nicely into this prompt! However, I don't read so much non-fiction, so I'm a little worried about how long it's going to take me...
QOTW:
What I think of as my TBR lists are primarily my Kindle wishlist on Amazon, recently supplemented by a 'Want to Read' list on GR. I really should amalgamate the two lists together on one or other of the platforms, but I never seem to get around to it! Also, they're TBR lists in the sense of being books that I might like to read at some point, as opposed to books I'm definitely going to read soon (some books have been on the Amazon list for years at this point!).
Hello all! I may finally be back in the groove here. I blame a solid 30 days of dealing with rhinovirus->infection->sinusitis for throwing me off my game.This week I finished The Widow Nash for my Western, and thank goodness I found something I actively liked! Really riveting story and I would adore seeing it adapted as a film.
DNF: Frankissstein: A Love Story - I can't even with the "quirky" writing. Luckily I impulse-borrowed a stack of Chew, Vol. 1: Taster's Choice which covers the Pun in the Title prompt beautifully.
Currently reading: Roadside Picnic. Written in 1971, but feels very fresh and oh my, did subsequent scifi grow from some of these concepts! Annihilation springs to mind immediately. I'm very absorbed in it!
QOTW: I currently have 1,234 books on my GR TBR. Like Nadine, I throw any book that looks interesting on there. Unlike Nadine, I'm not great at pruning when I might never actually read one!
Mod
Lauren wrote: "Another busy week of unemployment for me. I will hopefully have a new job in the next two weeks, which will be just in time to cover the early March bills that I couldn't swing otherwise. Fingers c..."Ooh, Saudade looks very intriguing to me! And I'm sending all the good job hunting energy your way!
I made sure to un-link goodreads from facebook, and then I don't worry about it. I figure if you're my friend on goodreads, that's what you're on goodreads for. But if you're my friend on facebook, you don't need to see every book i read or review. I also don't really scroll the feed of goodreads, i generally just glance at whatever's on top and read notifications from threads I follow.
Hello everyone! Hope you all have been doing well! I am still (still!) getting through The Golden Hour I am going through the book much faster now so hopefully I'll finish it before I run out of chances to renew from the library.
But I have also started the audiobook for Great Goddesses: Life Lessons from Myths and Monsters which is read by the author. I'm reading for the Read Harder 2020 Task #8 an audiobook of poetry. I am not into audiobooks at all so this is hard for me but I find that if I sit down at my computer with a coloring book to keep my hands busy I am able to fully enjoy it. The poems are lovely and thought provoking as all of Gill's poems are and her voice is very soothing.
Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list? What does that mean to you? How strict are you in sticking to it?
-I do but only for challenges. I have a list of the 74 books that I have to read for both Popsugar and Book Riot and those are the 74 books that I need to read this year. Of course, I let myself read other books but the books on that TBR are the books that I am holding myself accountable for reading no matter what.
Happy Thursday! I'm pretty proud of myself for actually being at work today. I didn't get a ton of sleep last night (yes I stayed up late reading Supernatural fanfiction!) but my mug of English Breakfast tea will at least get me through lunch. Finished:
The Return for a book with a pink cover. I got this ARC from Goodreads and really enjoyed it. Yes, it's a creepy mystery/horror but the underlying story really is about female friendship and all the little and big things that come along with it.
Dr. Strange Beard for a book with a pun in the title. It took me a few chapters to really get into Roscoe's story but I ended up really enjoying this. I'm hoping to finish up this series soon, so I can read all of the supplemental books in the universe written by other authors.
Currently Reading:
The Only Good Indians for a book that's published in 2020. I won the ARC of this on Goodreads and have been really looking forward to digging into it. I'm not very far in it yet but it is interesting so far.
Beard with Me - Not for the challenge but just want to finish up the series. I just started it, but there will be young Cletus in this so....I pretty sure I'll enjoy it.
The Sisters Brothers for a Western. I just downloaded the audio of this, so I haven't technically started it yet but I'll be listening to it on the drive home from work today.
QOTW:
I have a want to read this here on Goodreads and I have a couple of shelves of books at home. I'm using a lot of my books at home for this challenge this year (minus a few things that I don't have/just want to read). So, I don't have a technical TBR list just a general idea of what I want to read.
Hello, Still winter up north here, not as crazy cold as a week ago but we are not out of the woods yet for the possibility to get another deep freeze. That is not till after February. Makes for good reading and cross stitching time.Finished:
Nefertiti's Heart I believe I am going to use it for the prompt "A book set in the city the Olympics were held in" as it is based in London. It was good, it took me a bit to warm up to the characters but I slowly did and it turned into a fairly good story, a bit transparent of who the killer is, as I knew as soon as they are introduced but a good spin on the ending, I may pick up the next one in the series.
Currently reading:
Southern Spirits I picked this one off my TBR list as it fit the prompt of the "authour having flora or fauna in their name." I am only a few chapters in but really enjoying it.
QOTW
I have a constantly shifting list of TBR books on Goodreads (usually recommended on here or through friends) and loaded on my Kobo from Bookbub.
I don't have a set order for which books I am reading next. I usually just finish a book and flip through the pile for ones that either fits a prompt or peaks my interest as my next read.
11/50Hi everyone!
It's been a few weeks since I checked in here, but have been doing a great job reading!
Finished prompts:
Cinder: I was dreading the AI prompt, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Enough, that I think I want to read the next one in the series!
The Immortalists: I finished reading this book this month and put it in the prompt of a book I meant to read in 2019 (I just never finished it!)
Shanghai Girls: I LOVE Lisa See;s writing and this book did not disappoint. Since it starts out in Shanghai, I used it for the prompt of a country starting with the letter C.
Counting by 7s: I actually read this book for the ATY challenge, and loved it! Apparently enough other people do as well as it easily fit the prompt of a book with at least a 4-star rating on Goodreads.
This Is Where It Ends: Read for the ATY challenge.
Where the Forest Meets the Stars: This is my favorite book of the year so far! While it fits several prompts, I used it for a woman in STEM since the main character is working on her PhD in biology.
Little Fires Everywhere: I was a bit disappointed in this book but can't deny that it has a great first line! “Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer; how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down.”
The Divorce Papers: Another book read for the ATY challenge, but the main character is a young lawyer in her 20s, so it fit perfectly in that prompt.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Am I the only person who hasn't read the Harry Potter series? Again, it fits a bunch of prompts, but I have seen it listed as a bildungsroman.
The Downstairs Girl: I love historical fiction and this was a delightful read. It takes place in Atlanta, a city that has hosted the Olympics.
Saving Meghan: This fit perfectly for the medical thriller! It was a quick read and definitely had a twist at the end!
Currently reading:
What Alice Forgot: I'm listening to this on audiobook to and from work.
Fever
The President Is Missing: I can't put this book down!
I have a TBR list and I put books on there that I want to read for challenges, but I don't necessarily stick to it. I am just as likely to take a book off if I think I have lost interest after a while then make myself complete the list.
Reading through some of these posts makes me excited to read some books I have tagged for prompts! Miracle Creek and Recursion - Can't wait for them to come available at the library!Finished:
White Fire by Douglas Preston ATY 12. Collaboration of 2 or more people. 4 stars Enjoyed this book, it was a good change of pace from the heavier books I've been reading. I was pulled into story pretty quickly and remained interested throughout. There were 3 different plot lines, one I figured out pretty quickly but the other two remained a mystery until it was wrapped up in the end
Stay with Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ prompt "Three word title" Great book. Story is about a Nigerian husband and wife that fell in love while going to University. They get married and after 4 years the husband's family pressures the wife about being barron and not producing children.
Tampa by Alissa Nutting prompt "pink cover" The first part of the book was tough to get through. Too much sexual talk I could only read a chapter at a time. Half way through the book there was more to the story than just desire and sex. The story is very disturbing. 8th grade teacher seduces students. I thought who would write a book about that. Then in reading other reviews it's an embellished true story!
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson prompt "four star rating on Goodreads" Really wanted to give this a 5 star rating but then ending ruined it for me. So many questions left unanswered.
The Bone Garden By Tess Gerritsen Prompt: 31. Medical thriller - DNF this one. This was audiobook and didn't hold my attention, I got 50% through it and didn't want to spend another 7 hrs of meh. Maybe try again later.
Currently Reading:
The One By John Marrs Prompt: 13. book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated
Blindness By José Saramago Challenge Prompt: 3. book with character with a vision impairment or enhancement
The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson No Prompt 2nd book in Truly Devious trilogy.
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde Pun in title?
QQTW:
I put all books I'm interested in on my "Want to Read" shelf in GR. I guess I would consider this my TBR pile. I also break those down by which are slotted for PS 2020 and ATY 2020. These I go to first. Along with the GR at my online library site I have a wishlist that all books I'm interested are tagged on. If I'm looking for a book and don't have any ideas I'll go to my wish list and select to view the Available Now books. At the end of last year this is how I would select most of my books :)
Nadine wrote: "LOL Christine I have 1,778 books on my TBR at the moment, so you are better at pruning than I am!!!"OMG I'm at almost 2300!!!! I've tried to go in and fix it up but its too overwhelming so I just leave it LOL.... and keep adding to it.
Shannon, the original comic panel that inspired the Bechdel Test simply mentions two female characters that speak about something other than a man. Since then a lot of people have added on to it with things like "are named", conversation length, and apparently age. But if you're going by the original source, I'd say it for sure counts. and honestly, I don't see why young girls wouldn't count. Young girls get discounted as much as women. There's still plenty of media where there's only one girl in a group of boys, or a group of children still somehow only talk about boys. It's not like it's a cop-out.
This has been a most disappointing winter. Not cold enough to snow and just gray and dead. Either go full throttle winter or skip straight to spring, but please make up your mind! Finished 4/50
Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens- for "book by a transgender or non-binary author". I adore Eddie Izzard. His stand-up is just fabulous. This book was only ok though. I feel like it was rambley and lacked a lot of emotional connection (which he does admit he has issues with, and it does show). I've heard the audiobook is more engaging (since he's the reader!), and I believe that's probably true because he's got such a fun personality. I can't stand audiobooks though (I'm visual and not at all auditory...my mind tends to wander with nothing before my eyes). But I would recommend either listening to it or watching the documentary under the same name, because Izzard is much more fun in person than on page.
Currently Reading
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society- for "book about a book club". I was actually aiming for The Paper & Hearts Society but my library informed me that no library in the entire United States had a copy....which I doubt....but, they've never been unable to find a book for me before, so I switched to this one instead (and I think I'll like it better anyway. I'm a sucker for WWII books).
The Solzhenitsyn Reader: New and Essential Writings, 1947-2005- for "first book touched on a shelf with eyes closed". So, I figured I'd actually do this in my church's library since my bookshelves are all books I've already read. I cannot BELIEVE this is the first book I touched! I'm a huge, HUGE lover of Russian literature and have always wanted to read more Solzhenitsyn and LO AND BEHOLD: this book literally leaped into my hands. I didn't even know it existed, let alone that it was in my church library! Wow! So, I'm stoked. I guess that's what happens when you choose a book at random in a church: divine intervention for the perfect book choice. XD It's HUGE so I'm probably going to be chomping at this for awhile.
The Wilderness Journal: 365 Days with the Philokalia- for "book with title that caught my attention".
QotW
I have two TBR lists: one is a literal stack of books that were either gifted or loaned to me that I haven't read yet. I always try to get those worked into my challenges first because I hate having physical books lying around unread and unloved.
The second list is my "want to read" shelf here on GR, which are books I've heard of and want to get my hands on. I'm working some of those into this challenge too! I do read through the list every so often and prune it, but I rarely need to change much. ;)
P.S. If anyone replies to me and I don't respond, please message me. I'm not trying to ignore anyone, but GR notifications are a mess so I almost always miss something.
This week is dragging for me. Kid has been sick so our routine is all off (no after school activities to keep my days of the week straight). I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Thursday already. I didn't update last week and I've only finished 3 books in the last 2 weeks! But I am working on a bunch at the same time.Total 14/50
Finished:
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas for passes the Bechdel test
One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters for published in the 20th century
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi for by a WOC
QOTW:
My TBR is exclusively on Goodreads. I do have books I own from ages ago or from my first husband's pile, but I don't really keep track of which ones I "need" to read. I very rarely buy books and if I do, they are secondhand, and only if they are already on my TBR. If I see a book out in the world that looks good, I add it to my TBR. Everything I want to read is one place.
That being said, I will read things not on the TBR for challenges or group reads and such, but I usually check it first to see if something fits.
Good morning, all! I missed last weeks check-in because I have just been in a haze this month. I'm glad it's almost over! Although, I have an incredibly busy spring ahead of me with finishing my last semester of my master's program and taking two tests to get my certification for teaching.Last week, I finished two books. I listened to Lethal White for a book about the 7 deadly sins and it ticked off nearly all of them really. I enjoyed this one though I thought it had a slow start to it.
I also finished Champion for a book with a map. I enjoyed this one and felt like it wrapped up the series nicely so I'm even more curious to read Rebel to see what could be added.
This week, I read The Girls at the Kingfisher Club for a book set in the 1920s. I didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped. I loved the descriptions of the music and the clothes, but honestly there were so many girls that I felt they didn't all get to have fully-formed personalities.
I started listening to Gone with the Wind and at nearly 50 hours, I feel like I will be listening to this book until the end of time already. I might end up having to switch to the print version in order to actually finish it.
I'm at 4/50 for the year.
QOTW: I keep a TBR on Goodreads and that's my go-to. I fill it with anything I come across that I might want to read and to remind me about books that are coming out and when. I also have an Amazon list of books I want to own and a list on my Libby app to see if my library has it available to borrow, otherwise, I'll check my Overdrive app (which is connected with a different library account) to see if it's available there. Pre-Goodreads, I kept a paper list that I kept on my dresser to remind me of all the books I needed to read in my lifetime. I still have a list like that of "100 books to read before you die".
Good afternoon. I had a nice week. Went to the lantern show at Edinburgh Zoo, which was beautiful as always but not quite as amazing as previous years. Then it was my birthday on Monday - a quiet day, got some lovely gifts and bought a cake, which was eaten the next day when my aunt came up for a visit.Also I caught a shiny Pokémon the other day!
(For those who don't play it, shiny Pokémon are alternate-coloured versions of each creature that are really rare - the odds of finding one are about 1 in 4,000.)
Read 3 books this week, currently 9/50 on Popsugar.
Where the Crawdads Sing - I enjoyed this, liked the nature writing and the perspective of the main character. The very end was slightly daft though, didn't feel the final reveal was necessary.
Used for prompt #36, pink cover.
In the Night Garden - I love this so much I don't have words. Cat Valente is a genius. Literally as soon as I finished it I loaned it to somebody else because I just had to share it.
Used for prompt #13, same title as a movie or TV show - there's a BBC show for preschoolers called "In the Night Garden".
Over the Top - This was a very interesting memoir and I love Jonathan's writing, I made 50+ Kindle highlights. My one complaint is that it's too short, though. There was a lot I wanted to know more about, like behind-the-scenes stuff from Queer Eye, which isn't even mentioned until the last chapter or so. Generally many of the most important parts seemed skimmed-over, although I completely understand why, there's a lot of trauma there.
Used for prompt #2, trans or nonbinary author. (Jonathan is nonbinary, came out quite recently, and discusses gender in the book.)
Not currently reading anything, haven't selected my next book yet.
QOTW: I have a general TBR, the books I own physically and on my Kindle, but I don't make any strict lists of what I'm going to read during a set time. I've tried doing that in the past and it just didn't work for me.
Happy Thursday, all.Finished reading: (5/50)
Hollow Kingdom (bird on the cover, involving social media, meant to read in 2019) - S.T. is the best. Easily my favorite character of 2020 so far. More crow representation in books plz
Currently reading:
Ninth House (won an award in 2019, main character in her 20s, vision enhancement (seeing ghosts), has a map, recommended by my favorite blogger (karen)) - Liking this a lot so far!
QotW:
I keep a TBR list in notepad of books I'm interested in, divided roughly by category - e.g., traditional fantasy, hybrid fantasy, sci-fi, books featuring animals. I have a separate section for 2020 releases with release dates noted.
But I also have a lot of un-listed books. For instance, I don't usually bother writing down sequels of books I liked. Also I have a constellation of books mentally tagged "maybe" based on recs from bloggers and in my Goodreads feed. When I say a book's on my TBR, I just mean that I'm interested in it, not that I necessarily have it written on my list.
I'm 3/50 for PS so far.I finished Spinning Silver this week. I used it for title with silver in it. I gave it 4 stars. It is a loose retelling (more inspired by) the myth Rumpelstiltskin.
I am reading a lot of books rn, more than I normally do at a time. That's libraries for you. I'll see what I actually finish this time and what has to go back.
QOTW:
I have a tbr list here on GR but I read in no particular order. I may use that list as inspiration to find something to read but I just pick something that I think I'll enjoy right then.
Hi everyone! Things have calmed down a bit this week and I got a whole bunch of reading done. Currently at 15/40 for the main challenge and 5/10 for the advanced prompts.Read this week:
Know My Name: A Memoir for a book written by an author in their 20s: this was amazing. Unfortunately not copyedited very well. I caught loads of errors, but that's par for the course these days unfortunately. 5 stars for content though.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky: for a book with a bird on the cover: there are many birds on the cover I got from the library, but they are very small! A cute fun novella. 4 stars.
Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win for a book that passes the Bechdel test: I was just desperate to slot this book in somewhere to get it off my shelf. I didn't really like it. The Senate race just kind of happened to Charlotte, and you don't even find out in the end if she wins, so. Unsatisfying. 2 stars.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan for a book set in a country beginning with C (China): this book KNOCKED my SOCKS off. I can't believe I've never read Lisa See before! Now I have to read more of her books! 5 stars.
A Sky Painted Gold for a book with gold, silver, or bronze in the title: aww, this was nice. It's like if The Great Gatsby was set in Cornwall and had a happy ending. Would also work for a book set in the 20s. 4 stars.
Currently reading:
The Wanderers
A Warning
QOTW: My GR TBR is the comprehensive one I use, and I try to keep it under 250 books. I have a physical TBR shelf in my room, but all those books are on the TBR too just so I can keep track of them. I don't keep track of books I want to read with my libraries because their systems don't make it very easy. I try to stick to it, but sometimes you find a cool book you've never heard of and just HAVE to read it right then!
Cendaquenta wrote: "Also I caught a shiny Pokémon the other day!"whoa congrats, I love Stufful/Bewear
Sheri wrote: "Gideon the Ninth - [...] The characters were mostly women and they talked a lot about training, necromancy, plots, conspiracies etc. "
#justgirlthings
(Gideon the Ninth is top of my TBR once I get down my backlog of holiday sale purchases)
Hey everybody! How is January already over?! This month has gone by crazy fast (for me). My daughter turned 13, she performed a concert at the House of Blues (very proud). 2020 kicks off year 3 of my book club which is exciting. Trying to keep busy reading (and more so planning my reading). My big goal is to finish Daisy and January(*see below) before the end of the month so I can start February running.5/40 Regular
1/10 Advanced
Finished
12. Passes the Bechdel test
I loved this book! Like obsessively. I have heard some drama about it since reading but I will read the other book in question and decide from there.
Currently Reading:
QotW:
From Sheri) Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list? What does that mean to you? How strict are you in sticking to it?
Although I have a TBR on goodreads and books I would like to read sooner than later I don't really prescribe to the TBR pile personally. I very much am an emotional reader so it is very hard for me to plan ahead. I could start a book that I really want to read and just not vibe with it. I am in a book club so I do have at least one book that I force myself through no matter what.
ReadThe Shadow of the Wind - A book that has a book on the cover - 3.5 stars
What starts out as the story of a young boy dealing with the pitfalls of life, turns into a tragic reflection of love and the terrible danger of possessive, controlling men. Daniel, who is out main protagonist, is a mirror of Julian, the man who's story he so desperately needs to follow. We see Daniel taking a backstory in his own life, becoming obsessed with the author of a strange book, disappearing into its mysteries until he finds that the tragedy that is Julian's life is quickly becoming his own. It’s only until then that Daniel takes the reins in his own story, not wishing to repeat Julian's mistakes.
Currently Reading
Gods of Jade and Shadow
I’ve gotten further along in the story, and am starting to finally feel attached to Hun-kame. I want his position reestablished, but I also greedily want him to be human.
Rich People Problems
Oh, I’m sure I’ll be done with this super quick! Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians is a guilty pleasure, its luxurious, scandalous and vibrant! I don’t care what people say, these books deserve a place of honor on my bookshelves. Kwan can make me seeth in anger, salivate in hunger, become green with envy, and helplessly weep... all in the time it takes for Eddie Chang to stage the wardrobe of his family’s next outing.
Hi everyone! A little dose of community spreadsheet statistics: As of now, the most completed prompt so far (28.2%!) is "35. A book with a three-word title."Finished Reading:
I was only able to read one book this week! College is really beating me over the head.
1) Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia (15. A book about or involving social media) - I didn't start this expecting to like it, because I have a bit of a dislike for contemporary, but the premise was interesting so I dove in. I'm so glad I did because I adored this book! Though I didn't have much that personally connected me to Eliza and her struggles, this really impacted me emotionally because it was such a great book. ★★★★★
Currently Reading:
I'm reading Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett as I progress through the Discworld series. I'm about halfway done and really enjoying it so far! Such a brilliant mix of depressing and humorous, as usual. I think with the exception of Wyrd Sisters, I like the Death books more than the Witches ones, though this may change as I read more of each subseries.
This weekend I plan to read Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's Challenge and a Model for America's Future before the primaries start!
QOTW:
I keep a TBR on Goodreads, and everything I find interesting goes on there. I do number it though, and the first 40 or so books are ones I'm very interested in and plan to read in the near future (which is basically this year). However, I have a lot of books on my TBR that I like a lot but didn't remember to change the position to something small, and others that I don't remember adding in the slightest. So it's not a perfect system!
I finally finished my first book for the 2020 challenge! I'm reading a lot of other books, too, so my progress is always a little slow. The Reckless Oath We Made is my book I meant to read in 2019. Really enjoyed it!
My Goodreads TBR shelf is my TBR. Most of my reading comes from my library, so it's an easy way for me to keep track of books I want to read. Eventually.
Short check-in this week, I'm about to start a test session of a website with some local volunteers.Finished
The Map of Salt and Stars The story never touched me. I see why people enjoy it, but I guess it’s not my cup of tea. ** Prompt: a book by a trans or non-binary author.
Currently reading
Grote verwachtingen. In Europa 1999-2019
The Daughter's Tale
QOTW
Yes, never did, but GR does the trick. I pile up every book I may want to read or someone recommends to me. To me, it is an ever growing pile of books I can choose from. I never delete a book. I should, but too many books, so little time, better start reading.
Drakeryn wrote: "Cendaquenta wrote: "Sheri wrote: "Gideon the Ninth - [...] The characters were mostly women and they talked a lot about training, necromancy, plots, conspiracies etc. "#justgirlthings"
Haaahahahaha! This is high on my TBR list too.
Dani wrote: "The Mysterious Howling not for any challenge, I just thought the cover was super cute. This is the first in a kid’s series called the incorrigible children, about three kids raised by wolves now in the care of kind, clever governess on a eccentrically rich estate. Antics, naturally, ensue."Not that you were looking for it, but I highly recommend the whole series! A really fun, whimsical storyline with mystery and a lot of heart. And, if you're in to audiobooks, I highly recommend them for this series, as well! They're narrated by Katherine Kellgren who does a really incredible job (she just IS Miss Penelope Lumley). Sadly, she passed away in 2018, so she didn't narrate the final book, but the others are really lovely.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Drawing of the Three (other topics)The Gunslinger (other topics)
The Waste Lands (other topics)
Rich People Problems (other topics)
The Shadow of the Wind (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Marie-Sabine Roger (other topics)Susan Orlean (other topics)
Mary Roach (other topics)
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February is Black History Month in the US. I love lining up special reading for cultural appreciation months, and BHM is always a bit extra for me because it’s the first one of the year. If you like to read for BHM too, we are talking about it here:
February 2020: Black History Month reading
Admin stuff
We have a lot!
1. A new month means a new group read. February’s group read will be The Nightingale, for the category “a book with the same title as an unrelated movie or TV show.” (Group reads are always optional!)
2. Nominations are completed for our second quarter group reads. It’s time to VOTE for your choice for April, May, and June group reads.
Polls are here:
April: a book by or about a journalist
May: a book by an author with flora or fauna in their name
June: a book by a transgender or non-binary author
(Or just use the “Polls” link from the margin in browser mode.)
I confess I screwed up and forgot to create the polls last night. Goodreads will only open the poll at midnight, and only on a future date. So I set them to open at midnight Jan 31 in Sydney, which is a few hours from now. The polls will close Feb 4 (at midnight in Sydney).
This week I finished 3 books, 2 for this Challenge, and I am now 10/50.
Come Closer and Listen: New Poems by Charles Simic - not for the Challenge. I’m trying to read some former US Poet Laureates. These were just okay.
Follow Her Home by Steph Cha - a modern murder mystery set in LA, written as an homage to classic Chandler noir. This book felt like it wasn’t sure what tone to use, it teetered between cozy madcap and dark. It ended on a very dark note. I was intrigued enough that I’ll be reading book #2 in the series. This was my “three-word title.”
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim - this was so good I couldn’t believe it didn’t win any awards in 2019! Sadly, it did not. I shoehorned it into “passes Bechdel test.” This quasi murder mystery has a courtroom drama at its core, with a large cast of mostly unlikeable characters, and a lot to say about a lot of topics including: racism, immigration, “alternative” medicine, marriage, parenthood, and raising children with disabilities. Many of these issues are from the author’s own life, but a lot of reviews took offense and found her portrayal to not be realistic. This would make a great book club book because there is A LOT to talk about!
Question of the Week
From Sheri) Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list? What does that mean to you? How strict are you in sticking to it?
I keep a very long TBR on GR of every book I’ve ever stumbled across that I might want to read. I edit this list constantly, deleting books I’m no longer interested in (all those book I thought I “should” read but finally have to admit that I’m just not going to). I also have a wishlist on Overdrive that is theoretically a subset of my TBR, but I know there are a few books on it that I never added to my TBR. AND I have multiple mini-TBRs on my library account, mostly made of books I checked out but had to return unread, but also books they have that I might want - like every bread machine cookbook in their catalog. So I’m a mess.
But when I say "TBR" what I really mean is my GR TBR.
Phew! This post was bit of a last minute mad scramble because I forgot today is Thursday!! I think I've got everything edited correctly ...