Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Weekly Checkins
>
Week 51: 12/10 - 12/17
We got about 18 inches of snow last night so the world is all glistening and beautiful this morning. I love snow so I’m happy about it. I may not feel quite the same when I go outside to clear off my car. Fortunately, I don’t have to do much shoveling so maybe my good mood won’t be ruined. I am out of my reading slump! I finished a book this week, and I’m about halfway into another. I don’t normally re-read books unless they’re part of a much loved series, but after a 3 week reading slump, I decided to give it a try and see if something predictable would make reading more enjoyable. It’s been working for TV and movies, so why shouldn’t it work for books too?
Finished
The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan. This book is as fun, soapy, and Will & Kate fanfic-y as the first time I read it. I think I’ll read the sequel. I hope it’s more about
Reading
The Big Four by Agatha Christie
QOTW
My favorite books of the year are ...
The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth
Wild at Heart by KA Tucker
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline
Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh
Tiamat's Wrath by James SA Corey
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Got our "office Christmas party" this afternoon, which is basically going to be an hour of us chatting on Teams with alcohol permitted. We were meant to be doing something more organised but it sort of crept up on us and we never organised anything. Then I have two weeks off work to do nothing but read, watch films, walk the dog and eat too much food, bliss.I'm getting impatient to start next year's challenges, kinda struggling to narrow down what to read next when left to my own devices. I have too many books to choose from!
Finished:
This Winter which is a novella set before Solitaire about Charlie's first Christmas after being diagnosed with an eating disorder and showing how the holidays can be emotionally difficult. Was very sweet and also a bit different to the usual Christmas fare.
Someday at Christmas which was a warm and fuzzy, body positive Christmas romance. There was a lot of talk about make-up so I don't think Nadine would like it!
Finishing off my festive reading with Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas.
QOTW:
I gave 15 books 5 stars this year, a little below average for me.
Having a puppy is the perfect metaphor for my life these days - there’s lots of good stuff, but also it’s a constant load of work and she goes through intervals of having diarrhea on the carpet.But I’m doing relatively OK and actually getting through some remaining prompts! I rearranged stuff so I have 3 comic compilations and 1 short story collection left. Since I have 12/24-12/31 off work, I think I can do it!
Finished
Dark Matter - A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it - I love this story - such amazing use of wilderness horror, the Goodest Boy (Isaak the husky) as a supporting character, and deep pathos with a soupcon of LGBTQ representation. I did forget a few brief but truly harrowing descriptions of cruelty to animals, so keep that in mind if you're interested.
On a lighter note, I absolutely love Jeremy Northam as the narrator, which is heightened when the protagonist mentions Ivor Novella playing on the radio; Jeremy Northam played Ivor Novello in Gosford Park!
Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess - A book that has a book on the cover - this was fine for what it was. I’m much more interested in the movie adaptation than I was in this middle-grade comic adaptation. I hope Sherlock gets more faithful treatment in the movie though.
Currently Reading
Saga, Vol. 1 - Read a banned book during Banned Books Week - OK I missed the window, but this is fun to re-read. I actually think the villain’s description of Alana as “A bit dim, impulsive” is probably accurate, but I can’t help loving her, especially given the opening lines she speaks. XD I adore the matter-of-fact treatment of birth and nursing in this. Plus the story is so inventive, and the art is GORGEOUS throughout.
QOTW
I had 9 5-star reads this year and 7 were re-reads. That's very 2020, I think. Had to go back for comfort-reading bigtime.
Wakenhyrst
All Systems Red
Artificial Condition
Snow, Glass, Apples
Network Effect
Mexican Gothic
Lovecraft Country
Dark Matter
Saga 1
Happy check-in day! We got snow twice in the past week which is very unusual for central Oklahoma. We even had a snow (virtual learning) day yesterday which was fun. Only two more days and then two weeks off to catch up on my reading. I finished Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen for a book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics (London). I originally picked this for my book with a book on the cover but I did a lot of shuffling around a couple months ago to fit in some shorter books to make sure I finish on time. I enjoy reading about the Tudors but I hadn't read much about Jane Seymour before. She's a bit of an enigma.
Only 5 to go! I'm in the midst of Fire & Blood which reminds me a lot of reading The Silmarillion what with trying to keep everyone straight. I wish he would've written about the doom of Valyria instead of the Targaryens, but oh well.
QOTW: The books that come immediately to mind are Columbine and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, both nonfiction. These were just excellent reads that I know are going to stay with me for a long time.
Mod
[strikes book off list]
LOL!!
Good morning from a beautifully snow-covered Columbus. It’s been an incredibly busy week so I haven’t gotten through a ton. Melmoth the Wanderer for the back to the classics challenge. I listened to this on YouTube, thought it was an 11 hour book, realized there was a part 2 that was also 11 hours, and then got excited thinking I was almost done and then realized there’s a part 3 that was 7 hours. So needless to say this book was kind of exhausting. A good story that’s more like a collection of stories, but damn did it just go on forever lol.
Future Home of the Living God I picked this for that unofficial fall challenge, I didn’t realize we were doing that but while looking through the things I read from fall-now (still technically fall I guess lol) I could fill all the prompts except two. I really enjoyed this book but was a bit disappointed in the ending. I was so invested, what happened to everyone?
What I Know for Sure my second pick to finish up the fall challenge. I did the audiobook because I could listen to Oprah talk about anything for hours. I grew up watching her show so I adore any chance to get more Oprah in my life.
The Rust Maidens this was for book riot, and I think this is getting into last week but I forgot to post then. This one was weird, set in Cleveland, and centers around a group of girls who start to rust away. Interesting concept.
I have to say that I am loving the snowy weather! Yesterday I spent almost the entire day wrapped up in a blanket with a book, just enjoying being cozy while the snow was falling.Just a quick update about my mum... She is continuing to heal well post-surgery, but is still experiencing a significant amount of aphasia, which is making it difficult for her to communicate. Hopefully that will become easier for her as the swelling continues to decrease. Her doctor did say that the post-surgery MRI looked really good, so that’s encouraging. My dad was able to return to the hospital yesterday to see her and meet with one of her medical teams, and it sounds like she may be able to come home before the end of the week. We’re really looking forward to having her home!
POPSUGAR: 50/50
Goodreads: 224/150
Finished Reading:
Get a Clue
The Hunting Party — If you’d like to read my thoughts about this book, you can find them at https://theunapologeticbookworm.com/2....
Currently Reading:
Season of Storms
The Green Mill Murder
QOTW:
I’ve read so many great books this year! Some of my favorites include:
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien (one of my all-time favorite novels)
All Systems Red (and the rest of The Murderbot Diaries series), by Martha Wells
Solutions and Other Problems, by Allie Brosh
Fangs, by Sarah Andersen
Twenty-one Truths About Love, by Matthew Dicks
Happy Thursday, y’all.The past few weeks have been EXHAUSTING. Somehow Christmas has turned into one of the most stressful times of year in our house, and the pandemic has not helped that at all. I just want to sit and watch a Christmas movie one evening, not get wrapped up in projects all night...
Books read this week:
Kringle -- High-fantasy take on Santa Claus’ origin story. Cute and epic at the same time.
Lock & Key -- Sci-fi novel about time travel and alternate timelines. Not nearly as confusing as some of these books tend to be, and a lot of fun (though a decent-to-great cast of characters helps).
The Faith of a Bride -- Got two books in this series from my father for Christmas last year, so figured I should humor him and at least read the first one. Don’t think I’ll read the second -- Biblical romance isn’t really my genre.
Fowl Language: The Struggle Is Real -- Comic collection. I’m not a parent but I can still appreciate the humor and frustration behind these comics about the struggles of parenthood.
Currently Reading:
From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back
The Clockwork God
QOTW:
This is gonna be a bit long... XD
Every Heart a Doorway and its sequels
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and its sequels
Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
The Song of Achilles
Solutions and Other Problems
Meddling Kids
Magic for Liars
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe
Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee
The Book of Strange New Things
I completed one book for the week, In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren. Did you all know this author is two people? I didn’t. I gave it three stars. I’m really getting into the Christmas reads. I haven’t done that before. I’m currently reading My Kind of Christmas (Virgin River #18) by Robyn Carr. QOTW. 5 star reads for 2020. I had 26 five star reads. My 2 favorites were, The Overstory by Richard Powers. I read this book in June & I still think about it. Another is, In The Country Of Women by Susan Straight.
K.L. wrote: "I have to say that I am loving the snowy weather! Yesterday I spent almost the entire day wrapped up in a blanket with a book, just enjoying being cozy while the snow was falling.Just a quick upd..."
That's such good news about your mum! so happy for you and your mum and family!
We also got some snow, but then the rain washed most of it away and the rest will probably melt this afternoon. At least it was pretty for an hour. LOL.I have been taking a little time off from heavy reading to do a few other things. Mostly finishing knitting a shawl for my sister-in-law for Christmas. But that will get finished this week and then I can get back into reading. Plus then I can start some longer books for next year's challenge, so that's exciting!
I finished one book this week: The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era. It was pretty interesting and I learned a ton of new things. We're going to give it to my in-laws for Christmas, and I think they'll enjoy it, too.
I am currently reading Dune with my library book club/podcast. I read this book a long time ago and I remember the basics, but I'm really enjoying reading it again now.
QOTW: My favorite books this year were:
Red, White & Royal Blue: I cannot get enough of this book! I actually read it twice this year.
The Girl with the Louding Voice: Fantastic debut!
The Space Between Worlds: Another fantastic debut!
The Secret History: How did I never read this before???
Wuthering Heights: It's a classic for a reason!
QOTW: The Gollum and the Djinni and The Map of Salt and Stars were probably my two favorite.
Happy Saturnalia , or Festivus - the holiday for the rest of us!We have close to a foot of snow here, and I love it!! It reminds me of home. Just gorgeous out there.
Finished:
The Right To Be Cold: One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet . This was a terrific book about Indigenous rights, climate change, social justice and environmental care. solid 5 stars.
If you're looking for a book on social justice for the 2021 prompt, this is a great choice.
Hurricane Child. I barely remember putting this on hold, but I think it was back in the summer, for the summer prompt about a book with a body of water on the cover. It reads like a Caribbean folktale, with a trans MC and LGBTQ+ representation. It's a bittersweet read, coming to terms with self and sexuality, first crush, and the evolution of family.
Good quick read if you are looking for a book by a trans author. (I can't remember the prompt #s, and trying to do this from my phone lol.)
QOTW:
Tough choices, but these had the most profound effect on me:
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America
The Holdout
The Right To Be Cold: One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet
One week until Christmas! We had a HUGE snow storm yesterday and woke up to everything covered in snow. It's absolutely gorgeous and perfect!Finished 48/50
Thinking Orthodox: Understanding and Acquiring the Orthodox Christian Mind (not for challenge): this was really good. I especially liked her critique of the internet theologians who put forward their opinions without any expertise to back it up. Goodness this goes for everything nowadays, not just theology!
Currently Reading
Words of Radiance for "book with a character in their 20s". I just found out yesterday that this book is due back in the library by the 23rd and I can't renew it because someone put a hold on it. SO. I need to GET A MOVE ON.
The Idiot (not for challenge). My book club got postponed to next year, but I might see if I can't finish this by the end of the month.
The Wilderness Journal: 365 Days with the Philokalia for "book whose title caught your attention". OMG I cannot WAIT to be DONE with this. Just a couple more weeks....
QotW
Favourite Fiction:
Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Vol. 1 (entire series)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Way of Kings
Lonesome Dove
A Tale of Two Cities
Favourite Non-Fiction:
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Finding the Way to Christ in a Complicated Religious Landscape
Becoming
The Holy Angels
On Living Simply: The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Happy Thursday, gang! I actually haven't finished anything this week. I blame Christmas movies and picking up yet another book. Can't be helped! 3/4 of my Christmas wrapping was done before Thanksgiving, and I'm still waiting on a handful of things to come in the mail. The pandemic on top of the normal holiday shopping has really slowed the USPS down (I say as a buyer and seller). We have about an inch of snow here in NE Ohio and we're expecting a bit more today. We'll see what it's like when I get out of work this evening.Currently reading:
A People's History of the United States - This thing is a monster. I barely made the halfway mark yesterday, so I'm confident I'll finish by the end of the month, but YIKES. So much stuff that got left out of what we learned in school. Highly recommended.
The Burning God - I don't think I'm ready to be done with this series, because this one has actually taken a backseat to my impulse pickup:
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption - This one's small, but it's A Lot.
Planned:
Johannes Cabal the Detective
Saga, Vol. 8
Saga, Vol. 9
My goal is to have all of my current and planned reads wrapped up by New Year's! :)
What are your favorite books that you read this year?
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Deathless Divide
Silent in the Grave
Little Fires Everywhere
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
The Millionaire and the Bard: Henry Folger's Obsessive Hunt for Shakespeare's First Folio
Cemetery Boys
Saga, as a whole (Saga, Vol. 1)
Mod
Reading Accessories
Book Holders
I experienced a true revelation this past week regarding planning for reading challenges in the future. I MUST incorporate way more mysteries! I love reading mysteries and rather than trying to squeeze them in between challenge reads, I just need to schedule them to fulfill challenge prompts. DUH! And I now have a stack of books dedicated to the next few installments I own in series I am reading!
I am also determined to read more translated literature in the future, so am purchasing some as I find them at a low price and scheduling those into prompts as I can. Language and culture fascinate me!
My car saga is still unfolding. Seriously, I couldn't make this up if I tried! LOL
Popsugar: 50/50 DONE!
ATY: 52/52 DONE!
RHC: 23/24
Reading Women: 21/26
Should finish Read Harder this weekend and be down to just 4 more books for Reading Women!
Only one book finished this week, but significant progress made on others!
FINISHED:
The Talented Mr. Ripley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ by Patricia Highsmith for the Bookworm Bitches’ Literary Scavenger Hunt challenge prompt #25 Read a book published the year you were born. (This is one year off, but I really wanted to read it…) I do not like to be in a criminal’s head, so this was not my preferred type of “mystery,” definitely a “suspense thriller”, and in fact considered to be one of or the very first of its kind. Fortunately, it was not as creepy or grisly as I feared it might be. Highsmith did a wonderful job at building suspense, IMO. I stayed up way late on Saturday night trying to finish it! I ended up having a bit of compassion/sympathy for Tom, even if he was a murderer! (Not sure what that says about me! LOL) Now I definitely want to read Strangers on a Train to get more familiarity with Highsmith’s writing.
POPSUGAR: #3-“Tom glanced behind him and saw the man coming out of the Green Cage, heading his way.”, #6, #20, #24-I know nothing about traveling the world, #27-Pride, Greed, Envy, Sloth, Wrath, #29, #40, #43-at one point Tom purchases and wears eyeglasses with plain glass, #46, #48, #50
ATY: #5, #9, #15-NYC, NY, #22, #23, #25-Dickie was a painter, Tom was a mimic, both appreciated artwork, #34-LGBTQ+, #41, #43-Death, #52
RHC: #3
Reading Women: #23
CONTINUING:
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett is proving to be just as enjoyable for me as I might expect given that it did win the 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction. So good!
The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem and listening to Our Harlem: Seven Days of Cooking, Music and Soul at the Red Rooster on Audible for the Read Harder Challenge prompt #13 Read a food book about a cuisine you’ve never tried before. Marcus Samuelsson writes a fascinating and informative cookbook and the Audible recording is chock full of Harlem history as well as information about food. This will complete the 2020 Read Harder Challenge for me!
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie was the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction award winner and well-deserved from what I’ve read thus far! This will fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #5 A winner of the Stella Prize or the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World by Zahra Hankir (editor), Christane Amanpour (foreword) for the 2020 Reading Women prompt #24 A book from the 2019 Reading Women Award Shortlists and Honorable Mentions. Some of these are purely heart-wrenching and other are a bit more hopeful…
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #26 A book written by Isabel Allende. Just read the first 20 pages and am enjoying it.
Since Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence doesn’t fulfill any remaining 2020 reading challenge prompts it is waiting for me! And I must admit that once I began reading The Vanishing Half and Home Fire, this stood out as rather bland in comparison! Not surprising given the fact it was first published in 1920!
PLANNED:
Home (Binti #2) by Nnedi Okorafor to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #7 A book featuring Afrofuturism or Africanfuturism. I loved Binti (Binti #1) so much!
Paradise by Toni Morrison to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #25 A book written by Toni Morrison.
These two books above will finish the major four 2020 Reading Challenges for me! 😊
Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson to complete the 2020 Reading Challenge Genre Bingo Challenge. Have wanted to read this book in forever! And even if I don’t get to it until January, it is top priority once I have finished the two listed above! Grandin’s abilities fascinate me!
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris to fulfill 2020 Reading Challenge Color Challenge prompt #16 Read a book with two or more color words in the title.
Either A Cat of a Different Color by Lydia Adamson or The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride to fulfill 2020 Reading Challenge Color Challenge prompt #17 Read a book with the word “Color” in the title.
Waiting until January now to begin The Wall of Storms (Dandelion Dynasty #2) by Ken Liu.
I have already fit these into 2021 reading challenge prompts!
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi for the campus White Racial Literacy Project book club on campus.
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. I was hoping to finish them for Nonfiction November.
Yet another nonfiction read--Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker.
Question of the Week
Now that Goodreads has rolled out our year-in-review stats, this seems a good time to ask:
What are your favorite books that you read this year? (Any book you read, not just for this challenge.)
I never pay attention to the Goodreads stats...
Firstly, thank you so much for pluralizing the word and asking for favorite books, not just one favorite book! I can’t even fully prioritize my listing of 15! 😊
Secondly, as of this next Monday I should be at 135 for books read in 2020! Unbelievable! The most I’ve ever read in one 12-month period and I can only imagine that record will stand until the time I am able to retire from working full-time!
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Recipe Club: A Novel About Food and Friendship by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel was one of my first 2020 reads, and the lowest-rated book I read this year, but I’m certain it will remain in my heart for a long time! And I plan to try some of the recipes!
The Nightingale
The Sunday Lunch Club by Juliet Ashton was amazing! A beautiful rendering of a trans character and their family’s acceptance…
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is one of the best WWII historical fiction novels ever! IMHO! 😊
Erica Bauermeister reconfirmed her spot as one of my absolute favorite authors with The Scent Keeper.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was even more precious to me upon a reread some 50+ years later!
Us Against You (Beartown #2) by Fredrik Backman further solidified this man as an absolute favorite author!
The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman (A very even-handed presentation.)
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Listen to the audiobook, especially his afterword.)
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan
The Martian by Andy Weir
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
New series discovered this year which I plan to continue:
1) Lady Astronaut by Mary Robinette Kowal (Inhaled all 3 of these and am anxiously awaiting the fourth installment! Technically discovered it last year but am so enthralled!)
2) Lady Sherlock by Sherry Thomas
3) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (I enjoyed it more 50+ years later!)
4) Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe
5) Charles Lenox Mysteries by Charles Finch
6) The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
7) Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
8) The Giver by Lois Lowry (Man, that first book!)
9) The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (juvenile)
10) Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
11) Earthsinger Chronicles by L. Penelope
12) Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
13) Shades of Magic V.E. Schwab
14) Starbuck Family Adventure by Kathryn Lasky (juvenile)
15) The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu
16) All Four Stars by Tara Dairman (juvenile)
17) Carr Family by Susan Coolidge (juvenile)
Mod
I have never made latkes but read a recipe for them the other day and plan to try them at year's end when I have some time off from work.
"The Guest List by Lucy Foley - oh my, I really did not enjoy this book!! I found it boring, which a psychological thriller should never be; mostly, it was boring because I didn't care who died or who did it, since I hated all of the characters. I guess Foley is not for me."
I did enjoy this one. It was definitely creepy for me, but I thought it well executed. Although I would never have selected it as best of the year as the Goodreads Awards voters did. :)
I rather like the idea of a nominating poll and then an election poll for the monthly group reads.
Good morning, all! I am SO jealous reading all the beautiful descriptions of snow! It's been years since we've had snow here. I know I wouldn't be able to handle someplace like Chicago or New York and the kind of snow they get, but man, I miss the magic of looking out over the snowy landscape.Finished:
The Great Passage by Shion Miura - A book that takes place in Japan. I enjoyed the story here and, of course, I LOVE words and reading about lexicography. The flow was rather stilted, which is likely due to the translation.
Up Next:
Ten Women by Marcela Serrano - A book that takes place in a country beginning with "C" (Chile)
QOTW:
Unsurprisingly, I had a ridiculous number of 5-star reads this year (I rank fiction books purely on how much I enjoyed the experience of reading them):
The Winter of the Witch
Victorian Fairy Tales
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness
The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam: An Illustrated Memoir
Uprooted
The Impossible Knife of Memory
SHOUT
My Plain Jane
Uprooted
A Gentleman in Moscow
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
The Hate U Give
The Map of Salt and Stars
Lingo: A Language Spotter's Guide to Europe
Fer-de-Lance
The Bronze Bow
The Pink Fairy Book
Queen of the Sea
Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way
The Snow Child
West
Some absolute favorites (meaning they'll stick with me) would be West, Winter of the Witch, My Plain Jane, Uprooted, The Bronze Bow, The Snow Child, and The Map of Salt and Stars (is it obvious I really like things that involve folklore of some kind??)
Hello! There will be no snow here (like ever, lol), but it has been cool outside. We had a cold snap last week which lifted, now it's very mild - enough to keep locals out of the pools and off the beaches (well, mostly - or maybe just me).I'm at 46/50 for the challenge. I have the books I need to finish it up, now I just need the time.
This week I finished:
Good King Harry by Denise Giardina - used for prompt about a world leader, this was a great historical fiction piece on King Henry V of England.
The Last Kids on Earth: June's Wild Flight by Max Brallier - still loving this series, and this was an interesting sidebar to the main timeline. I was supposed to ship this back to my nephew 2 weeks ago, he just Slacked me the other day and I'm like "almost done! it's your uncle's fault!" (when I panic my husband takes the fall for everything lol)
QOTW: I am not ready to reflect! I am hopeful to get just a little closer to my 2020 goals before it's over!
Still, I would have to say my favorites this year were:
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia
Prance Like No One's Watching: A Guided Journal for Exploding Unicorns by James Breakwell - I realize this is more of an activity book than a traditional read, but this was just plain fun and I loved it so much I gifted a copy to my niece just because
Mod
OMG! Trying so hard not to laugh out loud since I am at work! LOL
Mod
Ugh. I'm glad someone is enjoying winter and snow. I do not. And...all my snow brushes and scrapers are in MY car which is still locked up at the mechanic's and I had nothing in the rental, so used my mittened hands! Thank goodness there was no ice under the snow! :)
"I am out of my reading slump! I finished a book this week, and I’m about halfway into another. I don’t normally re-read books unless they’re part of a much loved series, but after a 3 week reading slump, I decided to give it a try and see if something predictable would make reading more enjoyable. It’s been working for TV and movies, so why shouldn’t it work for books too?"
I am so so glad for you! YAY to the end of the slump!!
Lynn wrote: "Although I would never have selected it as best of the year as the Goodreads Awards voters did."Yeah, I've been salty about that since the winners were announced. The Sun Down Motel and Simone St. James got robbed. The Guest List isn't even half as good. Although, I think The Sun Down Motel was in the wrong category and maybe that's why it didn't get more votes.
Mod
I am so very glad for this positive news and your mother's continued recovery!
Mod
I have never seen those two words used together before! :)
Well! One of my coworkers came back positive for Covid last Thursday, so I decided to get tested as a precautionary measure. I feel absolutely fine, no symptoms, and I'm fairly sure it'll come back negative. My husband had a rapid test done at the VA hospital and his came back negative, and since I have a much stronger immune system than him, I'm not worried. So I've just been hanging out at home getting a LOT of reading done.This past week, I finished:
Pages I Never Wrote
The Black Bull of Norroway
Ghoul: Born To Kill
Plus, I've been binging the Tokyo Ghoul Complete Box Set: Includes vols. 1-14 with premium. I've read volumes 1-8.
I'm currently reading:
Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 9
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Here the Whole Time
So my extra reading time really have me a boost in my Goodreads challenge and I'm currently at 98/100. As far as Popsugar goes, I'll be using Here the Whole Time for my last prompt and then I'll be done!
Mod
LOL I know, I can never pick JUST ONE!!! I figured the rest of you might feel the same :-)
Christine wrote: "Having a puppy is the perfect metaphor for my life these days - there’s lots of good stuff, but also it’s a constant load of work and she goes through intervals of having diarrhea on the carpet.B..."
Saga has absolutely sucked me in and I'm planning on finishing the last two volumes this weekend (or rather, catching up for the Long Wait since they've gone on hiatus). Have fun, Christine!!
Mod
I have never made latkes but read a recipe for them the other day and plan to try them at year's end when I have some ..."
They are very easy but they do take a bit of time. Grate potatoes into a thin cotton towel lying in a colander. However many potatoes you think you'll eat. I never peel them, but that's me. I guess you could use a food processor for this step but I never do, I use an old box grater. Wrap the grated potatoes up in the towel and carefully TWIST tight to squeeze as much water out as you can. Then squeeze again. Then squeeze one more time, I know there's still water in there! Then mix the potatoes in a big bowl with 1 or 2 beaten eggs, some minced or grated onion, and some flour or bread crumbs or matzoh meal. (Personally I use about 5 big potatoes, half an onion, 2 eggs, and 1 c flour.) Plop about 1/2 cup each onto hot frying pan, flatten a bit into a pancake. Fry them in batches on med-high heat in some cooking oil, maybe 5-7 minutes on each side until browned. Drain on a rack or on paper towels. Add a bit more oil before each batch - it's a holiday all about oil, after all!! I keep them warm in the oven while I cook the rest, but really they are best fresh off the pan, I just don't like to keep cooking while I'm eating. Serve with applesauce and sour cream. Argue with each other about which is better, the sour cream or the applesauce.
I use almost the same exact recipe for zucchini pancakes, too.
Mod
If you're looking for a book on social justice for the 2021 prompt, this is a great choice.
Hurricane Child. I barely remember putting this on hold, but I think it was back in the summer, for the summer prompt about a book with a body of water on the cover. It reads like a Caribbean folktale, with a trans MC and LGBTQ+ representation. It's a bittersweet read, coming to terms with self and sexuality, first crush, and the evolution of family.
Good quick read if you are looking for a book by a trans author. (I can't remember the prompt #s, and trying to do this from my phone lol.)"
Both of these are now on my TBR listing. They look wonderful!
And again, so glad some actually appreciate snow! :)
Lynn wrote: "Kenya wrote: "Biblical romance"I have never seen those two words used together before! :)"
LOL... if we had the "genre you've never heard of before" prompt again I guess it could fit that. XD Essentially it's a romance set during Biblical times. They're more common than people think, especially in Christian-fiction circles. I normally don't read them because they hit two genres I'm not huge on (historical fiction and romance), but it was a gift and I felt obligated, haha...
Mod
Gahhhh that has happened to me!!! Why don't all rentals come with snow brushes??? They could get cheap brushes made w/ the rental company name - free advertising if people take them!
Mod
I am obviously in the "curmudgeon minority" regarding snow! LOL
Mod
This was such an emotional read for me!
K.L. wrote: "Just a quick update about my mum... She is continuing to heal well post-surgery, but is still experiencing a significant amount of aphasia, which is making it difficult for her to communicate. "Thank you for the update--I'm so glad to hear she seems to be recovering well! I'll continuing praying for a full recovery. :)
Whoops!! I forgot about the QOTW!! I've read so many amazing books this year so it's really hard to even narrow down the list. The Farseer Trilogy
His Dark Materials
All-American Muslim Girl
Frankly in Love
Darius the Great Is Not Okay
White Rose
The Extraordinaries
Cemetery Boys
Plus I'm loving Tokyo Ghoul Complete Box Set: Includes vols. 1-14 with premium
and I think Here the Whole Time is going to be on that list as well.
And this is just an abbreviated list!
Lynn wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption - This one's small, but it's A Lot."This was such an emotional read for me!"
Very much so, Lynn!
oof I had almost finished writing this when I accidentally hit back and the whole thing got deletedAnyway, homestretch! Two more books to read by the end of the year!
Finished reading: (41/50 unique books, 48/50 prompts covered)
The Grand Dark (upside-down cover image, three-word title, robots) - Steampunk fantasy. This was a lot slower than I was expecting. It takes over half the book for the central conflict to emerge, and the main character is a spineless everyman who has to be forced into heroism. Not my kind of character; I like protags with more gumption. But I did enjoy it once things got going.
Also I still love that cover:
Currently reading:
Redemption Ark (pun in the title, passes Bechdel test)
QotW: Gideon the Ninth is my absolute favorite book this year. Short list of things I liked:
- Gideon
- Harrow
- Gideon x Harrow
Plus it's a cross between a magic puzzle-solving competition and a mafia-esque murder mystery; what's not to love?
Other favorites from this year: Catherynne Valente's Radiance, Kameron Hurley's The Light Brigade, On a Sunbeam, Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You
I'm so glad I have all my challenges completed! Now I can sit back and enjoy the holidays... spend more time planning holiday meals, baking, decorating. I wish today's mail would hurry up and get here. I've got craft materials coming!!!Completed:
Horrid: "She couldn't remember the first book she had eaten." With a first line like that how could I resist? Creepy, clever, and engaging.
Trust: America's Best Chance: I'm a huge fan of Pete Buttigieg, and I was not in any way disappointed in this slim, graceful, inspired volume. It's not just an essay on the role of trust in a democracy. It's based on research, extensively footnoted, including an excerpt of a Pew Report on trust across demographic groups. Really, really well done.
The Renegade Queen: I was intrigued by this fictional account of the life of Victoria Woodhull (I won a Kindle copy in a Goodreads Giveaway) but came away somewhat disappointed. It's like the book couldn't decide what it wanted to be... a serious biography? A romance? A melodrama? I think I'd be more interested in a nonfiction account of her life.
Seduction on a Snowy Night: Seduction? This should have called "Abduction on a Snowy Night." Is that a trope we're still using? Regardless, Madeline Hunter's entry was mildly entertaining and Sabrina Jeffries did not disappoint (this was more a rescue than an abduction), but Mary Jo Putney's story was atrocious.
The Once and Future Witches: "Witching and women's rights. Suffrage and spells... They're both a kind of power, aren't they? The kind we aren't allowed to have." Harrow writes beautifully, and I will read any of it. I didn't love The Once and Future Witches the way I did The Ten Thousand Doors of January; the sisters are prickly and hard to love... although isn't that how witches should be? I'm going to let this sit for awhile. I have a feeling I'll be coming back.
QOTW: Whew! This may be a long list. I've logged 252 books this year... way more than ever before. Here they are - my 5-star reads:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Trust: America's Best Chance
The Binding
The Odds of Loving Grover ClevelandBeastie Boys Book
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters
Middlesex
Snow, Glass, Apples
Party of Two
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here
Ask Again, Yes
The Calculating Stars
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town
The Unhoneymooners
March: Book Three
The Glass Hotel
Red, White & Royal Blue
Know My Name
The Starless Sea
Little Fires Everywhere
Spinning Silver
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Sparrow
Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist
The Rosie Result
The Sun Down Motel
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In
Finished:And We Came Outside and Saw the Stars Again: Writers from Around the World on the Covid-19 Pandemic I didn't enjoy this one as much as I anticipated. One of the other reviewers said it was too soon and that may have been the problem.
The Home Edit Life: The Complete Guide to Organizing Absolutely Everything at Work, at Home, and on the Go Did this one for most beautiful cover on TBR list. It was definitely beautiful eye-candy. But not very useful beyond that.
True to Life: Why Truth Matters It always amazes me how much ground ancient philosophers cover and how little ground modern philosophers cover. This philosopher said very little. Used this for reading about a topic I'm passionate about.
Legendary Learning: The Famous Homeschoolers' Guide to Self-Directed Excellence I liked the author's focus on child-led learning. My biggest take away is that I need to spend more time outside.
Started:
Born For Love: Reflections on Loving for book I got for free because I found it in a Little Free Library,
QotW: The most important books I read this year are:
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History
Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career
Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done
Improvisation for the Spirit: Live a More Creative, Spontaneous, and Courageous Life Using the Tools of Improv Comedy
Autoboyography
The Butterfly Lampshade
How Musicals Work: And How To Write Your Own
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
Happy Thursday! Whoop whoop, finished the challenge this week! Never thought I would read 40 books this year, but I did. Don’t know whether it’s covid-19 or the challenge. I like to think it’s the challenge (*smile*).
Whoop whoop part 2: my library holds are finally in! I can pick them up next Tuesday. We’re in lockdown here until January, 19th. You can pick-up books one day a week. And of course my January TBR is already on hold, so I hope I can pick them up soon too.
Finished
A Christmas Carol - I love this classic. The book is just as good as the movie with Patrick Stewart.
Prompt: a book with a great first line
Currently reading
Das Haus am Himmelsrand (I read a Dutch translation, but I like to share the original title.)
Qotw
One 5-star: The Eighth Life
And lots of 4-stars. I especially enjoyed The Stationery Shop, Watership Down and The Giver of Stars.
Two Week Check In againWhen No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole. Contemporary suspense. I wanted to love this but the pacing was all over the place. It started slow, a “romance” was kind of shoe horned in and then a lot of bonkers stuff happened in the last 20 % and there wasn’t a lot of lead up to it.
Dating Makes Perfect by Pintip Dunn. YA romance. Thai-American main characters. Enemies to lovers-ish, fake dating, lots of Thai food references. Delightful.
They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman. YA suspense. Murder, rich kids, ehhh.
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss. Contemporary romance. Adorable…really enjoyed it.
The Cousins by Karen McManus. YA contemporary suspense. Rich kids return to the estranged grandmother’s house and try to learn why their family is estranged. Enjoyable. Would watch the heck out of a Netflix series.
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center. Contemporary romance. Older woman/younger man. Enjoyable read.
QOTW:
Favorite books:
Counting Descent by Clint Smith
The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee
An Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Beach Read by Emily Henry
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Lynn wrote: "I am obviously in the "curmudgeon minority" regarding snow! LOL"I love snow, but that's my apartment privilege talking. If I had to wake up early and shovel it I'm sure I'd feel the opposite haha
Hello! I'm jealous of everyone who got snow. We got a dusting on Sunday, but it's mostly all melted already and we likely won't get more for a bit. They're starting to talk drought because we've had so little. But I'm wise to them. They did this two years ago and we set a record for snowfall in February.I got my tree up over the weekend, and have mostly kept the cat out of it. She's ten, but this is only the second year we've had a tree, so it's still new and weird and maybe something to eat?
Finished This Week: Scapegoats: A Defense of Kimmel and Short at Pearl Harbor by Edward L Beach. This was a book I used for a term paper in college in Fall 1999, but never fully read. It's not a history of the Pearl Harbor attack like I usually read, but the author's arguments about how Admiral Kimmel and General Short shouldn't have been given all the blame. He paints really unflattering pictures of a lot of top Washington officials (including General Marshall, someone I hadn't realized had a role in this story). I agreed with his conclusions, and now want to read his sources (some of which I have, most I don't).
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. Continuing the year of Syria. A friend in my book club (meeting tonight!) said back in September that she wanted to read this, and I got it finished in time. It's a tough read, because refugees fleeing a war is not a happy story. The characters crossed the Aegean into Europe in Fall 2015/Winter 2016, putting them after the European governments had time to realize what was happening and some had closed their borders. The author had volunteered in those camps in Athens after the refugees' path out of Greece had closed, and those descriptions sounded terrible.
I remain one to go in Read Harder, Reading Women, two to go in PS Fall, one each in two other challenges, and six to go in the last, so ten books will finish all eight challenges.
Currently Reading: Know My Name by Chanel Miller. The other book I needed to read for my book club tonight. Also not an easy read. (My husband keeps telling me to read something happy.) I'm slightly past halfway, but they just had the trial finding the guy guilty, so I'm intrigued about what the second half of the book will cover. Not for a challenge.
A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne. I was able to renew the audiobook from the library, so I have it for another three weeks, but I still am having difficulty finding time to listen. Past halfway!
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein. The book about climate change/the environment/nature I need to finish three challenges. Also not happy. This one is paused for a bit.
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline. My copy is due back to the library on Tuesday, so reading it next. I'm hoping it's the happy book I need.
QOTW: What are your favorite books that you read this year?If we don't count rereads, here's my list of 5 star ratings. Looking at the list, almost all of them were ones I was reading anyway and fit into the challenge, rather than sought out due to the challenge.
Fiction:
Circe
All Systems Red
Chronicles of Light
Middlegame
The Relentless Moon
Emerald Blaze
A Killing Frost
Lightspeed Magazine, June 2014: Women Destroy Science Fiction! Special Issue
Nonfiction:
Flight: My Life in Mission Control
Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days to the Attack
The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
The Battle of Midway
Mod
LOL but ... Maybe ancient philosophers wasted a lot of time talking about nothing, too, but those books and/or philosophers have been lost and only the greatest hits have remained 2000 years later.
Mod
That's disappointing! I'm still going to read this (eventually) but I'll definitely have lower expectations for it.
Hi everyone! I got hit by that northeast snowstorm yesterday, and call me crazy, but I LOVED it! I moved here from Georgia a year ago, and I hadn't seen a good snow there since 2017. Me and my doggie played in the snow and it made me feel like a kid again!Finished
A Visitor's Companion to Tudor England by Suzannah Lipscomb. I loved it! It brought back a lot of memories of my vacation last year, just what I needed in this depressing year.
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers. Oh my god. SO. GOOD. Chambers is always amazing, but this was just beautiful.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, for my book I meant to read in 2019. I ended up DNFing Salt: A World History, because it was so boring I can't even remember what I read. So I was trying to remember if there was a book I neglected to read in 2019, and I remembered this! I brought it on vacation with me last year and didn't read it. Anyway, though, it's incredible. Genuinely one of the best things I've ever read. I can't believe it took me this long to get to it!
And that marks the end of my challenge! I finished Popsugar for the first time ever! I'm so happy I managed it this year. I'm certain being cooped up from the pandemic helped me get so much reading done, but either way, it feels good to have made it!
Currently Reading
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab. It's great, of course. I don't think Schwab is capable of writing a bad book.
You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe. I saw this nominated in the Goodreads Choice Awards, and then saw it available at my library. It's pretty good. I'm more of a British history fan than an American history one, but I still find it interesting.
QotW
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis
Also, the Darker Shade of Magic trilogy and the Villains series by V.E. Schwab and the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers!
Mod
I have never made latkes but read a recipe for them the other day and plan to try them at year's end when..."
Thank you! This will be my New Year recipe to try! :)
Mod
Yes! ;) Always good to know what you enjoy!
Mod
The book club I facilitate read and loved this! Every once in awhile one of us will mention it!
"The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman"
I just received an email yesterday that I won a Goodreads Giveaway of this one!
"The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia."
Hoping to get to this one in 2021!
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Long Bright River (other topics)Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (other topics)
Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America (other topics)
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex (other topics)
The Cold Millions (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Kia Abdullah (other topics)Emma Donoghue (other topics)
Elin Hilderbrand (other topics)
Kristin Hannah (other topics)
Brit Bennett (other topics)
More...
We're in the 2020 homestretch now. I'm ready for 2021 - all I have to do between now and then is wrap presents - while listening to an audiobook, of course. (Typing this out reminded me that I need to put another audiobook on hold so it's queued up and ready when I finish this current book, Magpie Murders.) We got a bit of snow overnight so when I woke up the entire house had that GLOW that you get from snow. Snow glow!
Of course I foolishly forgot to fill up my birdfeeders last night so now I have to go trudge through the snow and do it. It's like I'm my own worst enemy sometimes.
Admin stuff:
The 2021 list is out, I think everyone knows that!
Our December read of The Vanishing Half is ongoing here.
I set up NOMINATION polls for February & March group reads.
February
March
Nominations are open until Tuesday night EST.
This method seemed to work well last year. In the NOMINATION poll, you can vote for your choice or write in another title. Then the top four to six titles will be entered into the FINAL poll next week, and everyone can vote for the winner. This gives everyone a chance to rally for an outlier in the nomination round and then come together to vote for one winner in the final round. Let us know if this voting method still feels efficient.
This week I finished two books.
If Men, Then: Poems by Eliza Griswold - this was okay.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley - oh my, I really did not enjoy this book!! I found it boring, which a psychological thriller should never be; mostly, it was boring because I didn't care who died or who did it, since I hated all of the characters. I guess Foley is not for me. This book did remind me a lot of some other popular thrillers, so if you like Foley, I recommend you also take a look at: Everything You Want Me to Be, I See You, Something in the Water, Luckiest Girl Alive, The Woman in Cabin 10, Gone Without a Trace, and The Chalk Man. They all have the same "feel" (and I didn't really like any of them LOL but they were very popular!)
Question of the Week
Now that Goodreads has rolled out our year-in-review stats, this seems a good time to ask:
What are your favorite books that you read this year? (Any book you read, not just for this challenge.)
I have had 59 five star reads so far in 2020! Of those, these stand out:
Network Effect
Her Last Flight
The Vanishing Half (this month's group read, too!!)
Blacktop Wasteland
Black Sun
and honorable mention for the best non-fiction I've read this year:
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life - this was so good I bought a copy to give to my mother. I hope she hasn't read it already!