Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Hello all! It’s the last week in April already. I don’t know about you, but this quarantine period feels equally like it’s endless and also flying by. I feel like March was just a week or two ago instead of a full month. On the other hand, it seems like so very long ago that life was normal. I am still at home. Currently my state is under stay-at-home orders until June 10, but that could always change (in either direction). Let us know how you are doing!

**Admin note:
May’s group discussion of The Tattooist of Auschwitz will be starting tomorrow. Discussion leader is Lynn.

On to the reading check-in.

Finished:

I only finished one book this week.

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey. The concept here was great, but the execution was just ok. I think the author leaned too far into her rom com movie connection. There’s a second book coming out later this summer, but I don’t expect I’ll pick it up.

Currently Reading:

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus – The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars? Yes, please.

The Housekeeper and the Professor – planning to use this for my book set in Japan

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas. I put this aside for a little while to focus on some other things, but I plan to pick it up again this weekend. High fantasy is not my usual genre, but I love Sarah J. Maas so it should be good!

Still at 34/50

Question of the week:
(from Lauren) Have you ever thrown a book across the room? Or really really wanted to? Which book?

I have never done this, but it’s something I hear other bookish friends mention on occasion. So I’m curious to see what others will say. Have you ever had such a visceral reaction to a book?

This week I went back to work after being out for two weeks to help care for my mom. It's still pretty slow at the office, but I'm getting through it.

I only finished one book this week, which is not surprising given that I had a lot going on, plus driving back home from North Carolina. I finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I read for the week's ATY prompt, but I'm not using for popsugar. I had first read this back in 2011 and was pretty meh about it. But then I read the other 2 books in the trilogy and loved them, so I had wanted to go back and re-read this one. This time around, I loved it.

QOTW: The only book I can remember actually physically throwing is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I worked nights at that time, and I had gone and picked it up at midnight at one of those late night Harry Potter release parties at the bookstore. I had the night off and I just went home and read the whole thing immediately. And then someone died! (I don't want to spoil it too much, even though it's so old and everyone should know, but still...) I was so mad, I threw the book across the room.

I finished Wildwood as my book with a great first line: Crouched in concealment in the laurel slick, the quarry heard the hounds approaching, and feared them more than he feared the men with guns.

I read Owls Aren't Wise & Bats Aren't Blind: A Naturalist Debunks Our Favorite Fallacies About Wildlife as my book with more than 20 letters in the tile.

And I've started Life Among the Apachesas my book written by a journalist. I just started it but I think it's going to be a slog. It's the only book I own that fits the category, though.

QOTW: I once threw a book across the driveway. I don't remember the name of it, but it was the last book in a very long series and it left so much up in the air. It was a great series up to that point, but I was disappointed in the lack of closure.

Hello all,

I think it's my forst check-in for this year. I had a rough start at reading in January and then with the pandemy, I wasn't able to read a lot too. I guess it was how the stress got to me. We are still in quarantaine here but they are talking about sending back the kids to school on May 19th. I don't know if I'll send my kids though.

On books topic. I haven't read a lot since the new challenge, but as I looked back, I rated my 12 books almost only 4 or 5 stars.

I am now reading Skyward and it will also be a 4 or 5 stars book for me. It could fit in A book that passes the Bechdel test or with and AI.

Last week I read Shadow Divers for a book about a subject I don't know and it was really good. Written like a fiction.

QOTW: Never thrown a book or never really wanted too.

I finished Doomsday Book by Connie Willis for my book with a 4-star or higher rating. It was phenomenal. I haven’t been that absorbed in a book in a long time!

Starting A Darker Shade of Magic—I’ve wanted to read this series for years and I’m finally getting to it.

QOTW: I’ve never thrown a book that I remember, but I was so angry (heartbroken) at a certain death in HP and the Deathly Hallows that I slammed it shut and didn’t return to it for months.

Happy Thursday! I live in Massachusetts, and we just extended our stay at home until May 18th. I go to work still though so business as usual for me. I'm seriously glad April is over. I feel like this month has lasted forever, however I did finish 11 books this month and plan to finish one more today to make my total for the month 12.

Finished:
Behind Closed Doors - I read this for my local book club. It was really good, but kind of sick and twisted. It's hard to say anything without giving anything away, but I definitely recommend it. 4 stars

Valentine - I used this for prompt #13 - a book with the same title as a movie or TV show, but is unrelated to it. I read this for my Book of the Month book club. From the synopsis, I thought it was going to be about the rape of a girl and how the town handled it, but it focused more on different women and their stories some of which had nothing to do with the rape. The writing was good, but it was more character than plot driven so it just wasn't for me. 3 stars

The Apartment - I had an ARC of this one. I thought it was done very well and honestly did not figure out what was going on at all which I love in a mystery. I have heard it is similar to another book set in a creepy apartment, but I haven't read that one yet so I couldn't compare the two. 4 stars

Challenge Progress:
Regular Challenge - 20/40
Advanced Challenge - 6/10
Total - 26/50

Currently Reading:
Dead to Her - I am hoping to finish this one today to get one more book in for April. Then I'll start fresh for May!

QOTW - Have you ever thrown a book across the room? Or really really wanted to? Which book?

I know I have gotten really frustrated with books (a few of the Harry Potter books spring to mind), but I can't recall ever throwing one. I have put a book in the freezer before to get it away from me though! LOL!

Hi everyone. It's been a pretty awful week here for my family so not much reading done I'm afraid. We found out that my baby niece who as due to be born in July no longer had a heartbeat. It's come as a huge shock to us all as there'd been zero indication of anything being amiss up until now.

In the circumstances, we had to break a few lockdown rules and have my nephew come and stay with us for a few days. Hats off to all you teachers out there. Three days of attempting to teach one 6-year-old has left me worn out! I really could not cope with thirty of the little monkeys.

Before all this happened, I finished All Systems Red. Jumping on to the discussion a few weeks back, I definitely read Murderbot as a female voice in my head, but maybe that's because it was in first person and I'm female?

QOTW: I've never thrown a book *hugs them closely to my chest* and I doubt I ever will. I remember a friend told me she threw New Moon across the room (view spoiler)[when Edward left (hide spoiler)] which I thought was pretty weird at the time but apparently she's not the only one!

Hello from Columbus! I realized that I’m practically done with the challenge! Two books I am saving for October and the other is on hold seemingly indefinitely. Otherwise, I’m done for now and focusing on book riot!
Also, I found out a local bakery is selling pantry supplies so I’m picking up some flour, butter, and yeast (plus a few baked goods as a treat) later. They have a little window they’re doing walk-up preorder pick ups. Super cute and innovative. I’m glad I found yeast! As happy as I am to see people get into baking, it’s been very frustrating that flour and yeast have become the new toilet paper lol. Anywaaaay

Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration not for the challenge, I’m just missing the church and the community, live stream masses just don’t hit the same. So, theological books seem in order. The title is self explanatory, it’s a look at the life of Jesus in a biblical context and in a historical, geographical context.

Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives basically the same thing as above lol

The Hawkline Monster for the western prompt. This is described as a gothic western and as someone who LOVES the gothic genre this seemed like a perfect fit. And well, it certainly had all the major gothic themes. Two hit men are hired to kill a monster living underneath an old manor. It’s funny but it’s also very odd, in a mostly good way. Written in a very brief and to the point kind of way. Thankfully this one was short because I think this plot would have suffered from being dragged out.

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows Flavia de Luce #4. Not for the challenge, just re-reading the series.

The Interrupted Tale a cute book (#4 or 5 I think) in a series I started for a much younger audience because I thought the cover art was absolutely to die for. Cute, quick read. Mildly interested to unravel whatever mystery the books have been leading up to.

Unnatural Creatures for an anthology. I really wanted to find a collection of stories by different authors because doing a series of short stories by the same author felt too much like cheating so I was PLEASED as HECK to find this book of short stories about, well, unnatural creatures put together by my fave Neil Gaiman. Loved this, but I wish I had waited until October since this had a good amount of creep factor to it. I like to make my October books all in the general spooky/horror theme. If you’re a Gaiman fan I’d highly recommend this.

The Colour of Magic for a book that’s in a series of 20 or more prompt. Discworld has like 40 books? Something like that. This was the first, it’s a comedic fantasy and was entertaining as hell. I’d best describe it as the fantasy version of hitchhikers guide. I would most definitely like to read more in this series, I wonder if I’ll actually make it through the whole 40+ collection lol

I’m at 67 books read this year. 39/40; 8/10 for popsugar. 2/24 for book riot. 0/12 for back to the classics.

Qotw: wanted to, yes. But at most they’ll get an aggressive drop lol

This week I've been able to read a bit more. Right now I'm really looking forward to the summer, hopefully I'll have more time for reading then.

Goodreads reading challenge: 28/55
Popsugar reading challenge: 24/50

Finished
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson. ⭐⭐⭐ I've been reading some of his short stories recently. I like his books better, but I still like these stories as well. This book felt more like a short book than a short story. I liked the main charachters and the twist at the end.

Quiet Time by Johann S. Lee ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was a bug surprise for me. I'm buddyreading lots of book with a friend and we try to read around the world. This book takes place in Singapore and I would decribe it as a book about relationships. The main charchters are a gay couple and their relationship is sort of on the rocks, they also have an open relationship which is part of the problem. The main charachters also have a gay little brother and a really religous pregnant sister who is very much against the homosexual community and their right to live and love whoever they want. I really liked this book! It was easy to read and the relationships really intrigued me. Trigger warning: Dubious consent.

Currently reading
The Two Towers
The Night Circus

QOTW
That has never happend to me! I have never really wanted to, though sometimes I feel like screaming at the charachters sometimes when they make stupid decisions.

Hi all, I'm in my second week of furlough and doing ok, trying to stay busy!

Finished reading:
Good Girl, Bad Blood (a book by an author with flora or fauna in their name): Really enjoyed this sequel, loved the twists and how the story continues.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe (no category): Decided to re-read this spontaneously and I loved it just as much as the first time, especially the space setting.

Currently reading:
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics (a book on a subject you know nothing about): I'll start reading this tomorrow, it's a book my boyfriend bought and enjoyed reading so thought I'd give it a go!

QOTW:
I don't think I've ever thrown a book, but books I've put down angrily include the Harry Potter series (books 5 to 7), The Cosy Christmas Tea Shop and Who Runs the World?
When a book annoys me, I end up trying to read it quicker so I can just finish it - there's only been a few occasions where I've given up on a book completely!

The lovely warm spring weather has ended and now we have rain and dark grey skies. Definitely seen a reduction of people out and about when we walk the dog, that daily exercise doesn't seem too appealing now. The weather is affecting my mood so much, feel a lot more cooped up this week than I have previously.

Thanks to Dewey's readathon I finished more than usual this week:

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson for flora/fauna in name. Honestly loved this so much, the main character reminded me a little of Geek Girl, but a bit more grown up and solving crime. And the second book comes out today so I'm tempted to buy the ebook.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire for ATY (Goodreads Choice Awards) which was also fantastic, a unique concept but delivered in a very Seanan way.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary for ATY (author I've read once before) and it was fine, but not anywhere near as good as The Flatshare.

One Italian Summer by Keris Stainton for pink cover. This had more depth than I was expecting, good YA summer romance.

Barking by Lucy Sullivan for pun in the title. This is a graphic novel dealing with mental health, and from an artistic point of view very well done, although if you're looking for a story, it's more about feeling.

Currently reading This Fallen Prey and listening to The Body: A Guide for Occupants.

PS: 21/50 | AT: 20/52 | BR: 6/24 | GR: 48/100

QOTW:
Nope, not unless you count throwing them down the stairs because I tried to move too big a pile at once...

And so it goes... Everything's still closed in New Mexico, and I'm spending my time walking, reading, and cooking. That's about it. I'm thinking about taking an online Calculus class just to get my brain working in a different way.

Challenge Progress: 41/50

Completed:
Followers: There's a lot to love here. Angelo's vision of social media (and the pursuit of fame) in the very near future is sharp and compelling, and her characters are vivid, complicated women. I was just disappointed at the ending. It felt rushed and (especially for one character) unsatisfying. (A book about or involving social media) ★★★

The Night Circus: Romantic and mysterious. I think Morgenstern writes beautifully (although I didn't particularly enjoy the interstitial scenes and really didn't need the one at the end). Unpopular opinion: I liked The Starless Sea more. Still a thoroughly enjoyable book. (A book with at least a 4-star rating on Goodreads) ★★★★

Fahrenheit 451: Surprisingly hopeful. A classic dystopian novel; it certainly belongs on the same shelf as 1984 and Brave New World. (A book with a great first line - "It was a pleasure to burn.") ★★★★

The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States: This was tough. Johnson's descriptions of how imperialism, racism, and capitalism are intertwined to form the backbone of today's enduring systemic racism make this an eye-opening, informative, and heart-breaking read. (A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics - St. Louis, 1904) ★★★★

A Single Thread: Just a little dull. I wasn't really expecting a novel about "surplus women" and embroidery to be super exciting, but... eh. I wish the novel had centered on the real-life Louisa Pesel rather than the fictional (and boring) Violet Speedwell. ★★★

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power: I first read about North Korea's kidnapping program(s) in a piece of fiction (Star of the North) and thought the whole concept was wildly improbable, but I was so, so wrong. Well-documented and absolutely riveting. ★★★★

Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In: Five stars for the ideas... but I listened to the audiobook, and it felt like two books jammed together, part narrated by Sanders and part narrated by Mark Ruffalo. The switch between narrators was jarring. ★★★

Year One: Really enjoyable urban fantasy - somewhat reminiscent of The Stand. I'm looking forward to continuing the series. (A book with the same title as an unrelated movie or TV show - "Year One" starring Jack Black and Michael Cera, 2009) ★★★★

DNF:
Girl, Woman, Other: I like sentences. The stream-of-thought, no punctuation prose drove me absolutely batty. I may see if I can get the audiobook version.

Currently Reading:
Ninth House (A book you meant to read in 2019)
Middlesex (A bildungsroman)
Gwendy's Magic Feather
Yale Needs Women (The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed)
One Fine Duke
Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History
Strike Me Down
If It Bleeds (A book by an author who has written more than 20 books - Stephen King)

QOTW: Oh, my favorite Dorothy Parker quote! "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." There have certainly been books I've abandoned with disgust, but I don't think I've actually thrown any of them.

Sarah wrote: "Hi everyone. It's been a pretty awful week here for my family so not much reading done I'm afraid. We found out that my baby niece who as due to be born in July no longer had a heartbeat. It's come..."

I'm sorry for you and your family Sarah. I hope time will heal that wound.

Hello, fellow bibliophages! I just introduced myself yesterday on last week's thread. I finished my Goodreads Challenge so I sought out something to do now and I love the idea of Popsugar's! I am not counting any books I've read so far toward this challenge. I'm starting with books I'm reading this upcoming week and beyond. Our lockdown is extended until May 1st, but I am in the "essential" camp so not much in my life has changed.

Goodreads 52/52
Popsugar 0/50

Finished

Big Little Lies by Laine Moriarty
I wish I had known about the popsugar challenege, so I could have used this one for the Bechdel test. Honestly it was very slow to start for me and I didn't have the drive to do nothing but read when I had it opened. I don't like any of the characters and I have a hard time reading unlikable characters.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Honestly, I think the "twist" at the end of this book was cheap and for shock value as opposed to adding something to the narrative like good twists should. It was really really good until the last four pages or so. Definitely don't pick this one up if you have any experience with mental illness.

Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks
Super cheesy, sweet, scottish romance with a deaf heroine and a really sweet male love interest. A welcome change from the typical overbearing (not in a sexy way) lairds that are usually in these novels.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas
I FINALLY got around to reading this one, as recommended by everyone I've ever met since 2015. I really liked it even though the main character, Feyre, tapped danced on my nerves constantly throughout the book.

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes (You, #2)
So I'm sorry if you're a book purist but I listened to this on Audible and I loved the narrator, Santino Fontana. That was honestly the only good thing about this book after 100 pages. I just hated everything about it from the style to the story.

Currently Reading

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)
This will be serving as my book with a map for this challenge. The beginning of each ACOTAR book shows a map of the world, including the mortal realm and Prythian.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
So far this has been my favorite "self help" book I've read, but I'm not too far in yet and normally they have me until half way through or so. This is going to serve as my a book you picked up because the title caught your attention .

QOTW

I would never throw a book. My mom would actually kill me. Her spidey senses would tingle and she could come to my house to beat me (a grown woman) up for mistreating any kind of literature.

With that being said, have you read Fallen by Lauren Kate? Because the protagonist and awful writing in that book made me want to throw things. There was so much potential with this plot line but she (Lauren Kate) ruined it. I wish that idea had been in the hands of a better author. I'd like to go back and read some of her newer work to see if she improved at all.

Samantha wrote: "Happy Thursday! I live in Massachusetts, and we just extended our stay at home until May 18th. I go to work still though so business as usual for me. I'm seriously glad April is over. I feel like t..."

Valentine was my BOTM pick too, didn’t know I could use it for prompt #13! Thanks!

Sarah wrote: "Hi everyone. It's been a pretty awful week here for my family so not much reading done I'm afraid. We found out that my baby niece who as due to be born in July no longer had a heartbeat. It's come..."
My sympathies Sarah. What a sad time for your family.

Happy Thursday! It's been a bit of a depressing week for me too, between all the rain we've been getting and my aunt & uncle having their doggie put down earlier this week - she just turned 17 and I still remember going with their family to pick out a puppy <3

Sending love to Sarah and her family.

I finished two books on the 24th and am currently reading five (jeesh, when did that happen??)

Finished:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. 3 stars, soooo much angst. Planning a reread eventually. Author in their 20s

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn. 5 stars. Victorian London murder mystery with just enough fluff to keep things light and keep me turning pages. A new favorite - I was up past midnight finishing this, and I've ordered the next two in the series. Book on the cover

Currently reading:
Pride and Prejudice - a reread, since I haven't touched Austen since 2005.
Harmony Black - buddy read with another GR group, and my first book by Craig Schaefer. Upside down image on the cover
Sandman Slim - buddy read with the same GR group as Harmony Black. I'm feeling a slight UF/mystery overload
but I'm told this has considerable humor.
Bright We Burn - finishing Kiersten White's Conqueror's Saga after loving the first two books. Genderbent retelling of Vlad the Impaler and Mehmed the Conqueror.
The Big Over Easy - Jasper Fforde absurdity that I picked up weeks ago and has taken a backseat to everything else for the moment.

31/50

QOTW (from Lauren) Have you ever thrown a book across the room? Or really really wanted to? Which book?

I have, several. I'm sure my husband could list more (I don't always remember the titles) but two off the top of my head are Moloka'i and Tempted, the 6th House of Night book (which ended up being the final book I read in that series).

Thought I was through with allergies, coughing and nose running, again. I haven't been anywhere or done anything so I'm not terribly worried but I am so done with the is it allergies or Covid game. So done.

Complete:

Ballet Shoes] I put a whole bunch of books with pink covers in my library wait list a few months ago. This one finally came up. Kathleen Kelly gave this such a glowing reccomendation in You've Got Mail... and I genuinely enjoy books for young readers, I think the stories you read as children become part of you and I always want to meet the books that have become part of people. But this one was seriously meh for me. And now whenever I watch You've got Mail I'l say question Kathleen Kelly's taste. And maybe Nora Ephron's. Yikes. :). (Wrote way more than 20 books)

Bunny by Mona Awad Massive fever dream of a book. Did not love. But what amuses me most about this book is the 1-2 star reviews are almost exactly the same as the 4-5 star reviews. The question is how much do you want to read a massive fever dream of a book?

A Better Man by Louise Penny A Gamache novel is a Gamache novel, is a Gamache novel. I enjoyed it. It wasn't ground breaking. It was a Gamache novel and was set in a country that starts with a "c".

Currently Reading:

Dreadnought by April Daniels
The Secret Book & Scone Society

QOTW:

Speaking as books we read as a child becoming a part of this. My first and most visceral hatred of a book was The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, I was so traumatized. So, so, so traumatized. I'm still mad at it. A friend of mine told me recently that it was her favorite ever book and how beautiful she thinks it is as a depiction of paretnal love and sacrifice and I just can't get out of my head that she is looking forward to when her son uses her husk as a nice seat for him without any reflection or care.

The only ever book I dislike so much I have to stop complaining about it whenever it comes up is The Color Purple which is absolutely lovely until the last couple of pages where it veers off into the most ridiculous bit of wish fulfillment fan-fiction and it makes me way, way, way more angry than it should.

Is it Thursday? Losing track here....
Since my last check in I finished:
The Fifth Risk- Book about a world leader. This is about how Trump is managing (or not managing more accurately) the federal government. Written before current events, this is a terrifying book about what could (and did) happen when no one is paying attention to the actual work of the government. Great book.
My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress- Book with pink cover. A book length version of a Vanity Fair article about a woman scammed by a friend of hers. Better as an article, didn’t seem to be enough to be a full book.
Three Women- Book with only letters on cover. Not as good or bad as I had heard. A look at three women’s sexual experiences. I didn’t love it, but it was a compelling read.
QOTW: I don’t really throw things, but I have been irritated by many a book! I just finished The Chestnut Man and boy was I disgusted with it. I liked the first half, it was in the vibe of Stieg Larsson and creepy. Then it went off the rails with gore and ridiculous plot holes. I would throw it away to get it off my shelves, but my friend wants it. Good luck to her, she was warned.

Like many of you, my sense of the passage of time is all messed up - our trees still don't have leaves, and it feels like it's been a lifetime since winter, so I feel like they should have leaves by now!

I thought I’d put a lot of time into reading this week, but I see I’ve only finished two books!

Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger - I was in the mood for a fun audiobook, and this happened to be available on Overdrive. I always enjoy Carriger, and this was fun, but nothing much happens until the very end; this entire book felt like just set-up for the next book ending the series. She wrote this series after her first, but it’s set as a prequel, so it feels like she’s just positioning all the characters to finally fall into place and become the people they are in the Soulless series.

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin - this was really disappointing (especially since I LOVED the short story that spawned this novel); I guess Jemisin was writing a campy parody of Lovecraft, turning it all on its head? But it felt like just a boring hot mess. So much of the dialogue is clunky, and the magic system is boring, without any limits (other than city limits). And then the ending was just ... ugh. It completely changed all the previous requirements just so they could do what they needed to do. (view spoiler)[And NJ is NOT part of NYC. That really ticked me off. If Jemisin wanted to say FU to Staten Island (and ... why is she so angry with SI?? It’s weird) and create a new fifth borough, she should’ve chosen Yonkers. Yonkers might as well be part of NYC. Leave Jersey City alone. (hide spoiler)] I am a fan of neither Lovecraft nor parody, so ymmv. I’m not sure if I’ll bother with whatever the rest of this series is.


QOTW

No I've never done this! I've always wondered if people REALLY throw their book, or if it's just a saying.

I've hate-read books, but that's just a hatefest, and I'm not emotionally invested in the plot or characters. And I've been deeply disappointed in how some books end (Allegiant, you are dead to me) but I've never felt the impulse to throw a book.

Hey all. Day 48 of quarantine over here. Our stay-at-home order got extended to the end of May, but then a judge overturned it because he wanted to go fishing, so who knows how that's going to turn out.

Finished reading (15/50):

Paladin's Grace (book on the cover, 2020 release, fauna in author's name (Kingfisher)) - definitely the best book I've read where the love interest is a paladin who knits socks

The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir - Short story. Not a lot of plot, but there are giant dimension-hopping hermit crabs, so that's cool.

Currently reading:

Artificial Condition (cyborg character) - "So they made us smarter. The anxiety and depression were side effects."


QotW: Can't think of any! I've gotten pretty mad at video games, but I don't tend to get mad at books. Or at least not mad enough to throw stuff.

Last weekend was Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon. I read for 18 hours and 1,170 pages. I finished 2 books and read a little over half of 2 other books. I enjoyed all of the books I read/started. It’s always a delight to have no DNFs on readathon day.

Finished
Casualties of War by Elizabeth Christensen (a book with a three word title). This is a Stargate Atlantis tie-in novel and definitely one of the best I’ve read. Elizabeth Christensen is a really good writer. I’ve now read all of her books and rated them all very high.

Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie (an anthology). This is a collection of 4 Poirot short stories. I liked the first three stories. I appreciated the twists and turns, minus the drawn out time to let “little gray cells” work.

Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh (a book written by an author in their twenties). I loved this book. Slow burn, character-driven, philosophical science fiction is my jam.

Reading
The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon (a book by or about a woman in STEM). 200 pages leading up to a wedding that doesn’t happen and 150 pages mustering for a battle that doesn’t happen. Now I'm reading take two on the wedding that didn't happen in the beginning. I’m really struggling, but I refuse to give up on this series.

Say You Still Love Me by KA Tucker (a book with a character in their twenties)

QOTW
Yes, I have. In the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice when (view spoiler)[Louis killed himself by standing in the sunlight (hide spoiler)] I screamed and threw the book across the room. I'm glad I picked it up back and kept reading because that troubling plot development was undone.

Dani wrote: "... As happy as I am to see people get into baking, it’s been very frustrating that flour and yeast have become the new toilet paper lol..."


Yes I'm worried about my yeast! I bought a packet a few weeks ago as a "just in case" and that was the last time I saw any yeast so I'm glad I did. I used that up, and I've opened my last jar and what will I do if they don't get yeast back on the shelves???

I guess that will mean it's time to try my hand at sourdough again ... the last two times I tried, it ... died. I think my winter home is too cold for sourdough? but directions say to put it in the fridge once it gets going so how can my kitchen be too cool?

Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "... I have, several. I'm sure my husband could list more (I don't always remember the titles) but two off the top of my head are Moloka'i and Tempted ..."


I always want to read Moloka'i because the cover is so beautiful, but I never pick it up. What made you angry?

I hope all the people hoarding the bread flour and yeast are actually making and eating their breads. I think sourdough starters like to be warm Nadine, you only put them in the fridge to slow them down if you don't use them every day. But I would be surprised if they completely died from being cold. Sometimes they start producing alcohol and kill themselves that way. Was there a liquid layer in it? You need to make sure they get plenty of oxygen to avoid this.

I missed last week's check-in, which makes me sad because it's the first time I've missed in months! I also really liked last week's QOTW. Alas.

Finished:
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: a favorite prompt from a previous year (I chose the mythology/folklore one from 2019). I really loved this and can't wait to read the other two!

Currently Reading:
Banker by Dick Francis

QOTW: The only book I have a clear memory of throwing was Pride and Prejudice when I read it in junior high. That was before I knew anything at all about it, so I got to enjoy it without actually knowing Elizabeth and Darcy were the couple. I can't remember if I threw the book after the botched proposal or after Wickham was revealed to be a tool (I remember really liking him and thinking he was going to be the love interest). My mom had to convince me to finish it. I'm glad she did because I became a pretty big Austen junkie!

There are two books I WOULD have thrown, had I not been listening to them. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the same reason someone else said (it actually put me off the rest of the series). And when I was a kid, my mom read us The Fellowship of the Ring on a car trip. I fell asleep for a bit and missed the whole (view spoiler)[Boromir trying to take the ring (hide spoiler)] thing. I woke up right when (view spoiler)[Boromir dies (hide spoiler)] and I was too young (elementary school) to really understand the whole redemption thing. I cried hysterically and know that, had I been holding anything, I would have thrown it! As it was, when we got home, I locked myself in the bathroom and my mom had to talk me down and convince me that it had happened for a reason.

Happy Thursday Everyone! :) Happy to report that I had another fairly productive reading week last week and managed to read another 4 books!

Current Progress

PS: 31/50 | HP: 42/56 | ATY: 40/52 | GR: 44/100

Read This Week

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Objectively, was this great? Nope. Did I enjoy it anyway? Heck Yes! I enjoyed the stream of consciousness and inner monologue included in the writing style but found all of the use of hyperbole a little less enjoyable. I have a lot of questions and I'm hoping they get answered in the rest of the series!
Used For: PS - 32. A Book by a WOC
HP - 3. A Book from a series of 6 or more books OR #6 on TBR (This series has 6 novels + 4 novellas)
ATY - 39. A Book by an author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce (I was able to find an interview of hers online this week where she introduces herself, so I know how to pronounce it now, but I wasn't quite sure beforehand.)

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 Stars) I really loved that this was an own voices story of a trans girl and I love that it touches on some important things that would be true to some people's experiences and lets the reader in on some emotional moments but I was a little disappointed that the author fictionalized so many important aspects of the story and overall as I was reading I thought this was a little predictable and a little unrealistic and could have had some better plot points. It was a bit of a disappointing read for me because I wanted to enjoy this a lot more than I did.
Used for: PS - 2. A Book by a Trans or Nonbinary author
HP - Not Used
ATY - Not Used

Destroy Me (Shatter Me #1.5) by Tahereh Mafi ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This novella basically solidified how I felt about Warner rather than helping me change my mind about him and I'm sensing that this one has an aim of changing the reader's mind so I'm not quite sure how to feel about that. I wish that more aspects of certain things/events were addressed. I did enjoy that it had some new content and that I got to see more of Warner's thought process and bits of his relationship with his dad.
Used for: Not Used for ANY of my challenges, but books 2 and 3 will be so I definitely wanted to move forward with the series

Year One (Chronicles of the One #1) by Nora Roberts ⭐️⭐️ There's nothing inherently wrong with this book that made me lower my rating it just doesn't suit my tastes AT ALL. I usually dislike post-apocalyptic type stories because imo if you've read one or heck even seen the movie of one, then you basically know the plot of them all but I gave this one a chance because it's touted as a fantasy and because the synopsis promised several magical elements or twists and an exciting ending but this book really fell flat on all counts and did not deliver on any of those things nearly enough for me! I have no idea why this is tagged primarily as a fantasy because it's really just a super typical post apocalyptic story with a few paranormal and magical realism/soft magic elements on the side. I really wanted this to feel like a fantasy but it really doesn't. The magical and paranormal elements that were included here were very minimal and seemed to exist only to lazily resolve minor, tricky plot points as a get out of jail free card or to add little bits on filler on the side instead of being focal or totally twisting the direction of the plot or expectations of a typical end of the world story like I had hoped. Also, I felt that the characterization left a lot to be desired and imo the ending was super unrealistic and it had me rolling my eyes hard! I was super disappointed and meh about the whole book and basically only got through this with the audio on 3x speed just to see if there was anything that was going to redeem it for me. Knowing that this is a trilogy and knowing where the first book left off, I think the second installment will have a lot more promise and include more things that would be to my tastes but after this one I'm just NOT interested in picking it up. /rant over..lol! xD
Used for: PS - 13. A Book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it
HP - 16. Read a book related to the cold (setting starts off during wintertime)
ATY - 44. A Book related to witches (one of the protagonists, Lana, is a witch)

Currently Reading

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

QotW

Yes but only with one book! It was One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid. If you don't know, this book follows a woman who thought she was widowed, years later has fallen in love again and gotten engaged but then her husband pops up again alive after all with an explanation. We start the book off with that situation, the MC explains her relationships/pasts with both guys and then we get the story of how everything plays out from there. This book irked me from the first chunk because I felt very primed for her to make a certain choice and always knew who she would pick all along. At the end, I was also disappointed because the MC's reasons for her major decisions are very surface level and shallow when the groundwork was there for them to be really deep. There was one moment, where I legitimately chucked this book across the room onto my bed and that was... (view spoiler)[ when she and her husband are at a cabin spending some time together to reacquaint and they want to have sex. Her reasoning is soooo irritating..she acknowledges to herself that if she takes this step with him that things with her fiance, who she really loves, might be irreparable in the future and then she proceeds to think oh well, I don't really care, I was always going to have sex with my husband either way, it can't be avoided so I'm going to just go ahead and do it. NOT ONLY, does she do it/act nonchalant but she also does it again after she realizes that she doesn't want to be with him (because he doesn't know that she stopped drinking diet coke, eating cheese and now likes cats by the way..but that's a whole other eye rolly discussion) AND THEN she never has to admit to it or resolve that with her fiance. I was mad..so, so mad at her for acting like such an idiot and then not having to deal with the consequences of that. (hide spoiler)] /end rant. *hmph* Let's just say I DO NOT recommend this book! The premise was interesting, I wanted an emotional journey where she had a serious problem making a choice, where her reasons were deep and emotional but instead I was so mad at the MC that I legit wanted her to end up single by the end of it!!

The working from home thing is starting to become a bit of a struggle for me - I'm lucky, because my husband works at the same place as me, and he's also working from home, so at least I have someone 'on the ground' to still discuss things with. But I'm starting to miss my office-mate, and the ability to just get up and pop down the corridor to ask a colleague something, instead of having to explain everything laboriously by email and then wait for a response.

Finished:

Whiskey When We're Dry for A Western. Objectively, I could tell this was a very good, well-written book. But it turns out that Westerns just aren't my genre, so I found the whole thing a wee bit of a slog.

Wrath of the Furies for A book with a main character in their 20s. I've read a bunch of Saylor's other Gordianus books, so this was just a nice easy read that I finished pretty quickly.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea for A book with "20" or "twenty" in the title. I rather liked the episodic nature of this one, but I could also have done with a bit more of an actual 'plot' and I did feel that there were some threads that were left dangling.

Started:

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories for A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character. I really struggled to find something that appealed to me to read for this prompt, but so far, I'm rather enjoying this one!

QOTW:

I have thrown a book across the room once - it was Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly. Thinking back though, I really have no idea why I was invested enough in it to do that! In fact, I've just put it (along with a couple of other Reillys) on a pile to go to the charity shop when their open again, having not touched it in years! So in conclusion, I don't think it was worht the emotion that led to the throwing!

Ellie wrote: "Was there a liquid layer in it? You need to make sure they get plenty of oxygen to avoid this...."


yes I think there was! is that it? how do I avoid that?

Hi All from my 6th week of self sheltering. It will be 7 weeks Monday. In my state elective surgeries, vets & dentist can open 5/1/20.
I finished 2 books for the week. Neither for Pop Sugar. The First Mrs. Rothschild by Sara Aharoni,Yardenne Greenspan (Translator). Your Perfect Year by Charlotte Lucas,Alison Layland (Translator). I got both free from Amazon For World Book Day last week. I liked them both. Gave them both 3 stars. I definitely wanted to shake or have a serious talk with the protagonist in Your Perfect Year. She was over the top. I’m currently reading All Those Mornings...At the Post: The 20 Th Century in Sports from Famed Washington Post Columnist Shirley Povich by Shirley Povich. This is for Pop Sugar.
QOTW: Most recently I wanted to throw Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips across the room. I didn’t because I was reading on my iPad. I was so frustrated with the ending. When we discussed this at book club one other person felt liked I did. Another member basically said we were wrong & there was no ambiguity about the ending we could rest assure. That didn’t help. I do like to visual the image of throwing a book across the room but never had.

Morning folks. Online school is giving me way more senioritis than real school ever did.

Finished:
Lincoln’s Last Days by Bill O’Reilly and Dwight Jon Zimmerman (book with a map)

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (Bildungsroman) I forgot to list that I was starting this one last week. This book warmed my heart and made me feel better about going to college next year.

Goodreads: 7/15

Popsugar: 7/50

Currently Reading:
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. A reread for “book club” with my boyfriend. I read this in 7th grade, but I’ve forgotten so much. Doesn’t count for the challenge in my view, but it could be for book written in the 20th century.

I may keep rereading The Eye of Minds by James Dashner, but I have enough going on in my book life

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi. Not sure how it fits into the challenge but I did decide to count it if it does.



Qu

Sarah wrote: "Hi everyone. It's been a pretty awful week here for my family so not much reading done I'm afraid. We found out that my baby niece who as due to be born in July no longer had a heartbeat. It's come..."

I'm so sorry, Sarah. That's heartbreaking. I don't think you technically broke any rules by watching your nephew - it's *unnecessary* contact that's banned, and your help was very necessary in the situation!

Nadine wrote: "Ellie wrote: "Was there a liquid layer in it? You need to make sure they get plenty of oxygen to avoid this...."

yes I think there was! is that it? how do I avoid that?"

Yup that's the alcohol. I think the main reason is not feeding it often enough. When you open it up and mix in new flour, you're giving it air too. If you don't think you'll be using it often enough for daily feeds, try keeping it in the fridge as it should stop fermenting but not die in there.

Hi everyone! While I did do a tremendous amount of reading this week, mostly during the Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon, I did not complete any additional prompts for the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge.

The Readathon was a lot of fun though, and after taking quite a few naps to counteract the sleep deprivation, I am very slowly getting back into the habit of working on the Reading Challenge.

POPSUGAR: 35/50
Goodreads: 94/150

Finished:
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Wayside School Is Falling Down - If you'd like to read my thoughts about these two books, you can find them at https://theunapologeticbookworm.com/2....
Exit Strategy - If you'd like to read my thoughts about this book, you can find them at https://theunapologeticbookworm.com/2....
Capturing the Devil - If you'd like to read my thoughts about this book, and the rest of the series, you can find them at https://theunapologeticbookworm.com/2....
Saint Tail, Vol. 1
Saint Tail, Vol. 2
Saint Tail, Vol. 3
Saint Tail, Vol. 4
Saint Tail, Vol. 5
Saint Tail, Vol. 6
Saint Tail, Vol. 7 - If you'd like to read my thoughts about this manga series, you can find them at https://theunapologeticbookworm.com/2....
The Blue Sword
Adulthood Is a Myth
Big Mushy Happy Lump
Herding Cats

Currently Reading:
Come Tumbling Down

QOTW:
While I have not actually thrown a book across the room, I did have to restrain myself from throwing Allegiant because I was angry with the way in which the book ended. The only reason I stopped myself was because I was borrowing the book from a friend.

I totally hear you on the time conception thing. This quarantine is very bizarre! We're going to start re-opening some counties on May 8th and only in phases, but our county still has a lot of cases, so I doubt we'll be opening soon.

Finished 15/50

I did not finish anything. But I did make decent headway after being derailed by potty training my toddler!

Currently Reading

Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Finding the Way to Christ in a Complicated Religious Landscape for "book published the month I was born", LOVING this so far. I'm halfway through and my mind is blown by how much I'm learning about religious history in the USA. I can't imagine how much time/research the author put into this. And it's easy to understand too!

The Wilderness Journal: 365 Days with the Philokalia for "book who's title caught your attention". I go in and out of liking this book and only finding it "ok". We'll see how I feel at the end of the year.

QotW

I have too much respect for books to throw them BUT I was so angry at Wheel of Time (I think it was book 6 or 7) that I refused to pick it up for days on end. What happened to one of the characters shocked and upset me too much to go on until I calmed down. XD

Sarah wrote: "Hi everyone. It's been a pretty awful week here for my family so not much reading done I'm afraid. We found out that my baby niece who as due to be born in July no longer had a heartbeat. It's come..."

Oh Sarah, that's so devastating. I can't imagine what you're going through. Hugs and prayers to you and your family. <3

Sarah wrote: "Hi everyone. It's been a pretty awful week here for my family so not much reading done I'm afraid. We found out that my baby niece who as due to be born in July no longer had a heartbeat. It's come..."

I'm so, so sorry for that loss--I can't imagine how devastated you all must feel! My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

I finished three books this week (two of which I used for open prompts). I'm near the halfway point for this challenge, as I'm now at 16/40 and 8/10, and I'm at 49/100 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Finished:
* The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda and translated by Alison Watts, which I used for "a book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement (a nod to 20/20 vision)";
* Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai, which I used for "a book about or involving social media"; and,
* The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie, which was a Book Girl Club Free Friday pick.

Currently Reading:
* Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire;
* We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time by José Andrés and Richard Wolffe; and,
* The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan, which was another Book Club Girl Free Friday pick.

QotW:
(from Lauren) Have you ever thrown a book across the room? Or really really wanted to? Which book? No, I've never thrown a book across the room. Probably the closest I came to wanting to throw one across the room was after I read the last chapter of Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan. The last chapter ruined the book for me.

Sarah wrote: "Hi everyone. It's been a pretty awful week here for my family so not much reading done I'm afraid. We found out that my baby niece who as due to be born in July no longer had a heartbeat. It's come..."

Oh no... I'm so sorry :( Big Internet hugs from here.

This is the first week I have NOTHING on my finished list! Very disappointed but I can't seem to get interested in listening to a story or reading a book! I have two books I'm currently working on:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I am enjoying listening to the book but can't find the time to listen.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert enjoying reading this book, but really only read before I go to sleep and can't keep my eyes open!

Progress:
Popsugar - 34/50
ATY - 27/52
Goodreads - 48/100

QOTW: I can't say I've ever thrown a book after reading it. Usually when I have a strong reaction to a book I call someone and talk to them about the book.

We're doing OK with lockdown, but time is definitely pure Jeremy Bearimy by this point.

Finished:

A book about a book club - The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - Liked it but it didn't quite hit the sweet spot like I expected. Also, lots of disturbing content, told in a little too much of a real-life context than I would prefer to read. Approach with caution.

A book with an upside-down image on the cover - Verity - I enjoyed the brain-candy ride and Hoover is an able writer, but I'm pretty much over domestic thrillers with Big! Twists! - this makes no sense when you get to the end and made me feel pretty meh about the whole experience.

Currently Reading:

A Memory Called Empire - I binge-shopped Kindle sale books, because I'm having trouble starting something new (this is your brain on quarantine). But I'm getting into this pretty well. Really interesting concepts! Might use for a book recommended by a blog/club because I learned about it here.

Lady Susan - for the umpteenth time, because listening to a great narration of Jane's most schadenfreude, love-to-hate-the-protagonist, saucy tale is my comfort at bedtime.

QOTW:

I don't think I actually have. Usually because if I grow to dislike a book, it's not something sudden - more like, I just keep making this face more and more until I wind up putting it down permanently.



HOWEVER, the best candidate I can think of is Hannibal, which was a talented author basically taking a giant shit on a great established character, just to be edgy. It still makes me mad!

Hello everyone! Stay at home orders have been extended until the middle of May here and I am curious to see what will happen when we get there. I had a strong feeling that the orders were going to be extended so I wasn't that shocked but I'm curious to see what May will be like.

My reading hasn't been that good and I've been moving along slowly in the books i have been reading. That didn't stop me from ordering more books despite being in the middle of various books and having unread books sitting on my shelves.

The two books that I'm currently reading have nothing to do with any challenge.

I'm reading Goddesses in Everywoman: : Powerful Archetypes in Women's Lives because I love psychology/personality test type books and this one is a classic. The e-book was being highlighted by my library as read now/zero waitlist so I took the plunge. I'm enjoying it even if I am going at it slower than normal because of the subject matter.

The other book is Wives and Daughters, I've always wanted to pick up an Elizabeth Gaskell book since I read The Victorian and the Romantic: A Memoir, a Love Story, and a Friendship Across Time last year and it was my second favourite book of 2019. W&D is a chunky book but I'm enjoying it as much as I hoped I would which is great!

Question of the week:
(from Lauren) Have you ever thrown a book across the room? Or really really wanted to? Which book?

No, my go to reaction whenever a book affects me that much (for better or for worse) is to shut the book and bury my face in my hands wondering what the characters are doing and why they are the way they are.

Katy wrote: "And I've started Life Among the Apaches as my book written by a journalist. I just started it but I think it's going to be a slog. It's the only book I own that fits the category, though."

Just FYI, any book authored by the following would also qualify:
Susan Orlean
I found The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession to be fascinating and plan to read Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend and The Library Book this year as well.
Jeannette Walls
I loved The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses and plan to read The Silver Star this year.
Marisha Pessl
Ta-Nehisi Coates
I have yet to read a book written by either of these last two, but believe I will enjoy their writing.

I would hate it if you read something you didn't enjoy for this prompt so thought I would offer some suggestions!

Another week has flown by somehow. I know isolation is supposed to slow things down, but I still pack a lot into each day.

I'm at 43/50 for the challenge but might take my time on the remaining books. I've found that finishing really early previous years didn't bring any extra joy, so I figure I'll get to my last books when I feel like it. ;)

This week I read one book for the challenge, Fahrenheit 451 (banned book) and it was good! I never read it in school so I'm glad I got to it now. 4 stars

I listened to Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum and this was also enjoyable. I'm fairly familiar with autism from an outsider's perspective (I've read NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity and we love the show Atypical) but it's always good to learn about a variety of lived experiences. 4 stars

I listened to the new release Perfect Tunes and it was enjoyable read, but I think the execution of the idea could have been a bit stronger. 3.5 stars

I finally finished my hard copy of Sharks in the Time of Saviors! This book took some time to get through since there's so much packed into each sentence, but it was powerful! There are countless themes and ideas to be explored throughout this story. I loved the incorporation of hula and Hawaiian folklore. This book describes more sounds, smells, etc. than any other book I can think of. I can see how much work went into this and I'll be thinking about it for a while. I hope to see more novels from this author! 5 stars

I also listened to the newer book New Waves. I wasn't sure I'd love it based on the description, but I found it quite enjoyable and a bit different from most things I read. 4 stars

I'm currently listening to Born to Run and reading Olive Kitteridge in print.

QOTW: I came up with this question after noticing multiple people mentioning this, even though I've never done it. I've had strong emotions about books that made me put them down with frustration though. Jane Eyre because it was so dang boring and I kept rolling my eyes at Jane and her whining. My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel for the challenge last year because it was SO not my type of book. Call Me By Your Name because it just did not work for me, even though I wanted to love it. Ruby because it was extremely disturbing and I didn't know what to do with myself after reading it. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button because the movie was amazing but the book was like, "whaaa???"

I think my most hated book has to be Follow Your Conscience: Make a Difference in Your Life & in the Lives of Others though. I actually thought about asking for my money back from the author I was so frustrated with this stupid book of "advice." I didn't though, I'm not that mean. ;)

Hello! I hope everyone is well. We're hanging in there but it's gotten really hot here now (every day is over 100) so it's been hard to not be able to spend much time outside.

Finished this week
Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway but to be honest it was just okay for me. I felt like it was an interesting story and premise but it never completely worked for me.

Sunny My daughter and I have been reading through Jason Reynold's Track series and this is book 3. I thought it was entertaining. My 9-year-old loved the whole series.

The Sparrow This book you guys. What an emotional bloodbath. The premise is weird, but it works. A group of Jesuit priests and scientists go to a recently discovered planet where life has been found and only one survives and makes it back to earth (you know this from chapter 1). It was brutal but I think I loved it. I used it for the made up language prompt and it is perfect for that prompt. And for what it's worth, I very rarely enjoy sci-fi but I did really like this.

A Song Flung Up To Heaven This is the sixth of Maya Angelou's seven autobiographies and it was great. Her life was endlessly fascinating.

Currently Reading
Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You
What Truth Sounds Like: Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America Only words on cover
Long Walk to Freedom World leader

QOTW
I'm confident I would have thrown The Pillars of the Earth across the room if I had not been reading it on Kindle. And look - plenty of people adore this novel so don't take my word for it. BUT - this book is 900 pages and I wasn't enjoying it really at all but because so many people loved it I figured I would at some point too so against my better judgement I kept going and read ALL 900 PAGES and when I got to the end I was so mad at the book and myself because it never got better and I have never wanted to forcefully launch a book across the room so much in my life.

Happy Thursday, y’all.

Tomorrow's my birthday. We usually celebrate birthdays by going out to eat, but this year we'll probably just make pie at home, get some takeout from my favorite family-owned Mexican restaurant, and watch the "Bumblebee" movie while we eat. Yay, Quarantine Birthday.

Books read this week:

Space Unicorn Blues -- for “book whose title caught your attention.” A sci-fi/fantasy mashup with fantasy creatures IN SPACE! Great premise and I loved most of the characters, though rather hard to read with so many horrible things happening and REALLY heavy on the “humans are bastards” trope.

Doll Bones -- for “book published the month of your birthday.” Not as much of a fantasy book as I imagined it would be, but it was still really GOOD! Need to read more by Holly Black…

Down Among the Sticks and Bones -- for the advanced prompt “book with a character with impaired or enhanced vision.” Sequel to Every Heart a Doorway following two of the secondary characters from that book. Chilling and heartwrenching, but wonderful! A series to follow.

Ghost in the Canteen -- not for the challenge. A unique ghost story with some chills, some gruesome bits, but also some good bits of character building that I appreciated. Plus I learned what switchel is, hehe… (A drink made of water, apple-cider vinegar, ginger, and honey)

Camping with Unicorns -- graphic novel, not for the challenge. Another delightful outing with Phoebe and her unicorn. (Also these books can count for “book by a trans or non-binary author” if you still need to fill that prompt.)

Regular challenge -- 35/44 (split the last prompt into five)
Advanced challenge -- 7/10
Not for challenge -- 32

Currently Reading:

Transformers: Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron (Transformers -- for “book with a robot, cyborg, or AI”
Night Shift -- not for the challenge
White Lotus -- not for the challenge

QOTW:

I've never actually chucked a book across the room, but I might have done that for Me Before You had it not been a Kindle book. That book ticked me OFF with its implications that (view spoiler)[the most noble thing a handicapped person can do for the ones they love is kill themselves (hide spoiler)]. Maybe that wasn't the author's intended message, but it was strongly implied enough that it made me sick.

Also nearly chucked The Race when the author tried to insist that a character became a lesbian because she was raped. That's not how it works, that's not how any of this works...

Finished: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone (ebook) and The Map of Salt and Stars (audiobook)

Both of these were four star reads for me, with The Map of Salt and Stars being unexpectedly awesome!

The Map of Salt and Stars met the trans/non-binary author prompt. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone met the city the Olympics has been held in (Los Angeles)

Starting: The Last Mrs. Parrish and using it for a book with no pictures/graphics on the cover

Good morning all. Fortunately I’ve had the bonus of very nice spring weather. Our stay at home order is being eased. It’s now called safer at home. Not sure how this will play out. For me, it’s still stay at home, since I belong to the high risk group. My reading really fell off in April. Tried several books which just didn’t appeal. I have trouble focusing and lack of interest.

I hope everyone stays safe. Have a good week.

I finished:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I loved this book. Definitely 5 stars. Not sure which prompt I’ll use, it can fit several.

Currently reading:
There There
Love in the Time of Cholera
The Hamilton Affair

QOTW
I can say I’ve never thrown a book. There were a few which disappointed me so, I might have liked to throw. I think nowadays I’m more likely to DNF rather than continue. In the past, if I purchased, borrowed or started a book I felt I had to finish. I guess as I got older, I’m able to tell sooner, if a book just doesn’t have it for me.

Finished:

When Katie Met Cassidy - Not for the challenge. I was just seeing the cover everywhere (and it sounded interesting) and decided to order it from Amazon. I didn't love it, I barely liked it. I don't get why Cassidy was so enthralled with Katie. It didn't makes sense to me.

Heartstopper: Volume One - This was a far better LGBTQ romance. It was sweet and I cannot wait for the other two volumes to get to my apartment. I literally ordered them right after I finished volume one.

Under the Dome for a book featuring one of the seven deadly sins. I FINALLY finished the audiobook for this one!! I liked it, I really did. The story was interesting, it was a really well built world, the narration of the audiobook was amazing but OMG is it long.

Currently Reading:

Little Women for a book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it (there was a reality show that was called Little Women, that was not related to the book at all). Still working my way through this one.

Call Me By Your Name - I needed a new audiobook for my work commute and decided to start this one. Armie Hammer reads it, he's got a great voice, so at least that will be enjoyable. I'm too early into it to actually judge and I'm not sure which prompt I'm going to fit it into yet.

QOTW:

I've never thrown a book across the room but I really wanted to do that with In a Dark, Dark Wood. I hated it. I still hate it with a great and fiery passion. It's barely a mystery (I did not think it was all that mysterious at all, I picked up on it pretty early on), it was not a thriller (not scary/thrilling at all)! If I'm buying a mystery thriller, I want both of those things in the book.

Dani wrote: I’m glad I found yeast! As happy as I am to see people get into baking, it’s been very frustrating that flour and yeast have become the new toilet paper lol. Anywaaaay

I know our Daughter is an apprentice baker (who has been making cakes and goodies out of our home for extra money while out of work) we were lucky enough that a friends son came across a two pound bag of yeast (which we shared with family and friends) But flour is being rationed by local stores and we are only getting it a couple pounds at a time.