Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Weekly Checkins
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Week 44: 10/23 - 10/29
I haven't finished any books this week. still reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons. it's good, just been really tired. I'm not voting in the goodreads choice Awards bc only two books on my shelves are nominees.
Hello! Glad your computer issues worked themselves out. I was looking back over recently read books and realized that Susan Kaye Quinn has 3 engineering degrees and worked in the field before becoming an author, so I've moved Open Minds into the spot for a book by or about a woman in STEM, and I'm checking off that prompt. That puts me at 43/50. I'll still read Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA at some point, but the year is almost over and I would like to wrap up the challenge.
Read this week:
The Girl In Between by Laekan Zea Kemp - this would work for the medical thriller prompt, as it's about a girl suffering from Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS). It's good, a great deal of suspense and good character development, but its part of a series and quite a few questions were left unanswered in this first book.
QOTW: I was excited to see the nominations come out, partly because I love lists and partly because its exciting to see what books were stand-outs over the past year. I do vote; when I haven't read any of the books in a category then I read all the descriptions and vote for the one I most want to read. I don't feel too bad about this since there's really no time to see the list and pick books off of it to read before voting, but I'll be interested to see what everyone else says.
This has a been a good reading week, thanks to Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon. I initially thought none of my readathon books filled any prompts but I did a bit of creative wrangling and am now down to five prompts left on each challenge.Not American so no voting here...your election is rudely on my birthday though, so I'll be hiding from news/internet on Tuesday. Probably going to brave Ikea instead! I need a desk chair and their website isn't going to let me order one for delivery.
Finished:
Gods of Jade and Shadow for a book set in the 1920s. Wow the last 20% seemed like another book, I loved her travels on the road...but it was such a slog getting there.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue for ATY (related to time, sort of). I LOVED this, it was so beautifully written, I made a note of so many quotable lines and I loved the story of a girl who makes a deal with the "devil" without realising what she's asked for, the loneliness of no one ever remembering you.
The Diabolical Bones for ATY (silhouette on cover). I enjoyed this second instalment of the Bronte sisters mysteries, it felt quite appropriate for the season.
Serpentine for ATY (place name in title). This is such a tiny book I wouldn't usually count it for a challenge, but I want to be finished so I'm cutting corners all over the place. Really a short story but I loved the illustrations of Pan.
Puddin' for a book found with my eyes closed. I'm proud of myself for sticking with the book I picked at the beginning of the year. I have read much contemporary YA at all this year, so I found it a nice break to read something so warm and fuzzy.
Memento for no challenges, but I loved this little prequel to Illuminae focussing on AIDAN, I just wish there was more.
PS: 45/50 | ATY: 47/52 | GR: 97/100
QOTW:
The horror category is especially good this year! I think some people might be surprised... Since they have stupid rules I'm focusing on write in votes for the first round, even though plenty of the pre-selected books deserve my vote. I have read 18 of them, mostly in fantasy, science fiction and horror. Lots of other books I want to read, think I counted about 30.
I hardly ever have read anything in the non-fiction categories as they seem seem so American. I usually find some science/nature books that look interesting but this year is a bit disappointing in that category. I'm interested to see what the write in votes bring.
I tend not to vote in "fiction", unless I go rebel and vote for some fiction that would fit in another category. Would it hurt them to call it contemporary fiction or whatever they mean it to be? Whatever it is, I don't read much of it.
One more book to go for the challenge and I’m in the middle of reading it.Book with “gold”, “silver”, or “bronze” in the title
Silver & Black by Tyler May. M/M contemporary romance. This was not good, y’all. Obvious Fifty Shades ripoff/homage. At least the main character acknowledged the red flags…and then continued to date the man. I feel like maybe I just need some M/M romances written by gay men and not by women.
Book with a map
Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. YA fantasy. It turns out I just like Leigh Bardugo’s books and I haven’t read one yet that I haven’t enjoyed.
doesn’t fit prompt
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo. YA fantasy. Little Mermaid retelling. But the main character starts off as a brutal killer who has no remorse at all and then doesn’t redeem her very well, so it was difficult to root for her. Meh.
QOTW:
I haven’t even had the chance to go look at the titles yet. I usually vote when I’ve read the majority of the titles in a category.
QOTW: I only read about 1 new release a year, so I don't really have the info necessary to vote.
Lots of rain here in NE Ohio lately, and my sinuses have been all messed up since the air pressure dropped last week. I dropped my ballot in the mail and was notified that it has been counted, so yay! Otherwise lots of leaves on the ground and feeling very October-y around here. Woke up to a leak in the bathroom ceiling this morning (NOT fun), but husband and I are counting our blessings nonetheless.Finished:
If You Ask Me: And of Course You Won't - 4 stars. Betty White is exactly the pick-me-up I needed amid the myriad of anxieties lately. A quick read full of great little stories.
The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo - 4 stars. Impeccably researched and great writing. I hope to see a new statue of Alex Dumas, grand-pere, in Paris someday.
DNF:
Carmilla - I was exceedingly late to this buddy read with another group, and ended up DNFing (because I'm That Good at buddy reads) but I just don't have the patience for this kind of verbosity right now, eeesh.
Currently reading:
Beloved - this one quickly became a mood read. I should see about pounding it out this weekend
Lovecraft Country - getting good and creepy
The Alice Network - a reread! Love these characters so much
A Phoenix First Must Burn - I started this last night and I'm already in love with Elizabeth Acevedo's story
Coming up:
The Old Guard Vol. 2: Force Multiplied
Spider-Man Noir
Mongrels
A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain
QOTW: Now that the 2020 Goodreads Choice Award nomination have been announced, what is your reaction? Are you disappointed? Excited? Appalled? Or…? Do you plan to vote for any of the 20 categories? Are there any categories for which you will not vote? Why?
Always excited for these, with a grain of salt bc it's all a popularity contest (with a few surprises). I wrote-in a few of my favorites from 2020 so we'll see what happens. I don't usually vote until the second round, so this is a bit new for me. I tend not to vote for middle-grade or picture books or romance, as I'm not familiar with those books.
Mod
Work has been so stressful. There’s always this year-end push to get things done, and November and December are always a wash due to holidays. Also - I guess I need to start shopping for Xmas presents!
And we need to carve pumpkins! My goodness how is it almost Halloween??
I still haven't voted. I drove to my nearest early polling place on Saturday, the first day we could vote in NY, and holy COW the lines were long!! They stretched across two parking lots!! I had other appointments that day that I couldn't be late for, so I left. Skipped it on Sunday. The last three days I've been too busy at work to go when the polls are open. Maybe today I can break away from work and try again, or maybe tomorrow, or this weekend ... Worst case scenario: I get up bright and early on Tuesday and vote!
I have finished only two books this week, none for this Challenge so I remain 48/50 (and I’ve given up on finishing the Fall Challenge - it’s too stressful for me)
Verax: A Graphic History of Electronic Surveillance written by Pratap Chatterjee - a graphic novel named for one of Edward Snowden’s code names - didn’t like it, not what I expected. This would work for "book by a journalist" (not that I'm recommending this book!)
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong- this was FANTASTIC and would work for “book by a journalist” if anyone still needs that.
QOTW
Haha at "appalled"!! I tried really hard this year to read new books but I’ve only read four in the fiction category. Guess I need to try harder next year!!! I only had a few write-ins this round and I was PSYCHED to see one of my favorite reads of the year already include in mystery/thriller: Blacktop Wasteland. Usually I write in Kristen Lepionka’s latest for that category, but since I know ill be voting for Cosby, I didn’t this year.
I’ll vote in any category that includes a book I read and enjoyed, even if it wasn’t a five star read. A few categories have no books I’ve read, like biography, humor, middle grade, and food. I was surprised that horror contained so many books I’ve read or want to read - I didn’t think I liked horror! I guess I do!
Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon was last Saturday. I managed to read for the full 24 hours for the first time! I’m glad I accomplished that, but I won’t try it again. My sleep schedule suffered a lot this week. I read 4 books and 1,150 pages.Finished
Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie. Lots of people seem to love this book, but this was not one of the best Poirots. I enjoyed the concept, but I thought the characters were even more one-dimensional than usual. The police inspector wasn’t so stupid as usual, though.
The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith. I liked the magic system and witchy parts of the book, but the characters felt flat and the pacing was off. It was definitely a debut novel. I don’t think I’ll read the sequel.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. So good! So scary! I read this book from midnight to 6am. Despite how tired I was, it was too scary to let me sleep. This was, hands down, my favorite book of the readathon. I’ve added Simone St. James to my list of favorite authors.
Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson. This is the 4th Walt Longmire book. I enjoyed the first 3, but not this one. I’m not a big fan of Vietnam war stories.
The Witch's Kind by Louisa Morgan. The writing was lovely, and I enjoyed reading this book a lot even though it wasn’t what I expected. The magic was a lot more subtle.
Reading
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer
QOTW
The Goodreads Choice Awards are a popularity content. Therefore, I vote in a category if I’ve read even a single book that I liked. I’ll also vote for books by my favorite authors even if I haven’t read them. I like doing write-ins during the first round, although I only had one this year. I don’t vote in categories if I haven’t read any of the books and don’t know any of the authors. I was surprised that I’ve read so many thrillers this year. I didn’t use to read any, let alone so many new releases.
Good morning, everyone! Is anyone else finding that they’re having a harder time getting up in the mornings now that it’s staying dark longer? I had a horrible time trying to force myself out of bed this morning! All I wanted to do was stay in bed and let the sound of the rain put me back to sleep.I had a great time participating in the Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon over the weekend. It took me a couple of days to catch up on my sleep afterward, but it was completely worth it. Since I was focusing the majority of my reading on comic books, manga, and graphic novels, I ended up reading a total of 25 books!
POPSUGAR: 50/50
Goodreads: 214/150
Finished Reading:
The Pretenders
Inheritance
Haunted
If you’d like to read my thoughts about this series, you can find them at https://theunapologeticbookworm.com/2....
The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 4
If you’d like to read my thoughts about this book, you can find them at https://theunapologeticbookworm.com/2....
Saiyuki, Vol. 1
Saiyuki, Vol. 2
Saiyuki, Vol. 3
Saiyuki Volume 4
Saiyuki, Vol. 5
Saiyuki, Vol. 6
Saiyuki, Vol. 7
Saiyuki, Vol. 8
Saiyuki, Vol. 9
The Hobbit
Ghost Hunt, Vol. 1
Ghost Hunt, Vol. 2
Ghost Hunt, Vol. 3
Ghost Hunt, Vol. 4
Ghost Hunt, Vol. 5
Ghost Hunt, Vol. 6
Ghost Hunt, Vol. 7
Ghost Hunt, Vol. 8
Ghost Hunt, Vol. 9
Ghost Hunt, Vol. 10
Ghost Hunt, Volume 11
Currently Reading:
The Hobbit: Illustrated Edition
QOTW:
I always think it’s interesting to see which books have been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards, but I usually haven’t read very many of the books that are listed. I’ve only read three of the books that were nominated this year, so I only voted in three categories (YA Fantasy & SciFi, SciFi, and Graphic Novels & Comics).
Heather wrote: "Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon was last Saturday. I managed to read for the full 24 hours for the first time! I’m glad I accomplished that, but I won’t try it again. My sleep schedule suffered a lot thi..."Congrats Heather! I've only managed to stay awake for the full 24 hours once, and it is NOT easy to do. I ended up taking a couple of naps during this month's Readathon, and I still screwed up my sleep schedule.
Hi everyone, Tired of fall already, can we fast forward to spring? Proper spring, not "still winter" spring. Don't need any of that snow business this year. Just sunshine and mild temperatures.
This week I finished:
Life After Life - can't remember if I had finished this in time for check in last week or not. It was my books and brew read for November, and I counted it for the fall challenge for book with the letters F A L L in the title. I liked it, an interesting twist on time travel/time loops. Kind of heart breaking due to being set right in the middle of WW2, so lots of repeated trauma. but I liked it overall.
The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe - nice to revisit older nightvale, took me ages to listen to the whole thing the first time around, and just manage to keep up. Don't know if i'll get around to re-listening any time soon, lots of plot points i've forgotten by now.
Nowhere Men, Vol. 1: Fates Worse Than Death - this was ok. Kind of interesting, but not enough that I'm just itching to continue.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - a goodreads book club I run picked this as the next book, and I LOVED it so much. Some books you just start reading and you know it's going to become a favorite, and this was one of them. was almost afraid to finish, that something would get ruined in the ending. But I was satisfied, and I still loved it! A lot of historical fiction, if a woman isn't suited for the life women lead at the time, the solution seems to be to find a man that is willing to give her some room so it won't be "that bad" or learning to accept her place, or at best managing to stave it off for a few more years until she's older and finds someone she loves to settle "properly" into her role. I appreciate the whole "selling soul to the darkness for immortality and freedom and spending that long life trying to spite the darkness and get around their curse". I also counted this for the fall challenge, book published in October or November since it just came out on the 6th.
Calling My Name - coming of age story of a Black girl in Texas. I liked it, written in an interesting sort of lyrical style. Counting it for my fall reading, book containing Black joy.
Currently reading:
I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness - Had this on hold a while, I'd passed on it because it came in the middle of a slew of other books but then took another month to come back up. It's short though, will probably finish today.
QOTW:
I went through and voted for any categories where I'd read any of the books and liked it well enough that I thought it should win, even if i hadn't read the others. Fantasy I had a hard time with since I read several of them, and I LOVED both The City We Became and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I skip categories if I hadn't read any of them, which tends to be ones like poetry and nonfiction or cooking. I actually read quite a few across categories I don't normally read.
Afternoon.Pretty depressed today. The dog hasn't got long left. I'd hoped he'd make it to New Year, but it's pretty clear that's not going to happen.
2020 is an evil, hateful year. Let it be stricken from the record with extreme prejudice.
Books completed this week:
Piranesi - An exercise in weird worldbuilding with gorgeous writing. I read it in a few hours and enjoyed it. I'd love to go hang out in the House.
The Hollow Places - I was a wee bit disappointed with this. It was decent, and very Ursula-esque - I've been following her Twitter for ages and it's the exact same sense of humour, plus this book features a counterpart of her local coffee shop which she tweets about a lot (or did, before *gestures at global garbage fire*). However it didn't live up to The Twisted Ones. I was barely scared and there's only one creepy image that I predict will stick in my head, whereas I remember so much of its predecessor.
and i twisted myself about like the twisted ones, and i made faces like the faces in the rocks
The Trials of Morrigan Crow - This was a reread. And sadly... kind of another letdown. It just didn't have the same magic as the first time. I don't know if that's on the book's side, or mine. I have the 2 sequels unread, hopefully I feel more positive about them.
Currently reading The Institute. My first Stephen King! I'd've probably been better starting with one of his classics, like Misery or The Shining (I am never going to read It), but this one was on an offer at the supermarket...
Anyway I quite like it thus far. Big "Stranger Things" vibes.
QOTW: I've had a look through the awards nominees. There's not much in there that's exciting me, though I was pleased to see The Once and Future Witches in the Fantasy category.
Voted in a handful of categories - Fantasy, Historical, Debut, and Middle-Grade. Haven't voted in Sci-fi purely because I haven't read any of those nominees yet - 3 are on my TBR.
I never vote in either of the YA categories, Poetry, or Food/Cookbooks, just because I don't read any of those - outgrown YA, can't cook, and poetry books are so overpriced they're out of my book budget!
Heather wrote: "Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon was last Saturday. I managed to read for the full 24 hours for the first time! I’m glad I accomplished that, but I won’t try it again. My sleep schedule suffered a lot thi..."Well done! The most I have managed is 21 hours but the 1pm start for me means I usually only manage 16 hours.
Ellie wrote: "Not American so no voting here...your election is rudely on my birthday though, so I'll be hiding from news/internet on Tuesday.."I don't blame you for wanting to hide from the news that day. I work at a library that will be a voting location on Election Day, so I'm just counting my lucky stars that I don't work that day...
Hopefully it doesn't spoil your birthday. Have fun at IKEA!
K.L. wrote: "Good morning, everyone! Is anyone else finding that they’re having a harder time getting up in the mornings now that it’s staying dark longer? I had a horrible time trying to force myself out of be..."YES! I don't want to get out of bed, and on my days off (I'm only working every other day at the moment) I just want to crawl back into bed where it's warm. It's gotten COLD here and will only get colder, ick...
Cendaquenta wrote: "Afternoon.Pretty depressed today. The dog hasn't got long left. I'd hoped he'd make it to New Year, but it's pretty clear that's not going to happen.
2020 is an evil, hateful year. Let it be str..."
I'm so sorry about your dog. Many hugs for both you and your furry companion.
Happy Thursday, y’all.I voted! We have ballot drop boxes here, but I done goofed and put mine in the box for the wrong county! (I live in one county but work in another thanks to living near the boundary.) I called the county election office and they said that my ballot would be sent to the correct place once the mistake was found, and when I checked online today it said my ballot was "accepted valid." I HOPE that means it got where it needed to go...
Still really anxious about the election, though. And it doesn't help that I live with my mom, whose politics are opposite mine. Blargh.
And to top it off I had quite a few misses reading-wise this week. Double blargh.
Books read this week:
Dragon's Pawn -- I read the second book in this series years ago and remembered enjoying it, so I figured I should pick up the first one. Wow… either the second book is much better than the first or my standards were much lower as a teen, because this was awful. Also how does a book written by a woman end up so misogynistic?
Wait Till Helen Comes -- My spooky read for the week… and it’s a children’s ghost novel, haha. Still pretty eerie, with a heartwrenching but well-done subplot about mixing families and childhood trauma.
The Mage & the Magpie -- YA fantasy novel. Some great ideas in here, but sadly it’s dragged down by lackluster writing. Authors, you don’t have to dumb down your writing for kids, they’re perfectly capable of appreciating good writing…
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk -- ...ew. Don’t be fooled by the cutesy title, this book is awful. I don’t know how they managed to rope in the author/artist of the Olivia kid’s books to illustrate it.
Virtual Unicorn Experience -- Comic collection, and another entertaining “Phoebe and Her Unicorn” compilation. Still not tired of these two.
DNF:
Ginny Moon -- As someone high-functioning autistic who has autistic family members, I’m still looking for a book that I feels portrays an authentic-feeling autistic character. This book wasn’t it, and I found myself hating every character in the book. Dropping it before I get too angry with it.
Currently Reading:
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
From a Certain Point of View
EMP
QOTW:
I tend to not get around to reading brand-new books until at least a year after they've been published, unless they pop up on my library's Overdrive page. So I've only read about one book, maybe two, in each category on the Goodreads Choice Awards page. I still vote for the ones I read and enjoyed, though. I didn't vote in the poetry, cookbook, memoir, or kid's picture book categories, though, simply because I hadn't read any of the books nominated.
Morning,I'm going to be early voting on Sunday. The polls open at Noon so I'm planning to get there at 11 and bring a book with me. I'm working the polls on Tuesday (it will be my first time) so I took Monday and Wednesday off to prepare and then sleep in.
Finished:
I completed the challenge!!
Gideon the Ninth for your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge. This was a 3.75/5 for me. I do plan on continuing the series as well. I'm really challenging myself to read more fantasy and scifi because I've enjoyed what I've read so far this year.
The House in the Cerulean Sea for a book with a made-up language. This was a 25 stars out of 5 stars for me...that's how this works right? I LOVED this book. I loved Linus and his character growth throughout the book. I loved Arthur and how wonderful he was. I loved all of the kids. This is my favorite book of the year.
Grown - This was my second favorite book of the year. I thought the writing was great and kept me turning the page and reading on. I finished this in two days. It would have been one if I didn't have to work. I highly recommend it but it can be triggering for others but the author included trigger warning in the beginning of the book.
Currently Reading:
The City of Brass - This is continuing my dive into fantasy. My library had the audio available on Overdrive and I really like the narrator. I'm interested to see where this goes.
Black Sun - I'm really going full on into fantasy right now. I'm only a few chapters in but it's interesting. And I know it's book one in a series, so I'm hoping I like it enough to continue it. I was really surprised that my library had the physical copy available so quickly.
QOTW:
I'm always excited about the Goodreads challenge. And I was really excited to see some of the books I've read this year in the categories. I read a lot of new books, so there were at least one sometimes two or more I've read in every category.
Kenya wrote: "As someone high-functioning autistic who has autistic family members, I’m still looking for a book that I feels portrays an authentic-feeling autistic character..."I'm not sure if it will be available outside the UK but I have seen a lot of praise for A Kind of Spark which is own voices. I guess it would be considered middle grade?
Oooooh, A Kind of Spark is FANTASTIC. It turned me into an emotionally fragile autie puddle.
K.L. wrote: "Congrats Heather! I've only managed to stay awake for the full 24 hours once, and it is NOT easy to do. I ended up taking a couple of naps during this month's Readathon, and I still screwed up my sleep schedule."Ellie wrote: "Well done! The most I have managed is 21 hours but the 1pm start for me means I usually only manage 16 hours."
Thank you!! Congratulations on your readathons too.
I'm very, very lucky that my start time is 8am. I can almost always read 8am-midnight or 1am without a problem. Usually, I go to bed around then, wake up at 7am rested, and read the last hour of the readathon before starting my day. No hit to my sleep schedule at all. I think that will be my plan from now on. I'm too old for staying up all night!
Good morning! Sorry to see these posts about long lines to vote (another example of the many forms of voter suppression we have across the country). I hope you're still able to get your votes in. This week I finished:
American Dervish This was sad, but also a good story and I look forward to reading the new book by this author. 4 stars
Don't Ask Me Where I'm From An excellent YA story. 4 stars
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things A compelling story, but I had so many mixed feelings about what was going on and the "message" that I couldn't give it a rating.
Furia The first 2/3 of this were more focused on the romantic interest situation than I would have liked, but overall it was fun and the ending was solid. 4 stars
I'm currently listening to A Thousand Splendid Suns and hope to finish Nervous Conditions in print soon.
QOTW: I love lists of books and voting, so I'm excited the Goodreads Choice Awards are here. I'm happy with pretty much all of the categories, except seeing American Dirt on the list. They should not have gone there - way too much controversy with that one.
For me, awards are an important way to boost new/struggling authors, especially from groups that are generally marginalized and underrepresented. It takes a lot for a writer to be able to afford to just write (as opposed to hustling to do it on the side while working one or more regular jobs). If winning an award can help an author get to that next level (because it likely increases book sales, they'll probably get a nice advance on their next book, etc.) then I think we're all better for it. How much more magical could our world be if all of the artists had the time and resources they needed to just create and share their gift?
So with this, I either vote for books that would make the most difference for that author if they won (even if I know they have a small chance against the super popular books), or I'll vote for a book that's already somewhat popular if I read it and loved it, and the author represents a marginalized group. For the books in the first category that I haven't read, I'm voting for The Vanishing Half, You Had Me At Hola, Riot Baby, Hood Feminism, Punching the Air, and Cemetery Boys. For the books that I have read, I'm voting for Transcendent Kingdom, Winter Counts, Lakewood, and All Boys Aren't Blue.
Hello! The snow from last week has mostly melted, and the way below average cold from earlier in the week has let up, so things are looking up, weather wise. I do not want to get up in the morning, either, and working from home because of the pandemic is making staying in bed just a bit longer far too easy.National Novel Writing Month starts Sunday, and I really wanted to have finished all the challenges (or at least the GR group ones) before then, but that didn't happen. I usually read a little in November, just as a break, but I won't have the free time with the writing. I'm really close to finishing the challenges, though, so I should be able to wrap everything up in December.
Finished:
The Line Between by Tosca Lee. This was my replacement medical thriller after the one I read earlier in the year didn't feel like a medical thriller. This one certainly qualified. It was a quick read, and now I'm done reading about pandemics for a while. PS #17
Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee. PS #37, a Western. This is the third book I have now read about girls pretending to be boys while going to California in the Gold Rush. It's also the best one. The motivations were believable, the people were diverse (not just white people went west!) and the plot moved along nicely. I'll always love Caroline for teaching me about wagon trains and crossing mountains in said wagon, but this one does the genre so much better.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I requested this from the library for the October group read, and was able to read it in a day. Looking at the discussion for it, I think I'll seek out the audiobook next. I enjoyed the story, especially since it didn't turn out the way I expected. Not using for a prompt.
Eclipse the Skies by Maura Milan. I read the first book in the duology, Ignite the Stars, earlier in the month, and now read the sequel. I was disappointed by this one. It seemed like the author only had an idea for an arc for one of the three main characters, and the other two were mostly in holding patterns of complaining while the first did stuff. Bizarre stuff that didn't seem in character. Going to pretend this book didn't exist. Also not using for a prompt.
The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao by Martha Batalha. I got this on title alone, but it's also for PS #5, city that hosted the Olympics (set in Rio) and ATY #7, set in Southern Hemisphere. The comments on the book jacket talk about how ironic and funny it is, and I just didn't see that. I saw it as mostly sad. It's about housewives in Rio in the 50s and 60s who didn't get to go to school, or pursue a career, because they were expected to marry, have kids and then take care of them. The women channel their disappointment in different ways, only to have their hopes dashed when their husbands don't support or understand those projects. I felt so terrible for Euridice, with such great potential and a husband who didn't recognize that she was more than the women who cut up the onions in his soup.
PS: 49/50 RH: 22/24 RW: 25/26 ATY: 51/52 PS Fall: 5/10
Currently Reading:
Story Sparks: Finding Your Best Story Ideas and Turning Them Into Compelling Fiction A little pre-Nano prep work. Very short, but hard to read in one go.
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men My hold came in at the library, and I'm excited to read this. I don't need it for any prompts, but I'm sure I'll fit it somewhere.
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate last book I need for Reading Women, one of two books left for Read Harder.
The New Odyssey: The Story of the Twenty-First Century Refugee Crisis last book I need for PopSugar - book with 20 in the title.
QOTW: I vote in all the categories every year, since I recognize it as a popularity contest. I mostly vote for the authors I know, but I like what Tania said, reading all the descriptions and voting for the one you'd be most interested in. This year I haven't read anything that was selected, so mostly doing write-ins for the opening round. My reading was way more varied this year, but I guess going library for almost all of it ended up as not getting the new releases (since they all have massive wait lists).
Happy Thursday!! We had a mail-in ballot that we dropped off at our county office. Easy, safe, took 2 seconds to do. I'm like you though, I just want to skip ahead to Christmas and ignore all the inevitable election drama that will be next month. I've heard that some people in my state are starting to stockpile guns, and I'm just appalled. This is really how far we've fallen that we can't have a peaceful election anymore? No matter who wins, if we start shooting each other, we all lose. ANYWAY
Finished 45/50
LOOK AT ME GO Y'ALL!!!!
The Girls at the Kingfisher Club for "book set in the 1920s". I enjoyed this one! It wasn't AMAZING, but I liked it! I love the 1920 setting so much. I'd love to see this as a film.
Everything Is Illuminated for "book written by an author in their 20s". Technically, I already did this prompt with Wise Blood but that was before the pandemic when I thought my on-line bookclub would be doing it's monthly thing instead of needing to go on hiatus. So I moved Wise Blood to "book recommended by your favourite on-line book club [Ancient Faith Book Club]", and instead read this book for the prompt. And regretted it immediately. Wow. I really did not like this book. At all. It was depressing, cynical, and had some pedophilia in there that was NOT ok. Do not recommend.
Currently Reading
Building Your Mate's Self-Esteem for "book with 20 letters in the title". It's dated but not bad so far.
The Wilderness Journal: 365 Days with the Philokalia for "book whose title caught your attention". Almost. There.
QotW
I didn't read any popular new releases this year. None. I'm always consistently behind trends (like I just discovered the Stormkiller series this year and only last year finished Wheel Of Time). I don't mean to be, but it just happens that way. So, no, I'm not voting in the Goodreads awards because it'd be a miracle if I even knew what any of the books were! XD
Happy Thursday! Halloween is getting closer! I haven't been reading very much this last week as we have been watching scary movies (Silent Hill, Midsommar, Hereditary). Finished:
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. I have many thoughts on this book. First, I found it completely predictable. I guessed the "big twist" before I reached the half-way point. I also found it repetitive and amateurish. I believe it was her first or second book so I am forgiving there.
Currently Reading:
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix. I am still working my way through this, it's taking longer than I wanted. When I sit down and read and focus on it I can get pretty far. I just haven't been in a reading mood lately (probably all the scary movies). Did anyone else have trouble getting through this book?
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (A book set in Japan). I have found myself reading more and more books by Asian authors set in Asian countries this year than I have read in a long time. I try to vary my books (female and male authors, locations, reading authors of color). I am enjoying the history of the cultures that these books provide. I like this book so far. It is not a quick read and spans multiple generations, but is well written and not overly descriptive which I like.
QOTW
I usually vote in the later rounds of the Goodreads Choice Awards but not the initial round as people are still adding in their write-in options. I like to see when we get the final list and vote down from there. I would like to eventually read all the books (in the Fiction/Mystery/Debut categories anyway) and vote based on actually reading all the books.
Mod
I hadn't even considered checking to see how many I have on my TBR listing! Good idea!
Happy Thursday! It was my birthday earlier this week so I didn't get as much reading done as I hoped. I voted by mail, and my vote was accepted so at least I did my part. Finished:
The Girl in the Mirror - I've seen a lot of good reviews for this book, but I found it very predictable. 2 stars
The Haunting of Hill House - this was another disappointing book for me. The first half moved very slowly and the second half was very weird. I wanted a bigger scare, but wasn't scared at all reading it. 2 stars
Imaginary Friend - I finished the audiobook of this and really liked the narrator. The book itself was too long and got to be really confusing. I did like the beginning though. 3 stars
Challenge Progress:
I didn't read any new books for the challenge this week so I'm still at 43/50.
Currently Reading:
The Winter People - I'm hoping to finish this by the end of the month.
One by One - I'll be starting this audiobook on my commute home tonight. I love Ruth Ware so definitely looking forward to it.
Legendary - I'll be starting this tonight.
QOTW - Now that the 2020 Goodreads Choice Award nomination have been announced, what is your reaction? Are you disappointed? Excited? Appalled? Or…?
Do you plan to vote for any of the 20 categories?
Are there any categories for which you will not vote? Why?
I was very excited when the Goodreads Choice Awards were posted earlier this week I already voted for any category that I've read books in. I don't vote for a category if I haven't read anything from that category.
Mod
I was looking back over recently read books and realized that Susan Kaye Quinn has 3 engineering degrees and worked in the..."
Isn't it amazing when you realize you have read a book that will fulfill a specific prompt? I love it when the Universe aligns! ;)
"QOTW: I was excited to see the nominations come out, partly because I love lists and partly because its exciting to see what books were stand-outs over the past year. I do vote; when I haven't read any of the books in a category then I read all the descriptions and vote for the one I most want to read. I don't feel too bad about this since there's really no time to see the list and pick books off of it to read before voting, but I'll be interested to see what everyone else says."
It is true. There really is no lead time to have planned to read the nonimees, and I believe I tend to use the same strategy when I do vote, but I really appreciate the way you have described it!
I've just been so tired lately, and I'm so ready for this election to be over! I voted last week, so now it's just a waiting game. It's weird living in a blue state rather than a red state (for the first time ever)...Challenge Progress: 50/50 I'm still filling in prompts, expanding the categories to include both fiction and nonfiction, more countries that start with C, all seven deadly sins, etc. I've logged 96 books, and plan to stop at 100. I'm also working on ATY - 46/52. I'm looking forward to the new PS prompts!
Completed:
Almost American Girl: Lovely illustrations and an illuminating look at the author's experiences as a young Korean immigrant. Very enjoyable. ★★★★ (PS6 Nonfiction: a bildungsroman)
The Girls at 17 Swann Street: Devastating look at one woman's battle with anorexia. Compulsively readable. (Why 4 stars instead of 5? Well, it was set in St. Louis, but nothing about it felt St. Louis-y. It could have been any city.) ★★★★
Never Kiss a Duke ★★★
Waltz With Bashir: A Lebanon War Story: Visually stunning and effective in portraying the trauma and tragedy of war... but I'd really hoped to learn about what the war in Lebanon in the early 1980s was actually about. ★★★
My son and I have been reading Halloween books: Monster Needs a Costume, Enzo's Very Scary Halloween, Luther's Halloween, and Dino-Halloween. "Monster Needs a Costume" was really cute.
Currently Reading:
Fruit of the Drunken Tree (PS19: a book set in a country starting with C - Colombia)
You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation
Next Year in Havana (PS19: a book set in a country starting with C - Cuba)
The Rogue of Fifth Avenue
QOTW: I love seeing the nominees, but sometimes I'm appalled at the choices. Some books I thought were terrible are nominated each year. (I detest melodrama.) I've read almost everything in the fantasy, horror, and romance categories (that's all pretty much the same, right?), and I've voted in every category... even if I haven't read many of the selections. Sometimes to support something I really enjoyed or really want to read, sometimes to take votes away from something I thought was awful.
Hi all! I saw the sun yesterday, and it scared me! I haven't seen it in soooo long! But no worries today, it's raining again! Yay! (sarcasm) But tonight it's supposed to snow! So that'll be different... It's been another long week, in addition to the miserable weather, 1 of my clients was arrested and is probably in a lot of trouble. I'm off today, and I kinda want to check the local news to see if there's any updates.... but I also don't want to know....
As I didn't know if we would go out and Trick or Treat (decided not to), I took Sunday off, so I have an extra day in my weekend! And it's daylight saving time, so an extra hour of sleep! (except the toddler probably won't adjust....) So that's worth looking forward to for the weekend.
After I post this, I'm probably going to grab a book and go curl up in bed and if I doze off, so be it.
Didn't finish anything this week. I started several things. I get in moods where I want to read ALL the things!! and get nowhere as a result.
I've read a few chapters in Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses and can say it's fun and amusing and I would recommend it so far.
Started The Hypnotist. I have a fondness for this author because even though I wouldn't have expected to like her books, 1 of them pulled me out of a reading funk once years ago. I always look forward to diving back into her books, even if it's not quite my standard fare.
Also starting Disappearing Earth for a buddy read. Wasn't sure if it would fit a prompt, but when I cracked it open yesterday, there was a map!
QOTW: I love seeing the nominees, but I don't usually vote because I haven't read the books. If by some chance I have read a book and liked it, I'll vote for it. But most of my reading comes from the library and new releases are hard to get my hands on. Especially this year. For the categories I browsed yesterday, I haven't read any of them.
Ellie wrote: "I'm not sure if it will be available outside the UK but I have seen a lot of praise for A Kind of Spark which is own voices. I guess it would be considered middle grade?."Oooh... I'll have to look that up. Thank you.
Cendaquenta wrote: "Afternoon.Pretty depressed today. The dog hasn't got long left. I'd hoped he'd make it to New Year, but it's pretty clear that's not going to happen.
2020 is an evil, hateful year. Let it be str..."
So sorry about your dog! This year really does suck
Hi everyone. It is rainy here today so the nice crunchy leaves have turned into soggy, slippery demons. I nearly fell on my butt on the way to the train station today.This week I finished Doctor Zhivago (FINALLY). I enjoyed the book but I am not sure I find it convincing that everyone seems to know everyone in a huge country like Russia. Everyone seems to leave Moscow and end up bumping into old friends in the middle of Siberia. (Massive thank you to Lauren for the list of characters because it was so confusing trying to figure out who was who!)
Currently reading: I am re-reading The Lies of Locke Lamora. I feel like my piles of unread books are judging me.
QOTW: I pay very little attention to the Goodreads Choice Award. I normally have a long wait for new releases from the library so it is rare I read that many new books and this year I have read barely any. I've read zero of the current nominees.
Finished: No Ordinary Thing A fun read.Transfer of Learning: Cognition, Instruction, and Reasoning Persuasive and informative.
Tune It Out I love books that involve music!
Started: Didn't start any new books. I have too many I am "currently" reading!
QotW: I'm excited for the Goodreads Choices, mostly because it is near the end of the year and that means the new PopSugar prompts will be out soon! I vote in categories even if I've only read one or two of the books. I guess my standard for informed isn't as high as some of y'all. There are a bunch I don't vote for though because I'm not much of an adult genre reader. These include Mystery & Thriller, Romance, and Horror.
Hi everyone! Things have been SO busy for me! Two weekends ago, my husband and I took a day trip to my visit my cousin and aunt who live a little less than 3 hours away. This past weekend, I took Friday off of work to drive 4 hours south to help my parents with some gardening (they're getting up there in age and pulling weeds/mowing the lawn is something they shouldn't have to do anymore!) and helping my mom set up her altar for Dia de los Muertos. THIS coming weekend, my husband and I are celebrating our first anniversary (we've been together 7-1/2 years in total) by going to Oregon with my best friend and his boyfriend. Top it off with my online class, packing, and everyday items, it's been BUSY. So busy that I forgot to check in last week, too! So two weeks worth of updates. I have finished:
Cemetery Boys: LOVED this one!!
Runaway by R.L. Stine: A fun, nostalgic read.
Massacre in Mexico: This is so powerful! To read the first hand accounts of this tragedy was overwhelming at times which is why it took me so long to read, but it was worth every minute.
I'm currently reading:
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers: I'm really enjoying this one so far. It's super interesting, but probably a bit gruesome for some.
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires: I'm nearly done with this and I'll probably finish it today. It's my first time reading anything by this author and I am LOVING it! Unless the last few chapters end up as a total flop, I'll probably give this 5 stars.
QOTW: I really like looking through the categories for the Goodreads Choice Awards and seeing which book is chosen as the winner in each category, but I don't like to take part in the voting. Since I only get to read a couple of new releases per year, I just don't think it's a fair judgment call on my behalf.
Laura: I read Dino-Halloween this year with my daughter a couple of times. It's a cute book!DNF:
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Hitchcock movie is great, but I don't want to spend the time it takes to read 450 pages with this narrator. The writing was fine if overly descriptive. I made it a little over 10% into the book before I realized it just wasn't exciting me.
Finished this week:
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed (3/5, this would work for a book with a robot, AI, or cyborg)
It adds some depth and context to some characters and scenes, but it is nowhere near as exciting as watching the movie. I'd put it just under the Brooks and Salvatore Star Wars novelizations if I were making a list.
Currently reading:
The Last Dance by Martin L. Shoemaker
After three chapters, I'm intrigued. It's got some nice hard sci-fi and future technology predictions, and some of the main characters are immediately compelling and relatable.
Rebel Dawn by A.C. Crispin
This is a reread, and it's just fun to spend some more time with these versions of Han, Lando, and Chewbacca.
Question of the week:
I don't place much stock in the Goodreads Choice Awards. That said, I vote for books that I have liked or still have on my TBR list if I see them. If I don't know or like any of the books in a category, I just move on to the next one. With Obama's memoir, I am betting that he can write at least a fraction as well as he can speak. If that is true, then it should be a good book.
And again, I managed to mess up my whole system by not taking care of the fact that we switched back time this weekend. I never learn. As a kid, my parents set me on the same schedule as the cows on the farm: starting on Friday switch back 15 minutes a day. That worked. Should do that next year *mental note*. Or better: the European Union finally skips switching time twice a year. It was voted 'yes' 2 or 3 years ago, but we still switch time back and forward. Finished
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. Shocked. And mad. About the systematic invisability of women because of the bias that man are ‘the standard human’. Nothing is specifically tested on or with women: car seats, medicines, smartphones. Seat belts are cutting off your throat because the car seat and seat belt were designed for the average men. Too bad a woman is a bit smaller than ‘average men’. Or covid-apps. Sounds nice: you get a warning if you were too long too close to someone who was tested positive for covid. But: it is built on the assumption that you carry your phone everywhere in your pocket close to you. And guess what: dresses don’t have pockets to put your phone in and most phones don’t fit in women’s pockets. My phone is typically in my bag or somewhere around on my desk (if I’m at the office, right now such an app is kind of useless because I’m at home all the time). The app is designed for men: they have pockets in every outfit and carry their phone around all day long. This book is stuffed with examples of how the world is designed on the bias that man is standard. Because no data of women exists or men simply don’t think of the option that a woman’s use can be different. So: go girls! Go design phones, apps, car seats, seat belts, infrastructure, refugee homes (some were delivered without a kitchen… I’m not joking here) and work on medicines that also work for women. Make ‘the other 50 percent’ visible!
Prompt: a book on a subject you know nothing about
Currently reading
Arnhem: The Battle for the Bridges, 1944. Still weird to read about fierce battles in places I know so well (I grew up close to Arnhem). First book this year not for the challenge!
I'm Staying Here
Qotw
Yes, for the first time ever I’ve actually read a book on the list! Most books aren’t published or translated yet over here, so I've never voted before. This year, Isabel Allende's A Long Petal Of The Sea is on the list and of course my vote goes to her! I’ve checked my shelves if I could write-in a book, but besides Allende I haven’t read a 2020-book.
I don’t vote for books I haven’t read. To me, that wouldn't be fair, because it’s not a reputation vote imho.
It's weird to think October is almost over. I haven't done anything since February. We've already decided I'm not going to my friend's house for any holidays. Eat, sleep, work, read. This is my life now. Oh and The Masked Singer. Finished:
Enter the Aardvark - Such a weird book.
The Tenant - I have no idea why I thought this would be spooky or creepy but it's just a Danish murder mystery.
Currently Reading:
The Reluctant Adventures of Fletcher Connolly on the Interstellar Railroad: Book 1-4 - I'm listening to the audio and the Irishness keeps making me picture Colin Farrell. I'm not mad about it.
The Library of the Unwritten - There's just something about an otherworldly library, isn't there
Darkness There: Selected Tales by Edgar Allan Poe
QOTW:
My reaction was "Hey, that's happening. I'll take a look." American Dirt also caught my eye. I shan't be voting for it.
I just went through the lists and I think these are my numbers:
Read: 30
Have but not yet read: 28
Already want or have had my eye on: 32
Surprise: The genre I've read the most from so far is horror. I did not classify most of those books as horror! hahaha They were not scary.
The worst part is most of my favorite books of the year are in the same categories. Sigh.
Happiest to see:
The Last Emperox
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The House in the Cerulean Sea
The City We Became
Network Effect
All Boys Aren't Blue
Heartstopper: Volume Three
Would have liked to see:
The Death of Vivek Oji - Seriously though! Humph!
The Thursday Murder Club - None of those mystery nominees look cozy, more on the thriller side.
Many of the books I have not yet read are probably quite good, but I don't know that yet.
Heather wrote: "Thank you!! Congratulations on your readathons too.I'm very, very lucky that my start time is 8am. I can almost always read 8am-midnight or 1am without a problem. Usually, I go to bed around then, wake up at 7am rested, and read the last hour of the readathon before starting my day. No hit to my sleep schedule at all. I think that will be my plan from now on. I'm too old for staying up all night!"
Thanks! I've got the same start time, and that 8 AM to midnight stretch of reading is usually pretty easy. I think I may try to follow your usual read/sleep plan the next time around. I'm with you...I'm definitely too old to be pulling all-nighters.
Two good news items for me this week. First, I won a Giveaways Kindle book on Monday (a great way to start the rainy work week!). Second, after the fifth dishwasher repair visit since August, I now have a non-leaking, functioning dishwasher as of noon today. And now for the update...I finished two books, but neither worked for any of my open prompts in this challenge. They both worked for other challenges though, which is good because I've been stalled on one of them for a bit. I'm now still at 31/40 and 9/10 for this challenge, and am now at 112 books overall for the year to date.
Finished:
* The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin; and,
* Death and the Maiden by Samantha Norman (and Ariana Franklin, who started the series).
Currently Reading:
* The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson;
* Rebel by Beverly Jenkins;
* Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane; and,
* A Spy in the Struggle by Aya de León, which is my Giveaways win 😁
QotW:
Now that the 2020 Goodreads Choice Award nomination have been announced, what is your reaction? Are you disappointed? Excited? Appalled? Or…?
Do you plan to vote for any of the 20 categories?
Are there any categories for which you will not vote? Why?
There were definitely a few books that I was pleasantly surprised to see amongst the nominees in the opening round (and am hoping to see them in the next few rounds!). Several books I received via NetGalley were included, so it looks like I requested a bunch of good ones. This is the first year where I've read A LOT of books published in the same year, so I had a hard time choosing in some categories. This rarely happens to me, so this year's voting experience is different already. We'll see if the next round(s) is(are) just as tough for me.
In the opening round, I voted in Fiction, Mystery & Thriller, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor, Nonfiction, History & Biography, Poetry, Best Debut Novel, Middle Grade & Children's, and Picture Books. I try to stick to voting for books that I've read but also vote for a book if it's by an author I love and/or a book on my TBR list. Depending on how things shake out in the next round, we'll see if I stick to just those categories or if I mix it up some more. The only thing I don't like to do is vote for a book that isn't out yet. I know the year isn't over yet, but still.
Hello all! Mucky day here. I too am very ready for the election to be over. I'm so sick of the constant text messages from various groups urging me to vote, either generally or for a particular candidate. I live in WI, but my number has a GA area code, and then on top of that I'm on a family plan under my dad's name and he lives in MO. So I get texts about candidates across three states. I'm not kidding when I say I get 5-10 of these a day. I voted by mail 3 weeks ago and my vote has been counted! Just leave me alone!Read:
Psycho: a classic that held up surprisingly well
In Cold Blood: well told but I just couldn't stop thinking about all the stuff he pretty clearly made up
The Avant-Guards, Vol. 2: I finally got around to reading the sequel and I might have even liked it better than the first? you just get to know the characters so much better.
In progress:
Plain Bad Heroines: I got an e-arc of this (yay!) but the only way to read it is on my phone which is not ideal for a 600 pager.
QOTW: There are a lot of books on my tbr that have been nominated but not many that I've already read. Most of the 2020 books I've read have been either a) not good or b) have less than 100 ratings, so I didn't even get to write in that many.
In the past I've always restricted myself to voting for books I'd read, but I'm questioning whether I want to continue that practice. 2020 is just a year that has me thinking "F*** it." I might adopt Tania's method of voting for the book I would most want to read in each category. After all, if Goodreads doesn't care that I haven't read the book, why should I?
Mod
This is (I think?) the first Presidential election that includes early voting in NY, so they perhaps didn't accurately predict the popularity, especially at certain polling locations, plus this election has had so many more voters than usual. It was quite well-organized inside, and I had to sign a vertical i-pad with cold fingers and it's very nice that they did not give me a hard time about my signature not matching perfectly.
Well our election happened this week. I'd already voted in the advance polls, so I spent most of election day ignoring the coverage, given I was pretty sure I knew what the results were going to be anyways. I am so ready for 2020 to be done.Books I finished
Yes No Maybe So - So my library hold just happened to come in during the election. It brought back memories of when I got roped into helping with election campaigns when I was a teen. It was a cute YA read.
The Unofficial Guide to Game of Thrones - This was at my library, so I picked it up and read it. Nothing new, but whatever.
Eclipse & The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - And the Twilight reread continues.
If I Never Met You - So one of my favorite Christmas movies is The Mistletoe Promise, and this is basically the same plot, just set in Manchester with some extra family drama throne in. The set up took a bit too long, and the HEA was resolved a little too quickly, so I can't give it a 5, but I loved it.
Books I made progress on:
Fifth Grave Past the Light
QOTW
I was really happy to see Anxious People, Network Effect, The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Empire of Gold, The Queen of Nothing and One to Watch all nominated. I did a few write ins, but mostly because I want them to get a nomination, not a win. I mostly vote for books I read and loved, and books that I think look good. I also vote switch with my sister - If she's read a book and really loved it and it's in a category I don't care about then I'll vote for it and ask her to add a vote for a book I've read in a category she doesn't really care about. I usually don't vote in the cookbooks, poetry, middle grade or picture books.
Happy almost Halloween. One election down one to go here. I need to look into how to vote for this second one. My candidate won, but the overall results were depressing/scary. Such is 2020, what is the future going to learn from this year?
At least I had some 5 stars reads this week. :)
Finished Reading:
Fangirl, Vol. 1: The Manga (Goodreads nominee) Fangirl 5 stars
I snapped up this graphic novel on overdrive to see if Fangirl would be worth my time. This was so awesome it was painful to wait the two days for Fangirl to come in. Both were so worth my time and very cute. However the bits of fanfic that the main character creates don't hold appeal so I'm on the fence about reading Carry On.
March: Book Three 5 stars
Now I'm finished with John Lewis' memoir. It definitely made me grateful for my voting rights and options.
A Deadly Education 5 stars (Goodreads nominee)
This book had great first and last lines. I'm very sad to have to wait for book 2. I really like that Naomi Novik is able to create different worlds, characters, and plots when I compare books of hers that I've read.
PS 2020 50/50
PS Summer 20/20
PS Fall 7/10
PS 2016 35/40
goodreads 182/200
Currently Reading:
Black Sun (Goodreads nominee)
My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises
QOTW:
I'm definitely excited for the new awards but I'm very curious how they decide the nominees. Most popular and best are not mutually exclusive but I use the nominees to find new books to read ever year. I vote in every category and I try to write-in for as much as possible even if I'm going to vote for something already nominated. I figure this helps determine author's future contracts.
I'm a little annoyed that most of the things I want to vote for are all in the same categories. I thought I had read a more varied selection this year but it seems they were published in other years.
Murderbot fans unite and vote in the Sci-fi category.
Hi all! I’m at my parents house packing up my old room, so I write this on my phone. I also write this after a panic attack, because my parents live in rural Georgia and NOBODY WILL WEAR A MASK IN THIS DAMN TOWN. Sorry if anybody here lives in/loves rural GA but I can’t wait to get back to DMV. Screw this place. I’m genuinely terrified for my parents’ lives. My mom works at a Walmart and has a heart condition. I seriously don’t want to think about her getting Covid. But evidentially, this stupid mask “protest” is still in high gear. Please everybody, vote this election. I don’t think it’s ever mattered more.Anyway, I’m going to finish Pet Sematary today, but that’s all because this week has been filled with packing up my old room and trying not to die from stupid mask-less jerks. I’ll probably make it through Vampires Never Get Old in the next few days.
QOTWI was excited to vote for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Axiom’s End. If I don’t know one from a category, I’ll usually pick one that sounds good! But there were quite a few I was genuinely stoked for vote for this year. Oh, also My Dark Vanessa. Very upsetting but very good...
Mod
Being a typical self-centered "American"/US citizen I never even considered that! You are correct!
Mod
I can definitely empathize. I suffered one of the worst allergy attacks in about 20 years at 2AM on Monday morning. Sneezed for 15 minutes straight and then had milder sneeze attacks throughout the day. I managed to drag into work late since no other staff were scheduled, but didn't work out that evening, just came home, took a double-hit of Benadryl and a bunch of probiotics and read in bed until I fell asleep at about 8:30PM. Early for me... Let us hope we improve once the weather changes settle down a bit... At least I don't get the migraines any more!
"QOTW: Now that the 2020 Goodreads Choice Award nomination have been announced, what is your reaction? Are you disappointed? Excited? Appalled? Or…? Do you plan to vote for any of the 20 categories? Are there any categories for which you will not vote? Why?
Always excited for these, with a grain of salt bc it's all a popularity contest (with a few surprises). I wrote-in a few of my favorites from 2020 so we'll see what happens. I don't usually vote until the second round, so this is a bit new for me."
I don't think I've ever written in a nomination. I should evaluate my listing of books read this year...
Mod
Books published between November 18, 2019, and November 17, 2020, will be eligible for the 2021 awards. (So Obama's autobiography, A Promised Land, just qualifies for this year.) We analyze statistics from the millions of books added, rated, and reviewed on Goodreads to nominate 15 books in each category. ... Only one book in a series may be nominated per category.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
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Hoooooraaaayyy for Thursdays! Just one more day and I get two days off from work! 😊
Since I have already voted I am just anxious for this election to be over! Naturally, I am hopeful that my candidates win! 😊 I sure hope everyone is able to vote without waiting too awful long. Friends of mine voted Saturday. They waited 7 hours in line. Unbelievable. I was so proud of them for persevering!
Just a reminder that the
October monthly group read discussion of Daisy Jones & The Six is finishing up.
The November Monthly Group Read discussion will officially commence this Sunday, November 1! This is to fulfill prompt #22 Read a book by or about a woman in STEM: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Thank you to Trish for volunteering to lead this discussion!
If you choose to read a different book for this prompt, you can post that information here.
Popsugar: 48/50
ATY: 50/52
RHC: 22/24
Reading Women: 18/26
I could technically complete all four of these challenges by reading just 13 more books. That is my goal for these next two months, in addition to others to complete other year-long challenges. (Fingers crossed!)
FINISHED:
A Cat in the Manger (Alice Nestleton #1) by Lydia Adamson (pseudonym for Franklin B. King). ⭐️⭐️ Purchased a combined edition of the first two books in this series on a whim. I saw mention of these books somewhere and thought they might prove to be interesting. This was one of the strangest writing styles I’ve ever experienced. It was definitely different. The mystery resolution was okay. Not great. Not horrible. I guess I’ll read the second installment, A Cat of a Different Color simply because it is included in this combined edition and it will satisfy a prompt in the 2020 Reading Challenge Color Challenge. Then I seriously doubt I’ll pursue any more of the remaining 20 (seriously, 20!) more books in this series. I initially awarded 3 stars, which is very low for me, but had to take it down to only 2 stars as I continued to consider my enjoyment, or rather lack thereof… There was just way too much “inside her head” text to suit me. I mean, she’s thinking within a few minutes of meeting someone that she just “knows” they will be lovers. I had to comment out loud on that one! lol
POPSUGAR: #3-“It was the day before Christmas and the day after my forty-first birthday.”, #12, #20, #24-I know nothing about acting or living in New York City, #27-Greed, #46, #48, #49
ATY: #4-Don’t think I would enjoy living in New York City, #5, #9, #15-New York City, NY, #22, #25-Alice is an actress, #41, #43-Death, #52
RHC: #3
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (The Penderwicks #2) by Jeanne Birdsall. I finally finished this one. And have ordered the third in the series. I just love these characters and books! Absolutely adorable! In my humble opinion, of course!
POPSUGAR: #3-“Their mother had been in the hospital with the new baby for almost a week.”, #6, #12, #14, #20, #24-I know nothing about having three sisters or a father in my life, #27-Pride, Envy, Wrath, #33-4.28, #47
ATY: #9, #18, #25-Jane is a writer!, #33, #40, #50, #52
RHC: #14
Reading Women: #20
CONTINUING:
Ken Liu’s The Grace of Kings (Dandelion Dynasty #1) for a 2020 Reading Challenge October Buddy Read. I just wasn’t in the mood this weekend to read more about males warring with each other. Although once I sit down with this I enjoy it, I needed to read some other types of books as a breather before returning to it.
China Rich Girlfriend (Crazy Rich Asians #2) by Kevin Kwan. Plan to alternate this with the above book until I finish both this weekend! 😊
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi for the campus White Racial Literacy Project book club on campus. Discussion was good. The group is so diverse I can’t imagine there won’t always be many different reactions to the material covered each time. That is what makes discussion so interesting!
*Come back to me! 😉*
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Dubois, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, Learning Race, Learning Place: Shaping Racial Identities and Ideas in African American Childhoods by Erin Winkler, and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, are all on hold for now. I hope to reunite with them in
October/November.Amrita by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Russell Wasden. I have great hopes for this after the first 52 pages!
I keep looking at each of these books and wishing…wishing I could just pick one up and finish it! Soon. Soon. It will happen…soon… (I am an eternal optimist for the most part!)
PLANNED:
The Handsome Man's Deluxe Café (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency #15) by Alexander McCall Smith
The Cleverness of Ladies (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency #12.6) by Alexander McCall Smith. I was a bit perturbed with myself for having missed some of these smaller ‘in-between’ installments in this series, so am catching up with them…
The Wall of Storms (Dandelion Dynasty #2) by Ken Liu for a November-December Buddy Read. My buddy reading partner suggested that we extend this next book throughout both November and December since I am obviously going to have to rush to complete the first book by November 1. And it was only 640 pages long, whereas TWoS is 880 pages in length. Yikes! Glad for that second month, especially since this one will not satisfy any unfulfilled reading challenge prompts for any of the year-long challenges in which I am participating! 😊
Question of the Week:
Now that the 2020 Goodreads Choice Award nomination have been announced, what is your reaction? Are you disappointed? Excited? Appalled? Or…?
Do you plan to vote for any of the 20 categories?
Are there any categories for which you will not vote? Why?
I admit I am always a bit excited to see what books are nominated. Just because, I guess. I was excited about some of them, especially President Obama’s memoir A Promised Land (love that title) due to release November 17th. I did find it interesting that American Dirt was nominated, given all the controversy surrounding it.
I am typically very hesitant to vote since I’ve usually only read 1-3 of them. I don’t consider my vote to be an informed vote since I’ve read almost none of them. This year I’ve only read two of them, Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orisha #2) by Tomi Adeyemi and The Guest List by Lucy Foley, and am currently reading another, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds/Ibram Kendi. I own and plan to read three others before the end of 2020: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Popsugar December monthly read), and In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren (bookstore bookclub for December).
I NEVER vote for Horror because I refuse to read Horror! 😊 Since I rarely read any “Humor” books, graphic novels/comics, poetry books, or cookbooks I do not vote for those categories either.