Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2021 Weekly Check-Ins
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Week 2: 1/7 - 1/14
I finished my first book of 2021, and I even liked it. Closing out last year and starting fresh is just what I needed.I’m still trying to be gentle with myself when I get frustrated with my lack of focus and stamina (both for reading and in general). The past few months have been full of hard stuff over and above the pandemic and unprecedented political upheaval in the US. So if I read for 10 minutes before falling asleep each night, that’s a big win!
Finished
Tales from the Black Meadow - A book set mostly or entirely outdoors - This was fun, short, and weird - perfect fodder for me! It’s a collection of (made up) folk tales and songs from an area where a village allegedly disappeared into the mist and reappears occasionally. The stories are unsettling and odd, but also fit very well into the style of traditional folklore and fairytales.
Currently Reading
The Complete Sherlock Holmes - The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list - This will be an all-year project I think - when I’m in the mood, I pop it on and let Stephen Fry read Sherlock to me. It’s lovely. Also, I just realized that “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches” is 100% a gothic tale with a female protagonist, and Sherlock is kind of just bolted onto it. This amuses me greatly.
Ring Shout - A magical realism book - I already owned this and I have that delicious luxury of the early days of the challenge, where I can just look through my books and choose something that appeals to me, then figure out what prompt to use it for.
QOTW
I certainly have a lot of books and authors I want to at least try. But the two that leap to mind that I feel I should read are Moby-Dick or, the Whale and The Count of Monte Cristo. I actually started Moby-Dick and I like the writing style a lot, but I got distracted from it and it seems so daunting to try to finish! And I confess, I'm considering an abridged version of Count of Monte Cristo, after reading some people's reviews!
Good morning!I feel like we read (at least part of) The Dispossessed for an English course when I was in college. Can't remember anything about it though, so I feel like I should give it another go eventually.
This week I finished:
City of Stairs - reread. 5 stars. I love this book so much. If you want a really well-developed fantasy (religion and politics included) this is your book. There are two more to form a trilogy but this first installment works really well as a standalone too.
The Ereshkigal Working - 4 stars. A Johannes Cabal short story, and a fun romp. A little puzzled at its placement in the scheme of things, but fun nonetheless.
How to Become A Robot in 12 Easy Steps - 4 stars. Another short story read with my Worlds Beyond the Margins group. Touches on asexuality and depression, with a sweet ending. Good stuff. Book in a different format than you usually read
Also hopefully wrapping up The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane today. This has been a solid listen; I'm a fan of Lisa See and I've read most of her other books. This one moves a bit slowly but I'm excited to see how it ends. Book with three generations
More currently reading:
Jade City - Netflix has been stealing my time the last three nights but I am loving this! Book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title
When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra - Naturally this one has stalled already. Whoops.
Die, Vol. 3: The Great Game - This just came in the mail yesterday, so I pounced on it. Love this series.
Upcoming:
The Book of Chaos, Vol. 1: Ante Genesem
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
The Tudor Secret
The Fear Institute
Also hopefully Little Chapel on the River: A Pub, a Town and the Search for What Matters Most
What’s on your “book bucket list”? (ex: big classic works that you feel you should read, or anything really)
Way too much! War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment (why so much Russian lit??)... I try to strike a balance each year between new releases vs stuff I already own. Didn't meet my owned-books goal for 2020, but it's a new year!
In 2021, I want to try a few chunky first-in-series books of series I've had lying around for years and see if I'm invested enough to continue with the rest:
Quicksilver
The Clan of the Cave Bear
The Road to Jerusalem
And my ten longest-owned:
Ratha's Creature
The Demon King
The Warrior Heir
The Historian
The Naming
Cash
Hunter's Moon
Fosse
Carrie
Never Let Me Go
I finished War and Peace as a fave from a previous year (something you sawn someone reading on tv).I read Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster as my bestseller from the 90s. Really good. Should never have happened, though.
And I've just started Bridget Jones's Diary as a book I think my bf would like. No opinion as of yet. Only on about page 15.
QOTW: The Sound and the Fury. I don' teven know why. I just feel like I should read it and keep putting it off.
Katy wrote: "I finished War and Peace as a fave from a previous year (something you sawn someone reading on tv).I read Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster as..."
Well done on finishing War and Peace! That's one I keep putting off
Good morning from a bitterly cold Columbus. I am really disliking this getting up early and taking a kid to school in the morning gig. Funny how I’ve been a mom for 14 years and this is the first school year I've been responsible for school drop off. Ugh. I haven’t read any challenge books this week, just revisiting my favorite series in anticipation of my upcoming tattoo appointment. I’ve been wanting a Sabriel tattoo for years and I’ve finally booked it.
Sabriel
Lirael
Abhorsen
Clariel
If you haven’t read these or listened to them (first three narrated by Tim Curry 😍), I highly recommend them. A YA fantasy/adventure series about a necromancer who makes sure dead spirits stay in death. Plus a talking cat and dog that are the lights of my life. A++ series.
Popsugar: 3/40; 0/10
Read Harder: 1/24
Back to the Classics: 0/12
Qotw: aside from the classics, mostly just my tbr shelf. I try to pull all my challenge books from there to make a decent dent in it. I’ve also made it a goal to read all the books Book of the Month club recommends because I’ve never picked a book from them that I didn’t love so I assume the other books I didn’t pick are also awesome.
Hi everyone! Today we have SNOW!!! Normally we only get a light dusting which is barely enough for a snowball but this is proper snowman weather.This week I finished nothing*hangs head in shame* I'm still reading The Moonstone. I'm so glad that the detective seems to know what is going on because I have no clue. (view spoiler)
My library finally started actioning holds which meant that I had thirteen books come through at once. I might pause The Moonstone to get through a few of those before they need returning.
QOTW: I have so many. This year I thought I wasn't going to have library access so I was planning on reading a classic I own every month. Now I have the library again, that might go out of the window for shiny, new books
Dani wrote: "Good morning from a bitterly cold Columbus. I am really disliking this getting up early and taking a kid to school in the morning gig. Funny how I’ve been a mom for 14 years and this is the first s..."I love Sabriel! Can I ask what tattoo you're having?
Dani wrote: "I haven’t read any challenge books this week, just revisiting my favorite series in anticipation of my upcoming tattoo appointment. I’ve been wanting a Sabriel tattoo for years and I’ve finally booked it."Funnily enough, I came to the same conclusion on my City of Stairs reread! Psyched to finally get an Olvos tattoo at some point in 2021 :D
Hello! I managed to finish one book this week, it didn't help that I wasn't really into it but it fit a prompt so... I'm 3/50 for the challenge is the good news.Finished this week:
The Galaxy Game by Karen Lord - used for Afrofuturist prompt; the pacing was very slow to me, and I didn't care for the switch off between narrators.
QOTW: Great question, here are just a few that I really hope, once again, to read or reread from my big book bucket list, unfortunately they keep getting pushed aside like you say:
J.R.R. Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
The Cider House Rules
An Acquaintance with Darkness
Atlas Shrugged
Cry, the Beloved Country
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Red and the Black
Babbitt
The House of the Seven Gables
The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set
Oz: The Complete Collection
I don't even know what to say about what's going in the US capitol. I'm trying to stay away from the TV, but I keep getting sucked back in, and I've really had a hard time concentrating. Reading helps... It takes me into another world. Sometimes even a better one.Challenge Progress: 6/50
Completed:
A Curious Beginning: "I took a sip of the tea, pleased to find it scalding hot and properly strong. I abhorred weakness of any kind but most particularly in my tea." And that's Veronica Speedwell, a modern woman in Victorian times. Fun little read. I enjoyed how very British Veronica's banter was. There was just no way to read it without hearing her very, very plummy British accent. And while the mystery (and action) were wholly improbable, the characters were fairly well developed and the slow-burn romance between Veronica and Stoker was intriguing. I don't feel compelled to continue the series, but I won't rule it out either. ★★★
Dear Edward: I don't know how you write a book about the 11-year-old sole survivor of a plane crash without lapsing into melodrama, but Ann Napolitano did it. She wrote characters I could truly care about - both in the sky and on land. I don't often enjoy fictional audiobooks, but I can't give enough praise to the narrator here. Lovely voice and intonations, wonderful characterizations. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book! (PS27: A book about do-overs or fresh starts) ★★★★★
The City We Became: "Great cities are like any other living things, being born and maturing and wearying and dying in their turn." What a weird, weird book! Full of ideas and action. Really captures the identities of New York City's boroughs. I'm looking forward to the next weird, wild installment. N. K. Jemisin is such an original writer. ★★★★
A Sting in the Tale: My Adventures with Bumblebees: "We owe these little creatures for all that they give us." Goulson presents a tremendous amount of information about bees, and does it in a deft, yet humorous manner. Yes, Dave Goulson is funny! His side comments are hilarious and yet don't detract from the scientific information being presented. I enjoyed the literary and historic quotes about bees that headed each chapter. "Perhaps if we learn to save a bee today we can save the world tomorrow?" ★★★★
Bridgerton: The Duke and I: This is a great historical romance. It's witty and sexy (but not prurient) and clever. Sure, there's a scene that many people object to, but it's not glorified... and I can live with that. The Netflix series doesn't strictly adhere to the text, but it's a joy to watch. (PS9: A book with a family tree) ★★★★
Multiple Choice: Wow. This little book of poetry could take an hour to read... or days. Written in the style of a standardized test, Zambra challenges the reader to examine the choices - it really forces you to think about what you're reading. I think this would make a great book club selection for a groups that really wants to stretch. (PS35: A book in a different format than you usually read - poetry) ★★★★
Ayn Rand's Anthem: The Graphic Novel: This is just a bad graphic novel. The art is static and conventional, and the text overwhelms the page. Nearly every other word is written in bold, reminding me of the political diatribes that litter our social media sites. Furthermore, as other reviewers have noted, the unnumbered pages fell out as I read. (PS42: The shortest book on your TBR list) ★
An Unkindness of Magicians: "Fortune’s Wheel has begun its Turning. When it ceases rotation, all will be made new." This one got off to a rocky start. I really thought I was going to give up... I didn't understand how these characters knew each other and only Sydney was given a vivid physical description (we know that Laurent is black and that Lara has "bright" hair, but that's about it). I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. A family tree or cast of characters might have been helpful. BUT the story got better and better, and finally I was hooked. I see that a second volume is available, and now that I understand their world and their relationships I might just check it out. ★★★
Seth and I only read four book this week, but at least we finished all the Christmas ones!
Clark the Shark Loves Christmas ★★★★
How to Hide a Lion at Christmas ★★★★
Merry Merry Holly Holly ★★★★
I Am a Cat ★★★★★
Currently Reading:
Have You Seen Luis Velez?
Unthinkable: What the World's Most Extraordinary Brains Can Teach Us About Our Own (PS3: A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover)
The Duke Who Didn't
H is for Hawk
One to Watch (PS18: A book about body positivity)
Olive Kitteridge
The Vanishing Half (PS39: A book everyone seems to have read but you)
QOTW: One of my father's favorite books was The Last Temptation of Christ. He was a ordained minister and loved how it showed Jesus's humanity. He gave me a copy ages and ages ago - at least 15 years - and I've never read it. Maybe this is the year.
Not much to report on life-wise, things are very monotonous round here, but at least we're safe and well. My boyfriend did just buy me a locally grown orchid to have on my work from home desk. The nursery down the road usually only supplies shops with plants so they've lost a lot of business over the last year. So he was doing his bit by supporting them and now I have something pretty to look at.Finished:
A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir for an American Muslim author. I was a bit disappointed in this final instalment. The first half was boring and I felt like I was reading it forever, but then I did enjoy the second half a lot more. If it hadn't been a series finale I probably would have given up though. Should have been 300 pages not 500!
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark for ATY (Egyptian Museum), this was loads of fun. I can't wait for the full length novel in this series.
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson for ATY (Goodreads Choice Awards). I started this audiobook last year but didn't really get much listening time till now. I was rooting for the witches, even though they were considered evil, the prophet's cult was just as evil. I'm now not sure what counts as horror any more, as this wasn't scary, apart from the religious fervour, but I liked it. I shall try and read more horror this year.
Currently reading The Vanishing Stair and listening to Don't Touch My Hair.
PS: 2/50 | ATY: 4/52 | GR: 6/100
QOTW:
I'm not one for "should read" books. I have told myself to read anything I pre-order this year in this year, so that would be this shelf so far! Hrm, I may have a book buying problem, we're only two weeks in...
I’ve been riding the struggle bus when it comes to mornings. Not that most people love mornings, but my work from home days are starting later and later (and ending later and later). That means my reading time is disappearing too because I usually read after work and before dinner, then after the news and before bed. Those times have all blended together now. How did this happen after my 2 week vacation, but not during vacation!? Finished
Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie (a book with a diamond, heart, spade, or club on the cover). Really excellent mystery with an incredible premise. At a dinner party with four detectives and four murderers, the host is killed. It sounds out there, but it’s amazing. I have an example to share about how little sense racists make. One of the suspects must be innocent because “he’s a white man” (a direct quote, said three times), but white men are the murderers in some of Christie’s most popular books. (view spoiler) So that was both mind boggling and grimly funny.
Reading
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morganthaler. I don’t know if I’m going to finish this. It’s not bad, but it’s not good either. It thinks it’s more clever and funny than it is.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. I’m making good progress on the audiobook thanks to some copy/pasting migration projects at work.
QOTW
I don’t really have a ongoing book bucket list, but every year I pick a few classics I haven’t read before and add those to my reading goal for the year. This year I want to read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Watership Down, Dracula, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. I might say Curtain is on my book bucket list because I’m saving it until I read every other Poirot mystery. If I read one a month this year, I can read Curtain in December.
Happy Thursday, y’all.It's been a rough month -- not just for the US, but at work. Someone broke into the library where I work over New Years' (nothing stolen or damaged save the window thankfully), two long-time employees quit without notice, and for whatever reason everyone and their dog wants to apply for a passport with us. Where do these people think they're going???
Books -- you steal my time but you save my sanity...
Books read this week:
The Book of Lost Things -- for “book that’s been on your TBR list the longest.” A dark but thoughtful and strangely satisfying fairy tale about growing up.
The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer -- for “book with a rock, gemstone, or mineral in the title.” Not as good as his best (Snow Crash, in my opinion) but still a fascinating read.
Two Truths and a Lie -- not for the challenge, though it could fit the “book about forgetting” prompt if you don’t mind using a short story to fill the prompt. A quick but chilling Tor short with the feel of an Internet creepypasta.
Little Free Library -- not for the challenge. Can you tell I’ve discovered and am enjoying the Tor shorts? This one was adorable, and makes me want to start a Little Free Library of my own.
A Wish in the Dark -- not for the challenge. A lovely Thailand-based fantasy story, and while not as grounded in current events as some other books, it still carries a timely message.
I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After -- graphic novel, not for the challenge. NOT FOR KIDS, despite being about a little girl trapped in a colorful, saccharine Fairyland. Weird and wacky, but kinda fun if you don’t mind a LOT of cartoonish gore.
Currently Reading:
Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales -- for “longest book on your TBR list”
The Travelling Cat Chronicles -- for “favorite prompt from the 2016 challenge (book translated into English)”
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 -- for “genre hybrid”
Across the Green Grass Fields -- for “book published in 2021”
QOTW:
Don't really have a bucket list for reading, except to try to whittle my TBR list down to under 900. Which would be much easier if I didn't keep coming across so many interesting-looking books, haha...
🗓Week 2:✔️Prompt #2 afrofuturist Raybearer⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚Books read this week: 7
Popsugar: 12/50
ATY: 12/52
goodreads: 12/100
📚Reading Goals: mood read, read 100 books, read diverse
It’s a cold and rainy morning here in North Carolina. Perfect day for reading though. The best piece of advice I gave myself after these first days of the New Year and struggling to ease my mind, was to just grab whatever book I felt like and embrace mood reading, and try to make the book work for any prompt for either Popsugar or the ATY challenges. (I was adding more stress on myself to make sure to read that book that week I think). Also thankful for Audiobooks!
✔️Week 2 Finished: (1/8-1/14)
Black Buck ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#50 Popsugar (gifted) 🎧
The Wife Upstairs ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
#35 Popsugar (different platform) 🎧
The Last Garden in England ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#7 Popsugar (dream job) I love the idea of restoring an old garden, despite the fact that I have a brown thumb, ha
You Have a Match ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#22 Popsugar (set outdoors)
The Perfect Guests ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
#40 Popsugar (favorite past prompt) 2015 author you never read
Shadow and Bone ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#4 Popsugar (zodiac sign) Aries= Leigh Bardugo
Life's Too Short ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#3 Popsugar (heart on the cover)
The Mothers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#39 Popsugar (everyone else read but you)
📖Currently Reading:
The Prophets
📚Further Reading Plans: (Week 3)
Shipped
❓Question of the Week:
What’s on your “book bucket list”? (ex: big classic works that you feel you should read, or anything really)
💬AOTW:
Jane Eyre
After finishing The Wife Upstairs I really want to read the classic, which I’ve never done before.
I also hope to make a dent in my goodreads backlist TBR and my shelves, which I tend to get distracted when the shiny new books are released.
Mod
gahhhh this book was on my "must read in2020" list ... and I STILL haven't read it!! So. Many. Books.
Mod
A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir for an American Muslim author. I was a bit disappointed in this final instalment. The first half was boring and I felt like I was reading it forever, but then I did enjoy the second half a lot more. If it hadn't been a series finale I probably would have given up though. Should have been 300 pages not 500! ..."
oh dear. that's how I felt about the previous book in this series. I suppose, eventually, curiosity will get the best of me, and I'll read this. Just to complete the series. But it'll be a while ...
Two Week Check In again Less than 100 reviews
A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins. Historical romance/mystery. It was cute. I’d pick up the second one.
Ugly cover
The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson. Contemporary YA/mystery. I’m really enjoying this series and will pick up the fourth.
DNF
The Duke Effect by Sophie Jordan. I started this in October and set it on my shoe rack for some reason and then found it again when I was cleaning in late December. And it’s the one I’m going to use for this prompt because I’m not reading Moby Dick or Anna Karenina or the awful free books on my kindle that I’ve stopped reading.
Historical romance but I kind of hated it. There was not enough interaction for me and the first sex scene was kind of icky for me.
The Survivors by Jane Harper. This was one of my Book of the Month January picks. Contemporary mystery. I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t the fastest moving book but it was a good read. It’s set in Tasmania which could be used for country you want to travel to.
QOTW:
I don’t really have an big book bucket list. I majored in English so I’ve read a lot of the “classics”. My TBR shelf on goodreads is literally just books I’ve bought but haven’t read. I do “shop” a lot on Amazon and then just leave it in my cart. I do have about 200 books in the saved for later section.
Sarah wrote: "Hi everyone! Today we have SNOW!!! Normally we only get a light dusting which is barely enough for a snowball but this is proper snowman weather.This week I finished nothing*hangs head in shame* ..."
Enjoy the snow! ❄️
Kenya wrote: "Happy Thursday, y’all.It's been a rough month -- not just for the US, but at work. Someone broke into the library where I work over New Years' (nothing stolen or damaged save the window thankfull..."
I laughed at the passport and thought the same thing to myself. Sorry about things at work right now
I am very grateful for books right now. I have been reading a lot, as I usually do in January because of the excitement of all the new reading challenges.Finished:
Solutions and Other Problems for book by blogger, etc.
A Deadly Education for dark academia. I liked it, but not nearly as much as Uprooted or Spinning Silver.
Moonflower Murders on audio. Really well done audiobook. I've been reading a lot of mysteries, I guess it's my comfort reading. This was a really fun book within a book one.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You for a book about racism or race relations. This was good for kids I think, but I should have just gone for the original Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. Although Jason Reynolds' reading was wonderful. Makes me want to seek out other books by him, if he reads his own.
Currently reading:
War and Peace
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett
Summer Kitchens: Recipes and Reminiscences from Every Corner of Ukraine
Leave the World Behind on audio
QOTW:
Well I am currently reading War and Peace, that has been on my big book bucket list forever.
Moby-Dick or, the Whale Every time I go to New England I am reminded that I want to read this book, despite what a lot of people say.
Most Charles Dickens books are huge. I have only read A Tale of Two Cities, that was the one I wanted to read the most. So I still have a lot left.
Happy Afternoon from snowy Germany,This week i finished Sweet Disorder by Rose Lerner for ✔️17. A book that has the same title as a song.
"Sweet disorder" is a song by new zealand band "Strawpeople" ;-)
Currently reading:
Murder on the Last Frontier by Cathy Pegau for 27. A book about do-overs or fresh starts
I like the Alaska-Setting and Charlotte, the curios journalist.
Vom Winde verweht by Margaret Mitchell, german translation of Gone with the Wind for 12. A book you have seen on someone’s bookshelf (in real life, on a Zoom call, in a TV show, etc.)
I saw this book on my friends bookshelf on her birthday. Its a re-read for me and a longtime-project. I read one chapter per day.
Afternoon!It snowed today, which is delightful.
Done not bad reading-wise this week. My mojo took a big hit last year but maybe it's getting better.
Completed:
The Dutch House - I really enjoyed this. Reminded me somewhat of The Goldfinch - I'm not sure why, the plot isn't similar. I guess it's just the fact that both are literary coming-of-age novels with American male protagonists?
In the Dream House: A Memoir - This was very hard-hitting. The format is quite unusual and I get why it'd be offputting but it did connect with me - in fact the frequent use of second-person was highly effective... often frighteningly so.
The Hate U Give - Reread in prep for the new prequel. I think I read it too fast this time, it didn't hit me quite the same way.
Concrete Rose - And this is said prequel. Brilliant, really feels like more than 300-odd pages. I find Angie Thomas is great at putting the reader in the moment - everything happening feels very immediate and real. There was one scene, in which something very bad happens, when I found myself flipping through the pages as fast as I could read whispering "ohcrapohcrap".
Ms. Thomas is really the only YA writer I follow but I will pretty much buy anything she writes. Apparently her next book is a middle-grade fantasy, and I. am. here. for. it.
Currently reading History of the Rain. I wanted a dose of delightful Irishness. ... Plus it was the exact same size as a book I needed to fit onto the TBR shelf, so I swapped them. 😅
QOTW:
I don't know. I guess my whole TBR is my book bucket list, really.
The main thing I want to prioritise from it this year is Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy - I read the first one at the beginning of lockdown as a big, chunky, distracting comfort read. Now we're nearly a year into said lockdown (*SIGH*) and I want to reread that and move on to the sequels.
There's about a million things I want to reread...
Laura wrote: "A Curious Beginning: "I took a sip of the tea, pleased to find it scalding hot and properly strong. I abhorred weakness of any kind but most particularly in my tea." And that's Veronica Speedwell, a modern woman in Victorian times. Fun little read. I enjoyed how very British Veronica's banter was. There was just no way to read it without hearing her very, very plummy British accent. And while the mystery (and action) were wholly improbable, the characters were fairly well developed and the slow-burn romance between Veronica and Stoker was intriguing. I don't feel compelled to continue the series, but I won't rule it out either. ★★★"I'm excited to read this one! It came in the mail over the holidays. Have you read her Lady Julia Grey series? Those ended up being my fluffy-escapism reads in 2020 and I've enjoyed them very much.
Ellie wrote: "The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark for ATY (Egyptian Museum), this was loads of fun. I can't wait for the full length novel in this series."I'm excited for Master of Djinn as well! Did you read A Dead Djinn in Cairo? P Djeli Clark has quickly become a favorite writer of mine.
I'm glad it's Thursday, since it's been a long week and I actually have a full day off work on Saturday, so I'm ready for the break. This week I finished:
Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs, and the Revolution in the Americas Wow, this is a tough read (plenty of historical graphic violence, though not done in a fetishizing way), but it's such an important read. The author did an excellent job of grappling with the grey areas related to El Salvador, gangs, war, violence, etc. And the poem at the end was incredibly moving. Highly recommend if you can handle descriptions of massacres. (subject I'm passionate about prompt) 5 stars
Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America I've read lots of Michael Eric Dyson, and while I struggled a bit with the first half (detailed descriptions of the murders of Black folks like George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery - I think this part was unnecessarily traumatic, especially for Black readers), the second half was strong. (social justice issue prompt) 4 stars
F*ck Your Diet: And Other Things My Thighs Tell Me I liked this except for the "veganism is the answer" parts, which were more prevalent than I had the patience for. (body positivity prompt) 3 stars.
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies I don't read romance, and I don't like reading stories that include lots of sex, and some of these stories had elements of those things, but I ended up absolutely adoring this collection as a whole. Some of the stories moved me to near-tears and it was so beautiful. Highly recommend. (three generations prompt) 5 stars
Where We Come From I got this book over a year ago at an event for the author since he's local. I think he tackled a serious subject in a lighter -but still appropriate- way. (song title prompt) 4 stars
I'm currently listening to The Resisters and reading Piranesi in print.
QOTW: Oh yes. Many books on that list. It takes me a long time to get around to long books in print that aren't likely to end up on any of my book club lists... I'm thinking One of Us: The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Norway and Doctor Zhivago especially.
I'm excited for Master of Djinn as well! Did you read A Dead Djinn in Cairo? P Djeli Clark has quickly become a favorite writer of mine..."Yes, though I thought that one was way too short for all the new info, hence why I'm very happy they are slowly getting longer!
Katy wrote: "I finished War and Peace as a fave from a previous year (something you sawn someone reading on tv).I read Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster as..."
Congrats on War and Peace! How long did it take you?
This week I am thankful to books for keeping me from doomscrolling! Or at least cutting down on how much of it I did.Finished:
A Curse So Dark and Lonely (4/5) (No prompt)
This was just a nice read. I won't be reading the sequels unless I get very bored or something; looks like they're just conflict for conflict's sake and I'm not interested.
Imbolc: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Brigid's Day (4/5) (No prompt)
Good little basic guide, less cheesy than some of the others I've read in this series.
Into the Drowning Deep (5/5) (PS #21 - A genre hybrid)
Ooh I loved this! I was just reading it so I could read the prequel for the song title prompt, but then I realized that Horror + Fantasy + Sci-Fi definitely counts as a genre hybrid. I started explaining the book to my husband and he said "I would think you're describing a Crichton book except you've already named 2 women who are important to the plot."
Down Among the Sticks and Bones (5/5) (No prompt)
I didn't mean to read two McGuire/Grant books in one week, but I got pinned beneath my dog and my cat napping on me and this was already loaded on my phone. I really loved the first book and was worried this wouldn't be as good, but it's such a complete shift in setting and characters that I didn't compare them at all!
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (5/5) (PS #34 - Social justice issue)
Nonfiction is not my favorite thing to read, and normally it goes extremely slowly. This one had actual people's stories woven in with the facts and it read very quickly. I recommended it to a friend who enjoys social justice nonfiction and said "I think you'll enjoy reading this and also it will make you foam at the mouth in anger."
Riot Baby (4/5) (PS #20 - BLM reading list)
This was a good imaginative story, but I felt that it petered out in a strange way at the end.
Mexican Gothic (4/5) (PS #39 - Everyone seems to have read)
I love gothic novels, I just think they're fun! The family secret (because can it be a gothic novel without one?) was pretty weird in this one but I still enjoyed it overall.
Currently reading:
Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs and Rituals (PS #36 - Fewer than 1000 reviews)
Between this and the Imbolc book above some may notice I'm trying to read up on religions. This is gigantic and I'm expecting I'll be reading it in snippets over the next few months.
The Star Beast (PS #44 - TBR with the ugliest cover)Got this in a box of sci-fi novels at a garage sale and never paid much attention to it. When I went browsing through my shelves for ugly covers I burst out laughing at this one! The image itself is ridiculous but my favorite part is a little hard to see online - everything in that image is rendered and shaded EXCEPT the poor boy's pants, which are just that flat orange cover.
Eve of Darkness (No prompt)
Wow! This is bad!
QOTW:
There's plenty of classics I want to get to eventually, but the one I feel bad about is The Divine Comedy. I borrowed a copy from a friend in high school who then moved away without asking for it back. I never finished it, and I feel like I need to so that just on the off-chance I see him again I can return the book.
Good morning everyone! I am so tired today and not really sure why. But I'm super excited because our local Barnes and Noble did a book drive for our school system over the holidays and we had more than 1300 books donated to our school libraries! It was so fun yesterday getting to select books and I'm so grateful for such a supportive community.I finished one book this week and it's one I had actually started last year but not for a challenge prompt so I put it off because I was really down to the wire. I read An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People. This is one of the books I'm required to read for my Professional Development this year (I'm an elementary librarian and our district is doing a 21 diverse book reading challenge). I used it for a book written by an Indigenous author. And I was excited to see that the author who adapted this for younger readers is from Oklahoma, where I live. It's a great book for young adults to get the other half of American history, the side that is often left out of school textbooks because it shows the worst of us. It can get a little dry at times talking about all of the treaties and politics, but I think young readers are more politically aware now. The don't shy away from these tough conversations like we used to so I think it's a good read for many of them.
QOTW: Oh, I have so many classics I've been meaning to get to. The long Russian tomes, Les Mis, etc. I have a list of 100 books to read in a lifetime and I try to tick at least one or two each year. But this year my goal is to really read more children's classics and new releases, now that I'm an elementary librarian. I will feel no shame that half my challenge this year is middle grade novels.
I started this challenge (and New Year) off so strong, and then everything just stopped.PS: 2/50
ATY: 2/52
Finished:
You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe. This was extremely well written and coincided with current events. I learned more about George Washington than I ever would have reading a 500+ page biography.
Currently Reading:
A Promised Land by Barack Obama. I am listening to the audio, read by Obama and am a little more than half way through the 29+ hours of audio. At times it makes me angry, or sad, or empowered but I am just plugging along.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. If I was more in a reading mood this week I would have blasted through this book. I love the writing and the story so far (only 30-ish pages in). I can't wait to read about Addie's experiences which begin in 1700's France and move through time to 2014.
QOTW:
Anna Karenina is definitely on my "book bucket list", at some point I will sit down and read it but it is not a priority now. I finally read Rebecca last year which was on my bucket list previously so that felt good.
Hi everyone,Enjoying some almost-40's weather yesterday and today. Actually going outside for some runs and walks!
This week I finished:
This Is How You Lose the Time War - Loved this, such a great story. I've read plenty of time travel novels, but nothing quite like this. Used it for Popsugar previous year's challenge prompt book involving time travel from 2018 I think. Also used for ATY's short book by a new to you author. I'd not read either of the authors before. Also works for the small group challenge i'm doing, book with a basket case/social outcast.
Galatea - shortest book on my tbr, really a short story at 34 but I'd gotten it as a kindle stand alone so I figure it counts. Also Reading Women, book under 100 pages. I liked it, although it's obviously not as fleshed out as a full novel. I don't know if I would have WANTED it to be a full novel, the guy was a creep.
Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America - wow, talk about a timely read. Actually had to set it down for a few days last week because it was a little too relevant. Really well written, researched. Used for BLM reading list, although I've not actually seen it on a list, it's related material. It came out right at the end of last year, well after the wave of reading lists were being posted. But her other book, So You Want To Talk About Race was on almost every list I saw. Also counted for ATY, book about racism or race relations, Read Harder nonfiction book about anti-racism, booknerds book that makes you think.
A Deadly Education - I really enjoyed this. I can see some of the problems people had, but I also know she wrote an apology that felt pretty heartfelt, that had ways she would try to avoid making some of those mistakes in the future. I think that's pretty fair, and she didn't blame anyone but herself for her stumble. For me, didn't take away from the actual story too much. I thought it was a really fun take on the magic school/chosen one tropes. I don't know if I've ever read anything where the main character was destined to be evil but didn't want to be. Maybe some in Mercedes Lackey's 500 books, but that had outside help to prevent them from going bad. This was all self-motivated "I don't WANT to be evil". I used it for popsugar Dark Acadamia, ATY book with magical elements.
Currently Reading:
The Many Lives of Tom Waits - just barely started this, no opinions yet. Not sure what i'll use it for yet. it has green text, so it ALMOST fits black and white cover, but not quite. I might count it as something I'm passionate about, Tom Waits is one of my favorite musicians. I don't really know if i have anything i'm PASSIONATE about, that feels like a strong word. I'm sort of an interest butterfly. I fly around trying one thing and another and another. Some stuff I keep coming back to, but nothing is just THE ONE.
QOTW:
I don't really have any books like that. I "should" myself in basically every other aspect of my life, I read what I want. If I feel like I "should" read something like as self improvement I do it right then. not just some nebulous eventual thing. I decided to read a Count of Monte Cristo last year because I saw people embarking on it as a group read, so joined in. But it wasn't something I PLANNED to do. I guess maybe A Tale of Genji might count, if only because I bought it several years and tried to get through it and gave up. It's more of a completion thing, than because I think I NEED to read it. I guess if anything I just feel like i should get through books on my kindle because I bought them, so should at least try to read them.
I finished one book (almost two but I got too sleepy to finish it last night!) For the prompt A book set in multiple countries I read Absence of Mercy by S.M. GoodwinIt's a historical mystery set in England (partially) and NYC (mostly) in 1851. It could have been used for the social justice prompt too dealing with slavery, prejudice and misogyny (not to mention issues of poverty and homelessness). It's very good but it is also very dark (and one of the few historicals I've seen willing to use F bombs though they definitely did use that word then since I've seen it in court documents from at least 100 years earlier). I'm looking forward to more in this series.
QOTW My book bucket is ridiculous. I have four book cases and countless bins of books to read mostly from library sales (mysteries and SF/F/UF mostly). I am very much looking forward to Legendborn by Tracy Deonn and Tinderbox: Soldier of Indira by Lou Diamond Phillips both of which on the queue for this challenge
Charlotte wrote: "Good morning everyone! I am so tired today and not really sure why. But I'm super excited because our local Barnes and Noble did a book drive for our school system over the holidays and we had more..."I love hearing about schools learning about Indigenous People's history! I majored in "Native American Studies" in college and took many history, law, and contemporary classes that involve Indigenous Peoples. There is so much history that many schools overlook because it paints a horrible picture but so worth the education.
Morning!!I've decided to use a few of my vacation days and give myself a four day weekend. I'm taking Friday and Monday off. I'm gonna get breakfast and go to look and buy some books (of course masked up and social distancing). I'm pretty excited.
Finished:
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell for the longest book (by pages) on your TBR list. I started this one back on December 8th and FINALLY finished it since the last check in. This was only a 3.5 star read for me. The writing is beautiful and Clarke really built a world. There were parts of it that really dragged for me but the third/last part of the book was really good. I can see why some people love this book.
Spoiler Alert for a book that discusses body positivity. I really liked this. I liked how the author used fandom and didn't make fun of it. I liked how sure of her shelf our heroine was. I did see the big third act break-up coming from a mile away but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of it. I highly recommend.
The Deep - My hold for the audio of this came up, which I highly recommend. It's read by Daveed Diggs and he does a great job. The book itself is so interesting. It's such an interesting concept and the world that Solomon built is so rich. There is a disjointed aspect to the storytelling but for this story it really works.
Little Miss Little Compton: A Memoir for a DNF book from your TBR list. I only DNF'd this last year because my hold for A Promised Land came in a lot quicker than I expected and this this came out and thought this would be the perfect fit. Arden is funny and sweet and has led such an odd life (her parents married on a dare...seriously they did). I recommend the audiobook and her podcast Will You Accept This Rose.
Currently Reading:
Anna Karenina for the book that’s been on your TBR list for the longest amount of time. I'm right on track with this one with the reddit subreddit r/yearofannakarenina. We're only six chapters in but I'm enjoying it. I know a bit of what happens but I don't know all the ins and outs of the story. So, I'm excited to see where it goes.
Open Water - Still working my way through this. It's well written and I like what the author is doing but it's not for me. I got it via NetGalley so I feel like I should finish it. I feel a bit lost in the story but I plan on focusing on this one tonight to finish it off.
They Never Learn for a free book from your TBR list (gifted, borrowed, library). This was a Goodreads giveaway winner at the end of last year! I'm liking this one. I have a thought of where this story is going but I could be wrong.
Death on the Nile for a locked-room mystery. I plan on starting the audio of this tonight when I'm driving home from work. It's going to my friend and I's first book club book. So I want to have plenty of time to get through it and get my thoughts together before next Saturday.
QOTW:
I'm actually reading one of those books right now. Anna Karenina has been a want to read for a long time and I'm currently reading it and enjoying it. I also always talk about how much I love Jane Austen but I've not read all of her books. I'm going to try to get through two of them this year.
Good morning! I'm on my lunch break at work, so let's see how far I can get with this on my kindle before my time runs out. I've been reading some of the new little visual books I've acquired recently hoping that it will help me get more into get habit of picking up paper books again. Clearly waiting for the crap to be over so I can read in the coffee shop again hasn't worked.Finished:
One of Our Thursdays Is Missing - This series was fun for the most part but was kinda all over the place
The Woman Who Died a Lot - That is one ugly cover
*Amari and the Night Brothers - Good but nothing surprising. I bet the next one is more fun.
The Silence - Ugh
Who Censored Roger Rabbit? - I wish I could remember just how much it differs from the movie. Quite a lot and yet it was still totally recognizable. Should rewatch, it's been decades.
Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise - It's so cute and tiny
*Light for the World to See: A Thousand Words on Race and Hope - Kwame Alexander -Five stars. Recommend to everyone. Three poems, fun design. Buy one for yourself, they are half price at B&N right now.
Sorted Books - Fun with book spines taken very seriously.
Will Save the Galaxy for Food -Pretty fun.
Currently Reading:
Miss Benson's Beetle - Yay adventures for women!
Accidentally Wes Anderson
I'll have to do the qotw at home later
Edited to add: *denotes BIPOC author
Milena wrote: "Katy wrote: "I finished War and Peace as a fave from a previous year (something you sawn someone reading on tv).Congrats on War and Peace! How long did it take you?.."
About 2 and a half weeks, but I was off work the first week.
I finished three books for the week. 1. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. This turned out to be a reread. I read it in 2005. This is for a face to face book club. The theme was short story collections. I used it for a best seller from the 1990’s. It was published in 1999.
2. The Song and the Silence: A Story about Family,Race,and What was Revealed in a Small Town in the Mississippi Delta While Searching for Booker Wright by Yvette Johnson. This was my choice for the February read for the same book club. The theme is Civil Rights (Nonfiction). I doubled dipped on this one. A book featuring three generations and a book about social justice.
3. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I double dipped on this one too. A book about do-overs or fresh starts. Under advanced prompts a DNF book from your TBR list. I didn’t like the book. I gave it 2 stars. It was a struggle.
QOTW: What’s on your bucket list.
1. The Removed by Brandon Hobson
2. The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
3. Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
4.Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gypsies
5. Memorial by Bryan Washington
6. This Close To Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith
7. All The Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
I have five books on hold on Overdrive. Three have at least a six month wait. One is arriving soon. One the wait time is unavailable. The library’s license on it expired and they don’t know if they’re going to renew it. I have two hard backs on hold. I’m number 1 for one & number 11 for the other.
The Highlights:First Grave on the Right I enjoyed this first entry to the Charlie Davidson series. I sat down to read a chapter or two and ended up reading the whole book in one sitting...I love when that happens! The ending made it impossible to not immediately put the second book on hold at the library.
Borrowing Blue A new to me author who made the fake relationship trope work - which is saying something as I am not usually a fan of it at all...I will be reading on in this series. Strong writing, enjoyable characters, and a beautiful setting all combined to make this a lovely way to spend a Friday evening.
Comfort and Joy This book reminded me how much I absolutely LOVE Alexa Land's writing. I adored Jed and was super happy to spend more time with Jessie and Kai (a favorite couple from an earlier book)! The author made every scene count and this short novella told a fully fleshed out story.
Nothing Special This book should not have worked for me - it was angsty, prickly, uncomfortable and at times, just downright painful to read. But. I couldn't put it down! Just when it was right on the border of too much, the author would take an unexpected turn or inject just enough humor to make going on possible. The redemption of certain characters, which chapters earlier I would have sworn would be an impossible feat, felt natural and realistic. (However, the redemption of other characters felt a bit too deux ex machina keeping this from being a 5 star read.) I plan to read on in the series and hope that the author keeps taking me off guard - it was both refreshing and unsettling...
Up Next:
Work is insane. I don't have much more to add than that!I'm still knocking out some of my shorter reads, but I'm planning to read the first Eragon this weekend.
Completed:
Small Steps by Louis Sachar: A book about new beginnings. This didn't have the same feel as Holes, but I really liked it. Sachar did a good job of talking about really heavy issues, keeping them real while not overwhelming the reader (considering this is meant for middle graders). It was so bizarre because it takes place in Austin, so I knew all the street references and things like that!
The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl: The shortest book on your TBR. Classic Dahl fun!
Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin: Not for the challenge; it's technically shorter than The Magic Finger, but since I've read it before and it wasn't actually ON the TBR, I decided it doesn't matter.
Catwings Return by Ursula K. Le Guin: Also not for the challenge. I read this all the time as a kid and I thought it might be a fun re-read. I was correct!
Up Next:
Eragon by Christopher Paolini: A book you saw on someone's shelf (I'm sure I have seen it at some point--I just kind of used this prompt as a freebie lol).
Alice's Farm: A Rabbit's Tale by Maryrose Wood: A book with fewer than 1000 ratings. It makes me sad that it has so few because I love this author. But at least I had a good slot to put it in!
QOTW:
My TBR is extremely long, but these are some I know I always *mean* to read but never do.
Don Quixote
Inheritance - I am TERRIBLE at finishing series, and I've put this last book off for so long. Part of that is because I know some characters will die and I don't wanna deal with that. BUT, I've got it slated for this year's challenge, so we'll see how I handle it!
More of the Brontes' works
The Percy Jackson books - So many people have told me I'd love it, and I believe them but...it's another series :(
The Cat and the Curmudgeon
More Dickens
Something by Dostoyevsky
I want to thank everyone again for all their kind words last week about the loss of my grandmother. Naturally, reading this week was a bit challenging for me. We had lots of company and my mind was just too full to appreciate things until about Monday. I am 8/50.
This week, I finished:
The Hunting Party: A locked room mystery. It was okay, but not great.
Black Panther, Vol. 1: A Nation Under Our Feet, Book 1: An Afrofuturism book. This one wasn't really for me. I felt like I was lacking a basic knowledge of this story that was needed, but the illustrations were lovely.
Someone We Know: A book everyone seems to have read but you. This was a fast easy read with lots of twists and turns, but I am basically desperate for a book that surprises me with the ending, and this was not it.
Currently reading:
Big Summer: This one seems like a fun light read. I'm only about 5 chapters in so far, but so far, it is everything I hoped for in a body positivity book.
A Discovery of Witches: A dark academia book. THIS!!!!! This book has what awakened me from my funk this week. A perfect example of the right person reading the right book at the right time. I generally don't enjoy fantasy, but this has provided such a wonderful escape for me, that it feels like magic. Pun definitely intended. I'm hoping to finish it today and am a little concerned about having to immediately finish the series, instead of sticking to my very ambitious reading plan for the weekend.
QOTW:
My most basic book goal is to finish every physical book I own, which includes an old set of 75 classics, which I keep putting off.
I was coping with everything pretty well until last week. Now I'm just an anxious wreck! I guess there's only so much a person can take at a time. Plus, I had to go get tested for COVID-19 this morning. I've got some weird symptoms (particularly sore throat and tightness in my chest) so my doctor said I should go. Honestly, I feel pretty good. Just tired and my chest hurts a little. But, better safe than sorry. I'm going NOWHERE until my results are in so....more time for reading?Finished 2/50
The Fifth Season for "an Afrofurturist book." Wow, this was dark. Goodness. I don't think it helped my anxiety at all during all this. XD
Shakespeare's Secret for "book with a diamond, heart, club, or spade on the cover". Cute middle-grade book. Learned a lot about the great Shakespeare debate though!
Currently Reading
The Raven and Other Writings for "book by an author who shares your zodiac sign". Me and Poe, man. Capricorn ftw.
QotW
The Philokalia
The Pilgrim's Progress
Reread The Wheel of time series by Robert Jordan since I've only done it once.
Finish The Stormlight Archives
The Doors of Stone whenever if ever that ever gets released. C'mon Patrick! We all need something good to happen this year! Do it for the people!
Reread Crime and Punishment
Rereading The Chronicles of Narnia every so often is good for the soul.
Wouldn't mind doing The Great American Read at some point.
Hello! It's snowing here, which is nice for now. It doesn't have the high winds or ice of previous storms, so I'm not as freaked out that my husband is out on the roads today. There's an event going on in the video game I play that runs until next Thursday, so most of my free time is invested in that right now. I'm getting some reading done in the last hour or so before bed, and during lunch, but I'm focusing on books due back to the library soon with massive wait lists behind them.Finished This Week:
Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers - This book wasn't as focused on the political maneuverings as Grave Mercy, but more on what Sybella had been through and her road to healing. I really liked it, and waiting on the last book in the series from the library. Using for #21, Genre Hybrid, since it's fantasy/historical fiction.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. I'd heard good things about this book, and finally got it from the library. I saw a lot of reviews of it saying it's too character driven and not enough plot, but I enjoyed it. Will probably pick up the sequel. Not for a prompt, but could use for TBR meant to read last year, since I've had it on hold since September at the library, or #27 about do-overs or fresh starts if you focus on Rosemary.
Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire. The new Wayward Children! It came out Tuesday, and I had to read it even though it's not a library book that's due in four days and has 1000 people waiting for it. (see next book). I've mostly enjoyed the "school timeline" part of these books, not the "portal timeline" ones, but I enjoyed this one. I was never a horse kid - that was my friend - but the Hooflands sounded amazing. Can't wait to see how Regan fits into the school timeline. Not using for a prompt, but would fit #1 Published in 2021, or #36 fewer than 1000 reviews if you get it in quick.
PS: 3/50 ATY: 4/52 GR: 7/100
Currently Reading:
The Midnight Library the library book with 1000 person wait list behind me. I'm at 74%, so should finish today. This is my book for the Do-Over prompt. I've always loved the alternate timeline/relive your life type stories, and this is a different take on it. Liking it so far.
Blood Heir - This is the book Ilona Andrews started writing as a free serial on their webpage during last spring/summer's lockdowns as an escape/diversion for the rest of us, and then decided to clean up and publish. It's set in the Kate Daniels world, a number of years after Magic Triumphs, where Julie comes back to Atlanta. They stopped posting chapters right when Julie and Derek met again without admitting they knew the other, and I NEED to see what happens.
We Ride Upon Sticks - another library book due soon, and it may be sacrificed to go back on hold because I want to read Blood Heir so much.
QOTW: What’s on your “book bucket list”? (ex: big classic works that you feel you should read, or anything really)
I've never thought of it that way, but I do have a lot of books I'm going to read eventually. I've recently started on books my mom loved that I've deliberately avoided. I read Jane Eyre last year and have Wuthering Heights ready to go. Rebecca and Gone with the Wind would also count here.
The other category of book bucket list is the history books I keep buying but not reading. I'm going to read At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, And I Was There: Pearl Harbor and Midway--Breaking the Secrets and The Battle of the Atlantic: How the Allies Won the War eventually. Plus all the 50s and 60s paperbacks I got from my dad that were written by people who fought in the war, like Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific, I Fought You from the Skies and The Ragged, Rugged Warriors.
I guess the final category would be the next book in a series where I'd have to reread the entire series before it to get in the right mindset and remember everything, but the series/books are so long that I don't want to invest the time. So Glorious Appearing: The End of Days, Cast in Flame, A Dance with Dragons, Voyager, The Last Battle and Queen of Shadows. I'm sure there's more.
Hello from rainy Boston! I just have not been in a reading mood this week (is it the pandemic? insurrection? wedding planned for this summer? move planned for next month?) so I have just been chipping away at my current reads.Currently Reading:
The Prophets
Enjoying this so far. I'm liking all the connections that the author is drawing.
The Cold Millions
Just started and I'm drawn in.
The Devil and the Dark Water
LOVING this so far. The author's writing is *chef's kiss* The short chapters and perfect dialogue have been exactly what the doctor ordered for this week.
Dear Edward
Still early on. I've been trying to mood read recently due to various stresses and this one hasn't been it for me. I am going to try and focus on finishing this one next week!
Picking up from the library tomorrow:
The Invention of Sophie Carter
Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life
QOTW: I don't really separate my TBR at all but J.R.R. Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is on there, as is Anna Karenina.
Hey y'all! I'm enjoying the halcyon early days of the year when every book I read fits into a prompt, and I can delude myself that I will read ALLLLL the books by the end of the year.Finished this week:
Hench (genre hybrid): Fun! Written, like, exactly for my sister, so now I'm very impatient for her to read it.
Elatsoe (different format--illustrated): As someone on this board warned me, it has a very middle grade feel to it. Ellie seemed younger than her supposed age, which could be distracting, but I liked the story and the genuine trust and love between her and her parents.
Currently reading:
Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul: I just finished the chapter about the hit song in Istanbul during WWII, "Boo Boo Baby I'm a Spy", with lyrics like "I'm a really great lover/I'm 10% cloak/and 90% dagger". Orchestras would start playing it when groups of Americans would walk in nightclubs because they were all obviously spies. Hilarious!
The Five Red Herrings: a good Lord Peter Wimsey mystery that suffers from a terminal lack of Harriet Vane.
QOTW: so many books! So. Many. Books. I have personal checklists for both 1001 books to read before you die and all the countries of the world to keep pushing me. I don't have a goal to read all 1001 books because some of them are unendurable (looking at you, A Visit from the Goon Squad, with your endless goings on about how New York is just, like, BETTER than other places), but I would like to try out as many as possible. The countries of the world checklist has been an unqualified positive experience for me; it's pushing me to explore and read harder to find books (i.e., books that wouldn't necessarily be on "best of" lists).
As for specific books, I keep meaning to get around to Kristin Lavransdotter, Wide Sargasso Sea, Nightwood, and finish Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. I will! At some point!
This week has been interesting, to say the least. I'm currently trying to just stay completely out of the District of Columbia until after inauguration day. Which means taking the Beltway around to work (I live in Virginia, work in Maryland), so there's more traffic and it's about twice as many miles than if I just go through the city. I'm hoping that things calm down a little bit soon, because everyone is super on edge. In the meantime, I'm going to try to get a lot of reading done on the upcoming long weekend.This week I finished two books. First, I finished The Partner by John Grisham, which I used as my bestseller from the 90s. It was a pretty generic John Grisham plot, but a fun and easy read. I gave it to my dad to read after I finished, and now he's enjoying it. I also finished Dune by Frank Herbert, which I'm not counting for the challenge because it was a re-read. (I've counted re-reads in the past, but this year, I decided to give myself the extra challenge). I think this could count as a book with three generations, or some of the more personal prompts depending on the reader. I love the epic scale of the book, but the writing feels a little dated. I am definitely looking forward to the new movie that should be out later this year.
QOTW: I have a long-term reading challenge to read a book about every US president. I only get through 2-3 a year, since they are often long and dense. This year I am focusing on Johnson, Grant, and one more to be determined later. Possibly Hayes to keep the chain going.
Christy wrote: "Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul: I just finished the chapter about the hit song in Istanbul during WWII, "Boo Boo Baby I'm a Spy", with lyrics like "I'm a really great lover/I'm 10% cloak/and 90% dagger". Orchestras would start playing it when groups of Americans would walk in nightclubs because they were all obviously spies. Hilarious!"Ooo, that sounds interesting! Added to my TBR. How much history of the Ottoman Empire/Turkey did you have or think you need before reading this?
Finished: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us This was very good, better than Punished by Rewards, though about the same topic.Born For Love: Reflections on Loving Better than average books of its kind
Started: A couple that I haven't committed to. Would rather than the currently reading ones finished first.
Qotw: I think my bucket list is mostly philosophy. Principles of Political Economy: And Chapters on Socialism, I started The Origins of Totalitarianism years ago, but feel like I haven't processed it as fully as I would like. I think also a bunch in the Britannica Great Books series using subjects from the Synopticon.
Melissa wrote: "Ooo, that sounds interesting! Added to my TBR. How much history of the Ottoman Empire/Turkey did you have or think you need before reading this?"Hi Melissa! I knew very little about the history of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire, and I haven't had a hard time following at all. That makes the book a bit rambling at times, but I find the additional context helpful. Also, if you happen to have an Audible account, the audiobook is in the Plus catalog.
Happy Thursday! It's 47 degrees in Cleveland, Ohio surprisingly and I'm enjoying it. I may walk to the store today. I finished 2 books this week. I've been working a bunch of knitting projects and job seeking so I've been busy. Nothing is really keeping my interest. I've also spent a lot of time on Twitter. I finished The Silent Patientfor Prompt #39 A book everyone seems to have read but you. I planned to read this last year but didn't get a chance to get to it. The book was slow going for me until the end. I put it down for awhile but picked it back up. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.
Listen to Me Good: The Story of an Alabama Midwife for Prompt #18 A subject your passionate about. Birth work is something I'm extremely passionate about. I'm working towards my certification as a postpartum doula as well as a lactation consultant and child birth educator. I read this book in a few hours. It was more of a memoir of being a black midwife in the early 1900's and also being black which held certain obstacles Racism has always been in the medical community but I learned that early on in my doula career.
Currently Reading:
Spanish Flu 1918: Viruses, Plagues, And History - Past, Present, And Future for prompt #36
Poly Land: My Brutally Honest Adventures in Polyamory not for the challenge.
The Doula Blueprint:: How to Become a Doula and Create a Successful Business for prompt #7 A book where a main character works at your current or dream job.
QOTW: My goal used to be to read more classics but I soon realized the classics were full of blatant racism and sexism I just decided to pass on it all. My goal this year is to read more nonfiction.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
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Admin stuff: January discussion of Dear Edward is on-going in the 2021 monthly group reads folder. Nominations for Q2 Monthly reads start next week.
This week I've finished ... NOTHING! I can't remember the last time that happened.
Question of the Week
What’s on your “book bucket list”? (ex: big classic works that you feel you should read, or anything really)
Every year I put together a list of books I REALLY need to read this year because I'm sick of scrolling past them in my TBR and not getting to them. This year I meant to keep my list short but I ended up with 21 books but then I decided that's cute since it's 2021 and I left it, then I found Challenge categories for all but five of them. Here they are, if you're interested - it's a motley list:
1 Archangel (Shinn)
2 Leviathan Wakes (Corey)
3 The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History (Kolbert)
4 The Last Days of Night (Moore)
5 The Elegance of the Hedgehog (Barbery)
6 The Devil You Know (Carey) - currently reading this - almost done! it will be my song title book.
7 Inspector Imanishi Investigates (Matsumoto)
8 The Postman Always Rings Twice (Cain) - I've got the audiobook on hold ... you guys! it's STANLEY TUCCI!!! bestill my heart
9 Picnic at Hanging Rock (Lindsay)
10 A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder (Flint)
11 Welcome to Lagos (Onuzo)
12 The Good Son (Jeong) (and I might pair this with The Good Daughter)
13 The Widows of Malabar Hill (Massey)
14 American Elsewhere (Bennett)
15 Rosewater (Thompson)
16 The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World (Brusatte)
17 Triptych (Slaughter)
18 My Brother's Husband, Volume 1 (Tagame)
19 Kushiel's Dart (Carey)
20 Valentine (Wetmore)
21 Old Man's War (Scalzi)
... and I tell myself that someday I will read:
Shirley (I'm tepid on this one now, because oh boy I really hated Villette)
Anna Karenina
War and Peace (I mean, I have to at least TRY, right?)
Madame Bovary
everything by Raymond Chandler (I'm three books into the Marlowe series)
the rest of the Sherlock Holmes books that I haven't read yet (The Hound of the Baskervilles , The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Valley of Fear, His Last Bow)
The Dispossessed - I've read quite a few books by leGuin, but not this one. And this one is the one on the "1001 Books" list!
Kitchen - every year I tell myself I'm going to read this. Why don't I just read this? It'll probably show up on my "books I must read in 2022" list.