Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Weekly Checkins
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Week 27: 6/25 - 7/2
Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing OK. I haven't updated in over a month and I really don't have much to show for that time. I've been working, trying to stay somewhat active during lockdown and playing Animal Crossing, which has turned into a great mind-calming activity that has sadly replaced reading somewhat. However I'm hoping the ATY voting starting up again will get me back in the challenge groove and I'll try and finish both challenges, but probably doubling up from now on.Since my last update I read 3 whole books. :|
Aurora Burning for a book published in 2020. I can't be sure as I don't know who wrote which character but I think I've gone of Jay Kristoff's writing, just too much action that I want to skim over. However there were other bits I loved, which might be the effect of two different writers. There is a massive cliffhanger and I care enough to want to know what happens next.
Watcher in the Woods and Alone in the Wild are both from Kelley Armstrong's Rockton series which I've got sucked into but am now at the end of the published books. I've managed to squish these into ATY prompts for neurodiverse character and unconventional family. They're not great fits but they'll do (my new challenge motto).
I have The Body: A Guide for Occupants on audio still but I've listened to about 20 minutes of it over two months. I don't know how to fit audiobooks back into my life. I doubt I'll be back to commuting any time soon.
GR: 53/100 | PS: 23/50 | ATY: 22/52
QOTW:
If I know I want to read a book I avoid reviews, other than to see the general consensus of my blogger friends. I don't like to know too much going in. If I'm not sure about a book I might skim a few reviews, but honestly they need to be from people I trust. On the other hand if a book I'm about to buy has an average star rating lower than 3 on Goodreads, I might reconsider.
This week...I FINISHED THE CHALLENGE! There was some minor cheating involved, in that my last prompt was "the first book you touch with your eyes closed" so I put the book I wanted to read on an empty shelf, shut my eyes and picked it up, but I just needed to be done with the challenge so I felt more free in my reading choices. I have some major re-reading planned.My reads this week were:
Pray for Silence, Breaking Silence, Gone Missing, and Long Lost. The new Kate Burkholder book is coming out this week and I felt compelled to re-read the whole series before I buy it, so that's what I'm doing, and it was a great choice for me.
Currently reading:
Her Last Breath - continuing the series re-read.
QOTW:
Like Nadine, for authors/series I love, I don't pay attention to the reviews, but I pay attention to reviews for what I call my "trash books" which are basically free romance books from Bookbub. I don't usually read books with cliffhanger warnings, or books with less than a 4 star review on Amazon. Goodreads reviewers are a lot more particular.
I read Invasion as my medical thriller. Alien invasion so nothing I'm actually worried about happening. It was pretty good. And I've started The Fellowship of the Ring as my book with a made up language. I don't know why I've avoided these books for so long. I'm loving it so far.
QOTW: only if I'm on the fence about reading it.
Mod
Congratulations! And that made me laugh!
Katy wrote: "I read Invasion as my medical thriller. Alien invasion so nothing I'm actually worried about happening. It was pretty good. And I've started The Fellowship of the Ring as ..."
Have fun with LOTR, Katy! I just finished Return of the King recently after a 15yr gap since the first time I'd read them, and I love the story so much <3
Happy Thursday, everyone!It's been a rather turbulent week here, but I'm still chugging along with my reads. I finished two books this week, both on audio (that's what I get for reading 500+ page physical books).
The Cabinet of Curiosities - 3 stars, a bit of a letdown after the first two. Book by or about a journalist
Brooklyn - 4 stars. The film adaptation has a slight edge over the book, but I still loved it.
38/50
Currently reading:
Hild
The Poisonwood Bible set in a country beginning with the letter C
Don Quixote
Capturing the Devil published in the month of your birthday (September)
What role do reviews play in your reading choices? Do you read reviews before you start a book? If you do, has it ever ruined or improved the reading experience for you?
I tend to skim reviews here and there, but I don't really go through and read a bunch until I've finished something because I don't want them to color my opinions beforehand.
Good morning! It's been a slower reading week. Our lease runs out at the end of the month, and we're moving to a new place across town. I've got packing to do!Challenge Progress: 48/50
Completed:
March: Book One: Vivid and informative. I got more out of this short graphic novel than I ever did in a history classroom. (A book about Black history in America - Nonfiction) ★★★★
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books: This wasn't really what I expected... The premise sounded so interesting - a book club comprised of women living in a totalitarian regime - but instead the book club seemed secondary to the life of the author (who seemed a bit self-important). I expected more. (A book about a book club - Nonfiction) ★★★
The Serpent's Shadow: Enjoyable tale loosely based on Snow White. I still think Lackey rushed the ending (as she often does), but I enjoyed it all the same. Although this is listed as the first book in the Elemental Masters series, I'd recommend recommend reading The Fire Rose first to get a good understanding of the magical system. ★★★★
Dreamland Burning: "History only moves forward in a straight line when we learn from it. Otherwise it loops past the same mistakes over and over again." Ambitious (and mostly successful) YA novel concerning the Greenwood Massacre. The story alternates between Rowan, a biracial girl in contemporary Tulsa, and Will, a half-Osage boy living in 1921. ★★★★
Currently Reading:
Strange Practice (A medical thriller - Fiction)
Full Throttle
Darkness at Noon
Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In
The Hunting Party (A book that takes place at a hotel or resort)
Red Card: How the U.S. Blew the Whistle on the World's Biggest Sports Scandal (A book about something you know nothing about - Nonfiction)
A Madness of Sunshine (A book that takes place in your favorite/dream summer destination - New Zealand)
QOTW: I get emails from BookRiot, BookPage, and Shelf Awareness daily, and I follow a couple of book bloggers. I really only skim the reviews. I just want to know what's new and interesting. That's where I get most of my TBRs... especially with the library closed. I miss browsing the shelves.
I took this past Friday and Monday off, for a four day weekend, and now I'm all turned around about what day it is. And I took a short break from heavy reading over the last couple days because I just needed a pause. I'll probably get back to it tomorrow.This week I finished four books:
Eight Perfect Murders. I read all eight of the books he references and I really enjoyed doing that. I felt like this book was probably not going to be great. And it was okay, but I enjoyed reading the other books more. Overall, the entire experience of reading all eight of those, and then this book, was pretty satisfying. I used this book for the prompt for an author with a flora or fauna in their name (Peter SWANson).
Gilgamesh: A New English Version. It's the oldest piece of literature in the world and I'd never actually read it. It was pretty great. I enjoyed the rhythm of the poetry, and the repeated sections. It felt old, but also timeless. This translation was recommended by a podcast I listen to, so I used it for that prompt.
It's Not You It's Him, I used this for the summer reading challenge, for the prompt of a book that came out in June, July or August. This was the follow up to a book I read last week. It was fun and frothy. I like the characters and I would probably read another of her books.
The Witches Are Coming, which I used for the anthology prompt. I love Lindy West's writing. She's so funny and she really puts a lot of my feelings into words. This book came out before all of the recent racial unrest, but she does address Black Lives Matter, as well as the Me Too movement. But I particularly enjoyed her piece about making her TV show and the press's focus on feminine beauty/thin-ness instead of all of the other things the show is about. Good stuff.
QOTW: I read reviews, and then if the review is good, I will try the book. I find a fair amount of the books I read through reviews.
Happy 4th of July to all who celebrate it! Here in the UK, that's also the date that's been chosen to reopen every pub in England so I'm sure that's going to go well.... I think personally I'm going to steer clear!!I've really enjoyed the books I've read this week with three 5* reads! I've had a bit of a reshuffle of my books for the challenge and am on 43/50. I still haven't decided on the Summer challenge as there's a few prompts where honestly I can't find anything I'm even slightly interested in reading - I've started pencilling in a few things as I read them.
Finished
The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel - completely loved this book. I'm so upset the trilogy is finished. It's taken me a month to get through this one. I feel like I want to pick up a load of history books to learn more about the period
Long Bright River by Liz Moore - read this one before I had to return it to the library. I hadn't been feeling it but ended up being really sucked in and read it in one day.
The Burning by Laura Bates - I've always really enjoyed Bates' non-fiction so decided to pick this up when I saw it in the library. Also loved it - it's a story about slut shaming
The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward - about a holiday - bit disappointed with this one. Loved the premise where a 100% dysfunctional family win a competition and go on a cruise. I just felt none of the issues were ever actually explored, it would get interesting then cut to a different character and then when we return to these people, they'd have moved on to something else eg. the mother doesn't know the son is gay, there's a big scene where his fiance turns up and realises the son is still in the closet and is upset, cut away, but when you return the son is telling the fiance that he's come out to the mother. I'm not sure why that's not on the page - I genuinely felt like my book might be missing pages.
The Snakes by Sadie Jones - 7 deadly sins (very appropriate for this, all the rooms are labelled with deadly sins) - great atmospheric read. Set in a disused hotel, another dysfunctional family story. Unfortunately I liked this book less and less the more I read on. I know a lot about the crime at the centre of the story because of my job so that also probably didn't help as the way this plays out is absurd if you know anything about the types of people involved and how professional it is. There's no room for a random junkie brother!!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - LGBTQ+ protagonist - I totally loved Daisy Jones when I read it earlier this year so decided to pick this up. Liked it but didn't love it in the same way
Currently Reading
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - started this yesterday and am totally sucked into it. I feel completely outraged by the story
I'm then not sure what I'm going to pick up now to fill the Thomas Cromwell shaped hole in my life. Nothing I have out from the library right now is really calling to me.
QOTW
I listen to quite a few bookish podcasts or radio shows. I'd also read culture sections of my newspaper. I tend to hear about books and think they sound interesting in general because of these channels. Then I take them out as I see them come up in my library. I don't read straight book reviews and definitely not just before picking something up to read it.
Mod
what is this??? I just went to the GR blurb and then to the author's page and I am still confused. Did he intentionally subtitle it in that way so that "Misfits / Punk Rock" were lined up on the cover? Is this at all about The Misfits? He certainly knows who they are, he's got them on the playlist he created and posted on his website.
Anyway. It appears to have nothing to do with The Misfits. It looks like a good book but I'm annoyed by the misleading subtitle. Or maybe I'm impressed by the cleverness. I don't know.
Finished:-Servant of the Shard by RA Salvatore
-Untamed by Glennon Doyle
-Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Currently reading:
-The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead(summer challenge, book published in the summer)
-The Yellow House by Sarah M Broom(book club)
QOTW: I love reading reviews. I don't do it every time but sometimes I'm in the mood. I read the 5 stars and the 1 stars. I feel like I'm pretty good at telling whether I'm going to agree with the reviewer, think they're being over critical, or being biased by how much of a fan of the author. I can't say what makes me read reviews in the middle of a book, but if I really loved/hated A book I always read reviews afterwards.
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Happy Thursday! I can't believe the year is halfway over, and we're in July now. I struggled with my reading in June so hope that I'll get more done this month. I'm not putting pressure on myself though. Finished:
More Than We Can Tell - this book was so good. Every book I've read by Brigid Kemmerer has been a 5-star read! This is the sequel to Letters to the Lost and tells Rev's story. I don't know how she writes such emotional stories, but she does. I highly recommend this. 5 stars
In a Dark, Dark Wood - this was the only Ruth Ware book I hadn't read so wanted to read it this year. I had it picked for the challenge then used a different book. This wasn't my favorite by her, but I still enjoyed it. 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)
One to Watch - this book was so good! I really enjoyed the story and found it very original. Some of it was written in texts/emails/chat which I didn't love, but overall I thought this was one of the better romances I've read this year. 4 stars
Challenge Progress:
Regular challenge - 25/40
Advanced challenge - 8/10
Total - 33/50 (same as last week - I really need to start reading more books for the challenge)
Currently Reading:
East Coast Girls - this book is contemporary fiction with a bit of a mystery involved. It's good so far.
Open Book - I've heard very good things about this memoir so decided to listen to the audiobook. Jessica Simpson narrates it. I feel like it's very drawn out and could probably be a bit shorter, but I'm still enjoying it.
All the Stars and Teeth - I'm doing a read along for this in my facebook book club so will only get a couple of chapters done per day. I will say after reading two chapters the author is very descriptive which I think will make this story even more entertaining.
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - I'm trying to get caught up on my BOTM books so grabbed this one to read before my July books are delivered.
QOTW - What role do reviews play in your reading choices? Do you read reviews before you start a book? If you do, has it ever ruined or improved the reading experience for you?
I try not to read reviews before I read the book because I like to make my own opinion. I do look at the rating though. I tend not to read books below 3.5 stars although sometimes I will make an exception.
I waited patiently for 3 months to get a haircut. And she messed up my bangs. They’re over an inch shorter than I wanted. I’m upset, both because my hair looks stupid and because of disappointed expectations. In other news, my library started pickup service for books. I got my books yesterday, and I think it went really smoothly. A friend who works at the library says it's a nightmare of exchanging voicemails trying to set up pickup times.
Finished
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (read a banned book during Banned Books Week). It’s not Banned Books Week, but I had time to read this now, so I did. I hate reading American classics. This book is so depressing. I also hate this prompt, so I was probably destined to hate reading any book for it.
The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman (a book by an author who has written more than 20 books). This felt more like a book of short stories than a novel. It’s a multi generational magic realism story about the people of Blackwell, Mass. I loved the historical chapters at the beginning, but my attention waned as the years progressed.
Reading
A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon (a book with more than 20 letters in the title)
Death Game by Jo Graham (a book from a series with more than 20 books)
QOTW
If I know and love the author, I'll read the books before I read reviews. Otherwise, I read reviews for almost every book I put on my TBR. I love seeing what people have to say about the books they read. I only read reader reviews, not critical reviews. I'm cynical. I think most professional book reviewers are controlled by their publishers, who are financially connected to book publishers, so it's rare to get a truly honest review.
It's so gosh darn hot in Indiana right now. I hate it my dog hates it. She also hate the consent fireworks over the last week too. And yes, I'm totally that person that calls the non-emergency line...four days straight of fireworks starting at 6 PM going through 11/11:30 PM was too much. Any way...BOOKS!!Finished:
Carry On - I didn't enjoy this one enough to want to read book two in the series. I can see why people love it, it just wasn't for me. I really enjoyed Fangirl and thought I'd be really into this series.
Home Before Dark - I also didn't really enjoy this one either. I could see where the story was going well before we got there. I also didn't find it scary at all and I didn't like Maggie. I probably shouldn't have read it so close to my reading of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. That was so good, there was no way my next mystery/thriller/horror was going to live up to it.
Currently Reading:
How Long 'til Black Future Month? for an anthology. Still working my way through the short stories slowly.
Network Effect - I'm almost done with this one and I'm completely loving it. I need more Murderbot in my life.
My local library is back open and I picked up We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy and In Five Years so I'll be picking up both of those this next week to start reading as well.
QOTW:
A review doesn't really convince me to read or not read a book. If someone on my Goodreads or Insta feeds gave something a good review, I'll move it up my TBR or add it to my TBR. If Liberty Hardy from Bookriot liked it I for sure add it to my TBR list and read it sooner rather than later but a bad review doesn't completely turn me off a book.
I seem to be in a bit of a reading slump - I only finished one book this week, and neither that, nor the book I'm reading at the moment, have really grabbed me. I think it might partly be because I'm coming to the end of the challenge - finishing things I've really enjoyed doing tend to make me feel a bit melancholy (like when you can never quite enjoy the last day of a holiday as much, because you know you're going home tomorrow). Although at the same time, I'm looking forward to getting cracking on my backlog/TBR list!Finished:
The Book of Swords for An anthology. Liked some of the stories more than others (I'm always up for a bit of Westeros/Targaryen history!), but none of them really blew me away - I can barely remember any of them now, only a few days later...
Started:
The Fifth Season for A book by a WOC. I really want to like this, but although I'm becoming a bit more engaged with some of the plot strands, then jury's still out on whether I will actually want to continue with the rest of the trilogy.
QOTW:
I'm not sure reviews help me choose what to read, per se. I might read the odd review for a book I've already chosen before I read it, but I can't remember an instance of reviews then actively putting me off reading it. I like to read a few reviews after I've finished, to see what other people are thinking :)
Hello from hot, humid North Texas! It's so grosssss outsiiiiiide! :( But it is July in Texas, so I suppose I should be used to it by now.
Sadly, we don't get off for the holiday this weekend. Technically I work for the state, but evidently my university gets to choose whether or not to observe holidays that fall on weekends, and they chose not to. So that stinks.
Finished:
Nothing! Haven't even started anything! I am trash! (Not really, just feeling a bit like Forky from Toy Story 4.)
It's like I finish a book on a Thursday, decide to wait a couple of days before picking up another, and the next thing I know, it's Thursday again! I'm not actually sure I'll be able to finish the challenge this year. Curse you Animal Crossing! *shakes fist*
About to Start:
Highfire by Eoin Colfer: A book published in 2020. I'm really excited for this--I love Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, so I'm interested to see what his adult writing is like.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles: A book that takes place in the 1920s
Currently Reading:
Victorian Fairy Tales
QOTW:
I read reviews as a kind of hobby--I like reading them for controversial books and genres I never read (particularly horror) because I want to find spoilers and I enjoy the sassiness of some reviewers lol. If I'm on the fence, I'll likely look at reviews. If I LOVE a book, I never look at reviews because I don't want all the flaws pointed out to me haha.
Hi All. Our library reopens 7/6/20. I volunteer there so I can’t wait to get back. I read 3 books for the week. One for the challenge.
The Overstory by Richard Powers. Not for this challenge. I loved the book. I never got tired of the trees. I thought it was creative mixing a characters story with a certain tree. My favorite book of the year so far. 5 stars.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix. #4 book about a book club. I was surprised I struggled with this prompt this year. I usually read a few books about book clubs during a year but not this year. I was so glad when this book came out. It sounded right up my alley & I used it for 2 different challenges. Best type of book. It didn’t disappoint. The story was engaging & serious. There are triggers in it but I knew it before I read it. 5 stars.
Run Me To Earth by Paul Yoon. Not for this challenge.A story about Laos 1969-2018. When the books begins the protagonist are children during the war. The story revolves around the 3 children & their lives over the years. I liked it. 4 stars.
I’m currently reading We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry.
I read reviews. Weekly I read Book Lit, reviews you need to read for the week. I don’t see how you can’t be influenced by what you read so yes I guess the reviews jade me. This is a good question. I haven’t thought about this before. I also look at the Goodreads stars ratings. I’m doing 3 challenges, 2 face to face book clubs, & any read-a-thon I can find. If the book has a rating < 3.5 I don’t waste my time on it.
Good Morning All! Happy July. I was definitely in a DNF mode in April and May. I’ve now read several books which I loved, but not sure which prompt they fill. I’ll try to fit and juggle my PS list later in the year. For the moment, I’m reading quite a few BLM books and I feel this education is very important. FINISHED:
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. This was an audiobook. The book was listed as historical fiction. Although I felt it was heavy on fiction, I really enjoyed this book. The love between most of the characters in the story overcame the few horrid men.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This is a wonderful book, I feel it should be on a required high school reading list. I actually purchased this book for my 15 and 17 yo grandchildren, but I read before I gave it to them. It’s a 5 star book for sure.
CURRENTLY READING:
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
QOTW:
I do read Goodreads reviews. Reviews do influence my choices. I tend to pass over a 3 star review. Sometimes If I’ve been disappointed by a 4-5 star book I read the reviews after I’ve read the book. Mostly, when I DNF a book I’ll browse the reviews after I’ve given up on it. I guess I’m curious if others had the same experience.
Mary wrote: "This week...I FINISHED THE CHALLENGE! There was some minor cheating involved, in that my last prompt was "the first book you touch with your eyes closed" so I put the book I wanted to read on an em..."That's a brilliant way to do it XD
Happy Thursday, y’all.Had to put almost $1500 into my car this week -- the check-engine light came on, and when I took it to the mechanic to be looked at they informed me that I need new belts AND new tires. Lovely. (Still cheaper than buying a whole new car, though... and I've had this car for eleven years now without major problems, so I don't feel bad putting a little work into it.)
Books read this week:
The Elephant's Girl -- A magical-realism story about an orphan girl and elephants. Some of the plot elements felt out of place (such as the main character being able to communicate with the wind), but still a sweet story with an intriguing mystery.
A Gathering of Shadows -- Trying to finish the various series I started during the challenge. I didn’t like this one as well as I did the first book -- it felt like it took forever for anything to happen, and I wanted to slap at least one character repeatedly. Still love the worldbuilding and story enough to want to read the final book, however.
Half-Made Girls -- Ugh. Someone needs to tell horror/supernatural writers that just throwing as much blood and gore and grossness in your book as you can doesn’t necessarily make it scary. Read only if you have a stomach made of cast iron.
The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins -- graphic novel. I didn’t realize this was basically a graphic novel adaptation of a podcast until I picked it up. It had some funny moments (and is even funnier if you’re familiar with Dungeons and Dragons tropes), but felt a bit too “LOL Random” at times.
Currently Reading:
Four Past Midnight
West
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe
QOTW:
If I really want to read a book I ignore reviews almost entirely. If I'm on the fence or still trying to make up my mind about it, I'll go through some reviews and see if it's worth reading, especially if the rating is lower than about 3.8 or so. I'll generally avoid a book entirely if reviews say it contains elements I don't like (such as sexual assault) or it's the first book in a series but ends on a cliffhanger.
Hello, hello! I too am feeling like I'm not reading as quickly as I've wanted, but I think part of it is that I'm getting bogged down in a lot of nonfiction reading which takes longer to read. Another part of it is my addiction to Animal Crossing. XD Anywho, I finished nothing. Sigh. But I'm making progress!Currently Reading
Hidden Figures for "book about women in STEM". I'm about halfway. This book is taking me longer than anticipated to get through but I hope to finish this week.
On Living Simply: The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom for "book featuring one of the deadly sins". I'm a few weeks out from finishing this and I'm enjoying every bit!
The Wilderness Journal: 365 Days with the Philokalia for "book with title that caught your attention". Still plugging along. Every day. Bit by bit.
QotW
I don't read reviews on fiction books because I think that sort of thing is -mostly- subjective, and my tastes tend to be different than the average reader, so I just ignore that and read whatever I want and feel however I feel about it.
I will sometimes read nonfiction reviews in order to gauge if the book is accurate, helpful, or has the type of information I'm looking for. A few times I've looked at certain nonfiction books to read only to have a review call into question its accuracy, tone, or helpfulness in such a way that I decide to not read it.
Halfway through the year, it's been a strange one for sure. I've read 44 books in total, and covered 29 prompts of the PS challenge, which I'm very happy about!Finished reading:
The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney (no category): Really enjoyed this, I liked the various perspectives and how the story develops.
Llama Out Loud! (a book published the month of your birthday): This was a fun read, I'm trying to read more children's fiction so I enjoyed this!
Currently reading:
Exciting Times (no category): I have very mixed feelings on this, which is why it's taking me so long to read this. I didn't like part one, part two was a little better. I'm intrigued to know how it will finish, but I'm not always enjoying this particular writing style, although some comments made by the narrator are insightful and accurate.
On Chapel Sands: My Mother and Other Missing Persons (no category): I really like the writing style and I think it's going to be a good read. I don't often read two books at once, but I wanted something different as my reading of Exciting Times was a little slow.
QOTW: Reviews can affect my reading choices - if I see a lot of bad reviews beforehand then I might not pick it up, although I don't always check, or want to check in case of spoilers. If it's an author I really like then I will probably still pick up the book, unless the reviews are awful.
I have sometimes read reviews that spoil the book, even sometimes the blurb gives away too much information in my opinion! So I try not to know too much about a book beforehand, but then I don't want to spend my money on a book I know nothing about - it's a tricky one!
Hello All,Yesterday was Canada Day here so we had a much appreciated day off.
I have gotten a bit obsessed with fairy houses as of late and have decided I need several. I set up a fairy tent in the garden and have started making picnic tables, fires and fairy doors for their new house. My kids (now young adults) and my husband think I have gone a bit mad. But the little girl who came for a visit yesterday was obsessed and kept asking if she could go check to see if the fairy was home yet. Kept her quite occupied.
Finished
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone My first audio book. It is a reread. But with my first audio book I was not sure if I would like the format, so went with something I knew. Thank you to Audible for allowing us to listen to it for free till the end of June.
Currently reading
The Hunger Games This will be my second audio book another reread and I am really enjoying the Audio books while gardening and cleaning the house.
QOTW
I used to read reviews but I found it sometimes it has skewed my reading of the book. for example I read the review before reading the book and the reviewer (and a couple others) said that the first half of the book was good but the last half was disappointing I found while reading I kept wondering what was going to happen to ruin the story and even though the book was really well done I didn't enjoy it as much as because of this.
Though I do read the reviews that are posted here and they can help me decide if i would like to read a book.
*edited to add* and really I don't want to be spending time to read reviews when I can be using that time to actually read a book.
Happy reading everyone
Hi everyone, Still been a kind of stressful week with the world in general and having to feed my cat medicine every day. Luckily tonight is his last pill, and tomorrow he goes to the vet for a check up to make sure he's ok! So that's a relief at least.
This week I finished:
Akata Warrior - Read harder YA book set in a country other than US or UK. I think I enjoyed this one even more than Akata Witch. Great story, I liked Sunny a lot.
The Burning Maze - not for a challenge, just realized I got behind on Rick Riordan. I still enjoyed it, although I probably like the Apollo series the least of all his series, but it still has it's charms, and is nice to see some of the old crew popping up.
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Had to read this again for my books & brew, probably liked it less the second time around but that could be because of the audio book. The narrator had obnoxious voices for every female.
Currently reading:
The Girl with the Louding Voice - not for a challenge, enjoying so far if a bit hard to read.
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America - audio book, challenging to listen to but important. Only an hour or so in, internet's been terrible lately. Finally got a span of it settling down long enough to download the book, so hopefully can continue without problems now.
Anyone else getting piled on with library holds? All my books that were saying "hey this'll be 6 weeks to 6 months before you get this" all of a sudden are coming up as available, I have to keep saying "no not yet, hold for a week or two". Which is maybe why I'm getting so many, everyone doing that. I am wondering with the libraries opening for pick up service, if a lot of people suddenly cancelled digital holds in favor of physical books.
QOTW:
I might check out a review of a book if friends have read it and it's right there. Otherwise I only use reviews if I'm really dubious about a book and want to get opinions. I'm actually much more likely to read them if I'm into a really popular book and I just don't get why people like it. I'll skim reviews to see why people are gushing, or look for negative reviews that don't like whatever I don't like to see if I'm just being unreasonable.
Only one book this weekBook about a book club
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vamprires" by Grady Hendrix. (CW: sexual assualt). The QOTW is a good one in regards to this book because it has so many great ratings and recommendations in so many different book groups and I hated this book.
I hated the characters who were very one dimensional. I hated the "friendships" because they were basically non-existent throughout most of the book. There wasn't a decent relationship in the book. There was not nearly enough slaying. The creature in question was killing mainly black kids and I have a huge problem with using a certain type of attack (looking at you George R.R. Martin) as a plot point or as a way to make a woman "grow" or an impetus to action.
(view spoiler)
I finished it because I kept hoping it would turn a corner but it did not.
QOTW: I generally don't look at reviews on Goodreads/Amazon prior. I do listen to some book podcasts that steer me towards some books. I will read them afterwards to see if my feelings are duplicated.
Plus, star reviews are so inflated on goodreads. There are so many books that aren't out and have five star reviews and the only review "I love everything this writer writes, so I know I'll love this."
When I do look at reviews for anything, not just books, I read the 3 star reviews. I feel like they are the most honest in a way.
Mod
You made me laugh! This is ALWAYS my motto! ;) My challenge, my decision!
And...3 books is better than NO books! So congrats!
Mod
I love it! Congrats!
Mod
Good for you for taking a well-deserved break! A bit of disorientation is probably well worth it!
"Eight Perfect Murders. I read all eight of the books he references and I really enjoyed doing that. I felt like this book was probably not going to be great. And it was okay, but I enjoyed reading the other books more. Overall, the entire experience of reading all eight of those, and then this book, was pretty satisfying. I used this book for the prompt for an author with a flora or fauna in their name (Peter SWANson)."
You have inspired me about this book! In fact, I have read Milne's mystery and have wanted to read Tartt's for so long. I am putting this on my list for next year and will work on acquiring the other 6 books to read before this one!
Mary wrote: "This week...I FINISHED THE CHALLENGE! There was some minor cheating involved, in that my last prompt was "the first book you touch with your eyes closed" so I put the book I wanted to read on an em..."That's exactly how I plan on tackling that prompt! Well done on finishing :)
Mod
Not sure where you are in Indiana, but I definitely agree about the heat! We lucked out last summer, but it feels like a double whammy for this summer!
I am so sorry about the fireworks! I hate that! Two of our four cats get very nervous and we have one houseful of neighbors who seem to let off at least 3-4 every single night during the summer. Now I feel foolish being even the least put off by that, after reading your post and how many HOURS each evening you must endure that. UGH!! People are so inconsiderate! And...those add so much air pollution, let alone the noise pollution. Anyway, sending you and your canine companion positive coping energy!
Mod
Sadly, we don't get off for the holiday this weekend. Technically I work for the state, but evidently my university gets to choose whether or not to observe holidays that fall on weekends, and they chose not to. So that stinks."
Ah, that sucks! Sorry!
"Finished:
Nothing! Haven't even started anything! I am trash! (Not really, just feeling a bit like Forky from Toy Story 4.)"
Ha! I loved that movie!
"It's like I finish a book on a Thursday, decide to wait a couple of days before picking up another, and the next thing I know, it's Thursday again! I'm not actually sure I'll be able to finish the challenge this year. Curse you Animal Crossing! *shakes fist*"
You made me laugh! :)
Hi everyone. It's been a sucky week here, both with the weather and a family member being take into hospital (not covid related). My workplace should be opening up on the 4th with the UK's relax in lockdown but my town sill has huge numbers of people catching the virus so I'm hoping to stay safely at home for as long as possible.With all the worry and the stress my reading slump has reemerged. I started five books and didn't get beyond about ten pages of any of them. I feel bad for neglecting them. They're all on a pile on my nightstand, watching me not read any of them right now :D
QOTW: I never read "professional" reviews because I don't care what some randomer is being paid to say about a book.
I read Goodreads reviews usually after I've read a book I have strong feelings about because I want to see if people agree with me.
I also read them about anticipated books that I'm excited about being published because they're usually just full of excited gifs that make me happy lol
Lynn wrote: "You made me laugh! :)"Haha I'm glad I made you laugh! Always happy to spread some joy ;)
Alex wrote: "Hello, hello! I too am feeling like I'm not reading as quickly as I've wanted, but I think part of it is that I'm getting bogged down in a lot of nonfiction reading which takes longer to read. Anot..."Ellie wrote: "I've been working, trying to stay somewhat active during lockdown and playing Animal Crossing, which has turned into a great mind-calming activity that has sadly replaced reading somewhat."
Who's thinking we should have a PopSugar Animal Crossing party???
Mary wrote: "This week...I FINISHED THE CHALLENGE! There was some minor cheating involved, in that my last prompt was "the first book you touch with your eyes closed" so I put the book I wanted to read on an em..."Congratulations!
For that prompt, I put all the books I wanted to read but that didn't fit any other prompts on a shelf, closed my eyes, and picked one.
Whoop whoop! Halfway 2020, halfway Popsugar (21/40). I might even set a record this year if I continue like this. I’m enjoying a 2 week holiday, so even more time to read. We hesitated a bit, but we went to Switzerland last Sunday so we are enjoying the beauty and healthy air of the Alps right now. My friend’s parents have an apartment in a small village and there are almost 0 tourists (which is kind of a ‘once-in-a-lifetime-experience’), so it’s pretty ‘corona-safe’. Cases are rising a bit here, so we keep a sharp eye on the news. Finished
The Stationery Shop - A sweet and sad love story set in Teheran, 1953.
Prompt: The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed (I used the 'random' option on my Goodreads TBR)
Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine, 1921-1933 - Horrific, murdering farmers by starvation. Stalin and the Soviet regime did it. In 1933, in Ukraine.
Prompt: A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century - A short one, only 89 pages. What appeals to me is that every lesson starts with something everyone can do to make sure tyrants don’t take over your government. The book reminded me of the words from the Dutch poetrist H.M. van Randwijk: A nation that yields to tyrants will lose more than body and goods - the light goes out. These words are on some WW2 memorials in the Netherlands, one of them is in front of the Dutch parliament. Van Randwijk was a journalist and member of the Dutch resistance.
Prompt: A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics
Currently reading
The Great Alone
Queen Victoria's Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages that Shaped Europe
Qotw
What role do reviews play in your reading choices? Do you read reviews before you start a book? If you do, has it ever ruined or improved the reading experience for you?
I always check reviews, or at least the rating on Goodreads. I want to know if it really is worth the read. I only scan the reviews just for checking if it’s worth the read. They help me to decide if I put a book on my TBR.
Hello one and all. Please stay safe this weekend!!! Held my book club in my backyard this week. I have not been ANYWHERE but home or work since March so it was really nice. It was very socially distant. With our chairs 8 feet apart (only 3 of us) and I set up lunchables, canned wine and oatmeal cream pies on everyone's chairs. It was so fun to just be in the presence of my friends.
Finished
24. Something I new nothing about
So I read this for my film and literature class and used it for book club. If you haven't read it, I suggest that you do. It's biographical fiction about the Mirabal sisters of the Dominican Republic. They were a huge part of the resistance and down fall of dictator Trujillo. This is incredibly timely with what's going on in the world right now too.
Currently Reading
Question of the Week (part of this question is from Lauren)
What role do reviews play in your reading choices? Do you read reviews before you start a book? If you do, has it ever ruined or improved the reading experience for you?
I sometimes read reviews. Usually just look at the overall rating. I think reviews have made me more likely to read a book I wouldn't have then the other way around. If I want to read it, I'm gonna.
Hi all! I've got 30/50 prompts filled for Popsugar! I've never once managed to get this far in a challenge before. I always give up and just read whatever, but I've actually enjoyed my reading more this year having taken the time to curate it.Finished
The Power by Naomi Alderman (a book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it). I loved it. The multiple POV was great, seeing how all the individual stories came together. And the way the book's parts were broken up in a countdown... Very suspenseful, gorgeous writing, and ingenious idea for a novel.
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown. I've been hearing people recommend this for years, and I'm glad I finally read it. I found the information super helpful--vulnerability scares the hell out of me, so I liked how she presented it. Her information on shame was frankly a weight off my shoulders. I genuinely didn't think other people felt this way! This wasn't for the challenge, although I did first hear about it from my favorite podcast.
Currently Reading
A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow for the prompt "a book you picked because the title caught your attention." Just started it today but I'm already intrigued!
Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe by Lisa Randall for the prompt "by or about a woman in STEM." It's a fairly heavy book on dark matter. I love science, but I'll be honest, I never made it past HS geometry and chemistry, so physics flies right over my head. I understand the stuff conceptually, but the gears of my brain are a little rusty. It's very well written though, and the author I can tell tried to put this stuff is layman's terms.
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad. This is an anti-racism workbook with 28 days of essays and journaling prompts. I'm finding it helpful as I try to educate myself on this topic.
QotW
I don't read reviews unless it's for a book that I'm really on the fence about buying/borrowing. If I read and loved a book, I stay away from the reviews so I don't get annoyed at people who think it was garbage lol. When I'm buying a book, I focus more on the blurbs. If a beloved author said something nice about your book, I'm reading it. You got Stephen King to praise your work? Take my money.
There have been times when I've read reviews, ignored them, and then thought "god, why didn't I listen?" And yet other times I've seen books get absolutely eviscerated and they were perfectly fine. Reviews are too subjective and my tastes will never match up perfectly with somebody else's, so I'll stick to trusting my gut and Stephen King.
Chandie wrote: "Only one book this weekBook about a book club
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vamprires" by Grady Hendrix. (CW: sexual assualt). The QOTW is a good one in regards to this book because ..."
The same thing happened to me. I lost all respect for the main character at the half way point but finished the book to accomplish this challenge.
Mary wrote: "This week...I FINISHED THE CHALLENGE! There was some minor cheating involved, in that my last prompt was "the first book you touch with your eyes closed" so I put the book I wanted to read on an em..."This made me actually LOL so thanks for that! I think that's how I'll end up approaching that prompt, as well!
Happy Thursday. Yesterday was Canada Day and it was beautiful out. Hope 4th of July goes good for you guys in the states. I knocked off a few more summer prompts this week but the books were only so so.Finished:
Love, Creekwood 4 stars
This novella was super cute but it was just emails between friends so there really wasn't a plot.
Chinese Voices: Classical Poetry 3 stars
This was very shiny and pretty so it left the book store with me. A couple stand out poems that I really liked but most were just okay.
The Night Country 2 stars
I probably shouldn't have bothered to read this but I hoped it would be better than the first... not so much. It wasn't bad it was boring.
The Worst Best Man 2 stars
I thought this looked like an entertaining rom com/beach read but it was more rom than com. It jumps between two perspectives but they seemed like the same person for a bit. I wanted to like the book more.
PS 2020 41/50
PS Summer 2020 8/20
PS 2016 32/40
Goodreads 112/150
Currently Reading:
Cocktails for Three
Blood Heir
QOTW:
I don't consistently read reviews. I have some reviewers I follow that rarely steer me wrong. However a favourite reviewer gave The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires 5 stars and said it was the best thing they had read all year. I haven't hated a book so much for a very long time. I also made the mistake of reading reviews of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and they turned me off to reading a 500 page book about Snow right before I was going to start it.
Hey all. It's been a stupid week. Could be worse, but that might just be saving up for the weekend. The three other managers at work have inadvertently teamed up to make things hard for me. Except one. His is on purpose. Such a child.Let's see what I got read this week
Finished:
The Relentless Moon - Yay Lady Astronauts! I'm not going to say anything but GEEZ Mary Robinette.
The Guest List - I enjoyed this. Not only did I get to wonder who dunnit, but also to whom, until the end. Fun.
Antiracist Baby - Board book on audio
Currently Reading:
Felix Ever After - Trans boy Felix goes to art school and continues to question his gender identity
The Future of Another Timeline - Not loving the narrator, having a hard time opening this back up again.
The Tea Master and the Detective - Progress still happening
QOTW:
I do not usually seek reviews before I read. I hear of a book and if it really interests me, I'll probably read it. If I'm on the fence I might look at the star rating here or on Audible. Or that handy line graph Goodreads has showing how many of each star were chosen. If I'm surprised by this or still on the fence, I might skim some reviews, especially for audio, because sometimes it's an audio issue, like a bad narrator or sound quality.
I think I'm mostly influenced by reviews on Booktube, because I can see and hear people describe how they felt, and it tends to make a bigger impact on me than just reading a pile of text reviews. I've also found I'm not usually a fan of reading text reviews, mostly here or on Amazon, because so many people seem to act like it's a book report. You don't need to summarize, y'all. There's a blurb at the top of the page, just tell me what you thought. Nothing is more tiresome that 200 people putting a summary into slightly different wording.
I started off the week well since I found out I won a Giveaways book. Woo-hoo! I finished two books (almost done with one more -- should finish it up tonight!), using one for an open prompt. It worked for two other challenges I'm working on, too! I'm now at 23/40 and 9/10 for this challenge, and am at 73/100 for my overall Goodreads Reading Challenge. Finished:
* Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings, which I used for "a book by a trans or non-binary author;" and,
* Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall.
Currently Reading:
* The Son of Good Fortune by Lysley Tenorio, which I should finish up tonight;
* To Tell You the Truth by Gilly Macmillan, which is a Book Club Girl Early Read;
* The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which is one of my book club's picks for July; and,
* The Travelers by Chris Pavone, which is my other book club's pick for July.
QotW:
(part of this question is from Lauren) What role do reviews play in your reading choices? Do you read reviews before you start a book? If you do, has it ever ruined or improved the reading experience for you? It really depends. I'm more likely to read reviews by a specific reviewer (like Ron Charles of The Washington Post), but not necessarily a review of a book that I'm ready to start. I prefer to read reviews afterwards, so I can form my own opinion about the book. Reading reviews afterwards also tends to enhance my reading experience if it was a book I liked. I like listening to reviews on podcasts and do add books to my TBR list as a result, but there's often a gap between adding it to my list and actually reading the book. Sometimes reviews of really buzzy books do skew my reading experience and I'll wonder what I'm missing if the book doesn't live up to the hype for me.
Happy Thursday. Speaking of fireworks, because the city firework show got canceled this year, everybody seemed to go out and buy a few to have their own show, so the fireworks didn't really stop until about 2 or 3 in the morning last night. Oh well, the weather is nice and sunny so I'm happy.Books I finished:
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line - It was fine. I think I was in the wrong mood and as I forced myself to read this, I didn't enjoy it as much. Plus it had almost no Logan. (I maintain the last 5 minutes of the most recent season were all a bad dream). ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Jane Austen Society - I used this for my Book about a book club but it was a bit of a disappointment. It jumped around a lot, and didn't go into any real depth on any of the storylines it introduced. Basically, I'd recommend people just Jane Austen instead of this.⭐️⭐️⭐️
Persuasion - Speaking of which... This is my favourite book of all time. And after all the Austen related things I read/watched in June, I just needed to go back to the original. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return - So now I've read both volumes. It was interesting.⭐️⭐️⭐️
Take Us To Your Chief And Other Stories - I was looking around my library's 'Indigenous Voices' section, and this jumped out at me and I'm so glad it did. It was funny and just plain fun.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Books I made progress on:
Mountain of Black Glass
Halfway to the GraveQOTW
I almost never read reviews before reading a book. Either I read the book, then look at the reviews to see how my opinion compares to general consensus, or I read reviews of books I'm pretty sure I'm never going to read, just to see if maybe I should change my mind (I can't think of an example of that happening, but it could happen).
Hi everyone! As someone mentioned above, it is HOT here in Texas, so I've been staying inside as much as possible. I finished 3 books this week, which brings me to:Challenge Progress:
Goodreads: 40/52
PS: 24/50
PS Summer: 2/20
Lone Star: 6/20
Finished:
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (A book about Black history in America)
Different Seasons (A book published in the 20th century) I also used this for "A book that makes you nostalgic for summer" because of "The Body".
Stepsister
Currently Reading:
The Fountains of Silence
Still making my way through Alexander Hamilton but it's been a struggle lately. Maybe watching Hamilton tomorrow will reignite my interest!
I also have ebook loans for The Map of Salt and Stars and The Other Mrs. due in the next few days, so I need to get started on those!
QotW:
I skim a few reviews before reading a book, but I won't read too much so that I can form my own opinion and don't accidentally get spoiled. I do look at the Goodreads ratings, though! If a book has less than 3 stars, it usually gets dropped further down my to-read list.
As Shannon mentioned above, the weather is just gross here in Texas. It's normal for July, but we usually have fun ways to escape the heat that aren't an option in the pandemic. When your only activity out of the house is going for walks but the weather is bad, it's hard to stay positive. But work has been so busy that I don't really have time to think about being upset with the weather, haha. I'm now at 48/50 for the regular challenge, and 4/20 for the new summer challenge.
This week I listened to Celestial Bodies. I'll admit that my attention drifted off sometimes, but I was excited to read a story set in Oman and I enjoyed the parts I was able to focus on. 4 stars
I read a hard copy of Narrative of Sojourner Truth (summer Black history prompt) that's been on my shelf for a bit. Yikes, I couldn't stand the writing style. I didn't give this a rating because it's about an important historical figure, but the writing was terrible and I felt like I learned the least important parts of her life. I'll be doing some internet searching to get more of her story.
I listened to A Children's Bible and was quite intrigued in the first half, but wasn't crazy about where things ended up going. I was on the fence about a rating so I used the reviews (explained below) and those nudged my 3.5 up to a 4.
I listened to Welcome to Dead House (20+ books in series prompt) and it was a fun trip down memory lane. 4 stars
I absolutely loved All Boys Aren't Blue! I read a lot of memoirs, but this one really stood out. You could feel his self-love and confidence despite all that he had been through and how much work it is to navigate this world as a queer Black man. Definitely recommend. 5 stars
How lucky - two perfect memoirs in the same week! I was also blown away by Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower. How did she manage to fit 1,000+ great points into what felt like a short book? This was wonderful and I also recommend it to folks looking to learn more about racism and intersections with gender (along with the one above as well). 5 stars - all the stars!
I'm now listening to The Second Home and reading The Night Watchman in print for the Tournament of Books summer camp.
QOTW: I thought this looked familiar! After reviews negatively affected my reading experience a few times last year I decided to stop reading reviews right before reading the book. I might skim through a few of them if I come across a new book that I'll consider adding to my large TBR pile, but with the hope that I'll forget anything that could affect the reading experience by the time I actually start it. Now I mainly use the reviews to help me with my rating when I'm stuck in a half-star situation. This probably happens about once a month, or every 20 books-ish.
This week I finished Scarlett from Marissa Meyers Lunar Chronicals, and Kevin Kwang's China Rich Girlfriend. I was going to use Scarlett for a book with a character with enhanced vision, but may move it. China Rich Girlfriend is a book with a main character in their 20s. I enjoyed both, good light summer reads.I'm currently reading Cress, the next book in the Lunar Chronicals series as I just can't put these down and an just binging on them in my free time. I think it will be there same straight through the 4th book, I haven't been able to wait for my holds to come in and have bought 2 and 3.
China Rich Girlfriend was good, but not so good that I want to buy the final book in the trilogy, I'm on the waiting list and have 8 weeks until that comes in, so deciding what to read next in the meantime.
QOTW:
I don't read reviews for authors I know, I worry about it spoiling the book... but if the story gets off to a rocky start and isn't what I expect, I'll check out the reviews.
I rely very heavily on reviews when picking up new books from new to me authors, and would much rather have a good idea of what I'm getting into along with some spoilers than go in blind.
Mod
I support you in that. I will never trust Rob Thomas ever again.
Nadine wrote: "Kendra wrote: "... (I maintain the last 5 minutes of the most recent season were all a bad dream) ..."I support you in that. I will never trust Rob Thomas ever again."
I'm still irrationally angry about that ending. I need to erase it from my brain
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
All Systems Red (other topics)Hidden Figures (other topics)
One Hundred Years of Solitude (other topics)
Love in the Time of Cholera (other topics)
The Recipe Club (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Clarissa Goenawan (other topics)Kimberly Belle (other topics)
Ocean Vuong (other topics)
Jennifer Niven (other topics)
Lemony Snicket (other topics)
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It's been satisfyingly summery here in upstate NY. My back is sore because I was outside pulling poison ivy from my yard yesterday. Odds are I did not get it all, but - bright side! - I did not get any on ME either! I was soooo itchy afterwards, but it was all psychosomatic. (Well, I THINK I didn't. I guess I need to wait a few more hours to be certain a rash won't show up.)
I've been watching TV after dinner with my kids during this shutdown (we are binging Brooklyn 99, which I used to think I hated until one day somehow my daughter got me to watch the first ep and it turns out I loved it) so my reading this year is slower than usual. I'm reading plenty, but it feels slow to me because I used to read more.
Admin stuff
New month means a new group read! July's read is A Gentleman in Moscow and the discussion is open in the monthly folder.
Our nominations are open for fourth quarter group reads! You can nominate a book in our book polls here
The monthly categories are:
October: Seven deadly sins
November: Women in STEM
December: published in 2020
This week I finished 2 books, 1 for this Challenge, so I am now 37/50
The Black Maria by Aracelis Girmay - this was a fantastic book of poems, it felt different from other books, the poems all bled together into each other, so that the entire collection felt like a complex, multifaceted, epic poem.
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel - I loved this! This would work for "published in 2020," of course, but I already filled that. Only parts of it are set in Canada, but the eponymous "glass hotel" is in Canada, so for now I'm counting this as taking place in a country that starts with "C"
Question of the Week (part of this question is from Lauren)
What role do reviews play in your reading choices? Do you read reviews before you start a book? If you do, has it ever ruined or improved the reading experience for you?
It depends. If it's an author I know I love, I don't pay much attention to reviews, of course.
For new-to-me authors, reviews play a huge role in my decision to read a book. In some cases, if a reviewer I trust (ie, a reviewer who tends to have the same taste as me) loves a book and writes an intriguing review, that's all I need to add it to my TBR. In other cases, if I hear about a book and it seems interesting but I'm not certain it's for me, I'll look at the one star reviews, because they are almost always the most informative reviews.
There have been instances where I felt the Goodreads blurb gave away too much information on the plot, or mislead me in some way, but I've never had a review negatively affect my reading experience. Goodreads reviewers tend to be quite conscientious about hiding spoilers!